Rapid, uniform germination of tobacco seed is essential for successful production of tobacco seedlings in the greenhouse float system. Some varieties tend to lag in uniform germination and growth. Some poor germinating cultivars respond to a process called priming. Priming is a process where germination is initiated but then stopped. When seeds treated with this process are subsequently planted, they tend to germinate quicker, resulting in a more uniform crop. A two replicate experiment was conducted to determine the influence of two cultivars, primed versus nonprimed seed and two media sources on germination and subsequent growth of tobacco seedlings in the greenhouse float system. Cultivar NC71 germinated more rapidly and grew off faster with priming, while K326 showed no response. More aerial rooting (a phenomenon where the root fails to enter the media) was observed with primed seed, cultivar K326 and one media source. The reason for this media response was not readily apparent but was possibly related to larger particle size that had a higher moisture content at tray filling. Higher moisture content could result in greater compaction, thus less ideal germinating and growth conditions. These studies illustrate that priming seed may improve the performance of certain poor germinating cultivars but may cause other problems in cultivars that do not respond to priming.