Aid to seed germination?

[ChrisB]

I have been given this article from the Observer. Has anyone tried this before, and if so, did it help at all?  Wish I knew how to turn it right way up...

edit by maggi - to turn the image....

[Maggi Young]

Thanks Herman, but your  attempt  on the image didn't succeed.

[Darren]

I'd heard of this but not tried it.

What I have tried and seemed to prevent damping off quite effectively in my limited trial, was watering seedlings with cooled chamomile tea. Sounds unlikely but it did seem to work when I tried it.

[ChrisB]

Thanks for turning it Maggi xxx  I've put it on half my seed pots to see if it helps. Decided it probably won't hurt anything. So now I'll wait and see!

[Maggi Young]

It may be easier to read the same  article here  on the Guardian website : http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/31/drug-therapy-for-plants

[ChrisB]

Ash, thanks Maggi!

[Ulla Hansson]

One of the ingredients of this solution is cinnamon. I use it on all the bulbs stored for the winter. It works very well. In particular the different varieties of Arisaema. There are many who do not pass the winter out here. It seems that cinnamon helps to heal wounds on the tubers.
If there is rot in parts of a Arisama bulb, so I cut clean the area and sprinkle with plenty of cinnamon on the cut surface. It has saved many bulbs for me.

[johnstephen29]

I've used cinnamon in the past to ceal the wounds on orchid leaves after I have cut black rot out, worked a treat.

[Maggi Young]

Yes, we've had  suggestions in the past about the use of cinnamon powder to use on pleiones  and  bulbs to dress  "wounds"  but this use as an aid to germination seems new.  Cannot hurt to try, as Christine says!