How do I germinate seeds?
- Thread starter SmokeyMacPot
- Start date
I usually use the rooter plugs after germination, but I always use a heating pad during germination. (One specifically for heating seeds.)
ItsTommyGunnz
Well-Known Member
Tap root should face upward when planting not downward, that is all I would have to disagree with. I have no problem with people who want to do it that way but i'm going to keep planting it upwards. Saves the plant a lot of energy.
Would the same apply if you used the paper towel method to start the tap root? I was led to believe the tap root, when planting after it has cracked, was to point down. The method you point out is germinating straight in the soil. I was just wondering if the same method should be applied.
Tap root should face upward when planting not downward, that is all I would have to disagree with. I have no problem with people who want to do it that way but i'm going to keep planting it upwards. Saves the plant a lot of energy.
Very interesting. Thanks.
ItsTommyGunnz
Well-Known Member
Good question, it doesn't matter how you start the tap root. Also the diagram above is a germinated seed that has been planted it isn't germinating in the soil. If the seed is planted with tap root facing down then it has to make 2 turns, UP until it recognizes light and then DOWN.
When you plant with tap root facing up it only has to make one turn after recognizing light, DOWN using less energy from the plant. If you look closely at a germinated seed you will see that the tap root when coming out has a slight turn on it already this is because when it comes out it turns and grows down into the medium, eventually straightening that curve to lift the seed to the surface.
The image with the correct way to plant the seed is hard to see the tap peeking out, so I assumed it was a planted seed in the soil with the pointy end up. Nonetheless it makes total sense and all my seeds in the future I will plant tap up!
Thanks for sharing that!
ItsTommyGunnz
Well-Known Member
Yeah it is hard to see the tap root compared to the image with the incorrect way to plant. No matter what way seeds are planted there gonna come out on top anyway but it just saves time for the plant and ourselves and it also saves energy for the plant too. Probably doesn't make that much of a difference, but I like to help out anywhere that I can even from seed.The image with the correct way to plant the seed is hard to see the tap peeking out, so I assumed it was a planted seed in the soil with the pointy end up. Nonetheless it makes total sense and all my seeds in the future I will plant tap up!
Thanks for sharing that!
What's interesting, and maybe it has nothing to do with it, with the two seeds I planted, one went tap up, the other tap down. I wanted both tap down so I played a bit with the tweezers to flip it but was not successful so I just left it up. The tap down sprouted 2 days before the tap up which would make sense since it was upside down so to speak. The tap up seems to be a little shorter in her growth rate but looks strong and healthy. The tap down girl has grown faster and looks just as healthy. Anyhow, just thought I would share that bit of information fwiw.
ItsTommyGunnz
Well-Known Member
Yeah I guess you can never know for certain, its really a growers choice when it comes down to it. I have a green crack and pineapple express grow that I am going to be starting soon, it might be a little experiment for me to put one tap up and one tap down and see what difference there is as in time to sprout, etc. Probably would be better to do that test with the same strain though because there both going to be different anyway.
Jonhhybhydro
420 Member
Wow I’m sure glad I stoped here there’s a lot of god knowledge
Spalding420
Well-Known Member
Hey guys, first time poster. Love this group and all the informative info. I’m a first time grower and purchased 2 seeds(GDP and GSC) from the seed center in Amsterdam. Dropped seeds in a cup of water for 36 hrs and each had a very small tap root. I then planted them in a seed starting cup with my medium being Black Gold organic seed starting mix. That was Thursday, Sep 6 at 9pm. It is currently Sep 12 at 10am and I have yet to see a sprout. I will go ahead and say I am already an impatient person(working on it lol) but it seems like there might be an issue? I have been putting approximately 2 capfuls(bottle water caps) of water(sink water) on them once in the morning and once in the evening and placing a plastic bag over them for humidity. So, this morning after feeling frustrated and almost 6 days after planting and no sprout from the seeds, I watered them and brought them outside for an hour of morning sunlight hoping to get them to sprout. I am located in north east Florida and my grow will be an outside one in pots with fox farm ocean forest soil and general organics Go Box for nutrients. I know I started late but just wanted to start a grow and finally pulled the trigger.
