Low germination rate and viability

 

I am having some bad luck with my yellow cucumber seeds.  About 20% is the
best germination rate I am getting.  I am germinating them in moist tissues
then planting in pots.  Does the weak germination rate point to weak plants?
Can I expect the seeds that do sprout to be healthy and vigorous or is this
whole batch of seeds inferior?

 



According to "Vegetable Gardener' Bible" by Edward C. Smith.
<(Amazon.com product link shortened)
1580172121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid06815454&sr=1-1>
germination temperature should be 80 - 95°F. What temp are you using?
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

 



Probably around 76F.

Paul

 



Maybe place a desk lamp with an incandescent bulb near it, and keep
moving it closer until you get an acceptable temp. Do you mean lemon
cucumber? How many are you trying to germinate?
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

 

Paul M. Cook wrote:

Not necessarily.  It could be that the whole lot is genetically superior and
will grow good plants but some seeds have been damaged (say) by fungus
because one corner of the packet got wet.  In any case it is wise to select
the stronger seedlings to plant out, as long as you have enough, because you
are then dealing with both heredity (selecting the best genes) and
environment (selecting those that have a head start as they happen to have
grown in the best conditions).

Can I expect the seeds that do sprout to be

It depends on how you selected the seeds that you planted from the batch.
If they are a random selection and you have selected a fair number (at least
10) it is an indication that the whole batch is poor.   It is a statisical
argument of the probability that the selection is representative of the
whole lot.

David