I am having a tough time germinating my seeds... Well not so much germinating but getting them to sprout. I germinate my seeds using the shot glass soak to paper towel method and they all crack. After that I put them in botanicare grow plugs in a humidity dome. I am not over watering or anything like that. I'm thinking maybe I'm doing wrong in transplanting them to the grow plugs just after they cracked... possibly being impatient. I'm not letting the taproot get to a 1/2" i'm just transplanting right after the crack... But i would think I would have at least gotten a sprout from 30 seeds and its been 6 days and nothing. Second question, should i put my humidity dome under light after the transplant or let it remain in the dark until it sprouts? I'm a chem major and I know germination is not rocket science but this is really bringing me down!! Got the seeds from marijuana-seeds.nl. Thought maybe it was bad genetics or old seeds. Now i Have 15 more coming from nirvana and attitude and I don't want to mess these expensive babies up so any insight is greatly appreciated! Thanks guys and happy growing!
30 seeds down the drain....
- Thread starter matttjr
- Start date
Bubbleponic
Well-Known Member
did u pre soak the plugs in 5.5 ph water????
purplehazin
Well-Known Member
I use a much simpler method, with 100% germination results. Use the shot glass method, place the seeds in it and place in a warm/humid environment. When the seeds crack, they will sink to the bottom. Now, place them in a moist papertowel and put that in a glass with 1/4 inch of water in the bottom. Place that cup in a warm/humid place. I usually see a taproot in 24 hours.
what are the temps inside ur dome. i dont like using a dome for germinating they dont like humidity some worse then others. i would just keep a eye on them dont let them get to wet. what kind of water u using. if its tap water from the city supply it has chemicals in it that might be harming them. try letting ur water sit for a few days chemicals will evaporate.
frenetic420
Well-Known Member
dont even bother germinating them in paper towel. just put them straight in PH'd pre soaked cubes. Like you said its not rocket science, they will sprout fine in moist rapid rooters or rockwool cubes
The plugs are supposed to be ready to go out the bag and 5.5 stable. I live in arizona so the temp inside my dome with the heating pad under it is probably 80-82 degrees. I just started using the dome as another method tho. Trying new things. The one sprout I got I nute burned which sucked. I'm beginning to realize this new hobby is expensive but I know once I get it down it will be worth it. Could it be that I'm being impatient and not letting my tap roots get long? I also only use ph adjusted r\o water. Thanks guys
quietguy420
Well-Known Member
LittleJohn
Member
sup bud. you have 1 of 2 if not both problems from what I can tell. you are watering them to much, or the combo of high temps and humidity are killing them. that being said lets scratch them both out by 1 not watering them until the cubes or w/e your using are almost dry. now under the assumption that your not over watering (it happens) what you have left is a heat issue.. I killed a few of mine learning wtf I was doing, now I'm in the clear. If you are using a heating pad.. DO NOT use the dome, you can cause kill your plants with to much heat/humidity I don't care what people say I have done it and learned from my mistakes. The combination of heat and wet cubes is a deadly combo because If the heat doesn't do them in, the combo allows for several bad things to take place, one the plants roots cannot get oxygen because the the water soaked cubes can not respire some of the water allowing oxygen to get to rooting system. the water logged cubes is a dynamic duet of doom for your plants first your plants will "drowned" from excessive water however, If the water itself isn't enough to drowned them, the combination of a lack of oxygen and warm temps becomes a breading ground for anaerobic bacteria to grow (they kill your plants roots) so any of these could be killing your plants before they even get a chance.
If your going to use the heating pad (I suggest you keep it no warmer then 75 if possible) do not use the dome. wait until you have sprouts, probably take 3 days. You will see your newborns poking their little heads out and then you can mommy them all the way untill your sweet innocent babies become MONSTERS (assuming you know what your doing... but then If you did we wouldn't be having this discussion would we? lol.. but its not hard to learn. I wish you the best of luck bud.)
If your going to use the heating pad (I suggest you keep it no warmer then 75 if possible) do not use the dome. wait until you have sprouts, probably take 3 days. You will see your newborns poking their little heads out and then you can mommy them all the way untill your sweet innocent babies become MONSTERS (assuming you know what your doing... but then If you did we wouldn't be having this discussion would we? lol.. but its not hard to learn. I wish you the best of luck bud.)
robside
Active Member
All ive ever done with my seeds is....Get seeds, get 1 soup,cereal bowl, get 1 soucer,plate that fits over bowl. get 4 paper towls, two folded on bottom of bowl, wet with warm water (tap water in fine) the other two, fold and place on top of the "wet,warm papertowls" with the seeds on them, cover with top "wet warm" papertowls, place soucer,plate over that and put in a "warm spot" TV. Refrig. Router(computer), and WAIT!!! mine never,never take more then 24 hours to crack and sprout, then i place in soil (FFOF) And watch THEM GROWWWWW!!!! ALWAYS WORKS FOR ME!! The simplest way is always the best way.
