Royal Queen Seeds needs to stop saying things like this on their website

[grow boy420]

Royal Queen Seeds ..makes me worry about their understanding of seeds when they say things like this on their website..because this is wrong..
"This simple and cost-effective method is a great way to tell the good genetics from the bad; they will sink or swim, literally. Seeds that remain buoyant on the surface are more than likely of poor quality and are to be discarded. Seeds that sink to the bottom like a botanical cannonball are probably healthy and should be germinated."
...UGH ..really???
SEEDS HAVE A WAXY PROTECTIVE LAYER ..its why they resist being wetted and require 14 hours to absorb moisture to germinate..if a seed sinks to the bottom right away..its more likely already moisture logged and or the waxy film is not intact..ie an older seed or stored improperly..i always expect my seeds to float ..when germinating dont go past 14 hours in the glass of water..its risky and serves no purpose..the seed can have enough moisture and still float..dont over wet the seeds..it can cause them to rot..seen it. Royal Queen Seeds please stop saying things that make no sense!

 

[Stunger]

I agree with what you say, it my experience that the rule of does it sink or float is not definitive on whether the seed is viable or not. When you are paying good money for seeds it seems reckless to throw away seeds that float. I have seen a pic of someone who leaves their seeds in water until they sprout and they after a few days they were still floating on the surface with little tap roots, which to me torpedos that theory.

 

[grow boy420]

I agree with what you say, it my experience that the rule of does it sink or float is not definitive on whether the seed is viable or not. When you are paying good money for seeds it seems reckless to throw away seeds that float. I have seen a pic of someone who leaves their seeds in water until they sprout and they after a few days they were still floating on the surface with little tap roots, which to me torpedos that theory.

yeah its a weird old school rule i think someone borrowed from a different type of plant..weed all seems to be wax coated ..makes me cringe when a company propogates stuff like that..

 

[MotaFina]

Could it be that, as a rule of thumb, the floaters won't produce the best quality if they do germinate? I'm just a hobby grower, but when I had bags of seeds, I could tell just by the weight, color and size of seeds that some would be duds. In defense of RQS, I've seen 100% germination and great quality from their seeds. I guess the real test would be if they backup the floaters by sending replacements.

 

[Heraldo]

My guess is they're about to launch a new line of lead coated seeds

I only soak my seeds however long it takes me to prepare the soil, but I'd swear almost all of them have floated. Had really nice germination rates too...

 

[Lime]

I don't take the advice from seed companies. Or hydro shops for that matter. I do what works for me. Take all advice with a grain of salt...and i do what works for me in my garden.

 

[Justin Goody]

I don't take the advice from seed companies. Or hydro shops for that matter. I do what works for me. Take all advice with a grain of salt...and i do what works for me in my garden.

This is the right answer.
Seed shops have some crazy “suggestions” sometimes, including flushing and other outdated madness. Just do what works for your garden.

Personally, I float every seed...and NONE have ever sunk to the bottom right away. It almost always takes 8-24 hours for mine to sink (sometimes also takes some stirring/churning of the water too) and then straight into soil for me.
Any seeds I’ve had that DIDN’T sink, also didn’t sprout.

Germination is often one of the most difficult and/or challenging parts of growing cannabis. Find what works for you and stick with it.
The seeds companies are merely trying to put out a blanket statement, mostly for the inexperienced grower.
The right advice for you is here in these forums somewhere.

 

[Shaggn]

I use an emery board and file the seed husk seams gently. Then placed in water for approximiately 24hrs. They usually all sink within 2-4 hrs. I then do the paper towel method. Usually 100% success. The occasional ones that don't sink are mostly duds... That being said, do not throw them out right away, give them a week or so. Peace!!

 

[CO Finest]

I will never know which ones sink or float. I do it the old farmer way. I put in soil keep moist and with the miracle mother nature they all grow and the one or maybe two at most out of the 25-40 I plant that do not grow are DOA. I think the glass of water and wet paper towel came from the feel good for the grower to see the root starting. I have done the glass of water, wet paper towel, rapid rooters, rockwool cubes, in soil, in coco, in Jiffy Pot and disc and on paper plate in clone dome at 100% humidity with none being a better way then the other. warm temps with damp atmosphere around them = a germinated seed if it was alive. A lot of old bad info out there on cannabis that was speculated on by someone who did not learn the truth, sad part is like this topic they have not corrected the miss information. I wish you all the best, that is my two cents. Take care and happy growing..

 

[Stunger]

I use an emery board and file the seed husk seams gently. Then placed in water for approximiately 24hrs. They usually all sink within 2-4 hrs. I then do the paper towel method. Usually 100% success. The occasional ones that don't sink are mostly duds... That being said, do not throw them out right away, give them a week or so. Peace!!

I do the same, give them a light scuff with an emery broad followed by an up to 24hr soak then paper towel. Last year I germinated my seeds 100% fine with leaving the paper towel stage on my stereo which gives off a nice warm heat. This year I did the same and got a couple of failures, it may have been the seeds, but it served to cause me to lose confidence in having them on the stereo so I went back to plain old room temp paper towels.

I think @CO Finest is probably right, that planting them in moist soil like Mother Nature is probably the best, but like he points out we are often too eager and we want to watch their progress.

 

[Sem521]

I agree with what you say, it my experience that the rule of does it sink or float is not definitive on whether the seed is viable or not. When you are paying good money for seeds it seems reckless to throw away seeds that float. I have seen a pic of someone who leaves their seeds in water until they sprout and they after a few days they were still floating on the surface with little tap roots, which to me torpedos that theory.

I agree ...seeing how I just did the same thing and left them in for 24 hrs and had a taproot emerge...

 

[Sem521]

I don't take the advice from seed companies. Or hydro shops for that matter. I do what works for me. Take all advice with a grain of salt...and i do what works for me in my garden.

Well said...I feel the same way, what works for me I continue to do over..(Too many Debates online about what is and is not.....!!

 

[grow boy420]

No I personally have found that my healthiest plants came from seeds that floated..so there's no "rule of thumb" regarding this wives tale..nature makes its seeds with everything they need to germinate..it's mostly going to be human influence that leads to failed grows..
1. Seed is immature or damaged
2. Seed is prepped poorly, drowned (over wetted)
3. Seed is planted in a wet medium and can't breathe
4. Seed is sterilized by contaminants such as chlorine in water or paper towel
5. Seed is damaged in handling or exposed to very cold temperatures
6. Seed tap root is damaged when transplanting
7. Seed is not given a 30-45 day rest period before germinating

These are most common issues with seeds..from what I have found,seen or done myself..lol experience and failure is life's way of telling you to try harder not to be dumb. Hope your next crop is a boomer!

 

[Grandma Weedstein]

Yeah I have rarely seen seeds sink right away but I am not sure RQS meant immediately from that text.

In general, it seems like seeds are more likely to sprout quickly when they sink within about 6-8 hours but I have seen floaters germinated and sinkers fail to germinate.

 

[Bentleysbag]

I normally put my seeds in some water and 24 hours later I’ll come tap them with my finger, if they sink I let them stay in the water until they pop, soon as they do, I toss them in a paper towel for a day until I’ve got a short wiener popping out but not too long, just enough to position it right