I found a sprout tonight!!! Long tap root too. BubbaCookie methinks. First in quite a while. Was between paper towel, plates and in a zip lock bag. Pretty moist in there. Sprout is in soil now. Hope it survives. I have a light above on 10%. I’ll light it for a couple of hours and rub rabbit’s feet overnight.
Trouble germinating seeds
- Thread starter guerrillabalconygrower
- Start date
Seeds don't need light but seedlings definitely do. Get them under your veg light, full strength. Otherwise they'll get leggy and have to be propped up for a bit. You can bury the leggy stalk deeper upon upper and it will grow new roots along the buried stem like tomatoes, but better to get it the proper light from the jump.
And germinating seeds usually works better with warmer conditions of the seed/medium. Your ambient air temps are less important, but 80*F is where I try to be, which I warmer than you were talking.
And germinating seeds usually works better with warmer conditions of the seed/medium. Your ambient air temps are less important, but 80*F is where I try to be, which I warmer than you were talking.
These were sitting by a heat register. 100+ year old house. Bought a heating pad this year. No luck with that yet. I have a top of a 2 liter bottle on top of ups to hold moisture in. Panic sets in when you see a sprout and you’re looking for a cup with soil. Just happen to have one but soil was dry. Sprayed it down with distilled water. Going to have to check it again. Wish I had kept the last plurple light I sold. This led I can dial back the intensity. Blurple I could not.
Intensity isn't as important as distance. Keep the light close so they don't stretch. I run 9w led ge plant bulb for first 7 days above ground
It’s close. All I have is a 1” tap root and seed shell. Maybe I’ll see some above ground tomorrow. Run the light all night???
If the seedling hasn't broken thru the soil yet you don't need the light. But as soon as it does, get it under light.
Why don't you just stick the seeds in soil & grow it ? I've tried all those other methods. There's no need to play with your seeds, No Need to use a heat mat unless temps are under 72F & I've never used a Dome at all. I still would not use a heat mat because that only warms the soil. I'd use a space heater of some sort & warm the entire grow space. I hear a lot of growers recommend the soaking stuff & baggie stuff. I plant my seeds 1/4" deep, straight in the pre-moistened soil & just wait for them to pop. Usually takes 2-4 days at best & I have a good 99.9% success rate doing things the way Mother Nature intended. I feel a lot of things are gimmicks & fads. Yes, they work..... but do they work as well ? In most cases I'd say No. Sorry, if I offended anyone. But this is the way I do things & from what I've seen..... I have a better success rate germinating seeds than those who soak & use baggies. But, I'm only good at it in soil. I totally suck at starting seeds in Coco.
As one balcony grower to another I was going to suggest H2O2, but I see @013 has already, and I see it is working for you, excellent!H2O2 seems to have worked! 4 new seeds. Soaked 14 hrs in 1% solution. Washed and then straight to jiffy plugs. All 4 have grown a healthy tap.
MAYBE, I was depriving the seeds of oxygen in the tissues.
Question: 1 sprout is just showing above the plug surface. Do I put it under lights or wait till I see the seed cap?
Right now, the plugs are covered and are under complete darkness.
I use it at somewhere around 6:1 dilution for 12- 24 hours, which I have done equally well with both 3% and 6% H2O2. I have read that others have found it great for older seeds too. I don't know whether it is the anti bacterial quality or the oxygen produced, or both, but works well for me!
Seedling had a piece of the shell on the tips of the coty leaves. Kept spraying them and picking away at it and it finally came off. I know Em, the seed wasn’t deep enough. Now let’s see if it spreads its’ leaves to catch some artificial sun.
Do I leave the LED on all night over this seedling? It’s on 10% power. And one thing that I want to say is…the top of frig’s is not all warm n toasty. Ours is cold and have always been that way. Placed a plate sandwich up there and the cold transferred thru the plates. Just wanted to put that out there. Amen.
You can. I like to give them a rest with a dark period as some think there is more root development during darkness. But regardless, Mother Nature doesn't leave the lights on all night for most of the world so I try to replicate that.
At the other extreme, you want at least 14 hours of good light so it won't flip over to flower as soon as it's mature enough (alternating nodes).
