Depending on the species, a distinction is made between an above-ground (epigaeic) or underground (hypogeic) germination type.

In above-ground germination, the germ stalk (hypocotyl) arises between the root and the cotyledons. With a so-called hypocotyl hook, which represents a growth in an arc (hook shape), it breaks through the soil surface and unfolds its cotyledons.
The cotyledons are photosynthetically active until the formation of the first primary leaves of their own and later die off.

Examples of Epigean Germination:
Tomato, potato, sunflower, aubergine, pepper and radish

In underground germination, the germ stalk (epicotyl) arises between the cotyledons and primary leaves in the soil and remains there until the primary leaves break through the soil surface. The first photosynthetically active leaves here are the primary leaves.

Examples of hypogeic germination are pea, pole bean, runner bean, broad bean and date palm.

In general, we need certain factors to overcome seed dormancy. These are water, temperature, oxygen and light conditions.

When it comes to germination, too, we have a wide variety that needs to be considered in order to achieve the desired result.

On the one hand, we distinguish between light germs and dark germs in terms of lighting conditions.

Light germinators grow above the ground, or very lightly covered with soil (0.5cm) and need light to germinate.
Dark germs, on the other hand, do not germinate in light. They need total darkness to germinate.

In terms of temperature conditions, we distinguish between frost, cold, normal, warm and hot germs.

- Frost germs below -5°C
- Cold germs from -5°C to 3°C
- Normal germs from 3°C to 11°C
- Warm germs from 11°C to 30°C
- Hot germs over 30°C

Different types of seeds require different germination conditions. Some seeds can only germinate after months of long frost or after forest fires or even volcanic eruptions.

In addition, we can artificially interrupt dormancy.
One possibility is stratification, vernalization or treatment with gibberellic acid.

An artificial treatment of the seeds to trigger the germination of cold germs, through a cold treatment, is called stratification.

Vernalization, also known as Jarowization, makes it possible to grow cold germs in areas with a short growing season (long winters) and wintry soil temperatures below −20 °C, where even seeds can irreversibly lose their ability to germinate.

Many annual and biennial plant species in regions with pronounced temperature differences between winter and summer conditions do not shoot and flower until they have endured a prolonged period of low temperatures. This prevents the start of the growth (generative) phase of the plant at an unfavorable time before the onset of winter.

For accelerated germination, some seeds can also be treated with gibberellic acid, which in optimal conditions will trigger immediate germination.

For a healthy and vigorous plant and an optimal yield, the required conditions of the individual must be met.

The growth factors are:

- humidity
- oxygen
- temperature
- light
- nutrient
- substrate

By optimizing the factors for each individual plant, it is possible to develop the full potential of the plant.
This is reflected in healthy plants and leads to high yields. Faster growth and less work is another positive effect.

In general, sowing can always be sown directly. We distinguish between no-till and prefer.

No-till:
Here the seed is usually sown in rows directly into the bed. With beans or similar varieties, several seeds are usually placed in one hole.
It's a quick option, but chances are birds, ants, or other creatures will eat or carry away these seeds. Green manures are traditionally sown by broadcasting and, depending on the variety, slightly hooked into the soil.

Pre-breeding:
For some strains that grow slowly or require a high germination temperature, this is preferable a useful way to get the plants you want earlier, which can result in an earlier harvest. In addition, this is also a seed-sparing variant. The effort is also more complex when preferring, which means that it is used in a more targeted manner.

Parallel sowing in pots with simultaneous sowing outdoors can offer a good opportunity to efficiently use the available space on the bed for possible replanting.
Even if your bed isn't ready yet or you don't have the time to prepare your bed, you can use bringing it forward to harmonize this bottleneck.


Whether it is sown or brought forward ultimately depends on the type of plant and use.
Plants from which we want to promote the potential in a targeted manner, such as with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber and melon, are usually preferred. This enables us to create the conditions in a targeted manner in order to achieve the best possible result.
Other plants such as herbs, lamb's lettuce and green manure are sown directly.

