# Hormones for Seed Germination



## northerntights (Jul 28, 2007)

_This is a repeat post but I believe it is valuable in this new forum:_

I noticed that most people have been having trouble with seeds not germinating, I hope this helps:

I have personally had issues in the past with germination of seeds ordered online, some orders simply having no success whatsoever... I have found that the use of Gibberellic Acid (GA-3) can force nearly all troublesome seeds to germinate.

Gibberellic acid is found in the outer tissue layers of most seeds, when water is introduced the hormone saturates the embryonic tissue of the seedling initiating seeds germination. One can artificially add Gibberellic Acid and compensate for the degradation of the hormone that can occur over time or through environmental factors.

X-RAY damage can also be a troublesome issue. X-RAY damage to the embryonic cells of the seed can lead to an insensitivity to the gibberelins necessary for germination. Again, adding this hormone to the soak can greatly increase your chances of success.

One word of warning, Gibberelic Acid is responsible for cell elongation in plants, meaning that if used, you will most likely see some stretching of your seedlings. Also, MORE IS LESS! This is a very powerful hormone, it has been used to germinate 1000 year old seeds from extinct species! Use only a few grains per liter of water and add nitrozime or liquid-karma to further increase success rates. If you use too much, your seeds will simply die, again better too use too little then too much.

Kits make it easy to experiment and find the right PPM of gibberellic acid, I just got it myself and its easier than using a vile of the stuff, especially since it's so concentrated. It is still cheap but more expensive than Super-Grow.

Hope this helps some people out there, I have been working with plants since I was 12 (I was a geek/dork/nerd of unbelievable proportions) and this stuff is unbeatable! I was able to germinate seeds from pine trees in one week that usually take a fire of 700+ degrees and one year of weathering to sprout... yeh I did Bonsai, again I was a geek. Hope this helps people and I hope it gets more attention in this newer section because it can save your investment. If you do use this, please post your results and concentrations for everyone!


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## recvryjst42day (Jul 28, 2007)

What do you mean you WERE a geek?? I'm just kidding, this is great info +rep! Maybe I'll get some GA for the early special seeds, that aren't germing!


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## northerntights (Jul 28, 2007)

yeh now that I think about it, stick with the germination kit, comes with everything measured out and even has dishes with cotton to soak the seeds in. Gibberellic acid is just too powerful to use otherwise on your first go.


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