How to Sprout Seeds Much Faster With Seed Scarification

The seed sprouting and growth process is often started when the plant embryo "thinks" that it has a suitable chance to grow into a mature adult plant. One thing all plants need in order to survive is water - and because of this, the embryo's contact with water is usually the very signal that tells an embryo that it has a suitable chance of survival.

So embryos need contact with water. The sooner it receives this contact, the sooner it will sprout from the seed. Seed scarification is a simple process that aids in getting water directly to the plant embryo much quicker than it would through natural osmosis and decomposition of the seed coat. By seed scarification, depending on the plant, you could see over an inch of growth after only 24 hours!

What you will need:

Seeds
Paper towel
Container with that can contain your seeds
Clear lid for the container or kitchen plastic wrap
Scarification Tool of Your Choice - Sandpaper, side of a matchbox, nail clippers or sharp knife

Process:

1. Take a seed and gently sand or cut the edge of the seed coat so that a small section of the inside of the seed is exposed. You want to cut the side of the seed, where the top and bottom of the seed joins together. If your seed is pointed at one end, the pointy edge is often the safest place to make your incision. 
1. Do not cut the top or bottom of the seed.
2. Also, do not go past the seed coat as you could damage and possibly kill the actual embryo.
3. The nick does not have to be wide, just an 1/8 of an inch (2 - 3 mm) is fine. Larger seeds can withstand a larger cut.
2. Repeat Step 1 for all of your seeds.
3. Moisten the paper towel so that it is lightly damp throughout, not soaking, and put it in the container.
4. Spread the seeds atop the paper towel, giving them each a little space so that they can grow.
5. Cover the container and put it in a windowsill.

After 24 hours, most of your seeds should have sprouted and will be ready to add to individual containers or a seed bed. You can wait a little longer to plant into fertile soil if you'd like, but sprouts may run out of cotyledon nutrition if you wait longer than 72 hours (usually this starts to happen after the first or second set of leaves appear).