You can only achieve high yields if you pay attention to the sowing depth!

The germination rate is considerably reduced by an unfavorable selected sowing depth. In addition, if the seeds are sown too shallowly, the stability of the plant will be impaired, resulting in the plants buckling.

The sowing depth depends on the plant species.

As a rough guide, you can keep the following in mind:
Large seeds such as peas, beans, corn, broad bean and cucurbits are sown about 2-4 cm deep.
Smaller seeds such as carrots, parsley, parsnip and parsley root are placed only 0.5-1 cm deep in the soil.
Fine seeds, like those of most herbs, are light germinators and will germinate directly on the soil's surface.

Note that these are only rough guidelines and that certain varieties can differ significantly.

In addition, it always makes sense to look at the individual in detail in order to be able to develop their full potential.

More tips:
To make it easier to sow small seeds, it is advisable to mix the seeds with some dry sand or sawdust. The mixture is moistened the day before sowing or earlier.
Another positive effect is the pre-soaking of the seeds, which activates the seeds before sowing. This essentially shortens the germination time.

The seed is often very dry and must therefore first absorb a large amount of water so that its metabolism can start for germination.

For the first growth processes, it uses oils and proteins as food until roots have formed for external supply. Certain enzymes (hydrolases) break down these nutrients, allowing the embryo to move toward the light by growing out of the stem (epigaeic or hypogeal) and leaves. If these substances are used up and the light is sufficient, it gains the necessary energy from photosynthesis with the first rays of the sun after breaking through the earth's surface.

The cotyledons have the function of nourishing the seedling as long as it cannot carry out photosynthesis. For this purpose, the required nutrients are formed from storage substances. During epigeal germination, they also carry out photosynthesis themselves, which can be recognized by the green color. They nourish the seedling until the primary leaves have started their work. Once they are fully developed, the cotyledons die off.

After the development of the first leaves, the internodes (the area between the nodes where the leaf bases are located) begin to elongate, causing the plant to grow in length. At the same time, leaves begin to form, while in the soil the roots branch out to extract more nutrients from the soil. After that, the seedling has developed into a complete plant. Depending on the plant species, it may take a few more years before it flowers for the first time.

Structure of the seedling
The seedling consists of
to the:
- Hypocotyl (precursor of the stem axis)
- the germ layers (cotyledons)
- the radicula (root system)
- the plumula (meristematic tissue that already bears the rudiment of the first true leaves)

There are two ways to propagate plants:
Propagation via parts of plants, also called vegetative or asexual propagation, or propagation via seeds, called generative or sexual reproduction.

In vegetative propagation, cuttings, runners, underground corms or bulbs are used to grow new plants.
For some varieties, vegetative propagation is easier than generative propagation from seeds.
However, there are also plants that do not form any seeds at all, such as tuberous buds.

Here is a list of vegetables that are mainly propagated vegetatively:

- Potato, tiger nut, sweet potato, ocra, Kollenziest (about tuber)
- Garlic and Bunch of Onions (via Brut bulb)
- Chives, strawberries, lemongrass and many other perennials (via stick division)
- Horseradish (via root cuttings)
- Mints (via root stolons)
- Asparagus (via rhizome division)
- Shallot (over part onions)

From vegetative propagation, several genetically identical clones emerge from a mother plant. The only difference to the mother plant is the age of the plant.

From the regenerative propagation, the new plant arises from the seed, from the pollen of the male genome and from the ovules of the female genome.
As a result, the new seed inherits the genes of both plant parents.
As a result, the offspring of the mother plant are not identical to her and the offspring can also show significant differences among themselves.

In cross-pollination, the offspring of a plant can come from different father plants through fertilization with pollen.
This can cause the offspring to stand out significantly from the mother plant. This is wanted, for example, when breeding new varieties.