anyone sprout peas?

[tjg911]

a friend told me he soaks pea seed until it sprouts a small tail and then plants the seed. while peas like cool weather they don't germinate that well in cold soil like what i have now.

i've soaked peas for a few years and think it is a good idea. my peas right now are not sprouting and i can't recall how long it took in the past. i started them 3/31 and i thought it took only 3 or 4 days but nothing so far.

tom

[Polar_Lace]

Tom,

I soak my peas in hot sink water overnight, been doing so since I was a kid. Put the soaking seeds near a warm area during the night helps the peas germinating too. I've tried letting them get tails; but planting them out like that doesn't seem to work for me.

Putting them in a high nitrogen formula at planting time seems to work better for me, rather than the inoculant stuff I used to use. As I have heard that inoculant can be hazardous if you breath it in, or get it into your eyes by accident.

If you google the words - bean inoculant hazard - you will see what I mean. I found this out after reading the package of the brand I bought a few years ago. They say there's no hazard, yet they put warnings in their MDS files and on the packages.
Why? Because there really is a hazard.

FIRST AID MEASURES
If poisoning occurs, immediately contact a doctor or Poisons Information Centre (Telephone 13 11 26), and follow the advice given. Show this Material Safety Data Sheet to a doctor.

Inhalation: Prolonged or repeated exposure may cause injury to the respiratory tract. Move individual to fresh air. Encourage coughing. Get medical attention if breathing difficulty develops.

Skin Contact: Low hazard for usual handling. A single prolonged exposure is not likely to result in this material being absorbed in harmful amounts.
Do not expose open cuts or wounds to this product. Wash with plenty of soap and water.

Eye Contact: Contact may cause eye irritation. If in eyes, flush with a continuous gentle stream of water for 5 minutes. If irritation develops, get
medical attention.

Ingestion: Small amounts swallowed incidental to industrial handling are not likely to cause injury. Ingestion of larger amounts may cause stomach
discomfort or pain. If swallowed, do not induce vomiting unless instructed to do so by qualified medical personnel. If individual is conscious, give plenty of water to drink. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Get medical attention if stomach discomfort develops.
First Aid Facilities: Provide washing facilities in the workplace.
Medical Attention: Employ supportive care. Treatment should be based on the judgment of the physician in response to reactions of the
patient.
Aggravated Medical Conditions Caused by Exposure: None.

(excuse me... What are they talking about?)

~* Robin

[tjg911]

robin i use tap water not warmed water and i leave the peas sit in water until they sprout. i have flushed them 2 times and refilled with clean water as it gets cloudy. i'm on a well so no chemicals from city water. so it sounds like you just soak them over night whereas i soak them until they sprout even if it takes a week. when they sprout i plant them in promix inside and grow them until they are 2" tall. at this point i plant them out into the garden. i've good good results growing them as plants vs just direct seeding.

my concern is when the heck do they sprout? as i said i have done this for a few years but i thought all it took was a few days.

tom

[Polar_Lace]

Tom,

When I use the warm water, they get a tail in 3 days.
So I only keep them in there overnight.

I've sprouted them in 3 days using a "Bean Sprouter!"
If that's what you're looking for.

But I hope you haven't drowned the poor little things by keeping them in the water too long.

A lot of peas/beans don't like their roots handled, I've personally found out, by handling them after they've grown the roots/tails. Even gently handling them to place them in the soil.

The soil may be too warm/cold for them.

If you've let the tops of the peas peek out of the soil you could have better results. Then after they grow out a little longer you could cover the stems with more soil.... gently.

~* Robin

[tjg911]

yeah i questioned this as you say beans do not like to be disturbed. my friend assured me he does this each year and they take transplanting fine. he even said "you pull them apart like onions"! i REALLY questioned that but he assured me peas are not finicky about being pulled apart and then transplanted.

so i tried it and it does work fine. i never would have believed this until i did it. so for a few seasons i have sprouted them, planted in promix, grow to 2" and then transplant out into the garden.

but now i'm concerned that the peas are still not sprouting a tail. i may be wrong but i thought it took just 3-4 days for the tail to appear. as i said, i started them in water 3/31 so of of now that is 5 days. maybe i am being impatient but i'm wondering if they are going to rot in the water.

does anyone sprout them my way? if so how long for them to grow a tail?

tom

[TZ-OH6]

I sprouted my sugar snap peas this year before planting them. Most of them got tails in only a couple of days (very fast- room temp city tap water). It has not seemed to help much in that they have been out in the cold soil for a week or two and have not shown themselves even though the daffodils in the same bed are up.

[tjg911]

Originally Posted by TZ-OH6

I sprouted my sugar snap peas this year before planting them. Most of them got tails in only a couple of days (very fast- room temp city tap water). It has not seemed to help much in that they have been out in the cold soil for a week or two and have not shown themselves even though the daffodils in the same bed are up.

that's why i start them after they have sprouted inside in promix. when they are 2" tall i put them out. cold soil won't bother them at that point but getting them to grow from a seed sprouted or not is hard in cold soil. by the time the soil has warmed up enough you have lost too much season. peas start to die from the heat once they really start to produce here so an early start is essential.

still no tails, still sitting in water.

tom

[jhp]

Are your seeds old? I find I need to use fresh seed each year to get good germination. Did they ever sprout for you?

I plant mine right in the ground and don't seem to have a problem with them growing.

[TZ-OH6]

My peas are just starting to emerge from the soil now, 2-3 weeks after planting sprouted seeds. I don't think I'll be in such a hurry to get my peas planted "as soon as the soil can be worked" again.

[tjg911]

Originally Posted by jhp

Are your seeds old? I find I need to use fresh seed each year to get good germination. Did they ever sprout for you?

I plant mine right in the ground and don't seem to have a problem with them growing.

1 pack is 3 years old and the other is brand new, the park seed fiasco thread (!).

they both started to rot and i tossed them all. i cleaned the dishes and soaked a new batch of each variety in warm water over night. i then planted them in promix. within 3-4 days some were up. on 4/18 i planted them all outside.

seems the soak until they sprout did not work this year tho i did have success in past years. i made a note in my gardening document to just soak over night not until they sprout. i lost almost 2 weeks but they are out now.

tom

[jhp]

Go figure. Sometimes it just happens that way I guess. I'm always learning something new. Maybe next year I'll start some inside like you do.