Seed Germination & Mediums

[Medical Marijuana]

Overview:

There are many choices and options you can make when picking the medium to use for seeds.
Hopefully this guide will make your choice easier and help you understand the different mediums
which are readily available at the majority of Nurseries and Hydro Shops.

Mediums:

Rockwool Plugs:
Whilst Rockwool plugs are small in size, they are a good medium to use for sprouting seeds,
one reason being that they don't contain large amounts of water, thus allowing some air to penetrate
the root of the seed once it has sprout, it also can be a down-fall because you need to check on it regularly
and make sure it is moist. 2-4 days after the seed has sprouted, you will quickly need to place the
rockwool plug into a more permanent planting medium.

Rockwool Cubes:
These are the most common used medium for sprouting seeds with hydroponic growers.
They contain more water and air if soaked and used properly. You can also leave a seedling in them longer
then Rockwool plugs, which make it more ideal. Due to there size and capacity to hold a decent amount of water,
the cubes can become cold and you'll need to keep them in a warm place, such as a dome under a warm light.
Some cubes come with holes for inserting seeds and cuttings, if not, you'll need to make a hole approximately
1-2 centimetres deep, a hole this deep will give sufficient support to the stem of a young seedling until the
cube has been placed in a more permanent medium.

Jiffy Pots:
This type of growing medium isn't the best to sprout seeds, if not soaked correctly, it can become water-logged,
and once again if not soaked correctly, it dries out quickly and can decrease your chances of successful germination.
Since this is not an ideal germination medium, I will not go further into the product as I do not recommend this, period.

Potting Mix:
This is ofcourse one of the most natural method of germinating seeds. It's simple and can be highly effective.
You should use a pre-fertilized mix so you will not have to feed the seedling for 2-3 weeks once it has sprouted.
It's best to use a small pot with a decent amount of drainage holes in the bottom, also it's ideal to place a piece
of mesh at the bottom to prevent the potting mix from moving to much around the seed and disturbing it,
it is also best to use a small pot to make it easier and less stressful for the seedling when transplanting into a larger pot.
Different potting mixes require variable amounts of water, so keep the soil moist but not wet, the best way to
test this is to place your finger roughly 5cm deep into the soil. If using this medium, plant your seeds 3-4cm deep.

Dirt:
Dirt, just like Jiffy Pots, it is also not an ideal medium for germinating seeds. It can contain very little amounts of
nutrients and can also contain to much of a certain nutrient, but this is dependent on the area you live in.
Dirt also can hold to much water or not enough. The fine particles of dirt mediums when watered do not allow for
enough air in the medium. Your success with dirt is all dependent on the weather, if the weather turns bad and is
either windy or there's heavy rain, or the sun is shining bright and it is hot, your seed or seedling will not have
much chance of surviving. If you pick this type of medium, place your seeds 2-5cm deep.

Tips & Info:

Always make sure the medium you use is moist to the touch, never drench it and allow it to dry out completely.

When using mediums such as Rockwool, after the first soaking use a spray to lightly mist the soil and leaves.
Never water directly, once you have drenched the medium, you will have to squeeze the excess water out,
which may also squash the seed and potential roots.

Never pull the husk of a sprouted seedling, you may damage the membrane inside the seed which could still be
connected to the newly growing leaves. If you think the new leaves are trapped in the husk, spay it gently with
water using a fine mist until it comes off naturally.

Do not water directly onto the seed or seedling, you will disturb any newly forming roots and could cause death.

Happy germinating.
Author: Awol/CoA

[WestCoastToke]

Good read! Thanks!

[Racefan]

No mention of coir huh? IMO it makes a great medium for germination as well. Nice find *****.

[Medical Marijuana]

If you can do a para on coir, I will add it in to the original article. Thanks for noting this oversight.

[biggreenbuds4]

good read *****

im learning so much reading through your posts

[Medical Marijuana]

Thank you. It's all about spreading awareness.

[POTential]

^ Any thoughts on perlite/vermaculite?

[Medical Marijuana]

I haven't used perlite/vermaculite, so I can't comment.

[Racefan]

Perlite and vermiculite are more for ammending mediums than using as a medium. Vermiculite retains moisture and perlite acts as a drainage aid. I've never seen or heard of anyone using them as a seed starter I have heard of them using them as clone mediums. Usually not with good results. I'd stick with the tried and true.

Still working on a short story about using coir for a medium *****. I want to make sure my facts are straight before releasing it.lol

[biggreenbuds4]

Originally Posted by Racefan

Perlite and vermiculite are more for ammending mediums than using as a medium. Vermiculite retains moisture and perlite acts as a drainage aid. I've never seen or heard of anyone using them as a seed starter I have heard of them using them as clone mediums. Usually not with good results. I'd stick with the tried and true.

Still working on a short story about using coir for a medium *****. I want to make sure my facts are straight before releasing it.lol

looking forward to your paragraph on coir racefan :smoke2:

[Medical Marijuana]

Ta mates!

[kabar]

Thanx, I almost pulled the husk off, but after reading this I'll give it a few more days.
Sprout emerged from potting soil 2 days ago.

[referman]

Damn, I screwed up. I read in the seed catalog it was best to soak the seed in room temp. water till the sprout shows itself. Got 10 out of 10 to show. So I planted them in a sprouting mix of perlite, vermiculite, and peat moss. I only got five of the ten to come up. I will try the potting soil method next and only germinate on the full moon. I think I had better luck with the old paper towel than the water method. I like the idea of potting soil. Should I keep it pretty damp for the first couple of days? Your information is great. Thanks