Seedfork said:What is the point of drying seeds for a few days when you are planning on germinating them right away? Not saying that is wrong, I just don't understand the purpose of it. It just seems drying out a seed then adding the moisture back into it is a counterproductive step that would just set back the germination time.
It is possible that in some circumstances it is necessary. For example, in some plant species, while the seeds are still on the pod parent they are plump and have a substantial amount of moisture in them. That may prevent them from sprouting while still on the pod parent. They become separated from their parent and lose some of their moisture becoming drier and then they can sprout. If the seeds of those species are removed from the pod parent and planted immediately they do not sprout - they have to lose a certain amount of moisture and then re-absorb it before they will sprout. I
assume that drying out and losing some moisture acts as a signal that the seed is no longer on the pod parent and that it then sprouts. When it is continuously moist the signal is 'do not sprout'. Other plant species have seeds that do not need to dry out and can sprout without being dried. There are also circumstances which cause seeds of some plant species to sprout while still on the pod parent. It is also possible that drying out is a necessary part of seed development in some plant species. The botanical term was 'maturation drying' but now tends to be described as desiccation.
I do not know whether daylily seeds need to dry before they sprout. The way to test that would be to remove the seeds from a pod that is just about to open and plant them immediately.