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
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How deep did you put them? As only need to be 1/4"-1/2" deep or so, that and don't need a lot of water until they get going (I usually just mist them with a spray bottle until they out for a week or so) as they can rot if too wet. Somewhere warm helps too, I put mine on top of my Modem as the heat off of it is warmer than room temp.
Those pots you have the seeds in do they dry out the soil fast? I know some fibre pots like those suck the water out fast. Or, is the soil still wet each time you are adding water?
As mentioned above, the seeds need little water if the soil is moist. You only need keep misting when it dries up. If it's dry each time you look at it then try replanting in a solo plastic cup.
With that much water and such a little tap root it probably worked it's way to the bottom and most likely will rot out.
There's lot's of opinions on germinating. I soak the seeds in water for 14-18 hours then tap the top of the seed until it sinks. I then take a paper towel and double it up. I slowly pour the water from the cup onto the paper towel until the seeds fall onto the paper towel.
I then grab a second piece of paper towel, not doubled over, and place it on top of the newly laid out seeds. I tip the plate, careful not to lose the seeds, and let the excess water drain off the plate. Never should the paper towel be soaking wet, but it needs to be kept moist.
Typically within a day or two the tap root will be exposed. Often the tap root starts when in the cup, but you want it to grow a bit before planting to at least 3/8" and not more than 3/4".
A seed to germinate needs three things; moisture, warmth, and darkness. Provide all three and your seeds will tap out.
The seed should then be transeferred to the solo cup and placed, as mentioned above, 1/4-1/2" deep. Have the soil moistened when you plant so it doesn't shift when watered.
At this point the seed should sprout within a few days max, most likely 24-48 hours and away you go.
As mentioned above, the seeds need little water if the soil is moist. You only need keep misting when it dries up. If it's dry each time you look at it then try replanting in a solo plastic cup.
With that much water and such a little tap root it probably worked it's way to the bottom and most likely will rot out.
There's lot's of opinions on germinating. I soak the seeds in water for 14-18 hours then tap the top of the seed until it sinks. I then take a paper towel and double it up. I slowly pour the water from the cup onto the paper towel until the seeds fall onto the paper towel.
I then grab a second piece of paper towel, not doubled over, and place it on top of the newly laid out seeds. I tip the plate, careful not to lose the seeds, and let the excess water drain off the plate. Never should the paper towel be soaking wet, but it needs to be kept moist.
Typically within a day or two the tap root will be exposed. Often the tap root starts when in the cup, but you want it to grow a bit before planting to at least 3/8" and not more than 3/4".
A seed to germinate needs three things; moisture, warmth, and darkness. Provide all three and your seeds will tap out.
The seed should then be transeferred to the solo cup and placed, as mentioned above, 1/4-1/2" deep. Have the soil moistened when you plant so it doesn't shift when watered.
At this point the seed should sprout within a few days max, most likely 24-48 hours and away you go.
Spalding420
Well-Known Member
So I’m 100% new to growing cannabis but a seasoned pepper/tomatoe grower, so I have basic skills and have done tons of research on growing cannabis, but I’m completely humble in this process and am struggling with the fact that I failed to germinate these seeds, and maybe I haven’t but let me fill you in on how I started; here was my process..........upon receiving them, I put the seeds directly into a cup of water and after 12hrs I tapped them to the bottom. I let them sit for 24 more hours and then transferred them to the paper towel method, however my paper towels were saturated not just moist. I unfortunately had to leave town so like I said before I went ahead and planted them after only being in the paper towel for half a day or so, and In that time both seeds had a small tap root, very small but was still sticking out, but nowhere near 1/2-3/4”. I then planted them in the BG seed starting mix. Half the time they were in a dark closet uncovered, and the last 2 1/2 days I have had a ziplock bag over them sitting on my kitchen window sill. Each time I watered them, and I’m talking 2 little capfuls, the pot they were in was still moist every time, in fact not even close to drying out. That was my intention to keep them moist but maybe I kept them too wet? I didn’t mist them but at the same time the little water I put on them was done extremely gently.
