I don't know what perlite is. I mean, I know that it's a white granular substance and what it's used for, but I don't know what it's made of, where it comes from, or why it does what it does. I do know that perlite is awesome.
Consider this: I just de-stratified some cherry pits which had been in a cryovat full of only perlite for six weeks; the perlite was still moist, and there was no mold whatsoever. In contrast, all my previous soil-based cryovats developed mold sooner or later, and had to be destratified early, or simply failed. Now I can't say for sure that these cherry pits are still alive, much less that the dormancy has been broken, but at least I can tell you for a fact that they are neither moldy nor dried out. So if I fail to get a sprout out of 27 seeds, it won't be the perlite's fault.
See, when you stratify seeds, like I keep saying, they're exposed to Killer Fungus for extended periods of time, in their most vulnerable state. So ideally you want a "sterile" medium. Not "sterile" in a surgical sense, obviously, but more in the sense of "not having the ability to sustain life." Many websites suggest wet paper towel, but this does not regulate moisture very well. When you put water on it, it gets soaked right away, and then it dries out right away. Perlite, on the other hand, absorbs water and apparently releases it very slowly, so that it changes very slowly from "wet" to "dry" or vice-versa. And it does not support the growth of mold.
Great. Now I just need to sow all my seeds in perlite, and I'll be set for life, right?
Well, we'll see. Meanwhile, I scalded the cherry pits, because I have a hard time believing that a sprout can break such a hard shell. Obviously, I should have boiled only half, to have a test group. Oh well... If these don't sprout, there's always next year.
Consider this: I just de-stratified some cherry pits which had been in a cryovat full of only perlite for six weeks; the perlite was still moist, and there was no mold whatsoever. In contrast, all my previous soil-based cryovats developed mold sooner or later, and had to be destratified early, or simply failed. Now I can't say for sure that these cherry pits are still alive, much less that the dormancy has been broken, but at least I can tell you for a fact that they are neither moldy nor dried out. So if I fail to get a sprout out of 27 seeds, it won't be the perlite's fault.
See, when you stratify seeds, like I keep saying, they're exposed to Killer Fungus for extended periods of time, in their most vulnerable state. So ideally you want a "sterile" medium. Not "sterile" in a surgical sense, obviously, but more in the sense of "not having the ability to sustain life." Many websites suggest wet paper towel, but this does not regulate moisture very well. When you put water on it, it gets soaked right away, and then it dries out right away. Perlite, on the other hand, absorbs water and apparently releases it very slowly, so that it changes very slowly from "wet" to "dry" or vice-versa. And it does not support the growth of mold.
Great. Now I just need to sow all my seeds in perlite, and I'll be set for life, right?
Well, we'll see. Meanwhile, I scalded the cherry pits, because I have a hard time believing that a sprout can break such a hard shell. Obviously, I should have boiled only half, to have a test group. Oh well... If these don't sprout, there's always next year.
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