In the past, the most often used practice was to pack seeds in damp sand, and put in the refrigerator for the required length of time ( time varies from species to species, from a couple of weeks, to a few months ). The problem has always been, what moisture percentage constitutes "damp" and what percentage is simply "wet"?
The proper amount is moisture is critical, too much and the seed will literally drown in place and start to rot when removed from the cold, too little and the seeds receive little benefit from the process. Seedman has removed the guesswork from this process with the Seedman's Cold Stratification Kits for Seeds. We use a precise system of measuring media ( sand replacement ) and water to produce the perfect cold stratification process. Instead of sand, our kits contain a blend of filtered coir and powdered hydrogel and a measuring spoon. We also provide 3 inch by 4 inch zip lock pouches with "write on" panels to place the seeds in.
To use, you simply add 1/2 ounce ( blue measuring spoon provided holds 1/2 ounce volume ) of the coir/hydrogel mix to the 3x4 zip lock pouch, then add the seeds and shake to disperse the seeds evenly into the media. Then add 1 ounce ( 2 of the blue spoons ) of distilled water to the pouch, close, label the bag with a pen ( white writing area on zip lock pouch is easy to write on ), and place in the crisper section of your refrigerator for the required amount of time.
The coir/hydrogel media will absorb the water and will swell slightly. Once the water is absorbed, the media is the contains the correct moisture for optimum cold stratification, it will not hold too much moisture against the seeds, and evenly distributes the moisture throughout the package, unlike sand, which can have wet/dry spots.
The Seedman's Cold Stratification Kits for Seeds comes with: 8 ounces of Coir/Hydrogel Media 16 ea. 3"x4" zip lock pouches with write on panels 1 ea. 1/2 ounce measuring spoon.
With this kit, you can perform 16 cold stratification's at once, and the packets take up very little space.
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