UPDATE:
I carefully pulled the soil off the top with my tweezers and examined the seeds. Listen to this shit....my Girl Scout Cookies seed was still in the same place but the little tap root had barely grown and it FELL OFF the seed
( rot?Upon looking at the Grandaddy Purp seed, it had also only grown maybe 1/16-1/8” being in soil for almost 6 days, but was safe and sound. SO, I figure the GSC is ruined but I still planted it in a solo cup with fox farm ocean forest, and same with the GDP seed.
Can I get some feedback on where exactly I went wrong? Since the taproot fell off the GSC, is that one toast? Should I order 2 more seeds and start over? I am in north Florida and still have time for an outdoor grow I think. I’m open to any and all criticism, thanks so much.
Never used it but what I have read the Ocean Forest runs pretty hot nutrient wise, so not ideal for seedlings as can burn them up. Yeah if the tap root fell off and not leaf top on end of it, then it probably rotted be my guess, so sounds like it was a bit too wet. I just use a spray bottle and a couple sprays when it dries out on top. Personally I don't mess with the paper towel stuff as I'm clumsy and would damage/kill more farting around like that (also if your paper towel dries out the root can stick to it, and can kill it that way too), I soak for around 24 hours and then right into a yogurt cup full of soil around 1/4-3/8" deep and put two of those into a lunch meat container and put on top of my Modem for the heat. Could be the seeds too as my success rate does vary doing it like that (as I have seeds from many different places/breeders), but most of the time they both will pop (usually doing them two at a time, as have had a Clones of a Blue Widow going for two years now). Like everything in life lots of opinions out there and none of them are totally right or totally wrong, go with what makes the most sense to you and once you find something that works it is the old "if it ain't broke don't screw with it" 
and stay with that method.
and stay with that method.In nature seeds fall as they will, point up, point down. I doubt that a factor so crucial to germination could be left up to chance this way.
I think it had to do with inexperience and bad timing having to leave town, and I don't mean that in a bad way.
They were kept in the water way too long. Maximum 18 hours including the 12 hours when you tapped it down. Again, once the seed sinks it's ready to go to the paper towel.
Ya the paper towels cannot be saturated, moist only. The paper towel will stay moist for at least 24-36 hours. That's the reason why the first one is doubled over. If you keep them in an extremely warm or dry area then keep checking every 6 hours, else once a day is fine. When the towel doesn't have that wet look to it anymore spray it with water to remoisten.
Typically the tap root may start in the glass of water. It's a swollen seed trying to pop inside out. Not really growing but it's off to a good start. After 24-36 hours, sometimes less, that tap root is big enough to plant.
It needs light at this point. Once in the soil you need to provide a light source...could be a small flourescent bulb, but putting it in the closet in the dark is not going to make it grow,
So, bottom line to me is you had to rush things in the end due to being called out of town. Too much water and not enough light. Moisten the soil before planting the seed and cover it if you like with something clear, but don't keep adding water.
Spalding420
Well-Known Member
So, bottom line to me is you had to rush things in the end due to being called out of town. Too much water and not enough light. Moisten the soil before planting the seed and cover it if you like with something clear, but don't keep adding water.
MrSauga thanks so much for the critique and info, very much appreciated and I will definitely remember that. Do you think I should keep misting the GSC seed that the root fell off of or should I consider it a bust? Also, is it ok at this point to keep the solo cups outside? I have a screened in patio that gets great early morning filtered sunlight, would that be an ideal place for them to sit as the seedlings grow? or should I keep them in the shade until I have leaves to get acclimated? Again, thank you for your response!
I would keep them indoors. Unless you are sure the cups won't blow or fall over they should be fine. If the nights are cool bring them in and place them outside again in the morning. Indirect light outside is fine as it's strong enough.
I don't know what to say about the other seed, but my gut says it's toast. If the root fell off there's really nothing left I would think.
I don't know what to say about the other seed, but my gut says it's toast. If the root fell off there's really nothing left I would think.
