Shea Simmons
There are few household staples as handy as vinegar. Turns out, it’s not just handy in the home, though—it does good things for your garden as well. Vinegar can actually help seeds germinate.
Most gardeners probably already know that you have to soak seeds before planting them to start the germination process, during which seedlings sprout. Turns out that if you soak your seeds in vinegar, it can speed up the process, and even help hard-to-germinate varieties begin the process.
This is evidently because vinegar mimics the stomach acid found in animals, which soaks the seeds after they swallow them. As this is the natural way in which germination occurs, you’re simply re-creating it with vinegar.
Using this hack is pretty simple. Just place your seeds in a bowl and add just enough water to cover them. Then, add one to three tablespoons of vinegar, depending on how full your bowl is of seeds.
Cover the bowl and let them soak for 8-12 hours, but no longer than 24. You should then have germinated seeds ready for planting.
Again, this is just one of the many handy uses for vinegar. If you’re spring cleaning, you’ll definitely want to try this vinegar and olive oil hack.
[Via LifeHacker]