Dinosaur Bone
Active Member
Soaking, and towels, then transplanting etc... WHY???
What ever happened to putting a $10 seed into its own jiffy pellet, root riot cube, STG thingie or rockwool.. not messing with it, keep it moist and leave them alone for a few days??
What ever happened to putting a $10 seed into its own jiffy pellet, root riot cube, STG thingie or rockwool.. not messing with it, keep it moist and leave them alone for a few days??
Serapis
Well-Known Member
There is no need to do a bunch of hookie pookie....
https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/176359-starting-your-seeds.html <---- Link
https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/176359-starting-your-seeds.html <---- Link
Thanks guys and especially LilJohn for an expansive answer to my question. lots of knowledge just dropped on me. so i took the dome off and heating pad off... I'm in AZ for heavens sakes its warm either way. The only reason I did all this stuff is because when you first start you have dozens of people leading you in almost the same direction they just take their own twists and turns and get to the same spot. I was just doing what the guy at my local hydro shop told me to do... Like I said I think i'm impatient but I'm learning like we probably all had to when we bagan to let nature take its course. Do I keep my grow cubes moist with a spray bottle? Hydro is tough at first!
stoneyluv
Well-Known Member
I agree, No water NO towels. The tap root has small feelers that grow on the end that can't be seen by the naked eye, pulling them from the paper towel can tear these off and damage the tap root. drop it right in the dirt(already wet) lightly set dirt on top and in about 2-7 days the love will come!
I had a really odd one last week... sowed 3 seeds, all of them were different strains, but all from the same manufacturer, when they sprouted they came up upside down and the tap root started to expose itself on the surface of the dirt. I very very carefully took them out with tweezers and turned them right side up (green cloves were growing downwards in the dirt)and gently pushed some dirt around them. three days later all 3 of them grew out a couple inches and first set of leaves after the cloves are growing. I saved them!!!
Has anyone ever heard of this? I have grown many many outdoor plants and have done it the same way for years. first time they ever did that... hope it never happens again! any advice why this happened would be much appreciated.
I had a really odd one last week... sowed 3 seeds, all of them were different strains, but all from the same manufacturer, when they sprouted they came up upside down and the tap root started to expose itself on the surface of the dirt. I very very carefully took them out with tweezers and turned them right side up (green cloves were growing downwards in the dirt)and gently pushed some dirt around them. three days later all 3 of them grew out a couple inches and first set of leaves after the cloves are growing. I saved them!!!
Has anyone ever heard of this? I have grown many many outdoor plants and have done it the same way for years. first time they ever did that... hope it never happens again! any advice why this happened would be much appreciated.
LittleJohn
Member
Just soak your cubes, but don't let them become soggy. place them in a "Warm and Dark" place, I generally place them in my closet on the top shelf (heat rises) give it about 3 days for them to sprout. In the mean time between dropping them in and waiting for magic to happen just come back every say 2 hours or so, and just check the cubes and make sure they are still "damp" not dry and not wet, a happy middle ground is what you want. Other than that you will learn something that I just learned a bit ago.. Again.. lol thanks to lord of the rings tree ent dude. (its the scene where the two hobbits pippin an the other one, are in the woods outside the white spire) anyhow, the tree-beard says "You must understand, young Hobbit, it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say" In plain English when were talking about plants, Anything worth doing takes time to do it. just have patience.. if anything gardening is beginning to teach me that "Fast is not always best"
this is why you always practice with bagseed first.
paper towel method: works
cotton balls in a cup method: works
even putting seeds in a glass of water works. within 24 hrs they should sink and a taproot comes out, put it in some soil and it should grow.
i think what's fucking up the seedling is that you're practically transplanting 2 times before it even has a single leaf. keep it simple.
and 5.5 ph water??? 6.5-neutral for seedlings is fine.
5.5 is a little on the acidic side, your risking nute lock n shit going that low......
paper towel method: works
cotton balls in a cup method: works
even putting seeds in a glass of water works. within 24 hrs they should sink and a taproot comes out, put it in some soil and it should grow.
i think what's fucking up the seedling is that you're practically transplanting 2 times before it even has a single leaf. keep it simple.
and 5.5 ph water??? 6.5-neutral for seedlings is fine.
5.5 is a little on the acidic side, your risking nute lock n shit going that low......
Dinosaur Bone
Active Member
That is strange stuff to hear from someone at a Hydro Store. 
Unless of course they are selling special paper towels engineered for seed propagation. Seems like they would at least attempt to sell jiffy pellets, root riots, oasis, STG, seed flat + soil etc... Each seed gets its own "home", when it outgrows that or otherwise shows good rooting action, the seed... home and all are moved into a bigger home.
You can mist it, or get one of those childrens medicine eyedroppers. {available at regular hard drug pharmacies} It holds 1 tsp. and has fractional tsp, and ml marks on it. Water / moisten it one healthy drop at a time. Its also great for measuring nute juice... so its not the worst buck fiddy you will ever spend.