What is an idiot proof way to germinate seeds?

[SmokeyMacPot]

Get a jar about 500 ml and some distilled water. Fill jar with the distilled water and add a drop of Superthrive and a few drops of rooting hormone. Shake jar vigorously for 5 mins to mix and aerate solution. Insert your seeds, all will float for the first 1-3 hours and then they will start to sink. If some seeds keep floating shake jar slightly to cause them to sink and keep the jar in a warm a place 78f-86F. Check seeds every 3-6 hours. When the seeds crack open and small taproot is visible plant the cracked seeds in preferred moisten medium 1/8"-1/4" deep. Place the containers with the seeds into a plastic bag to keep the humidity levels up keep in a warm area 78 f - 86 F. When sprouts break surface of soil remove from bag place under main growing light.

Author: Tick

 

[TheMilkMan]

Did this using little plastic cup of straight ph 7.6 tap water room temp adjusted overnight.

Left one unknown piece of shit sativa strain seed in this water for nearly 2 weeks thinking i was a complete moron then today I look at the container and its popped wide open, tap root asking for another place to go.

Just awesome. It took its time but then....it worked.

I'm sure if i used the above method, it wouldve worked better, but then i've got no root hormone or superthrive.

I planted seed into rock wool, fed it ph 6.1 / E.C 0.5 fert for a little kick in the nuts to see if i can kill it and soaked it in the nut mix, heated it up in the sun in the plastic container im using for "greenhouse clone making" then stuck it back in my grow cupboard.

Lets see.....

 

[Bandit420]

I just use folded toilet paper or paper towels in a saucer with enough tap water to cover the paper. I put the seeds in the middle of the folded tp and place the dish on a window sill. The seeds will germinate in 24-72 hours. Nothing fancy. No nutes or hormones. No warming pads or anything. Sometimes I use rain water if I have the opportunity.
Out of personal preference I dont use tp or paper towels with any prints or dyes.

 

[TheMilkMan]

Yeah thats the way i've only ever done it, the just some times not all the seeds would hatch for say at once, some would hatch later or sooner than others etc.

But eventually they all hatch! Was interesting from a research point of view specially seeing that if you forget about them and they dry out like in a few hours if I'm not constantly checking them where I live.

So with this method its literally impossible to make that mistake which is one major bonus point from where I'm sitting!

 

[elfstone]

The main taproot that comes off the new seedling sends out microroots, which will break off when being handled. This generally doesn't seem to make much difference; however, to insure the best germination, I have taken to planting the seeds directly into a 1 pint pot with Fox Farm Light Warrior. Using Light Warrior, I have excellent germination rates with no damping off.

Good luck!

 

[BEARtokin]

im with orangeblood on this one just because it works for me and always has.
tried the whole jar and water thing but didnt have as much success as the simple tap water and paper towels, but thats just me.
if your worried about the paper towel drying out quickly simply use more paper towel.

hope that helps out.
best of luck to you

 

[Jasonlee247]

I prefer to moisten a papertowel with pH 6 water (distilled works fine., and, ring it till it doesnt drip, and place it in a ziplock. place the seed on top of the papertowel, breath into the bag for a little Co2, and zip it up after smooshing most of the air out. just place on top of the fridge or a warm place not worrying about light, and 1-2 days they usually pop a tap root. older seeds seem to take longer sometimes, but works like a charm. I've been germinating seeds this way for over 10 years with no problems. I just pick out the seed with gental surgical like precision (yea right), as gentle as possible, and plant 1/4" down in your soil/coco/peat/rapidrooter, etc, and it'll poke out of the surface in a day or 2. Works best for me, like these guys are saying. They know their stuff, so I'm sure most of these ways will work. It's more of what works for your style.

Good luck!

 

[nothingbut]

I know this is a trick question so I'm going to have to say, don't ask a Republican to do it!

 

[TheMilkMan]

I like the idea of the plastic zip lock.

Valid points all round. Just seems to be a balance between getting that moisture level right and the temp and away she (hopefully) goes.

Anyways thanks for the info, good work!

 

[Blueberry Fan]

I do it johnny apple seed style. I live in Northern CA, I stick the tip of my finger in the pot and cover the seed lightly, I of corse wet the soil first. Leave in a sunny place and 4-5 days later there already up.


P.S. I'm trying to get the 25 post monkey off my back.

 

[jdeece]

I didnt read all of the replies, so please forgive me if I repeat anyone. I found this to be very reliable especially at germinating all the seeds at the same time.

Get a shot glass, fill it with water. your choice - distilled, spring water, purified, or tap.
Put the seeds in it.
Find a warm location. ( just turned my grow lights on for warmth in the growroom)
place a coffee cup upside down over the shot glass for 24-32 hours in the warm location.
The seeds will be sprouting roots after the time is up. ( I suggest closer to 30 hours for optimal germination - - - the seeds will be at the bottom of the shot glass instead of floating, and may not have roots yet but will still be germinated. the need dark and damp to get the seksiness on }
Place in medium with protruding root facing down.
Leave a little light exposure for the seed, and watch it grow.

