What Temperature Germinates Lettuce Seeds the Fastest?

Introduction and Literature Review

A. I love salad and have recently purchased an Aerogarden hydroponic unit to grow lettuce indoors.
While the Aerogarden works well, it does not produce the amount of lettuce that I would like to
harvest. I’ve decided to build another hydroponic unit to grow my organic lettuce, and finding
the perfect temperature to germinate the lettuce seeds would be ideal to get my garden thriving
with salad. According to (Dictionary.com, 2017), germination is defined as “The beginning of
growth, as of a seed, spore, or bud. The germination of most seeds and spores occurs in response
to warmth and water.” According to Cornell University’s Growing Guide (Cornell University,
2006), soil temperature for germination should be between 40° F to 85° F with the best
germination temperature below 70° F.
Soil Temperature (Parsons, 2001) and The Lettuce Growing Guide (Southernexposure.com,
2017) point to optimal germination temperatures being 75° F. . The variations in the optimal
temperatures may be due to the type of lettuce seeds used. “There are five distinct types of
lettuce: leaf (also called loose-leaf lettuce), Cos or romaine, crisphead, butterhead, and stem (also
called asparagus lettuce),” (University of Illinois Extension, 2017), and different varieties of each
type. Although colder temperatures 60° – 65° F is optimal for plant growth,
(Southernexposure.com, 2017), most fruit and vegetable seeds prefer warmer temperatures for
seed germination, (Dictionary.com, 2017). These works support the basis of my project, which
was to investigate what temperature germinates Buttercrunch lettuce seeds the fastest - the first
sprout of the lettuce seed. Buttercrunch lettuce is of the Butterhead type of lettuce.
Hypothesis
B. I hypothesized that although lettuce seeds will successfully germinate at varying temperatures,
they would germinate faster at warmer temperatures. Seed germination was tested at various
temperatures starting from 35° F up to 85° F. The fastest germination time was defined as the
moment the root was visible to me.
C. My hypothesis that lettuce seeds would germinate faster in warmer temperatures over cooler
temperatures aligns with the scientific definition of germination, (Dictionary.com, 2017), most
seeds need warmth and water to germinate.
Methods
D. My independent variable was the temperature. I tested seed germination at varying temperatures
starting from 35° F up to 85° F.
E. My dependent variable was time – how much time it took for the seed germination to occur.
F. My confounding variables were, Ziplock baggies, the amount of water used, and the type of water
used. I controlled the amount and type of water used, and I placed the seeds in baggies. I put all
seeds in a Ziplock baggie with ½ sheet of the paper towel and ½ Tablespoon of water.
G. Materials used for this experiment included:
 Organic Buttercrunch Lettuce Seeds
  Distilled water to water the seeds
 ½ Tablespoon measuring spoon to measure the water
 Plastic bowls – for holding the baggies of seeds, napkin, and water
 Sandwich sized Ziplock baggies to hold the paper towels and seeds
 Glass jar – for keeping the baggie of seeds inside the higher temperature environment
 A reptile lamp for heating the higher temperature environment
 A Controller – for turning the reptile lamp on and off
 An aluminum pan for the higher temperature environment
 A glass casserole pan for the higher temperature environment
 Thermometers for making sure the temperatures were constant
 Ice – for the lower temperature environments.
 Ice packets – for the lower temperature environments
 A medium sized box to hold the reptile lamp
 A pluggable light socket for the reptile lamp
 Aluminum foil to surround the reptile lamp
 A box to for the reptile lamp, light socket and extension cord to stand in
 A journal to record raw data

H. Initially, my test did not involve placing the seeds in Ziplock baggies, so I had to add water twice
a day to keep the seeds moist. I had planned to test each temperature one at a time, but my first
attempt yielded no germination after watering the seeds daily for five days, so I decided to start
over with a different setup. The following are the steps taken where I achieved favorable
germination results.

First, I normalized the temperatures of four environments for one hour. I added ice packs and ice
to the containers for the colder temperature environments then placed thermometer probes inside.
I also put a thermometer in the refrigerator and set the thermostat in the house. The first four test
consisted of 35° F, 45° F, 55° F, and 75° F. I used the refrigerator for the 35° F temperature and
used the house thermometer for the 75° F temperature test. I used plastic containers filled with
ice and ice packs to maintain the 45° F and 55° F temperatures.

