TOPIC: Plant Seeds or Throw Away???

yeehaw21 wrote:

Just wondering . . . Is there anyway to test germination with ginseng seeds?

I don't think so other than planting them! Plant the seeds in a prepared area, insure that they are protected from Deer, Turkey, Grouse, other birds, moles, voles and rabbits and then monitor the success rate. Understand that it may take at the least 2 and possibly up to 3 years to see the actual totals of germinated seeds to determine the percentage of success of sprouted seeds versus the non-sprouted seeds.


Frank

I have never tested germination on stratified seed, but I know otheres here have done that.

I always just buy fresh seed and plant them asap, and then my germination test is in the spring

One thing that I would do on this questionable seed is just randomly select out several seed and with a sharp knife split them along the seam to reveal the embryo and check the inside of the seeds for signs of disease.

If you have nice clear-white color inside with a well developed embryo (see examples below), then I would sure go ahead and plant them.

Also - keep in mind that seed that has been stored improperly (like yours has)... may play some tricks on you germinatoin wise. For example, you could have only 5-10% germinate this spring, and then the following spring the majority of those that will germinate could come up then.

Good Luck !

TNhunter

yeehaw21 wrote:

Just wondering . . . Is there anyway to test germination with ginseng seeds?

I am not really familiar with the process, but the way the commercial growers determine viability rates is through a respiration test. If I understand this correctly, they can put stratified seed into a shallow dish and cover it with a solution. The seed that is viable (alive) will show respiration in the solution somehow. If they count 90 out of 100, that equals 90% viability.