(the only thing I can't guarantee is that they will be all female )

 

[jdeece]

Oh yea, and always wash your hands before handling anything to do with growing.

 

[i Am Melted]

personaly myself i just bought a suttons sow and grow inspiring gardens you get about 36 pelets which you soke in water for about ten mins then you just pop your seed in and leave in a warm dark place and give it a couple of days and your seeds will have poped and started to grow i have now done all mine and all but 1 have growin well just look at my pics

 

[Doc Bud]

Germinating stress free greatly increases the chance of females.

Whatever method you use, soaking...whatever, the seed needs to sprout in the dark and the roots should never see light.

I germinate in layered cups:

The dirt on top is to keep the seed nice and dark. The perlite is for fast, rot free, root growth. The picture was at 3 weeks old.

 

[TheMilkMan]

So a bunch of you say a "Sunny place", and bunch say "Dark Dark".....So Which is it?

Cause I had my seed in a Rockwool cube and it did nothing and so ive moved it into a small container with a couple of cm of cocopeat and perlite mix and theres a lid on the container to stop the moisture just taking off to wonderland and keep humidity up.

Its a clear container, all I want is for the little "beast" to take off and grow!

I had quite the success in toilet paper funny enough.

 

[Doc Bud]

So a bunch of you say a "Sunny place", and bunch say "Dark Dark".....So Which is it?

Cause I had my seed in a Rockwool cube and it did nothing and so ive moved it into a small container with a couple of cm of cocopeat and perlite mix and theres a lid on the container to stop the moisture just taking off to wonderland and keep humidity up.

Its a clear container, all I want is for the little "beast" to take off and grow!

I had quite the success in toilet paper funny enough.

OK bro.....here's the straight dope, no BS.

The seed needs to crack open in the dark, which means it needs to be under dirt, coco, vermiculite, in a rapid rooter plug....somewhere where it will not be exposed to light. Amongst botanists and professionals there is no debate....due to gravitropism and phototropism, not to mention the fact that roots aren't supposed to be above ground....seeds are supposed to be PLANTED when they sprout, if you want healthy plants.

There needs to be bright light to greet them the moment they break ground.....really bright light. I put a 40,000 Lumen 8 bulb T5 an inch over the emerging seedlings.

Then there is the issue of humidity:

Please don't trap humidity with your seedlings! Clones are what needs humidity, because they don't have roots. A seedling has plenty of roots by the time you see it. The humidity accomplishes nothing but stunting root growth, stressing the plant and very possibly starting a fungus problem, like damping off, or powdery mildew.

Stress on seedlings favors males! Here's a recipe for males:

1.)Any kind of stress. Sprout the seeds in a paper towel, then drop and injure them as you try to put the emerging radicle in dirt.
2.)High humidity...put a dome over your babies and they turn into big strong boys
3.)Low light. Let 'em stretch, that stresses 'em out and you'll most likely get boys

If you want females:

Minimize all aspects of stress during the first 3 days of the seedlings life

1.)Put the seed in some medium where it is dark, even with bright light shining on it. Dirt or rooter plugs work well, rockwool too. Make sure the medium is moist, not drenched. It needs to stay moist, so you might need to spray it or use a small dropper if the medium dries out. If using soil or a plug, one initial watering outa do the job.
2.)Keep the temp at a constant 72 once you see the seedling emerge. You will see faster sprouting if the temp is warmer, but lower temps favor females!
3.)Keep the humidity at around 60%.
4.)Make sure there is a source of nitrogen for the emerging seedling. Fox Farms Ocean Forest soil, amended with perlite will have enough nitrogen. Higher nitrogen favors females.
5.)High light levels, especially in the blue spectrum favors females. Place your CFL's, or T5's an inch---no more than 3 inches----above the emerging seedling. They LOVE this.
HID's work well too, but you don't want to overheat (stress) the seedlings, so I prefer T5's or CFL's in the blue (veg) spectrum.

People will do what they want and I respect anyone who is germinating Cannabis seeds, regardless of the method they use. The above method is a no BS, reliable scientific way of germinating seeds. It works.

 

[i Am Melted]

every body has there own way of doing it all you can do is try what you think if tht does not work then try some thing ellse its all trial and error with some stuff but i have never had any problams with mine docbud has the same idea as me but his looks graet so i would consider doing it his way next time

 

[Doc Bud]

every body has there own way of doing it all you can do is try what you think if tht does not work then try some thing ellse its all trial and error with some stuff but i have never had any problams with mine docbud has the same idea as me but his looks graet so i would consider doing it his way next time

These seeds can and will grow in a parking lot, just like a weed.
However, there are certain things that we know, things that are right, regardless of whether it's "my" way or another way.

