Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Curious as to what is going on with mailed seeds

**nctomatoman** · April 5, 2006

I don't know what to say about the potential meaning of this, but it is interesting - I am getting pretty much 80-100% germination on my saved seed, looking at over 100 varieties.

However, seeds through the mail are showing surprising variability. Fresh World Beater pepper seed from Southern Exposure failing to germinate. Fresh Thai Dragon at 20%. Earl's Faux from Earl at 40%, from Fusion at 0% (and he got good germination on the same lot). I send Brad Green Giant - he gets less than 10% germ; I get 98% (as does Fusion) on the same seed. Patrina sends me 8 F1 Dwarfs - my germination is approaching 100%. I send the seeds to others, and some are getting nothing.

I don't know what is going on, if anything; clearly, germination technique is a significant variable - but the above types of data indicate that perhaps something is going on intermittently with seed sent through the mail. When I use a particular technique on a flat of 50 varieties, and Fusion's Earl's Faux gives me nothing - yet he gets near 100% germination on the same seed - it is very curious.

Any thoughts?

April 5, 2006	#1
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Curious as to what is going on with mailed seeds I don't know what to say about the potential meaning of this, but it is interesting - I am getting pretty much 80-100% germination on my saved seed, looking at over 100 varieties. However, seeds through the mail are showing surprising variability. Fresh World Beater pepper seed from Southern Exposure failing to germinate. Fresh Thai Dragon at 20%. Earl's Faux from Earl at 40%, from Fusion at 0% (and he got good germination on the same lot). I send Brad Green Giant - he gets less than 10% germ; I get 98% (as does Fusion) on the same seed. Patrina sends me 8 F1 Dwarfs - my germination is approaching 100%. I send the seeds to others, and some are getting nothing. I don't know what is going on, if anything; clearly, germination technique is a significant variable - but the above types of data indicate that perhaps something is going on intermittently with seed sent through the mail. When I use a particular technique on a flat of 50 varieties, and Fusion's Earl's Faux gives me nothing - yet he gets near 100% germination on the same seed - it is very curious. Any thoughts? __________________ Craig