Seed Germination Techniques

[mstone]

I'm bringing new life into the world this week and I wanted to know if anyone had any fool proof ways of germinating seed besides the standard moist paper towels and a dark room.

 

Thanks

Mike

[bobandtorey]

I'm bringing new life into the world this week and I wanted to know if anyone had any fool proof ways of germinating seed besides the standard moist paper towels and a dark room.

 

Thanks

Mike

 

 

http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mjgrow9b.htm

[old-hobo]

I use those little peet pots with the exploding pellets, hot water to rehydrate pellets,poke a hole in middle of the pot and put seed, I have a melmac plate I set them on, Aregular heating pad to put the plate on,To cover I use the plastic cone off a 100 cd disc pack, take legos and put 3 under the cover (so they can breath), cover the whole thing with a very heavy towel. set the heating pad on medium for 1 st day, low from there out till sprout time. 2/2 1/2 days.

[Grow Thread]

I'm bringing new life into the world this week

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!

 

i hope it's a girl!!

[lkline300]

I don't always use seeds but when I do I drink dos seces,... I mean,.. I put them right into rapid rooters. Points up.........

[BDR]

I don't always use seeds but when I do I drink dos seces,... I mean,.. I put them right into rapid rooters. Points up.........

 

HaHa... LOL!! If your in a pinch...Try a shot glass filled with luke warm ph balanced water, cover and keep in the cupboard for a couple. Once they crack ease them into your favorite medium. Good luck and I hope the stork brings you all girls Peace,Love,and Big Buds

[mstone]

They better be a all girls, I had to trade one of my kidneys for them at one of those fancy euro shops.

 

Thanks for everyones input.

[BDR]

They better be a all girls, I had to trade one of my kidneys for them at one of those fancy euro shops.

 

Thanks for everyones input.

 

Dang.... Now that's dedication!!!! LOL!!!

[UrbanFarmer]

They better be a all girls, I had to trade one of my kidneys for them at one of those fancy euro shops.

 

Thanks for everyones input.

 

LOL! & let's hope your other kidney continues to work well! lol

[Rocketman]

This problem was solved by tomato gardeners ages ago. All any seed needs to sprout is simulated warm ground and moisture. This replicates what nature does to sprout her plants. Those great online stores for vegetable seeds all have warming mats. These mats are accurate temperature controlled to gently warn seeds. A heating pad on med to low will also work. The wet paper towel is an age old method. There is an ancient proverb... If it works... don't fuc& with it!!! On a plate place - 3 layers of good paper towel-seeds-3 layers of paper towel Saturate all - wrap in a new garbage bag leaving air in the assembly and place on your approved heater. In a couple of days....there it is. If it doesn't work it wasn't meant to be. Not all seeds in any plant are fertilized. I can go in to great depth on the fertilization...but trust me degree in biology. That is the way it works.

[THC-Farmer]

I use Fox Farms Ocean Forest as my medium. This method is tried and true, works everytime with outstanding results!

 

When I germinate seeds, I start by soaking the seeds in a small shot-glass, or something small that will fit in a humidome, (seperate containers for different strains) with a little pH 7.0 water. They are left in a slightly warmer than room-temperature area (75*F) and placed in a humidome for anywhere between 3-7 days, or until they begin to sink. The seeds should sink BEFORE they crack open and form the initial root. For those that have not sank yet, I simply tap them a bit or swish the water around a little. If they still do not sink then they continue to soak until they have. If the seeds do not sink within 7-10 days, they are more than likely not viable. This is a viability test done in horticultural labs all around the world. If a seed is viable, it will take on water and sink, if it is not it will float until the outer shell begins to rot away and is considered dead.

 

After that crucial step I place them directly into soil. I place the seeds about 1/4 of an inch deep. I use little planter trays with Fox Farms Ocean Forest to start them off. I then place them in a small humidome, keeping the temperatures around 75*F until the sprouts have formed thier cotyladons and the first set of single bladed leaves begins to form. That concludes the germination process.

 

This should prove very effective for you. Try different methods though and see which works best for you. I prefer this way as it has proved to be the fastest most effective method I have tried, to date.

 

Small FFOF grow tip - Once this has been accomplished I transplant into 1 gal grow bags with plain Fox Farms Ocean Forest and place the plants into the vegetative phase area. I water with plain pH adjusted water (adjusted to 6.8-7.0) for the first 2 weeks. Around the 3rd week of growth they get switched to a light mixture of Fox Farms Grow Big and Botanicare Cal/Mag Plus. Around the 4th week they get a slightly stronger feeding. By the end of the 4th week, beginning of the 5th week they will be getting plain pH adjusted water and I begin transplanting into 3 gal grow bags and placed into the bloom phase. The rest is a secret and I'll have to kill ya if I tell ya...

