How to Buy the Best Seeds by Reading a Seed Label Correctly
Reading a seed label is a simple but necessary skill if you are a farmer, gardener, or simply a grower.
If you don’t understand the information on a seed label, you might end up buying a crop variety you don’t want, seeds that don’t germinate properly, or a significant amount of weed seeds along with the crop seeds, which can affect your entire yard. That, too, will not produce the desired results.
You must understand exactly what you are buying.
The seed companies provide you with all of the information, but the problem is that you don’t pay enough attention to it.
Perhaps you don’t understand what the information on a seed label means, or you believe they are worthless.
Whatever the reason, by the end of this article, you’ll have changed your mind. I’m going to go over 11 simple facts that you should look for on a seed label.
01.Seed name
It is simply the name of the seed
02.Kind and variety
What is kind? and what is variety? This is a crucial part that must be thoroughly reviewed and fully understood.
This decides the outcome.
Kind is the common name used to describe the seed.
So, what is variety? Variety is a subdivision of a specific type of seed.
For example, carrot varieties include deep purple hybrid, little fingers, lunar white, and purple dragon, to name a few. So make sure, you have an idea about the seed variety you are buying.
03.Net weight
Net weight refers to the weight of all ingredients contained within the seed package, excluding the weight of the package itself.
04.About the seed company
This varies depending on the company, but the basics are the same.
Typically, they include the seed company’s name, seed registration number, and contact info.
This information may be helpful to you if you have a seed-related problem or require any advice.
05.Packed and expiry dates
Technically, seeds do not expire.
So, what exactly does the expiry date on a seed label mean?
That has something to do with the germination rate.
I’ll talk about the germination rate in a minute, so keep reading.
However, the germination rate of certain seeds can decrease over time.
So packed and expiry dates are two critical factors to be aware of. There is a simple test you can do at home to verify whether you are using viable seeds or not. It’s called as the germination test.
You can use only about 10 seeds from the stock to perform this test before planting the rest. Wet the paper, place it inside the container, sprinkle the seeds on it, cover the top, and keep the container in a warm spot. Check it regularly and after a predetermined amount of time: determine how many seeds out of the total amount placed on the wet paper to germinate in 5–10 days actually did. The germination rate of the seed sample you used can then be calculated.
You don’t need to perform any of these tests on recently bought seeds because the germination rate is clearly stated on the seed package, which I’ll discuss next.
To avoid any disappointment, you should probably perform the above tests on your old seeds, possibly seeds leftover from the previous season… before planting them.
06.Germination rate
It is the average number of seeds that germinate in a period of 5–10 days.
A standard seed label will always mention the germination rate, and if it is 80 percent or higher, those seeds are considered ‘good to grow.’
If you have old seeds, there is a germination test that you can do at home on your own, as I discussed earlier. You can use the results to calculate the germination rate and decide whether or not to plant the seeds.
07.Seed treatments
Typically, the seed package you will buy will specify whether the seeds inside are treated or untreated.
As a result, you must understand what that truly means.
Some seed companies, on the other hand, use various treatment methods to improve seed germination and performance.
They commonly use chemicals that act as fungicides, pesticides, or insecticides to control the damage caused by fungi, pests, and insects to the seeds.
If you are practicing a commercial scaled farm, it’s better to purchase treated seeds or to treat seeds with the recommended amounts of pesticides before seed sowing.
08.Pure seeds
This is also known as purity and is usually expressed as a percentage.
It specifies the number of seeds of the defined plant species among all the contents of the package.
The higher the number of pure seeds, the higher the quality of the seed package.
09.Other crop seeds
This indicates the number of seeds in various species other than the species stated on the seed package and weed seeds.
Other crop seeds are typically the seeds of other cultivated crops in the same field that are difficult to separate from the stated crop species.
10.Weed seeds
This is the number of seeds produced by any plant that is generally recognized as a weed. If this percentage is high, you should reconsider buying that particular seed package.
Weed seeds can germinate and grow into weeds, reducing your crop yield because weeds compete with crops for sunlight, water, and nutrients.
11.Inert matter
The total amount of non-seed materials contained within the seed package is represented by the inert matter.
Dirt, stones, sand, sticks, plant parts, broken seeds, and other non-seed materials are few examples.
Some seed labels state the total inert matter as a percentage, whereas others break down the inert matter into separate components. The total of pure seeds, other crop seeds, weed seeds, and the inert matter should always equal 100 percent.
Checking these simple factors on a seed label allows you to buy quality seeds that are also suitable for your garden.
If you have any other experiences with seed labels and reading them, please feel free to share them in the comments.
