“Fluid sowing is a useful way of speeding germination indoors and sowing the germinating seeds outside without damaging their delicate roots. Seedling emergence is often 2-3 weeks earlier than with dry sown seeds. Fluid sowing has been shown to give higher yields of slow-germinating crops such as early carrots, parsnips and onions. Outdoor tomatoes can be sown direct in climates where the season is usually considered to be too short.”

Quoted from Organic Gardening in Australia

what is the procedure for this, the term is unfamiliar?

bluegreen said:

what is the procedure for this, the term is unfamiliar?

Like sowing seed in a saucer of water ??
I used to have window box’s of impatiens when I was in a flat and I raised the seedling’s under a flourecent light.. gro light. It worked fabulously. Does anyone use gro light’s to raise seed’s now ?

bluegreen said:

what is the procedure for this, the term is unfamiliar?

ditto

“Start seeds off indoors on some moist paper towel in a plastic box. Put the lid on, and keep the boxs at about 21C in a propaqgator or airing cupboard until roots begin to appear. When the roots are about 5mm long, carefully wash them off the towel and into a fine gauge plastic strainer. Make up some fungicide-free wallpaper paste at half the normal strength, and when it hasthickened, add the seeds to it, strirring gently. Try not to touch the delicate seeds. Pour the paste and seed mix into a plastic bag and seal the top with a knot. Make a shallow drill in the soil using a draw hoe and moisten it. Cut the corner of the plastic bag and squeeze the seeds and paste into the drill. Covers the seeds over gently…and keep moist.”
bluegreen said:

what is the procedure for this, the term is unfamiliar?

Make up some fungicide-free wallpaper paste at half the normal strength, and when it has thickened, add the seeds to it, strirring gently.
——-
beginning to sound difficult.

maybe you could use potato starch with a pinch of sulphur?…..anyway, fluid sowing avoids root disturbance as much as possible.
pepe said:

Make up some fungicide-free wallpaper paste at half the normal strength, and when it has thickened, add the seeds to it, strirring gently.
——-
beginning to sound difficult.

maybe you could use potato starch with a pinch of sulphur?…..anyway, fluid sowing avoids root disturbance as much as possible.
—-
are you going to do it?
i see time and operational difficulties.
i also doubt the 2-3 weeks acceleration. if seed grow well under normal planting methods why not wait – and plant successive crops?

pepe said:

maybe you could use potato starch with a pinch of sulphur?…..anyway, fluid sowing avoids root disturbance as much as possible.
—-
are you going to do it?
i see time and operational difficulties.
i also doubt the 2-3 weeks acceleration. if seed grow well under normal planting methods why not wait – and plant successive crops?

fluid sowing is meant to help with difficult to germinate seeds, from what i’ve read about it so far. it could be used for carrot seed for instance, as soil space is not used for carrot seed that may not germinate evenly. the watery gel provides the critical moisture for carrot seed emergence, with the sprouted seed not injured as it’s laid out into drill. i guess it’s like the other well known trick of placing a board over carrot seed until sprouted before lifting board. both ways have the same goal, and require additional work, with (hopefully) better yield for the effort. The research does indeed claim extended growing season with fluid sowing. There is some commercial horticultural literature/notes about this on the internet….search for: “fluid sowing” seed in search engine. By the way, I’m not trying to convince anyone that this is fabulous; just hoping to stimulate interest in those interested.
i just might try the fluid sowing for carrots in spring, to see how it goes. and to see if the additional effort is worth it. in the past i have usually broadcast carrot seed, with patchy results. this would force me to plant in drills.

i have heard about it, may do a few experinments and see which type of sowing for me works betters, eg germinating time.

veg gardener said:

i have heard about it, may do a few experinments and see which type of sowing for me works betters, eg germinating time.

they are talking of encasing seeds in some sort of gel.
any idea what sort of gel you might use VG?

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

i have heard about it, may do a few experinments and see which type of sowing for me works betters, eg germinating time.

they are talking of encasing seeds in some sort of gel.
any idea what sort of gel you might use VG?

could use water.

