Skookum Grow: germination enhancer

My tried and true germination initiator to promote more uniform and consistent germination in many plants we grow especially difficult to start species such as Meconopsis and Paeonia.  Made from entirely natural ingredients of Ascophyllum nodosum kelp extract and fulvic acid, ‘Skookum Grow’ is a holistic approach using balanced formula of gibberellins, cytokinins, auxins, and enzymes with fulvic acid as an additional germination catalyst.  This concentrated formula is easy to use where 5 ml of ‘Skookum Grow’ makes 1 litre of seed soak solution.  The soak time differs for each seed type (see ‘cultivation notes’ on your seed packet) as it usually ranges between 12-48 hours but never beyond 72 hours.  Being organic, this product has a limited shelf life once made into a solution and is perfect for watering your plants once you are finished soaking your seeds so nothing is lost.  Please store any unused portion of ‘Skookum Grow’ concentrate in your refrigerator.

 The Science behind the Art of seed germination

New discoveries in the realm of bio-stimulants are revealing the complexities of plant biology.  I won’t bore you into a coma with detailed metabolic pathways but for germination to occur, the one and only dormancy hormone, abscisic acid, must be overcome.  The trick is to start the metabolic pathway to diminish the levels of abscisic acid and increase the levels of gibberellins, the germination hormone.  To date, about 126 gibberellins have been identified.  Some plant species may need a combination of these to germinate properly other than using just one specific commercially available gibberellin known as gibberellic acid or GA3.

Because of the wide range of natural growth hormones in Ascophyllum nodosum and fulvic acid as a carrier to deliver the germination initiators, Skookum Grow kick starts the germination process.  Simply put, Skookum Grow meant to augment the germination requirements of seeds by providing gibberellins, auxins, cytokinins and other nutrients to the embryo to break dormancy quicker with more uniform germination.  Thus potentially providing uniform, quicker and increased germination rates giving you more robust valuable seedlings for your invested time, effort and resources.

 Using the Solution

When diluting ‘Skookum Grow’ base solution, it is very important to use pure filtered water as many urban and rural waterworks are required to add chlorine and/or chloramines to kill any pathogens in the water supply.  Unfortunately, these chemicals also impair seed germination.  Because of the nature of fulvic acid and its ability to transport nutrients, it can also transport sterilizing chlorine, so it is best to use bottled drinking water or carbon-filtered water.  We have a carbon filter plumbed directly into the kitchen water line.  After reading about chloramines, it is something everyone should have.  If not, bottled water will suffice, but my basic rule is if the water isn’t fit for drinking, it isn’t suitable for soaking seeds.