For the higher temperature environment between 80° - 85° F, I put the baggies in a glass jar
instead of a plastic bowl so that the materials would not melt. I built the warm temperature
environment by using a box to hold the base of the reptile lamp, an aluminum pan to house the
heat component of the reptile lamp, and glass casserole pan to keep the heat inside of the unit. I
cut holes in the top of the box and the bottom of the aluminum pan to feed the reptile lamp up
through the box and into the pan. I sat the aluminum pan on top of the box then put aluminum
foil between the reptile lamp and hole to keep the heat inside. I then placed paper towels on the
bottom of the aluminum pan, put a small glass jar inside the unit, and set a glass casserole pan on
top of the aluminum pan.

Next, I added four lettuce seeds, and ½ TBSP of distilled water to each paper towel then folded
and placed them inside an unsealed Ziplock baggie. I put each baggie into a plastic bowl and
recorded the start time.
Finally, I waited three days to check the seeds because the first set of seeds had not germinated in
five days. The seeds in 55°F and 75° F environments germinated in three days, so I recorded the
 results and proceeded to repeat the process by re-testing the 55° F and 75° F temperatures to see
which seeds sprouted first. While re-testing, instead of waiting three days to check the seeds, I
began checking the seeds after 12 hours. Once the fastest germination time was reached and
recorded, I continued the process of testing two temperatures at a time up to 85°F, then recorded
the results. I immediately ended the other tests once germination occurred, or once the
germination did not occur within the shortest posted time.

Figure 1. Measuring Cup, ½ TBSP, Distilled Water, Lettuce Seeds, reptile lamp, and Cool Temperature Container

Figure 2. Thermometers and heat controller

 Figure 3. Plastic bowls and Ziplock baggies with dampened paper towels and seeds

Figure 4. Warm Environment with Aluminum pan, glass casserole dish, reptile lamp, glass jar, and baggie with seeds
Figure 5. Warm Environment with Aluminum pan, glass casserole dish, reptile lamp, box, and controller

Figure 6. Cool Environment with plastic container, plastic bowl, and ice pack, and baggie with seeds
 Figure 7. Germinated Seeds

Results
I. The 75° F temperature allowed the seeds to germinate the fastest at 15.5 hours were the first
sprout was visible.
J. Table of Temperatures with the time it took to germinate seeds:

Temperature Time to Germinate

35° F Greater than 3 days
40° F Greater than 3 days
45° F Greater than 3 days
50° F 3 days
55° F 2.5 days
60° F 2.5 days
65° F 22 hours
70° F 20 hours
75° F 15.5 hours
80° F 16.5 hours
85° F 18.5 hours

Conclusions
K. My hypothesis that lettuce seeds germinate faster at higher temperatures was partially correct.
L. Two uncontrolled variables that could have influenced my observed results was how close I
placed the seeds next to each other, and the slight fluctuations in the temperatures to maintain the
cool and warm temperature environments. The cold temperatures would vary within 4° F before
I changed the ice/ice pack. The warm temperatures would range by up to 3° F after the reptile
lamp was switched off by the controller.
M. While my results did not fully confirm my hypothesis, lettuce seeds do germinate faster at higher
temperatures up to a certain point. Once the optimal temperature was hit which was 75° F as
indicated by both, Soil Temperature (Parsons, 2001) and The Lettuce Growing Guide
(Southernexposure.com, 2017), the seeds germinated slower the higher the temperature went over
the optimal level. Cornell’s Growing Guide (Cornell University, 2006) states that the optimal
germination temperature is below 70° F, this was not supported by my results.
Sources
Dictionary.com. (2017). Germination Define Germination at Dictionary.com. Retrieved from
Dictionary.com: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/germination
Parsons, J. (2001, April). Soil Temperature. Retrieved from Aggie Horticulture - Texas A&M University
System: http://aggie-
horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2001/apr01/h2apr01.html
Southernexposure.com. (2017). Lettuce Growing Guide. Retrieved from Southern Exposure Seed
Exchange: http://www.southernexposure.com/lettuce-growing-guide-ezp-61.html
University of Illinois Extension. (2017). Watch Your Garden Grow. Retrieved from University of Illinois
Extension: https://extension.illinois.edu/veggies/lettuce.cfm
University, C. (2006). Cornell University Growing Guide. Retrieved from Cornell University Home
Gardening: http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene9aa6.html