Here is a simple method that is highly successful at germinating old bean seed. It will work if the seed are alive but obviously if they are dead, nothing will help.
Mix 1 teaspoon of miracle grow with 1 gallon of water. Any highly soluble fertilizer with high nitrate will work. Seaweed emulsion in the 5% nitrate range could be used. Use 2 tablespoons of seaweed emulsion because it is less concentrated than miracle grow.
Start seed in a high quality seed mix. It is very important to have air circulation around and through the seed mix. It must be light and highly absorbent. I prefer seed trays because the water can be put in the bottom and will saturate the mix but will not puddle around the seed. Moisten enough mix with the water to fill and lightly pack the tray.
Pour the rest of the gallon of water into the bottom of the tray and let it set for at least an hour. The seed mix should be totally saturated. Pour off enough of the water so the seed tray is only half full.
Now plant the seed. Gently push seed into the mix until just level with the soil. The seed should NOT be covered up. Put the tray in a very warm area, 80 to 85 degrees is just about perfect. They should also be exposed to very bright light. Full sunlight is best but a high quality seed start light will work.
If the seed can grow, it will break the seedcoat within a few days. Because the seed is at the surface, the cotyledons will be exposed to light from the beginning. The seed will send a root down into the mix and start to absorb nutrients. This is the point where you have to watch carefully for weak attachment to the soil. If a seed starts to grow but leans over, put some more seed mix around it to prop it into position until the roots are strong enough to support the plant.
Keep the plants in the tray until the first true leaves have formed, then transplant into prepared soil.
How effective is this? I planted some 8 year old seed this year and got 1% germination in soil. I put some of the same seed in a seed tray and got 60% viable plants. That is a dramatic difference.
Fusion
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