best way to start seeds.....kicking midgets!

Wuts the best way to start the seeds ive herd napkins spunges cup of water till they drop then in dirt just wanna know the most efficiant way

I'm flowering my first grow and I just put them in a folded up paper towel and kept it wet until they started to poke out then I put them in the dirt.

thats wut i usually do but like 3 out of 5 sprout..........can those odds get better or is it pritty much the same sprout ratio across the board?

lowrider2000 said:

thats wut i usually do but like 3 out of 5 sprout..........can those odds get better or is it pritty much the same sprout ratio across the board?

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I could be wrong ... im just applying logic , But i don't think the seed is aware of its surroundings hehe

That said , All the methods you mention work a % of the time , I think its just down to the seed and if its got what it takes to sprout .

Paper towle seems to be standard for most but you could try a cup of water till they drop ..then paper towle in a warmish dark space .... then pot them when they sprout a bit ..and back in the warm dark space for a day or so ?

I use the paper towel method... it works... if it ain't broke don't fix it. Put you seeds in a folded paper tower. Really wet the towel, it should be completely and totally saturated. Put the wet towel in a seal-able plastic baggie to keep the moisture in. Put the baggie in a warm dark space and wait 24-72 hours depending on the seeds. I did this last week and got 15 out of 15 (and my seeds looked like crap, they were small and almost white).

ohh so the baggi is the trick ok i left mines alone for about a day and it was dry and crusty.... thats why i posted this and vento you dont have to be a smart ass its really uncalled for..........and if logic had anything to do with it i would just put them in dirt right? soooooo i guess the seed might not be able to tell its in a napkin or floating in a cup or in some high tech seedling sprouter but it can tell wut are the best conditions for germin

Here is a simple method that i use and pass along to anyone with the same question and believe me this Q comes along all the time.

step1
Soak your seed for 6hours in water.

Step2
Prepare your medium

Step3
After 6hours plant your seed 1/16 inch down into your medium and gently cover with medium

Step4
Water your seed into its new home

Step5
Place a humidity dome over the pot and where the seed is ( i use clear plastic bottle bottoms )

Step6
Place under a small CFL on 18/6

Step7
Wait

Usually takes around 2-3 days to get the seed above ground level. Once the seed has popped above ground remove the dome.

I use this method everytime i grow from seed and it hasnt let me down yet. All responses i get back from people who have tried it agree that its simple.
BUT YOU DO NEED PATIENCE WAITING FOR IT TO GROW ABOVE GROUND.

My idea behind doing this was that i didnt like how labour intensive it was trying paper towels and being carefull not to break tap roots etc. THis way you dont even have to touch the tap root.

If you want a little extra tip use some Mychorhizal innoculent in the hole before you plant the seed.


J

here are some pics of what i mean.


J

Yeah if you don't use a baggie the paper towel will dry up way too fast. You have to re-wet the towel like ever 12 hrs, but with the baggie you will not have to wet it after the first time. I always germ my seeds before planting them, but it appears some people on RIU do not. I've seen people claim to just plant their seeds straight into dirt and get germination rates of 90-100%. I am slightly skeptical but hey to each their own.

lol at lowrider2000....... You a nut boi. That was funny!!!

I usually fill a shot glass with water, and put the seeds in there and put a dark cup over it. I place the shot glasses on something thats stays warm, like the water heater, inside a cabinet or on top of the refrigerator. In about a day I check it and if nothing sprouted I stick my clean finger (of course) in the glass and whirl the water around a bit. Usually the seeds will sink to the bottom. If the dont they probably wont sprout. After a day or two they sprout and I throw them in rapid rooters cause I use Hyrdro.

jondamon your the fuckin man i just did it looks legit lol

lol thats cool i wanna use hydro but i just want one succesful soil grow first my first one was wack i had three gallon pots mabe a lil bit smaller wit two plants in each pot and i think 3 14 watt bulbs that grow gave me about a quarter ounce cince i had one female at the end..........and i thought i learnd my lesson and purchased some lowriders planted 5 with 5 40 watt bulbs i think but just my luck they all showed me there balls and did not auto flower ....soooo im onto my third ima sex them early lets see wut happens

Hello all, Just a quick question. Im trying my hand at germination via peat pellets and humidity dome (home made). Would a temp range of 77(nite) and 81(day) with a Rh of 99% be safe? Does higher humidity help with germ rates? should I take the dome off to allow some of the water inside the pellets to evaporate? or will the seeds be safe within such conditions to start off?

lowrider2000 said:

ohh so the baggi is the trick ok i left mines alone for about a day and it was dry and crusty.... thats why i posted this and vento you dont have to be a smart ass its really uncalled for..........and if logic had anything to do with it i would just put them in dirt right? soooooo i guess the seed might not be able to tell its in a napkin or floating in a cup or in some high tech seedling sprouter but it can tell wut are the best conditions for germin

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How was i being a smart ass ? ..i answered your question .

I tell you what ...i wont bother in fututre ..lol

MJ seeds, like ALL seeds, need moisture and warmth (25 to 30 deg C) to germinate. Doesn´t matter a damn if they are in a paper towel, rockwool or good old fashioned soil.

I really love the humidity domes made out of I think 2 litre bottles? I have a bunch of those I was just gonna pitch, now they have a purpose!
Also I will definetly put my next seeds in a baggie with the paper towel.

lowrider2000 said:

..........and if logic had anything to do with it i would just put them in dirt right?

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This is pretty much what I do.

• Take all of your desired ingredients; or a basic soil-less mix, sphagnum plugs, rapid rooters, rockwool cubes, etc. As a suggestion: black gold seedling (sphagnum peat moss, perlite, dolomite lime, organic wetting agent), coco coir (25-33%), worm castings, maybe a minute amount of starter or all purpose dry plant food.
• Use plastic red cups or appropriate container, fill with your mix.
• Plant your seeds about a half inch below the surface; the pointed end faces down as this is where the tap root emerges.
• Place these under under a dome, or plastic bottle/translucent cups as jandamon suggested.

• Water, keep moist and at an appropriate temperature (75 degrees is fine).

Here the seed has all of the conditions it needs to germinate; and once it does it will have immediate access to the environment it is supposed to take root in, and nutrients.
It seems so unnecessary to go and handle a seed that is just germinating.