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There is a need to develop cost-effective techniques for reestablishing native vegetation from seed to reclaim degraded ecosystems. We developed a novel approach for accelerating seed germination and improving fitness of young seedlings by priming seeds in a matrix of various absorbent filler materials and bio-stimulants and then forming the mixture into pods for planting. As part of the development process, we determined optimal water potentials and durations for priming seeds in the matrix and then compared seedling emergence from primed seed pods, non-primed seed pods, and non-treated seed. Emergence trials were conducted on two different soils collected from the West Side region of the Kaibab Plateau, USA. Poa fendleriana and Pseudoroegneria spicata were used as test species. Seeds were primed from -0.5 to -2.5 MPa for up to 14 d. Priming under dryer conditions (-1.5 to -2.5 MPa) for durations that approached germination tended to produce faster germinating seeds. Emergence trials showed that days to 50 % emergence for primed seed pods was between 66.2-82.4 % faster (5.2-14.5 d less) than non-treated seed. Final density of primed-seed pods for P. fendleriana was 3.8-fold higher than non-treated seed of the same species for one of the two soil types tested but no significant difference was found on the other soil type. Final density of P. spicata primed seed pods were 2.9-3.8-fold higher than non-treated seed of the same species. Overall primed seed pods shows promise for enhancing seed germination and seedling emergence, which could aid in native plant establishment.