You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
Hi! I fermented some hot house tomato seeds last week for three days, stirring them every day. I developed the "sponge" on top the third day. I washed all the seeds in a fine screen strainer and began to notice that about 80% of them already had their rootlet showing! They had germinated in the fermentation bath! So I hurriedly planted them in peat pots. These didn't get a chance to dry out at all. The rootlets were in some cases longer than the seeds themselves. I'm just wondering what my chances are of getting viable plants this way, without the drying step. Another forum told me the entire lot is useless. Any ideas?
I've never heard of seeds germinating in the fermentation process. I've fermented countless varieties and I've never had this happen. So, as to why it caused it, I can't say.
If they sprouted then obviously they won't store as seeds, but I see no reason at all why they won't grow into healthy plants. I have often pre-sprouted tomato seeds in moist paper towels and transfer them into soil once they sprout.
I had the same thing happen to me with 2 different variety of heirloom seeds today. Had them sitting on my shady window sill in the glass and they just started to sprout. I want to say they were in the glass for 5 days. I was so dismayed becouse the parent plant has already been pulled. So I put the sprouts into a pot hoping I can get another plant to grow to eventually gather seeds from this year.
Was this a small number of seeds, or the majority of them? Also, was the mixture properly fermenting? (For example, was there a white film on top of the liquid?)
Yes, all the seeds sprouted with the exception of maybe 5 seeds. I put one (squeezed) tomato in one small jar x2 jars (had 2 different types of heirlooms). I added 2-3 tablespoons of water to get the level up. They didn't really have a film on the top of the mixture but did get a whitish tint to the mixture. The gel sacks were completely gone and the seeds were fuzzy.
