germination confusion

[jed]

hello there im pretty green when it comes to growing"pardon the pun"
done a couple of grows with variable success
my main issue is the actual germination-im unsure whats the best and most successful way to approach it-either soak em in water for 24 hours or the wet paper towel method or to plant directly into the grow medium
ive been reading that to just plant em in moist not wet soil and let mother nature do the work as you only need to pre soak old seeds?
so im a bit confused
im hoping to grow 4 white widow x big bud feminised in good soil under 600w grolux hps
and really dont want to cock it up as its not a cheap hobby!
thanks for reading and ill appreciate your input
ill be regularly posting pics soon as im up and running
thanks in advance
jed

 

[stonedar]

well I'd say you're right to be a little confused there is no really right way. just planting them straight into moist soil is most natural and some would say best. in nature plants produce many many seeds in hopes that a few will make it to maturity. that's great but if you're paying $5 and up per seed you want as many to sprout as possible. to that end there are some things you can do to improve your odds.

start off with how you store your seeds you want to keep them in the refrigerator preferably in an air-tight container, I use a mason jar with some dry white rice in it as a desiccant.

when it's time to germinate some seeds I let them get to room temperature then I scarify them in a little matchbox with a piece of emery board in it for 30 seconds or so. this will scratch the surface of the seed letting moisture penetrate easier.

time for a soak. I soak them in a shot glass overnight in a %.5 solution of hydrogen peroxide, to kill any nasties that might be waiting around to affect the seedlings (1 part %3 H2O2, 5 parts water, equals %.5 solution.)

now the paper towel and some heat. moisten the paper towel in the same solution, place your seeds on the towel and stick it in a baggie. stick the baggie somewhere warm but not hot. carefully check the seeds in 12 hours, and every 8 or so hours after that.

when the seeds are cracked and showing a very short tail it's time to sow them 1/2 inch or so deem in the soil, root down. if it's cool in your house keep the pots somewhere off the floor and reasonably warm.

they should come up in 24-36 hours.


some people skip the towel as you mentioned, but I like the extra control it gives you. seeing the seed crack/tap root start.

speaking of tap roots, try not to damage it cause it will slow things considerably or kill it out right.

I personally get the best results with the above method, and loose more seeds if I just stick them directly in the dirt.

 

[exploziv]

with fresh seeds (max 3 years old) I just preasoak them in heated water for 6 to 12 hours and then plant them in moist soil. I always get over 90% germ rate using good seeds with this method. a good soil mix, some seeds and recipients is all you need.

I just germed 4 of 4 seeds last week with no problem:



you may like the paper towel method more if you like to see them doing their thing, but it goes with the added risk that you can injure them on tranplant and it's more time consuming.

 

[jd4083]

there are a million ways to germinate...but the way I have always done it (assuming viable, fresh -- but not "fresh" off the plant -- seeds) is to soak the seeds in RO water in a dark place, 70-75 degrees (F), with a bit of H202 in the water. I honestly have no idea why I do this, I was taught that way a long time ago and just do it out of habit, no clue if it does anything positive or not. After 24 hours typically 9/10 seeds are showing tails and by 36-48 hours the rest of the viable ones have popped as well. After that I plant straight into the medium that I am using. I have also been known to plant beans directly without any soaking at all. My thoughts have always been that if the seed is viable and the genetics are vigorous (and thus desirable to me), they should be able to grow no problem being planted straight in the medium. Just my $.02, hope it helps

edit- oh, a warming pad underneath the containers can help speed things up quite a bit

 

[exploziv]

the soaking just speeds up the things a bit. but it can be done without it, no problems. just old seeds need help germinating.

 

[Warped1]

There ya go jed, pick one. They all work. Welcome to ICMag by the way

 

[FreezerBoy]

Directly into the final grow media. If you can't grow in it, don't germ in it.