I've been gathering some of the more frequently asked questions and trying to
come up with a FAQ for rec.gardens. This is what I found with regard to seed
viability:

http://www.citygardening.net/testseed/

To test seed viability, place 25 seeds in a moist paper towel. Roll up or fold
the paper towel and place in a plastic bag. Place the bag in a warm area of the
house. Every few days, open the bag to ensure that the towel
is still moist. If the towel has become dry re-moisten it. Check the seed packet
to determine how long it should take for the seeds to germinate. After that time
has elapse, wait another week and the count the number of seeds that have
germinated. Multiply this number by 4 and divided by 100. This gives you an
approximate,percentage of the seeds that will germinate when planted. By knowing
the germination rate, you can determine if new seeds are needed or if an area
should be over seeded because of a low germination. rate of the seeds.

An alternative method that may be used though not as accurate is to place the
seeds in a glass of water and see which seeds float and which sink to the
bottom. The ones that float are generally not viable while the ones that
sink are usually viable. The problem is due to seed size, shape, weight or other
properties, certain seeds may stay a float or sink whether they are viable or
not. But if you only have a limited number of seeds, this might be your only
choice of measuring the viability without using up seeds running the first test.


On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 17:27:46 GMT, "city usa" wrote:

I just put some morning glories seeds in to soak overnight for a quicker
germination. Some floated and some sank.. I seem to remember that is they
floated that the seeds were no good. Or visa versa. Any help appreciated.
Hate to plant them when there is a good chance they are bad.
Thanks