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

i have heard about it, may do a few experinments and see which type of sowing for me works betters, eg germinating time.

they are talking of encasing seeds in some sort of gel.
any idea what sort of gel you might use VG?

could use water.

it needs to congeal. wallpaper paste is something i’ve never used.
i’m still trying to think of a natural product that would encase seeds.

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

i have heard about it, may do a few experinments and see which type of sowing for me works betters, eg germinating time.

they are talking of encasing seeds in some sort of gel.
any idea what sort of gel you might use VG?

could use water.

it needs to congeal. wallpaper paste is something i’ve never used.
i’m still trying to think of a natural product that would encase seeds.

ok i see where you are coming from, i have heard something different from a gardening magainze ill look at them to night, from what i remember they filled a sandwhich bag with water put the seeds in and tied a not, cut a cocner off and then put them in seed drills. ill find it tonight and post it up on here ok?

something like jelly or agar agar ?
i can’t experiment until i think of a means.
—
no need to post it – aquarium has already – look under ‘viewful’.

ok then.

i’m not 100% on this…i think the paste/gel is meant to be squeezed out into the soil drill (that is sure), and the gel stays there with the germinated seed until it takes root, preventing it drying out during establishment. if you use just water to germinate, they’ll probably rot in a few days.
would something like the gel from agave cactus be a viable alternative? i’m sure they make chemical free wallpaper paste by now anyway.
…i’ll go back in the box now.

aquarium said:

i’m not 100% on this…i think the paste/gel is meant to be squeezed out into the soil drill (that is sure), and the gel stays there with the germinated seed until it takes root, preventing it drying out during establishment. if you use just water to germinate, they’ll probably rot in a few days.
would something like the gel from agave cactus be a viable alternative? i’m sure they make chemical free wallpaper paste by now anyway.
…i’ll go back in the box now.

or the gel from the centre of the aloe vera leaf.
sounds crazy – but i’m having trouble with carrots germinating.

aquarium said:

i’m not 100% on this…i think the paste/gel is meant to be squeezed out into the soil drill (that is sure), and the gel stays there with the germinated seed until it takes root, preventing it drying out during establishment. if you use just water to germinate, they’ll probably rot in a few days.
would something like the gel from agave cactus be a viable alternative? i’m sure they make chemical free wallpaper paste by now anyway.
…i’ll go back in the box now.

Doesn’t one of those water crystals turn into a type of gel when it becomes waterlogged. Mix it in with seeds? That sounds as though it would hold till germination.

i had extremely poor germination rate for carrots until i got some bentonite clay into the soil. since they’re sown so close to the surface, or on the surface, they don’t germinate well due to inadequate moisture. even when they germinate, they dry up very quickly and die. can’t stand there all day misting with water.
when i added bentonite throughout my garden beds, in late summer, all the seeds i’ve been planting since spring suddenly came up.

pepe said:

aquarium said:

i’m not 100% on this…i think the paste/gel is meant to be squeezed out into the soil drill (that is sure), and the gel stays there with the germinated seed until it takes root, preventing it drying out during establishment. if you use just water to germinate, they’ll probably rot in a few days.
would something like the gel from agave cactus be a viable alternative? i’m sure they make chemical free wallpaper paste by now anyway.
…i’ll go back in the box now.

or the gel from the centre of the aloe vera leaf.
sounds crazy – but i’m having trouble with carrots germinating.

Not so crazy. I’ve always had trouble with carrots germinating.

Hey Lucky, when should we plant carrot seed according to moon planting??? In the next month, for example, when are the best days?

I’ve taken on board your bentonite comments, Aquarium. Would bentonite help retain moisture in sandy soil?

I wondered whether another “gel” might could be to use something like a cornflour-and-water paste mix (or would it just soak in quickly anyway, do you think?). The water crystals-turning-into-gel idea sounds interesting, but I’ve never used them.

