Sow seed, seed in a shot glass or wet paper towel?

[Noonin NorCal]

HI all, just wondering on methods of germination?

I know in the wild i/we should just sow them. drop them in some damp soil.

I have a controlled environment and was wondering on options?

Thanks

 

[Snook]

I like to see the seed 'crack' in the shot glass (1/32-1/16" tap showing.. in the shot glass, usually 1st 24 hours, no longer than the 2nd day, usually the first. Then into the wet paper towel ina dish covered in saran wrap (humidity) for 2 days or less until tail has emerged to 1/8-1/4" and then into media that little nub root facing tip down, seed horizontal. gentle with tap root.. I've put them into the media without paying attention and the root wrapped itself around the, ??? whats it called ultimately the stalk of the plant and cut off the cotyledons, or whatever theyre called, first leaves.

If I put them straight into the media and they dont germ, it could be a dud or maybe I didnt do a good job..

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

After all these years, I now only soak 12-18hrs and then plant. The soak provides an even hydration, while also providing a time/medium to add beneficials for older seeds and whatnot.

In soil, I plant in a seedling mix or mix I know is not "too hot" for the genetics.
In hydro, I also plant in a seedling mix, then rinse the roots before transferring.

Works great.

 

[troutman]

I soak them for 8 to 10 hours and then place them in a moist cloth inside a baggie until they pop.

 

[JDubsocal]

I drop em into a pot with soil. If it doesn't crack, it wasnt meant to be.

 

[Shmavis]

Soak. Until they drop - no set timeline for this. Paper towels until popped (preferably no more than 1/4" tail) and then down for the dirt nap.

Be sure to soak with distilled water and H2O2, at minimum.

Good luck!

 

[Chuck E. Kush]

I put seeds directly into very moist Black Gold Seedling Mix with great success.
Seedlings are up in a few days.

 

[Snook]

Soak. Until they drop - no set timeline for this. Paper towels until popped (preferably no more than 1/4" tail) and then down for the dirt nap.

Be sure to soak with distilled water and H2O2, at minimum.

Good luck!

Many ways to skina cat but tap water (210ppm- PH= 7) works for me. It's a weird game we play.. sometimes somma this, and somma dat, sometimes experiments help the most and sometimes it disaster..

 

[Guy Brush]

Good old paper towels. Just realized being too wet can kill them though.

 

[Lost in a SOG]

For me, into water with around 1-3% bleach in there until tails are out then on to soil.. dusted with mirobes and covered with a cm or two of soil..

I lost too many seeds to the paper towel method, probably through my own lack of care and attention, but wanted to find a more fool proof approach and this one never fails me.

I disinfect a tupperware and small plastic measuring beakers then pour the solution in and drop seeds in. Lock it up and peer in (excitedly) without having to open it up and potentially exposing them to microbes. After 3-5 days roots should be a cm or two out and well hydrated.. chuck em on the soil sprinkle beneficial mycs and bacteria and lightly cover with weak fluffy soil.. mist the area of soil covering the seedlings so you dont dislodge them or accidentally cause them to sink down in the medium, which only happens if you forgot to presoak the medium well.. dont soak through until dicots are up and out just mist.. happy times..

 

[DoubleTripleOG]

I pop a lot of seeds. Always straight into the medium. Rockwool cubes, coco, seedling starter mix, all have worked just fine for me.

 

[Shmavis]

"Starting Seeds Right" by Ed Rosenthal

"Starting Seeds Right" by Ed Rosenthal

(Excerpt from BBB II)

"Seeds are the distillation of a plant’s essence. They contain the blueprint for life, which they hold in storage until they sense environmental conditions that favor survival of a new plant.

Once they’ve made contact with the requisite amount of moisture and proper range of warmth, seeds start the process of germination. A cascade of chemical reactions results in the rapid growth of the embryo plant, which has been kept in suspended animation.

Marijuana seeds germinate best at room temperature, around 72* F, in a consistently moist environment. The first visible sign that a seed is in germination mode is that it increases in size slightly as it absorbs water. Then a small opening appears along the seed’s seam as the root emerges. The root continues to elongate as the stem makes its appearance. It stretches out in the opposite direction of the root and uncurls, revealing two embryonic leaves called cotyledons. The seed case is now an empty shell and tis remnants may hang onto one of the cotyledons until blown or rubbed off. Only a day or so elapses between the first sight of the root and the appearance of the first set of seedling leaves.

