my opinion on paper towel method

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crazed1011

Well-Known Member
so i got to talking about germinating with a guy at the local hydro store. hes helpped me thoughout my first grow and well this isnt my opinion but i def like what he said and now i'll never use this method again. So when you do that method and your tap roots show. those tap roots have little things that look like hairs on them. now when you take it out of the paper towel of course you do it carefully but you still might tear some of the hairs or damage the tap root. which really isnt good and will effect the plant overall. so from now on im just gonna go to the popping the seed in the med i choose to use and let her buck. they could spark a debate but this is how i feel and glad he brought this up.
 
Budist

Budist

Well-Known Member
crazed1011 said:
so i got to talking about germinating with a guy at the local hydro store. hes helpped me thoughout my first grow and well this isnt my opinion but i def like what he said and now i'll never use this method again. So when you do that method and your tap roots show. those tap roots have little things that look like hairs on them. now when you take it out of the paper towel of course you do it carefully but you still might tear some of the hairs or damage the tap root. which really isnt good and will effect the plant overall. so from now on im just gonna go to the popping the seed in the med i choose to use and let her buck. they could spark a debate but this is how i feel and glad he brought this up.
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good point. i would do it in rooting cubes under my dome...
 
Ballsonrawls

Ballsonrawls

Well-Known Member
I'll have to try it. 1 in a towel and 1 in soil. Growing used to be simpler for me. Then this site happened. Damnit! Lol
 
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crazed1011

Well-Known Member
haha keep me posted on this experiment and let me know what happens very interested and might try it myself soon when i build my other grow area
 
Ballsonrawls

Ballsonrawls

Well-Known Member
Definitely. Have three fems waiting to be germed. I'll post in my thread. Might be a month or so but I'll try it. only done paper towel method. Good point though with the small fibers. Although they are mixed seeds. Shit, might be longer before I can try it. Hmmm. Idk, but will try it when I can.
 
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crazed1011

Well-Known Member
me 2 i have alot of seeds but only have 2 that are the same kind. and one were expensive so really i can only try with the WW cause sensi star was expensive and im not growing those till i forsure got a handle on cloning and such
 
pelt1

pelt1

Well-Known Member
I've never tried paper towel method. I fully submerge my seeds in water. But, same thing happens, the seed will crack, and if you leave them in water long enough, the tap root will begin to come out of the seed. I always try to plant just as the seed begins to crack, but well before the tap root actually comes out of the seed. As I understand it, those things are pretty sensitive and I want to be sure to let that come out naturally while in the soil, rather than me manipulating it possibly damaging it.
 
JiggyPop

JiggyPop

Active Member
I just started my first grow and did exactly what pelt1 said. It worked out well. My second grade teacher wasn't as useful here. 3 seeds are planted and I saw the ladies heads just the other day.
 
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DQ Blizzard

Active Member
Have always started in rock wool, it seems silly to me to start in a paper towel only to put into a cube anyways, why not start it where it's going to grow for 2/3 weeks?
 
Barraka

Barraka

Member
Starting in paper towel is super easy, and works well for almost everybody. However, if you're unsure / scared of damaging the taproot by being clumsy, starting seeds in rockwool also is pretty easy.
 
Zakola

Zakola

Member
I've already tried that experiment recently with paper towel vs. directly in soil with same seed and conditions. They sprouted from soil EXACTLY at same time. And are currently same size.
I don't like to use paper towel I use the blue and white stripped reusable towels that you can buy in hardware stores. They work really great and is made from tissue so very delicate to handle seeds. Paper feels hard and stinks kinda rots.
And for starters I water a regular cheap jiffy pug then remove the inside to keep the netting. I put some coco inside getting a nice medium for seeds.
 
yesum

yesum

Well-Known Member
I use towels as I like to see if they sprout or not. I end up digging up seeds in soil if they do not sprout in time. As far as tap roots getting damaged, you have to take the seed out of the paper towel early, like a half an inch long or less. That way there are no hairs yet and no damage is going to happen.
 
JiggyPop

JiggyPop

Active Member
Definitely. I had the same experience as yesum. And as someone else mentioned...it is nice to see that tail came out of the seed, so you know you have life going on.
 
pelt1

pelt1

Well-Known Member
What I like to see to check for viability of seeds, is for the seed to drop to the bottom. If the seed drops, at least it absorbs water. And as long as the water is kept warm, and the soil is warm(I keep my light right on top of the soil), the seed should eventually sprout no problem.

I am realizing that my biggest problem for germination used to be that I would not keep the water and soil at a nice warm temp. Particularly in the winter time as it would be colder in my house. Since I've fixed that problem, I've pretty much had a 100% germ rate over my past few cycles of growing.

I also sanitize my water with a few pin drops of Hydrogine Peroxide. I don't know if that helps, but it's now in my routine.
 
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