Straight to soil or straight to rapid rooter/ root riot/ peat puck or whatever catches my attention on Amazon. I’m scared of drowning em.
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Yes it is, and it works mostly for very old seeds and those that are hard to crack. But i can see a benefit in doing it to all seeds, they will hydrolize faster tho!
And i use h2o2 along with my chlorine tap water to soak the seeds! But i do let it rest overnight before use.
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Oh, right.
Long time ago, tried to start some late 60’s bag seed.
More dead than alive, I do a wet paper towel in a baggie. Picked out the mouldy ones so not to spread and after 30+ days… 2 germinations. Way to late in the season, White Walkers got’em.
Store bought seeds will show viability at 48 hours and be in the light at 100.
Throwing them in water ??? 
It’s not a swamp plant !
Hoodini… you are posting a lot, but this is another clear message that you are a starting grower who still does need to learn a lot !.
So please don’t discus things with me in future that belongs to breeding work.
That would be a waste of time.
SpeesCees
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Many places recommend soaking the beans in water first. Here is one example.
There is SO MUCH information about every aspect of growing and most of the information is contradictory. There is no 100% true source of info, so we all have to choose which way to do things after reading 12 different ways to do it.
Finding out the “right” way and “wrong” way is almost impossible, unless we try it ourselves.
Hoodini, and many others, soak their seeds and it works for them so far. How can it be “wrong”?
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Crop King LOL
I would suggest never taking their advice seriously.
…I germinate in a paper towel if I’m doing a bunch, and don’t want to plant duds in my seedling tray.
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Hell yeah buddy! That’s what I said. I’m liking @SpeesCees more by the day.
For me a “germ test” isn’t watching to see if they crack. Many old or weak seeds will crack the seed and even break the surface of soil and then die. they have to become viable seedlings for it to count. A lot of the time the white shoot comes out an inch or two and then stops & dies.
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I only used that example because it was the first one I thought of. There are lots of other sites that say the same - and then plenty of others that say wet paper-towels, and then some more that say direct to soil.
So, which is the “truth”? That’s my only point. I don’t think we can really laugh too hard at any one method - if they all work equally well.
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Ya, I think direct-sow works best because there’s less chance for a mistake. But I’m guilty of experimenting with all methods. The only one I find strange is, putting them in a glass of water? I noted a lower germ-rate, the few times I tried that.
Whatever works for each individual is the “right way”.
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Was reading a study that concluded the best method they tried was a soaking period until the seeds reached 150% (200%?) of their starting weight, followed by a drying period to supply the oxygen necessary for all the various germination processes.
Coincidentally, that is pretty much exactly what you’re doing by planting directly in soil @Muleskinner
It’s almost like the seeds have gotten used to naturally varied rainfall over the last eternity and our best bet is to copy that.
I always find that direct sunlight greatly increases germination speed too, if that’s on topic. Lol
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@SpeesCees
My thought is, people do things how they were taught. I soak them for 12 to 24 hours and then put in paper towel because a buddy of mines, brother, who was “closet growing” here in CA 40 years ago, before it was legal, did it that way and it’s how he taught me. Cannabis doesn’t grow in paper towels, either. Is everyone who starts them in that an idiot too?
There are many Vegetable and fruit seeds, THAT AREN’T SWAMP PLANTS, that you are told to soak, by experts, to facilitate or speed up germination. Hell, I had one of the top growers of Okra tell me to freeze the seed and soak it in milk for 2 days. Last time I checked, Okra doesn’t grow in freezing temps (it actually is a HOT weather plant - I cant even think of growing it here until the temp gets to high 80’s) nor do you feed it milk to grow. But Damned if it doesn’t get them to crack in 3-4 days instead of 2 weeks.
I will fully admit that I am a Noob when it come to growing weed (kinda a journeyman at veggies, though - have had gardens most of my 52 years) and the reason I came here is to get advise from folks who have grown a lot longer than me, not EXPERTS (I can pay a few grand and take classes if I wanted to do that). People have learned what works for them and if others want to try it and see if it works for them too, I thought that is why we were all here.
I don’t know… I guess I’m just another idiot and I guess you don’t want me to talk to you, either. NO PROB!
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I’ve noticed this effect helping to germinate difficult seeds 
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On a side note, completely contrary to the study I just cited— I used to germinate 100+ seeds at a time in a glass jar with a ~liter of water and a capful of h2o2, and literally leave them for DAYS before taking little seedlings out of the water.
They literally don’t care what we do, as long as we litfa. Lmfao
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I’ve seen this w/ direct-seed too. I water and then let them sit for 3-4 days before watering again, often until the top surface of soil becomes a crust (it’s still moist down below).
Then I water again & repeat, sometimes letting the soil get somewhat dry & watering again makes another round of seeds pop out. It makes sense, you’re simulating nature.
no one should feel bad for soaking seeds! 
Gardening is like art, it’s a form of self-expression, you gotta do it your own unique way IMO. I mainly posted to let people know that it seems to work just as well to direct-seed and it’s easier for me
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If that’s how you act towards less experienced growers then you’re in the wrong place to be peddling. We all have to start somewhere and this community has a lot of new growers who need help and want to learn.
Knowledge needs to be shared freely with everyone. Lest we forget, we’re here to Overgrow the world, not have a d**k measuring contest to shame the losers.
It’s a shame because I read many of your threads and find lots of your posts insightful, but as it stands I don’t like all the negativity.
I am becoming a hippie
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As much as I’m trying to stay out of this bs. . .here read @SpeesCees answers to his question contest
I especially like #8 answer. . .SMH
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I’ve had the most consistent success with direct sowing around 1cm deep. It helps the seedling shed the shell to push through the soil.
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There is an entire industry around malting grains for brewing beer. The first step in malting is germinating. The above procedure is taken from that process. So I prefer a short (8 hour or so) soak and into rapid rooters.
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Hey do you have a link to that study brother?