All I know from experience is that the ones I soaked in dilute hydrogen peroxide swelled up fast and germinated faster.
0.1% H2O2
1.5 teaspoons of drugstore peroxide (3%)
1 cup water
Tom Clothier has some advice about starting different salvia species:
http://tomclothier.hort.net/pa...
Most are just "sow at 20C = 68F" but there is this one for Salvia ringens:
Sow at 5ºC = 41ºF or cooler, then germination is very slow and irregular.
Dr. Deno's books may have more suggestions, but I can't interpret all his abbreviations.
Persistent URLs for Dr. Deno's book
"Seed Germination, Theory And Practice"
and supplements:
http://hdl.handle.net/10113/41... (1993)
http://hdl.handle.net/10113/41... (1996)
http://hdl.handle.net/10113/41... (1998)
Theory & Practice
Salvia (Lamiaceae).
S. argentea germ. 70L(16% largely in 1-2 d), 70D(4%), 40(6% in 7-9 w)-70(2%
in 2nd d), and 1% in outdoor treatment.
S. candidissima germ. 70L(59% in 3-14 d), 70D(43% in 3-14 d), 40-70(none),
and 58% in outdoor treatment.
S. cyanescens germ. 70L(1 1% in 3-14 d), 70D(2%), 40(4% in 4-8 w)-70(18% in
2-10 d), and 26% in outdoor treatment.'
S. dumetorum germ. 70(30% in 1-6 d), 40(7% in 3-8 w)-70(8% in 2-10 d), and
21% in outdoor treatment. tight had no effect.
S. glutinosa germ. 70L(22% in 8-9 d), 70D(12% in 12-15 d), 40-70(26% in 4-7
d), and 27% in outdoor treatment.
S. hians germination may be prompted by light. Seeds germ. 70L(3/12 in 5-6
d), 70D(none), and 40-70D(1/3).
S. huberi germ: 40(10% in 7th w), 20% in outdoor treatment, and none in 70D
or 70L
S. moorcroftiana germ: best with seed DS 6 m at 70 in 70(59% in 2-6 d) and
40(60%)-70(1%)-40-70. Fresh seed gave a more extended germination as shown by
70(29%)-40-70(10%)-40 and 40(10%)-70(26%)-40(4%)-70(2%). Seed DS 6 m at 40
gave an intermediate behavior. The data indicates a D-70 pattern, and it is possible
that longer DS would have given higher germination.
S. off icinalis (sage) germ. 92% in 5-12 d in either 70L or 70D, 40(74% in 5-12
w), and 94% in April in outdoor treatment.
S. repens germ. 70(60% in 2-12 d), 40(46% in 2-6 w)-70(none), and 40% in
March in outdoor treatment.
S. sclarea (60 cm. form) germ. 70L(46% in 2-12 d), 70D(31% in 2-12 d), 40(1%)-
70(2%), and 40% in outdoor treatment.
S. sclarea (180 cm. form) germ. 70L(61% in 2-6 d), 70D(43% in 2-7 d), 40(41%
in 7-12 w)-70, and 27% in outdoor treatment.
2nd supplement:
Salvia (Lamiaceae).
S. cyanescens (JS) germ. 100% in 3 d in 70 GA-3 and failed to germinate in
other conditions including 70L.
S. fulgens (Annual Red Salvia) germ. in 4-8 d in 70D. HC reported that it germ.
the same from 55-85 but lower at 50.
S. sclerea turkestanica DS 3 y germ. 700(40% in 2nd w). A sample DS 6 y
germ. 700(6% in 2nd w).
S. superba DS 3 y germ. 700(3% in 2nd w).
S. verticillata 05 3 y were dead. 1.
---
