Gord seeds not sprouting - how long should i soak them.

17 years ago

I have the following seeds (Not sure how accurate the botanical names are - i googled them, and they may not match what i actually have.):

Bitter Gourd - Momordica charantia.

Snake Gourd - Trichosanthes cucumerina.

Bottle Gourd - Lagenaria siceraria.

Ridge Gourd - Luffa Aegyptica.

French/String Beans.

Okra.

I put them in individual tiny plastic cups filled with water and then put them in sunshine (they received part direct sun and part shade). The okra had sprouted by the next day (24 hours), unfortunately none of my gourd or bean seeds have sprouted!

1. The gourds have a tough seed-cover so should i soak for a few more days? I read somewhere that you should soak for 8 days??

2. Can you drown the seeds in water or should i place them in between wads of damp and wet cotton?

3. What do i do about the beans? Soak some more?

Also, what plants (veggies, fruits, flowers) grow well in the shade. My plot gets a lot of shade and i never know what to plant in these areas. Lettuce? Cabbage?

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Comments (4)

gw:vivek_m
17 years ago
Ugh! Spelling mistake - Sorry! Gourd! Gourd! Darn, and in the Subject-Field!
mwoods
17 years ago
I grow many gourds and always do it the same way. I soak the thick seeds overnight in the kitchen in whatever. The next day I plant them in small pots and keep them in the greenhouse,but since it's so hot there you could probably sow them directly. Either way,they will take a couple of weeks to sprout. I've never heard of soaking bean seeds. I just plant them and when it's hot,they'll sprout in a few days. Good luck to you.
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meldy_nva
17 years ago
I soak bean and pea seeds in cold strong tea for several hours before planting. I usually get 100% germination, even in cold soil (I plant much earlier than most, and un-presoaked seed will often have a distressingly low germination rate). Keep in mind that beans want specific warmth (close to 70*F) before sprouting, and that soil depth does matter -- too deep may be too much for the little sprouts to poke through.

In all cases, you can always pre-sprout by placing the seeds on damp paper, fold and place into a plastic bag; keep in a consistently warm place (not direct sunlight; on top of a water heater is good) and check once a day. Gently plant into small pots as each seed sprouts, and transplant when they are ready for the garden - usually about the time they have 6 to 8 leaves.

I'd suggest posting on the New to Gardening forum for suggestions about plants for shade. It would help if you could include info about your climate, high & low temperatures, soil type, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: New to Gardening GW forum.
gw:vivek_m
17 years ago
Hey both of you, many thanks! Will comply! The bean seeds have started germinating - Woo! Thanks Marda! You were bang on, all it needed was more bloody patience! I stopped drowning them in water and left them on my window-sill (which is shaded), on-top of a wet cotton wad. I also googled this: "http://www.pssc.ttu.edu/plantprop/contain.htm";.
It explains a lot off stuff (Oxygen apparently is required during germination ).

meldy_nva: Does the tea soaking trick work only with bean and pea (legumes), or will it work with all seeds. Any idea how and why it works? I'll definitely try it out since both my Mum and Dad are big time tea drinkers :)

Oh, i live in Bangalore, India. It's mostly cold and cloudy with rain from time to time. But it's quite sunny as well. Very temperate climate 16-32 Centi. My soil is very clayey and it's been a right royal pain digging in it! I have been planting my sprouted seeds in well dug up soil ('bout a inch in depth), but i notice that the top hardens in the sun (because of the clay) and i worry that the sprouts may not be able to break through. I think i shall try transplanting them as you suggested - saves on excess watering as well!

Gord seeds not sprouting - how long should i soak them.

Comments (4)

gw:vivek_m

mwoods

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