In their natural habitat lots of rare and difficult to germinate seeds only germinate after bush fires due to heat and the toxins in the smoke attacking and helping to break down the protective seed coat. To smoke seeds yourself you would need to burn dried brush plant material in a polythene tent. However, not every botanist, horticulturist or home gardener has a smoke tent, nor is it always possible or desirable to light an open fire to get smoke. Seed Smoke Primer is a general purpose germination stimulant. Easy to use, just soak seeds for 24 hours or longer with the Smoke Seed Primer in some water. Our smoke primers are made in-house. 3 discs (absorbent paper that is impregnated with fynbos-smoke-saturated water). One discs can be used for approximately 100 seeds. Many wildflower seeds are dormant and need very specific conditions for germination. The smoke seed primer solution contains a combination of natural substances that overcome dormancy and stimulate seed germination. The degree of germination success varies with the species, but on average, treated seeds give at least twice the number of seedlings that untreated seeds do. For the average fynbos or protea seed that finds itself in the soil after a flowering season, it would be very difficult to grow successfully with dense fynbos shrubs around it. The fynbos would deprive it of the sun and the nutrients it needs to thrive. However, after a fire there is no shade and the soil is rich in nutrients - ideal conditions for a seedling. How would a seed know when it is safe to germinate because there has been a fire and and the rainy season is about to start? One cue would be getting soaked in smoky water as the first rains disolve the ash on the soil. In 1990 researchers realised that the chemicals in smoke from fynbos fires (and not just the heat of the fire) was responsible for breaking seed dormancy and stimulating germination. To smoke seeds yourself you would need to burn fynbos plant material
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