[RevHerb]

I use the paper towel method and here is how I do it.

 

I wet a papertowel not soaking wet, I usually squeeze out

the towel before placing the seeds in them.

 

Place the the seeds in the papertowel fold papertowel

with seeds into a pouch. I always fold the sides to

ensure that no seeds escape on their way into the ziploc.

 

Label the Ziploc bag especially if germinating multiple strains.

 

Seal the Ziploc except for about an inch or two at the end.

 

Blow air into the Ziploc until it looks like a pillow, & then seal it.

 

Place Ziploc in a warm dark area. I place it on top of my cable

box inside my entertainment center.

 

The reason for blowing air into the baggie because it has a perfect mix

of Oxygen and Co2 so the baggie acts like a greenhouse.

 

Out of my last three crops only one seed did not germinate & it probably would

have if I would have given it another day or two.

 

One thing to remember about germination is not to give up on the seeds to soon.

 

My second crop, one of the Strains was Sensi Seeds Super Skunk. After they failed to

germinate within a week I almost threw them out. However I decided to go to Sensi Seeds website

and it turns out that it can take 7-10 days for some of their seeds to germinate.

Finally on day 10 they all germinated. So you have to be patient because some seeds can

take longer than others.

 

Another thing that you need to remember is that once a seed germinates it forms a tap root.

Once it has a root it could be counted as one of your plants.

[THC-Farmer]

Nice post Rev! Great advice. Never give up on a seed unless you're absolutely sure it's not viable. A non-viable seed will either appear moldy, not swell (remains the same size) or become mushy and fall apart.

 

If a seed hasn't cracked open or sank into the water and doesn't appear to be moldy or any of the afore mentioned, at all, let it be. Sometimes it's just that the shell is a bit thicker than normal and it simply takes longer for the water to make it's way to the good stuff in the middle... A seed can literally take anywhere from 7-10 days to come to life.

 

But generally speaking, if a seed takes longer than 10 days, it's not going to happen. Either that or your germination environment is less than optimal (usually lack of moisture and warmth is the culprit) and needs to be adjusted. Without proper moisture and warmth seeds can take even longer to germinate. A lot of times if the process takes too long the seeds simply won't survive.

[Moss]

I use a variation of the paper towel method. I take a sponge (a real sponge, think Spongebob) wet it with lukewarm water, put the seed in a crater in the sponge then put it in a ziplock. Then I put it somewhere warm and dark, like the top of my cable box.

[reddy]

i place the seed in coco coir and keep moist and warm. simple.

[Kingdiamond]

I'm bringing new life into the world this week and I wanted to know if anyone had any fool proof ways of germinating seed besides the standard moist paper towels and a dark room.

 

Thanks

Mike

This is the only way ive been able to get beans to pop. B)

 

Ive also tried the distilled water method with zero success .

[budpuffer]

i do just as the Revherb does and it works well,i put mine on the top of the hot water heater.. if the seeds don't pop its because they weren't good in the first place..zb

[+Silverblue]

wouldn't tap water be bad because of all the chemicals? If distilled doesn't work, how about filtered water?

 

Sb

[kgb69ss]

My first real grow room is now in operation finally! I put my seeds in a paper towel almost dripping wet, (dont use cheap paper towel!) I put them in my seedling cabinet , inside of whole cooked chicken container from the grocery store, with a small ceramic heater near the stainless steel cabinet. Indoor / Outdoor thermometer in place, I adjusted the distance the heater was from the cabinet to get them at 75-79 *. After 2 1/2 days I checked them and had 2 with a small white sprout. After that, they went another day as they were, then they went into fox farms ocean forrest moderately moistened. that was Friday evening. By last night I had one poking through the soil just barely. This morning one (Himalayan Gold) is standing proudly! White Widow is trailing behind, but doing well. Another WW seed is slow germinating, but is cracked and I can see a small white sprout started woo hoo!

[+Silverblue]

The only thing would be the chlorine. But if you let it stand overnight, the chlorine will be gone.

Hi Indica Jones, thanks for your answer. I've heard that by letting tap water stand overnight it changes the ph levels. What happens to the chlorine, does it evaporate? If I ever am able to grow I wanna know what I'm getting into and have an idea what I'm doing first, what to expect, etc. The growing process is amazing, I hope I can do it someday. I'd want to be able to test the levels, test for chlorine, and whatever else I should be concerned about.

 

Sb