How to Check for Seed Viability

If you are like a lot of people you might have harvested seeds from your own vegetables or flowers last year and saved them to plant again this year. Or, perhaps you just had leftover seeds when you were done planting last year and tucked them away to use again this season. Either way, before you go to the trouble of planting leftover seeds you need to check if they are still viable and that they will still grow.

What a lot of people don't realize is that seeds are actually alive, and just like any other living thing they have a certain lifespan before they die. The lifespan of a seed varies greatly depending upon the type of plant and the way you store it. Some seeds only last for a short period of time while others can remain viable for years.

Instead of wasting time planting seeds that are dead and won't grow, you can perform a simple germination test that will let you know whether or not the seeds are still viable and how quickly they will germinate.

How to do a Seed Germination Test

A seed germintaion test is actually really easy and inexpensive to perform. All you need is a papertowel and a plastic sandwich bag.

Start by dampening the paper towel with water. Count out ten seeds and place them on the damp paper towel. Fold the paper towel in half over the seeds and place it in the sandwich bag and label the bag with the name of the seed that you are testing as well as the date you started them.

Check the seeds daily to see exactly when they germinate and to look for signs of growth. Make sure to keep the papertowel damp throughout the whole process and add water if necessary. Some seeds will germinate within a couple of days while other can take as long as several weeks.

Interpreting the Results of Your Test

When the seeds start to germinate count the number of seeds that have sprouted. If all of them have then you have perfectly viable seeds and can plant them. If 8-9 of them have the seeds are still in good condition and again, you can go ahead and plant them. If 6-7 of them sprouted then you can still plant them, but you will need to plant more seeds to make up for the duds. If fewer than 6 seeds sprouted you can either plant the seeds and hope for a few plants to sprout here or there, or you can throw them out and buy new seeds.

Doing a germination test on your seeds will help you to know precisely how long the seeds will take to germinate and the approximate percentage of seeds that will germinate. It is a really simple test to perform and can save you from spending time planting seeds that aren't going to yield good results.