Once the root has appeared, germination is complete. In its first phase of growth, the seedling used energy stored in the seed for fuel, but not it must produce its own food as its roots seek moisture and nutrients. It does this through photosynthesis. The root grows longer and extends branches while the first set of true leaves emerge at the tip or apex of the stem, which is called the apical tip.

Healthy germination is an auspicious start for a successful plant. Again, when the plant’s needs are met, the seedling will grow and prosper. Growers use different methods of germinating seeds.

One germination method:

The seeds are soaked in a solution of water with commercial rooting solution and hydrogen peroxide for 12 hours. The hormones in the rooting solution stimulate germination and encourage root growth. Rooting solution is used as per instructions for softwood cuttings and the hydrogen peroxide is added at the rate of one part to 200, (1/2%) to sterilize the solution, preventing infection. Drugstore peroxide is a 3% solution, so it’s added at the rate of one part H2O2 to five parts water. After soaking, seeds are placed in the rooting material that they are to grow in...."

The other method he mentions is the paper towel method.

Many ways to skina cat but tap water (210ppm- PH= 7) works for me. It's a weird game we play.. sometimes somma this, and somma dat, sometimes experiments help the most and sometimes it disaster..

Of course. And there is no “right” way to go about it. We each have to do what works best for us in our particular situation. I used to go directly into soil but found better success with soaking first. Plus, if a seed is not going to pop, I am not wasting space or mix on it. And I find better uniformity as going directly into soil can result in seeds that emerge days after others. But mostly I like the idea of starting a seed’s life off in a sterilized solution that encourages germination and root development. I was already soaking in the solution I use when years ago I ran across the above from Ed.

 

[exploziv]

Straight into the soil is simple and works great. 90%+ germ rate on seeds less than 5 years old. Just don't use a hot mix. Unfertilised (seeding/cloning mix) or lightly fertilised works great.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

1. 8oz or water to 1 cap full of Hydrogen Peroxide in a small juice glass for 24hrs (or until they crack).

2. Paper towels folder over and soaked with the same water, and into a closed baggie. Put them on a slight heat source (on top of a router, fridge, whatever). Check every 24 hrs.

3. 1/4 to 1/2 sprouts go into pre-hydrated seedling starter in a 2.5 to 3 inch Peat Pot.

Works every time for me.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

My personal thoughts on the paper towel method, is it's great for finding the "germination rate" for a batch of seeds. You put 100 seeds in a baggie with a paper towel and keep it damp for a week. However many seeds crack and show a tail is your "germination rate." 1 seed ungerminated means you have a 99% "germination rate."

Somewhere along the line a breeder did this, and then decided to keep the seeds for planting and shared the sprouting method. In my opinion, this was not the greatest decision. lol Millions upon millions of seeds have now been killed by bacteria and enzymes they picked up during transplanting. I sometimes wonder how many truly amazing "keepers" have been lost this way, before they even finished sprouting.

Straight in soil.

 

[Shmavis]

My personal thoughts on the paper towel method, is it's great for finding the "germination rate" for a batch of seeds. You put 100 seeds in a baggie with a paper towel and keep it damp for a week. However many seeds crack and show a tail is your "germination rate." 1 seed ungerminated means you have a 99% "germination rate."

Somewhere along the line a breeder did this, and then decided to keep the seeds for planting and shared the sprouting method. In my opinion, this was not the greatest decision. lol Millions upon millions of seeds have now been killed by bacteria and enzymes they picked up during transplanting. I sometimes wonder how many truly amazing "keepers" have been lost this way, before they even finished sprouting.

Straight in soil.

Which is why, like TM said, the paper towels are to be soaked in the same sterilized solution used to soak the seeds.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

Along with sterilizing the water, the advantage of using hydrogen peroxide is that it has an extra oxygen molecule for the seed. Water=H20. Hydrogen Peroxide=H202.

The extra molecule is unstable in Hydrogen Peroxide so after a few hours, the extra oxygen molecule is lost, and it's plane water again.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Which is why, like TM said, the paper towels are to be soaked in the same sterilized solution used to soak the seeds.

Many of us know how to use even the paper towel method properly. These are not the growers I'm talking about. lol

 

[Malato]

I put them i cup of water and let them float on top until theyve developed a decent size tap root then carefully put into soil or coco.

 

[Guy Brush]

Many of us know how to use even the paper towel method properly. These are not the growers I'm talking about. lol

Paper towels are good when you dont want to end up with some unneeded used pots with soil from the ones that didn't crack. Can't put the used soil back into the bag cause by then it could have been contaminated with gnats or stuff already. The story of the many killed seedlings while potting is pretty exaggerated. I can't remember when that happened last time.