1.)germinate in total darkness
2.)Lot's of light on the emerging cotyledon
3.)do not touch or handle the roots or let light shine on them

There is no argument (science based) against that. Any method that allows 1 through 3 to occur is a correct method.

Rockwool, soil, plugs, layered cups.....all of that is a personal choice.
While I know that the paper towel method is popular, even traditional, it simply isn't the best way to germinate seeds.

It's a great way to watch seeds crack, and watch the radicle emerge.....but that isn't healthy for the plant.

I know there are diehard Papertowel people out there....and I suppose I'm stepping on their toes, but ask any botanist or expert on seed germination and they'll confirm what I'm saying.

Here's what an expert grower has to say on the matter:

Germinating Cannabis Seeds (for Bio Growers)


This is my foolproof method for Cannabis Seed Germination in soil, by Uncle Ben:

First, if harvesting seeds from my own crosses, I air-dry newly harvested seeds for a couple of weeks, and then store them in the refrigerator with a little rice. Cold-treatment seems to increase viability and germination rates, especially with indica-dom strains. I almost always get a 100% germination rate with quality seedstock.

Soak the seeds in plain water for 12 hours prior to planting to hydrate them, which will speed up germination. In general, good seeds will sink, bad seeds will remain floating (they contain air, not an embryo). I first sterilize seeds in a bleach solution (1 Tbsp. bleach/1 gallon of water) for 1/2 hour to kill any fungus residing on the seedcoat.

Sterilize enough *damp* fine soil with heat to germinate all of your seeds. You can do this by treating the damp soil to temps of (no more than) 200F for 20 mins in a conventional oven, or in a microwave oven on high for 2 minutes, while stirring a couple of times. Let the mix cool thoroughly. This will insure that damp-off fungus spores have been killed in the soil mix. Make sure the soil mix is light and humusy (not real coarse). You can add a little sand or vermiculite to aid in drainage and weight. Stay away from perlite, it has a nasty habit of floating out of the mix (if you do indeed need to water later).

Buy some white 20oz styrofoam "drinking glasses", commonly called "Styro-Cups", and punch holes in the bottom (and side bottom) for drainage. I use a red-hot ice pick for this. These containers are 6 1/2" tall and will allow ample room for the taproot to grow before cotyledon emergence which will increase your seedling's vigor. The taproot (radicle) is already at least 4" long at the point of emergence - don't restrict it (in order to maximize seedling growth rate). Styro-Cups can be found on the shelf displaying picnic items at your local grocery store.

Fill the pots almost to the top with your soil mix, water well to settle the mix, take a pencil and make a small hole about 1/4" to 1/2" deep, NO deeper, and drop *one* seed in. Cover the seed with *fine* soil, only enough to top up the hole, firm lightly with your finger, and lightly water until water runs freely thru the drain holes. Place in a warm spot around 80F/26C. Do NOT cover the cup with saran wrap or anything else. The seed has been hydrated from the soaking and will germinate soon. This container should not require further watering until the seedling is up and running.

Your seedlings will be alot better off if you germinate directly in soil - less handling and mechanical disturbance means less chance of physical damage to the plant's taproot and less food reserves used to position itself due to the natural hormonal influence called Gravitropism.

During the first couple of days, mist the top soil surface lightly (if need be), never allowing the top 1/2" to dry out, but not to the point that the medium stays waterlogged which will invite rot. "Less is more" at this point. Do NOT water this pot any more until the seedling is up, and only if it needs it at the point of emergence. Again, no need to cover with plastic wrap as the radicle will grow at least 4" before the cotyledons emerge from the soil. IOW, even though you can't see it, the plant's root is seeking and finding moisture at the container's lower soil levels. I cannot emphasize this enough.

That's all to it! With good care, your faves will be ready to transplant within 1 to 2 weeks, and will easily slip out of the "cup" with a solid rootball that will never know it's been disturbed if potted up gently and quickly. Move up to a final pot of 3 to 5 gallons to sex and finish.

An effective transplant solution can be made using (no more than) 1 teaspoon of a 15-30-15 fert and 10 drops of Superthrive per gallon of water. Take note regarding the immediate growth spurt after this!

 

[i Am Melted]

kl m8 i will do it tht way next time my self cheers for info docbud

 

[Sensibowl]

I always like going back to the good old basics from Biology class, so many years ago.

Take out the paper towels, place the seeds between the wet towel and let it sit for a few days until you begin to see some root growth. As for the light or dark question, I'm not sure it matters then since it's sitting in a paper towel anyway. The seed isn't going to get any light when it's in the towel.

I also like to put the towel into a plastic bag so that it stays good and moist and protected from the outside world.

Once you have some root growth, then it's time to put it into the growing medium you've chosen.