Beware of the paper towel!

[Stilletto]

I am new to this board but certainly not a newbie, I keep seeing threads that talk about germinating seeds in paper towel and thought that I would share some of my experience with others that are unaware of the problem with using paper towel(PT). First off, I have tried this many times for experamental purposes and I am going to do it again and take some pics so that others can see the results. (should be able to post pics next week)
Paper towel is bad! LOL... When a sprout forms from a seed it is more that meets the eye. It has many little micro roots coming out of the main sprout, these inherently grow through the fibers of PT and are ripped off when you remove the seed. I have looked at them with a magnifying glass and have seen as much as 70% of them ripped off and left on the PT. This is not a healthy begining for a plant.
Solution.... there are many but I find that a shallow dish of water(.5 ") in a dark warm spot works great and no damage to the young root system.
I know that the PT method is widely used successfully but I feel that it is unessassary and counter productive and wanted to share my opinion.
As I mentioned I will do the experiment again and take pics and post them next week for all to see.... I guess different paper towels are a variable but I will not explore that. LOL

Stay cool,

Jonny

 

[tinkerbell420]

this is very interesting. i personally don't have a green thumb but i would like to see what you find.

 

[RangerDanger]

Imo, the best way to germiante seeds is in potting soil or peat pucks.
Plant each seed 1/2" deep on it's side, firm soil slightly and keep moist.

 

[Urdedpal]

I really like the PT method. sounds like you leave them in the towel too long.
As soon as the seed splits you know the seed is good so you plant it.
Germination methods are design so you don't plant a seed and wait two weeks to find out its a dud. When you use the PT method or the glass and water you are not to leave them in until you have a root system. You should only seed a white nub or the seed split on its side. Try it this way and you will be happier with the results.

 

[Stilletto]

Very good point Urdedpal. I did not get into that(but should have) as you and I and others know that. I agree that all you need to see is the split and the white nub but many people seem to think that it must emit a root out of the bottom before planting. I will submit that if done properly it is OK but it seems to work fine without any PT. I will also submit that I have never "properly" conducted this experiment with controls over the variables such as time, temp and PH etc. This is why I am conducting this experiment again with controls in place so that I can stand behind my previous assumtion based on my experience .... or I can eat a little crow and learn somethin'. LOL It was not until after I posted that I realized that I had better try it again the proper way so I don't look to be talkin' out my ass. LOL
Stay tuned for a update.....

Stay cool,

Jonny

 

[Urdedpal]

Three main methods I know to work.
PT method. Because its easy to see the germing and know which seeds are duds.
Water in glass method. Works great but is possible to drown the seed if left in water too long. (with paper towel zip locked in a bag and damp it is not possible to drown and kill the seeds.
Plant in medium method. Just plant and water and hope it pops up. Won't know about duds til much later.
I am moving this thread to seeds and clones forum.

 

[Stoner4Life]

Imo, the best way to germiante seeds is in potting soil or peat pucks.
Plant each seed 1/2" deep on it's side, firm soil slightly and keep moist.

Are peat pucks or pellets really good? Does the ph of peat affect the sex of the sprouting seed? Most sphagnum peat moss has a ph of 3-5, while hypnum peat moss has a ph of 5-7. I've heard through various threads here that variables such as temp & humidity help to determine and/or influence the sex of a sprouting seed. Does ph work into this formula as well? What type of peat & ph are used and/or has the ph been balanced in these peat pucks already? Thanks for the info guys......

 

[CharlieMopps]

I have germinated over 20 quality seeds with zero failure with the distilled water in a cup method. I find it to be far and away the easiest.

 

[Stilletto]

Sorry I never got back to you guys on this.
I have had no luck with pics as my camera sux and cannot get a good close-up pics.
I did the experiment twice and the results were interesting... here it is...
The seeds in water sprouted in 18-24 hours. The seeds in PT sprouted in 48-58 hours.
I used 4 seeds per method each time and the controls were all the same. What I found interesting was that PT method resulted in only 3 sucsessfull sprouts each time?

Thats it... a little experiment to pass the time. It is obvious that both methods work but I felt that it was info worth mentioning.

BTW.. I do not see why anyone would try to sprout seeds in medium (pellets etc).... how can you know if they are sprouting?... It seems to be like assuming that they are working but waiting for no reason. Time is all important and there is no time for guessing IMO.

thanx for your time,

Jonny

 

[hardhat22]

I'm lazy and usually just pop 'em into the dirt.But I used to use PTs,the thinner the better.I would keep them as flat as possible with few wrinkles and when it was time to plant
I used a razor knife to cut around the seedling as close as possible.Then I laid them into the cup,paper and all and finish by covering them with about 1/4 inch of soil.The roots grow right through the paper.And in comparison to my lazy way,they seem to do as good or better.Usually 3-5 days till they break the soil.I've found 6" plants growing through those little manilla envelopes that I used to buy 10s and 20s in.I would roll a fatty then just throw the envelope in the bushes in my backyard.The roots would be entwined with the paper fibers.No shit.
Take it easy

 

[rds_sk8er420]

i used tp instead of pt......wrapped it in saranwrap and placed them in a jar ina dark place for abuot 2-3days, and i ripped the paper to get the seeds out, the paper was still moist and some sprouts had mad their way thru the paper but when i removed the tp the little micro peices were noticable and still attached, i've watched movies about canabis where they used this method to grow succesful crops, and i got 10 out of 10 popped. aswell as i waited till the tap roots were abuot an inch out of the seeds as the videos put out by cannabis culture say.