Do You Need To Soak Your Microgreen Seeds?
The purpose of this article, is to find out if you actually need to soak microgreen seeds prior to planting. Pre-soaking seeds is practiced because it softens the protective shell of the seeds and allows them to germinate easier.
But do we NEED to soak them?
What if we plant a tray of seeds like normal, except we skip the pre-soak?
I took the above questions and I formulated an experiment.
I decided to use my 3 favorite microgreen seeds; peas, radishes, and sunflowers. I get my seeds from True Leaf Market. I highly recommend them if you’re considering growing microgreens because their prices are competitive, their seeds are excellent, and their customer service is outstanding!
The Experiment as Follows:
I soaked a handful of all three types of seeds for 8 hours in room temperature water.
In a 10×20 tray, I poured a little water in the bottom, and filled it with soil.
After filling it, i leveled out the soil and made a nice even surface for planting.
Next, I drained the seeds that had been soaking, and laid them in three nice patches on one side of the tray.
On the other side of the tray, I did the same with un-soaked seeds.
Important Note
Planting them in the same tray like this ensured that the growing conditions were the same for both the soaked and un-soaked seeds. The only variable was the pre-soak.
I labeled the tray per the seed type and whether they were soaked or un-soaked. I added thin tape dividers because I thought it looked cool.
I placed them in a spare room because its a little too cool out still for microgreens. Microgreens grow great indoors!
My plan after that was simple. I would let them germinate in the dark for 3 days, only uncovering them once daily for a water spritz. After that, I would expose them to the sunlight on my windowsill and let ’em grow!
Let’s See How They Grew!
Day 1
After just one day, it was apparent how much pre-soaking the seeds aided in germination. All 3 soaked groups began to germinate quickly.
The un-soaked groups germinated much less, and the peas didn’t germinate at all.
Days 2 & 3
On days 2 and 3, the un-soaked radishes and sunflowers began to pop open. The un-soaked peas still hadn’t even begun to germinate.
Day 4
On day 4, I took the lid off the tray and put it on a sunny windowsill. Since the soaked seeds had a head start in the germination process, they flourished quicker than the un-soaked.
Day 4- soaked seeds in back
Days 5-7
After a few days in the sun, the un-soaked radishes caught up fairly well, and the un-soaked sunflowers were just starting to show some promise.
Unfortunately, the un-soaked peas still hadn’t done much of anything. I thought all hope may have been lost on them.
Day 8
On day 8, a few of the peas FINALLY began to sprout, but all in all, this was a failure to germinate. The un-soaked peas just couldn’t break through the tough shell, because it wasn’t softened enough.
The soaked peas germinated within a few days, and flourished in these growing conditions.
The un-soaked radish and sunflower microgreens grew pretty well too!
Conclusion
After finishing this little experiment, I can confidently say that pre-soaking microgreen seeds really helps them germinate quicker and easier.
It was also apparent that I need to pre-soak my peas or they will take forever to germinate, or may not even germinate at all.
Hopefully, this article was helpful and interesting for all of you microgreen lovers out there. I love experimenting with different planting techniques and growing conditions, so this little project was very fulfilling for me.
Are you are interested in learning how to grow microgreens? Check out my FREE 7- STEP GUIDE TO GROWING MICROGREENS!
Do you have any questions, comments, or tips about microgreens? I’d love to hear what you have to say in a comment below!
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Cheers!
Cody
Thistle Downs Farm
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