Mountainman80
Well-Known Member
U can leave your light on 24/7for 3 weeks then chsnge it to 22/2 run them.like that until your ready to flower them
Peat Phreak
Well-Known Member
100% germination rate since I started using a 1% peroxide soak for as long as it takes for the seed to crack open a little. This usually happens within 12-24 hours. Then let it sprout in wet paper towel until the root is as long as the seed. Then plant.
Never tried the H2O2 soak. Second day of this seedlings journey and a pair of fan leaves have arrived already. Never have seen that. Hope she will be a strong one. Shut the light off in the wee hours of this am. Going to try and keep on the 18/6. Thanks for all the help!!
Here is the method I use.. most of the time if the seeds are good, the crack probably 95% of the time....
Before anything clean your hands, use a clean double shotglass, fill it with Reverse osmosis water and get a little piece of sandpaper or nail file...
First, always store your seeds in a cool/cold, dark, dry place.. I keep mine in mylar bags, with silicon packets inside, in my refrigerator drawer, the one where the veggies go... This is the best way to store seed to prolong their viability. Basicly dry, cold, dark and not a lot of temperature flux.
To germ:
take the seed and lightly use the sandpaper/nail file to score/scrape the seed top/bottom at the points, the creases where it opens and the hinge side where the seed stays intact when it opens.. Some seeds have tougher coats than others and may be viable, but have a hard time forcing open a thick or stuck seed coat... Don't sand them too much, just a light scoring to help remove the very outer layer of the edges were the seed opens that might help assist it to crack open easier.
Next I fill up the double shotglass with Reverse Osmosis water and let the water sit on top of my range stove where the pilot lights heat the metal... you can use a heat mat, top of a refrigerator, top of a wall heater..etc... you want the water lukewarm, not hot, but you don't want it cold either... Let the water get lukewarm. At the same time, pull the seeds out of the refrigerator, score them, and let them get up to ambient temps by letting them sit out for a hour or so in the room, you just don't want to shock them from cold to immediate hot. Let them acclimate a bit.
Then just drop the seeds into the water, and let them be for about 6 hours to soak.. Generally the seeds will start off floating and as time goes on, some may sink to the bottom of the shotglass, others I will gently push under the water with my finger after they have sat floating for about 6 hours and usually that is enough force to get them to sink... Keep the shotglass on a heat source to keep the water lukewarm.
Generally withing 12 to 24 hours probably 80% or more of the seeds will crack open and you will just start to see the taproot coming out like about 1mm from the seed coat. That is all you need. Once you see this get a pot of soil ready. Don't use any soil that is fortified with nutrients or "Hot" as the seeds will not do well and your sprouting rate will suffer.. Use something like Promix or a nice organic/natural unfortified soil like formula 420, vitality or something pretty bland and natural.. usualy foxfarm ocean forest and happy frog are generally to hot and reduce my success rate.
Once you have the soil loosely filling the pot, take your pinky finger and poke a hole in the middle of the soil, only deep enough to reach your very first knuckle on you pinky about 1/4 to 1/2 or less. Don't go deeper than that. I usually lightly sprinle some Mycos powder in the hole, very very little dusting. Then just drop your seed in, lightly cover the hole back up with soil and water the soil well with plain r/o water, or ph balanced water... no nutrients.
Put the pot into a grow tent/area under lights set to either 24/0 or 18/6 and usually within 4 days to 2 weeks you will see the sprouts break out of the soil Most of the time I see them in about 1 week, but some strains, usually landrace indica's take longer it seems.
I use this method all of the time and my success rate is usually above 90%, really if the seed cracks open then most of the time I will see a sprout, and only in rare instances where i use too hot of a soil the seed may crack, i pop it in soil and nothing comes out.
Hope this helps.
mortygrow
Well-Known Member
i had only 3 grows in my life and i use paper method from the very beginning and had no issue, germ rate is always more than 90%, am i lucky to have this germ rate or its just good seeds? lmao
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guerrillabalconygrower
Well-Known Member
Both
FourtwentyCent
420 Member
I always thought that to help it with the seed coat is to damage it and trigger an infection, don't you think?
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