Hi to all,
First post on this site. I am interested in why I have had such a poor germination % to start this years Auto' outdoor grow. Summer starts to 2 days. I have been growing outdoors for approx 6 years. In recent seasons I have chosen AF's as I like the quicker time schedule. Cannabis is still illegal in my part of the world.
But this year approx 45% of my AF's did not germinate while others are doing as expected - which is growing.
I order my seeds from a reputable seedbank. I follow their germination instructions (pH, temperature & humidity) and usually only ever have few failures.
I keep my stored seeds in the dark in the bottom of my fridge, sealed in their packaging. To germinate I soak seeds in room temp bottled water cups (pH-6.0-6.5) for 24 hrs. Then I sow seeds in premium seed starter in square jiffy's or coconut coir pots, indoors under gentle lights for the first 7 days post seeds sprouting. Then on day 7-8 I pot on the jiffys/coco pot and all into their final potting soil based mediums in bags outdoors. I usually grow my auto's in 3-5-7 Gal' grow bags and achieve good results with fat and healthy buds.
My outdoor system does not change much, simply because up until now it works fine.
I posted this similar post on my seed companies website forum asking questions about the science and breeding that goes into developing AF's (auto flowers) seeds for sale around the world. So far I have received not one comment or suggestion as to the hit/miss ratio of AF seeds. While it's great to receive positive feedback when things go well, I very much want to hear from others who have experienced the bad when germinating AF seeds?
Simply, what is it that makes AF seeds so difficult (at times) to germinate?
Buying seeds from Australia is extremely expensive due to the poor AU dollar. Each seed works out to approx $20.00 Au. Therefore if/when 15 seeds(and more) do not germinate, or do half germinate and then will not not grow and or die or are deformed, well it adds up to an expensive loss. The seedbank is replacing 93% of my losses which I am grateful for and a reason why I continue to support the company.
In 3 photos, these AF's germinated, but as you can see 2 are deformed and the other has remained very small, but appears normally shaped. Since this photo the WWAF is coming along but well behind its sisters.
So, I am just throwing the question out there about AF seed germination?
For example I have had NL#5 regular photoperiod seeds in my fridge for years(2016) and when I dropped the 2 seeds into the water cup, both had cracked within the 24hrs prior to being placed into the starter mix, very strong and healthy. I have never had one regular feminised seed fail in my 6 summers of growing.
Me being me, I will keep on persevering with the AF's because I like the fact they are smaller to handle and usually from sprouting I get to harvest within 13 weeks. The average grow time in my location outdoors is about 12 weeks, at that stage I have approx. 50% milky to amber trichomes.
So, there you go... Love the website and forum and look forward to hearing any replies?
Leon57
First post on this site. I am interested in why I have had such a poor germination % to start this years Auto' outdoor grow. Summer starts to 2 days. I have been growing outdoors for approx 6 years. In recent seasons I have chosen AF's as I like the quicker time schedule. Cannabis is still illegal in my part of the world.
But this year approx 45% of my AF's did not germinate while others are doing as expected - which is growing.
I order my seeds from a reputable seedbank. I follow their germination instructions (pH, temperature & humidity) and usually only ever have few failures.
I keep my stored seeds in the dark in the bottom of my fridge, sealed in their packaging. To germinate I soak seeds in room temp bottled water cups (pH-6.0-6.5) for 24 hrs. Then I sow seeds in premium seed starter in square jiffy's or coconut coir pots, indoors under gentle lights for the first 7 days post seeds sprouting. Then on day 7-8 I pot on the jiffys/coco pot and all into their final potting soil based mediums in bags outdoors. I usually grow my auto's in 3-5-7 Gal' grow bags and achieve good results with fat and healthy buds.
My outdoor system does not change much, simply because up until now it works fine.
I posted this similar post on my seed companies website forum asking questions about the science and breeding that goes into developing AF's (auto flowers) seeds for sale around the world. So far I have received not one comment or suggestion as to the hit/miss ratio of AF seeds. While it's great to receive positive feedback when things go well, I very much want to hear from others who have experienced the bad when germinating AF seeds?
Simply, what is it that makes AF seeds so difficult (at times) to germinate?
Buying seeds from Australia is extremely expensive due to the poor AU dollar. Each seed works out to approx $20.00 Au. Therefore if/when 15 seeds(and more) do not germinate, or do half germinate and then will not not grow and or die or are deformed, well it adds up to an expensive loss. The seedbank is replacing 93% of my losses which I am grateful for and a reason why I continue to support the company.
In 3 photos, these AF's germinated, but as you can see 2 are deformed and the other has remained very small, but appears normally shaped. Since this photo the WWAF is coming along but well behind its sisters.
So, I am just throwing the question out there about AF seed germination?
For example I have had NL#5 regular photoperiod seeds in my fridge for years(2016) and when I dropped the 2 seeds into the water cup, both had cracked within the 24hrs prior to being placed into the starter mix, very strong and healthy. I have never had one regular feminised seed fail in my 6 summers of growing.
Me being me, I will keep on persevering with the AF's because I like the fact they are smaller to handle and usually from sprouting I get to harvest within 13 weeks. The average grow time in my location outdoors is about 12 weeks, at that stage I have approx. 50% milky to amber trichomes.
So, there you go... Love the website and forum and look forward to hearing any replies?
Leon57
