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Got seeds? Just add bleach, acid and sandpaper - Mary Koga

2013-07-16

[public] 837K views, 18.9K likes, dislikes audio only

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/got-seeds-just-add-bleach-acid-and-sandpaper-mary-koga

For a seed to start growing, its embryo must emerge from its hard coat. In nature the embryo is aided by frost and animal digestion -- but humans can help too. Nicking, filing, and soaking the seed in hot water or acid are all forms of scarification, or ways to speed up germination by breaking down the shell. Mary Koga offers some tips to spur your sprouts (and don't forget the bleach!).

Lesson by Mary Koga, animation by Provincia Studio.


make a small cut or scratch into the seed coat
/youtube/video/9zmB3Gx3e_s?t=109.13
file down the seed coat using sandpaper or a nail file
/youtube/video/9zmB3Gx3e_s?t=117.92
try immersing the seeds in a sulfuric acid solution
/youtube/video/9zmB3Gx3e_s?t=156.05
place the seeds into a wire mesh pouch
/youtube/video/9zmB3Gx3e_s?t=164.23