Yeehah said:

pepe said:

aquarium said:

i’m not 100% on this…i think the paste/gel is meant to be squeezed out into the soil drill (that is sure), and the gel stays there with the germinated seed until it takes root, preventing it drying out during establishment. if you use just water to germinate, they’ll probably rot in a few days.
would something like the gel from agave cactus be a viable alternative? i’m sure they make chemical free wallpaper paste by now anyway.
…i’ll go back in the box now.

or the gel from the centre of the aloe vera leaf.
sounds crazy – but i’m having trouble with carrots germinating.

Not so crazy. I’ve always had trouble with carrots germinating.

Hey Lucky, when should we plant carrot seed according to moon planting??? In the next month, for example, when are the best days?

I’ve taken on board your bentonite comments, Aquarium. Would bentonite help retain moisture in sandy soil?

I wondered whether another “gel” might could be to use something like a cornflour-and-water paste mix (or would it just soak in quickly anyway, do you think?). The water crystals-turning-into-gel idea sounds interesting, but I’ve never used them.

Hi Yeehah,
I’ve used bentonite to improve my soil. Dug it through some soil in the height of summer, and stopped wasting water, as it wet quickly and retained moisture. It’s good for sandy soil, and even my silty soil.
it did cost me a fair bit as i can’t buy it in bulk. about $18 buys a 10kg bag. i’m sure you can source it in bulk much cheaper. it’s also used (on it’s own without soil) as a lining layer for dams.

keep the suggestions coming
- so far the seed casing might be -
- w/paper paste, cornflour, water crystals, aloe, agave.
the other problem i have is the distribution of the gel in the furrow. are we thinking cake decorating tube (icing) here?
and if the gel is sticky then what?

pepe said:

keep the suggestions coming
- so far the seed casing might be -
- w/paper paste, cornflour, water crystals, aloe, agave.
the other problem i have is the distribution of the gel in the furrow. are we thinking cake decorating tube (icing) here?
and if the gel is sticky then what?

for the distribution i am thinking a sandwhich bag and tie know in the open end then get ur a knife and cut one of the concers off and then push it out into the furrows.

for the distribution i am thinking a sandwhich bag and tie know in the open end then get ur a knife and cut one of the concers off and then push it out into the furrows.
—- a sandwich bag being a plastic one?
yep – i’m getting a picture of it slowly.
i still wonder how tiny, sprouted seed are going to survive this gel experience.

pepe said:

for the distribution i am thinking a sandwhich bag and tie know in the open end then get ur a knife and cut one of the concers off and then push it out into the furrows.
—- a sandwich bag being a plastic one?
yep – i’m getting a picture of it slowly.
i still wonder how tiny, sprouted seed are going to survive this gel experience.

yep a plastic sandwhich bag, maybe its time for an experiment.

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

for the distribution i am thinking a sandwhich bag and tie know in the open end then get ur a knife and cut one of the concers off and then push it out into the furrows.
—- a sandwich bag being a plastic one?
yep – i’m getting a picture of it slowly.
i still wonder how tiny, sprouted seed are going to survive this gel experience.

yep a plastic sandwhich bag, maybe its time for an experiment.

yep – someones got to try it – or all this talk is to no avail.
my early toms in pots are frighteningly large for this time of year.

pepe said:

veg gardener said:

pepe said:

for the distribution i am thinking a sandwhich bag and tie know in the open end then get ur a knife and cut one of the concers off and then push it out into the furrows.
—- a sandwich bag being a plastic one?
yep – i’m getting a picture of it slowly.
i still wonder how tiny, sprouted seed are going to survive this gel experience.

yep a plastic sandwhich bag, maybe its time for an experiment.

yep – someones got to try it – or all this talk is to no avail.
my early toms in pots are frighteningly large for this time of year.

maybe a few people could try a different method each like some one just water, someone gel etc.

maybe a few people could try a different method each like some one just water, someone gel etc.
—-
yep
a piece of damp paper towel and a few seed is all is takes.
keep it in a warm place until sprouts are 5mm long.
ezy pezy.
the next bit of washing seed into a sieve and then mixing with paste is the dubious bit.

i’ve planted some carrot seed on moist paper towel to start this experiment.
i don’t know what paste i will use.

my carrot seedlings dried out whilst i was away – so i might have to start again.