[Koala Doug]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

That means the postal service did something wrong. Sometimes they use x-rays on our mail. It makes the germination less.

Respectfully, that's a myth that continues to be perpetuated without any scientific basis (like "rocks in the bottom of a container aids in drainage" - they don't). In fact, the scientific papers show a statistically insignificant difference in germination between those seeds receiving x-rays and those that do not.



Additionally, pretty much all seed companies (and this started in the 1950s) and the largest seed banks use x-rays to sort the viable seeds from the non-viable ones. In both cases, they wouldn't spend the time and money to do this if it reduced viability.



Problems with seed germination after receiving them in the mail are most likely to be due to mechanical damage (crushing from the sorting machines).