Please share the parsley germination secret (again)
 

2 years ago I used some ratio of H2O2/H20 for a soak (how long?) & sprouted them within a couple of days.

This year different but fresh seed - no luck. Maybe soak was too strong, too long?

Dunno before I reseed the Italian parsley thought I would ask my fellow Tvs for their tried & true methods of sprouting parsley. TIA!

Hi Stormy - I usually just pour a small handful of seeds (collected the previous year from my own overwintered-in-a-pot-in-the-garage-and-set-outside-early-in-the-spring-plants) into a glass or jar and half fill it with warm water. Let sit for an hour or so. Decant, letting any chaff and "floaters" run out and down the drain. I usually repeat this at least three times, the last time letting it sit overnight. You will notice that the water will be slightly brownish or discoloured, that's OK. This procedure is usually sufficient to soak off enough of the germination inhibitors. Decant for the last time and plant the wet soggy mass. Since I plant densely (similar to Craig L.) it is easy enough to do. If you prefer to plant more individual-like, it will probably take a lot more time and effort. In any event you should see germination in about 5 days, instead of the usual 2 weeks. What was the old wives tale - it had to go down to the devil 9 times before it would sprout? Hope this helps, good luck to you.

I soak for about 24 hours in warm water. Then place the seeds on a damp paper towel, fold it up and put it all in a baggie. I also placed it on the heating mat with my pepper seeds during the day - off at night. I had germination with a week.

Not sure if the heat aided in germination, but it certainly didn't hurt.

I put my seeds in a fairly damp paper towel, fold the paper towel over the seeds a couple of times, and put it in a sealed plastic bag. When I see the first sign of sprouts, I put them in seed starter mix.

wow i never considered soaking the seed. it takes 12, 15 days sometimes longer for germination. parsley is very hard to sprout. i keep the promix very damp and cover the container with plastic wrap.

carrots are in the same family so when i direct seed carrots i cover the plot with damp burlap and wet it 2 or 3 times a day depending upon temperature and sunshine. this gets them to germinate fast.

i'll try soaking seed next time i start parsley which probably won't be until next year.

I wish I would have seen this soaking thread yesterday! I sowed some in a flat this morning with no soaking. Normally, I just throw some in the ground out in the garden when the weather allows, but this year I decided to grow a pot of seedlings to speed things up.

TY! You guys are the best! I remember using some hydrogen peroxide in the warm water soak - can't remember amount 1T seems safe & 1:4 H2O2:H2O may be too strong... Anyone use hydrogen peroxide?

Clearly getting old & need to take better garden notes LOL!

I've only used warm water, too. Changing it for a few hours to keep it warm, and then soaking overnight. Since I've had such luck this year with a seaweed fertilizer soak with peppers and tomatoes, I'd try it with parsley, too.

Are the seeds that don't sink in the water not viable?

That's an interesting question recruiterg - a LOT of mine float (seems I remember them floating alot 2 years ago when I got GREAT germination) so I dunno. Gonna plant them all this pm - I use a teaspoon to slop them into the cells - makes smearing them around easier. Yea I way overseed but found I can just cut the cells into 6 or 8 chunks & most of the seedlings do fine (do the same thing with my basils but not quite as over seeded b/c they are dry seed).

These will get the same plastic trash bag on heat treatment as the tomatoes & peppers.

I'm liking the seaweed fertilizer suggestion.

And I'm loving the slow parsley germination rationale shared by salix!

I don't do anything special - used Parsley I bought in a store packet (Burpee, Italian Flat Leaf) in 2009 - just put a pinch of seeds in the cell, sprinkled just a bit of soilless mix on it, misted it, loosely covered with plastic, and onto the heat mat, in front of a south facing window (my usual dense planting technique, in a 50 cell flat with other flowers and herbs) - got excellent germination, but took 11 days.

[quote=recruiterg;206501]Are the seeds that don't sink in the water not viable?[/quote]

I've seen things that say yes, not viable, and a few that say no.

I would say that there is a subset of the floaters that are not viable as immature, and few of the sinkers are immature, so probably the consensus is why waste time if you already have a ton of seed anyway?

But no, I have not tested this theory.

And I _still_ don't have that heating mat!

Ireilly - psst mine is an electric blanket - GFI outlet

You might want to check your floaters and see if they have tiny air bubbles attached to them that are making them float. That happens to me sometimes.

I dont soak mine..I plant in dampened soiless mix. sprinkle seeds on top, mist seeds well with room temp water, then cover lightly with more soiless mix..Mist again..I mist if the soil dry's out a bit on top...Mine germinated in 10 days..

The second batch is up & doing mighty well! The first batch I thought I over H2O2ed & then placed on too much heat are also coming up - slowly as I got disgusted with them & moved them off the blankie & put them still in their plastic shroud outside - 2 6-packs on one side have sprouts - tough stout little sprouts & the other 4 6-packs nothing yet but I am not so worried now that the second tray has come on so strong.

Note to self - 1 T H2O2 in about a cup of very warm tapwater for about 28 grams of parsley seed. Let sit for a few hours then spoon (ok fine sub slop for spoon) onto 6-pack cells, sprinkle with a t starting medium, moisten & coer in plasti bag & place on heat - no more than 8 or 9 no matter how chilly the downstairs is. Expect germination in <7 days.

I soaked overnight and than kept damp on the ground just like carrot seeds. I let my patch go to seed and they've self sowed for two years now.
I have Italian flat parsley.

How long is the seed viable for parsley? That could be a factor for germination too. This Spring I scattered seed from a couple of years ago in 4" container but very few seeds germinated. One year in the fall I cut back the foliage and seperated the roots and replanted in fresh soil and it actually grew new plants. I also have "wild" parsley growing around the area that I had planted parsley the previous year. It must have self seeded. And no it isn't poison hemlock.

We planted mostly radical parsley and we use root and leaves too. These leaves are better by me.
Some comments to germination of parsley seeds:
1.Seeds of parsley germinate about 21 day
2.Parsley seeds best germinate best on the light
3.The lifetime of seeds 1-3 years
4.Specialy conditioned seeds of parsley are shopped for profesional gardeners only. They must be growing into 3 months most latterly. They germinate 7 days.
Vladimír

I haven't tried soaking my parsley seeds, but I had luck putting them in very moist soil. They seem to like things wet, I didn't get good germination on my parsley until they were nearly waterlogged. It did take a long time for them to germinate, but it seems like they didn't pop up from the soil until I thought I'd finally drowned them.

[QUOTE=Vespertino;353982]I haven't tried soaking my parsley seeds, but I had luck putting them in very moist soil. They seem to like things wet, I didn't get good germination on my parsley until they were nearly waterlogged. It did take a long time for them to germinate, but it seems like they didn't pop up from the soil until I thought I'd finally drowned them.[/QUOTE]

That could be the reason. I'll try that next time.

Thanks MrBig
 

[QUOTE=MrBig46;353981]We planted mostly radical parsley and we use root and leaves too. These leaves are better by me.
Some comments to germination of parsley seeds:
1.Seeds of parsley germinate about 21 day
2.Parsley seeds best germinate best on the light
3.The lifetime of seeds 1-3 years
4.Specialy conditioned seeds of parsley are shopped for profesional gardeners only. They must be growing into 3 months most latterly. They germinate 7 days.
Vladimír[/QUOTE]

My seed may have been too old.

i thought that parsley seed was good for 5 years but a packet is cheap enough to buy a fresh one every 3 years. i soaked them this year but the germination is still slow tho maybe it was a little quicker. i cover the container with plastic wrap and keep it damp until they finally pop up. same family as carrot and they are a b&^%$ to germinate too!

tom