This gardening hack can speed up germination – why you should scarify seeds and 7 plants that will benefit

Planting watermelon seeds by hand into the soil.

Scarifying, stratifying, and soaking - several pre-germination techniques can help boost your success when sowing seeds. Scarifying or nicking seeds is a proven way to improve germination rates, but how should you do it and what plants will benefit from the technique?

Nicking seeds is a simple process that involves making a small cut in the seed’s waterproof coating. It is useful for seeds with tough, impermeable hulls as it allows water into the interior and kick-starts germination.