Does it work?

Yes, it does work!

Last December, I decided to test this method out by putting a couple of lime seeds in a ziplock bag with a damp paper towel. What I was trying to do is replicate my own little green house by creating a humid environment for the seeds to grow in. The moisture gets trapped in the ziplock bag and speeds up the germination process for the seedlings. It very important to blow air into the ziplock bag so the seedlings are still getting enough oxygen to grow. What I found that was most effective is placing the ziplock bag directly under sunlight or LED lighting. It took a lot of trial and errors to get the result I wanted, and I want to share and discuss what didn’t work and what I ended up doing to improve the process.

First time testing out this method

To be quite honest, my first time trying this method was not all that successful. In my previous post, I’ve discussed the importance of seed germination and how I’ve always submerged all of my seeds in water prior planting them. For this ziplock test, I carried out the same method and submerged my seeds in water for 72 hours prior placing them inside the ziplock bag.

This was my first mistake. Instead of letting the seeds dried off a bit, I placed them inside the ziplock bag right away while they were all still very wet. My second mistake was having the paper towel be drenched in water when I should’ve had it be lightly damped in water instead. This combination of overwatering resulted the seedlings to mold and germinate at a slower rate.

As you can see from the pictures below, there’s some seeds that did end up sprouting within 3 weeks. However, what I ended up learning is that if the mold gets to the roots, then your roots will be prone to rot faster. During this time, I didn’t realize that my seedlings were molding. It wasn’t until I inspected the seeds carefully and took them out of the ziplock bag that I finally noticed the mold stains on the napkin.

My Second Ziplock Bag

Through my errors and miscalculations from my first Ziplock bag, I ended up testing a different way to grow my seedlings using the same ziplock method. What I ended up doing after soaking my seeds in water is drying them under the LED light for 3-4 hours. I also tried something new by using some Seed Starting Mix and spreading them across a slightly damped napkin. Once the seeds are dried, I placed them inside the ziplock bag evenly spread a part from each other. I left the ziplock bag under the LED light and every other day I would lightly spray water inside the ziplock bag to create and mimic a humid environment. The result was astonishing. Not only did the seedling germinate properly (without mold), they all grew roots and leaves within 2 weeks (which is twice the growth rate than before).

After finding success with my second bag, I am currently trying all different type of seeds with the ziplock method. My list will continue to evolve, but here is my current list of successful growth and seed germination through the ziplock method:

-Lemon Seeds

-Lime Seeds

-Apple Seeds

-Red Thai Chili Seeds

-Rep Pepper Seeds

-Cilantro Seeds

-Dragon Fruit Seeds

Once the roots started to grow, I took them out of the ziplock bag and placed them in a small/medium pot filled with Seed Starting Mix. You can purchase a bag of Seed Starting Mix in your local gardening center or a near by Home Depot. I learned it’s very important to transfer the seeds in soil before the roots gets too big and starts to outgrow the ziplock bag. If you wait to transfer the seeds later, it may cause the roots to rot which will eventually kill the seedling.

Hope this method works for you too and if you have any further suggestions, please feel free to share!