Can you germinate seeds in water/liquid?

[lakelady]

I usually germinate seeds in starter mix, or in baggies on paper towels. A thought occurred to me as I have a lot of little glass perfume vials (the stuff you get samples in). Do the seeds need oxygen? Can I germinate in a bit of water in those little airtight vials? Hope this isn't a dumb question, thanks!

[RayR]

Seeds require oxygen during germination, so drowning them in water wouldn't work.

[lakelady]

Okay...thats pretty much what I thought but I saw a posting on another forum where someone said she put her seeds in a bit of water, pressed out the air, and locked them in zip bags and germinated them. I don't zip my baggies if I 'm germinating seeds that I'm testing for germination rates. However, I did find all these little vials I had and thought perhaps there was a way to put them to good use. Maybe they're good for anything I have to soak in GA3. Thanks for the reply!

[RayR]

As long as the seeds are not submerged in water, it'll probably work fine in the vials. You just need to keep the seed moist but still exposed to the air.
Kind of like when I make Alfalfa sprouts in a canning jar. I soak the seeds overnight and then drain the water and shake the seeds in the jar so they just stick to the sides of the jar.