Seed germination help please

Ok about 5 days ago i started germinating a seed. About 3 days later the seed started to show signs of germination and it looks like the seed has begun to crack open and the white root is somewhat visible. But its been 5 days now with no change, is the seed dead? The seed has also been leaving small brown colored spots on the paper towel is that a sign of something? Thanks!

I dont know about that i would say just keep it moist and in a warm spot hopefully the taproot pops out enough to plant

Yea i have it behind my tv and the temp reads about 74 degrees but im gonna try and bump it up to about 76 or 78. I was just wondering if the light brown marks the seed is leaving is some kind of fungus or disease and if so im just gonna toss the seed. I tried to get a pic of it but my cameras macro sucks and it wont zoom enough lol. Maybe she'll show some better signs of germination soon...

Hopefully..I dont like tossing seeds out at all.But if after 7-10 days no new signs toss it..

you will hear many different ways to germ seed. I think the spots you are referring to is mold, that doesnt mean the seeds needs thrown out. why didnt you plant it after you saw it was splitting? I assume you want that ROOT. Dont know what medium you are using, I use soil. I would just plant it, now. I tried many different germ "methods" with my current grow, and the first 2 seeds that popped were the ones that were simply put in water to soak overnight (about 12-15 hrs) then planted in soil. The other ones with germ methods from paper towels in baggie, to on cable box, etc. (some which produced roots & some that didnt) all came up later if at all. I think the chances of damaging the root when planting or it drying out, etc. are not worth the germ methods that expose the root at all. Good luck.

The Easiest way to Germinate A seed.

You will need

- two ceramic Plates (Traps Moisture)
- Paper towel (One Piece)
- Heating Matt Optional (The Top of the Fridge is the best)

1: Fold Paper Towel to cushion seeds. Lay seed in paper towel and fold a few times to cover up
2: Wet paper towel with a thourough spraying but don't drench it. JUST ENOUGH FOR PAPER TOWEL TO HOLD ENOUGH WATER
3: Place in the middle of ceramic plate and put another ontop of it to create a warm dark humid environment
4: Set up top the refrigerator to use as a heating matt. This will create moisture and humidy levels to sprout you seed in 2 - 5 days depending on the Seed
5: Place seed root down into soil or Medium withouth damaging the root and cover the head lightly. If its a long sprout let the head to the surface a bit. Keep in low lit as ligh is not important right now until you see leaves. then put under lights 24/0 to 20/4

Ahh that is were you are going wrong. This is how to get even the smallest seeds going. Soak seeds for 24hous in water. Do this in a cool area of grow area. Do not worry about temperature at all. On top of the TV in not needed, too hot. Cover a Spread box with tin foil to stop light getting in. Sides and top is all. Then after 24 hours in water, pop them in between several sheets of wet bog paper. Use filtered water or spring water. Keep box in grow area. The seeds should sprout in 1-3 more days. When root appears longer then the seed, carefully pop them in moist soil with the seed still on top and tail facing down. If seed does not take to fine soil in 36 hours, replant it, carefully, with better soil contact. Use needles if needed to help husk or seed off leaves or leaf separation. Now you have it!

thexception said:

you will hear many different ways to germ seed. I think the spots you are referring to is mold, that doesnt mean the seeds needs thrown out. why didnt you plant it after you saw it was splitting? I assume you want that ROOT. Dont know what medium you are using, I use soil. I would just plant it, now. I tried many different germ "methods" with my current grow, and the first 2 seeds that popped were the ones that were simply put in water to soak overnight (about 12-15 hrs) then planted in soil. The other ones with germ methods from paper towels in baggie, to on cable box, etc. (some which produced roots & some that didnt) all came up later if at all. I think the chances of damaging the root when planting or it drying out, etc. are not worth the germ methods that expose the root at all. Good luck.

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Yea i was hoping for a bit more root exposure because im growing this one in an aerogarden and I wanted the root to be a bit more stable in the grow sponge..

right I hear ya, well the one I got the best results in terms of a root was between wet paper towels, sealed in a baggie, & placed under my T5 lighting system I use for my seedlings (to make sure it stayed warm). Took about 3 days for a nice root with one seed, the other seed in the baggie, nada, so I just planted them both. Goes to show not all seeds germ under the same conditions. I know what you were talking about on the paper towel though, because I tried the paper towel method with bag seed a time ago, (where it was too cool I am certain) and those spots (mold I am most certain) showed up. So maybe you dont have them in a warm enough area.

I germinated my first seeds on new years day and ive had 100% success and it was easy using the pre soak method..

new years eve i dropped five seeds into there own glass of ph adjusted tap water that was left standing for 48hrs + put the m in my tank cubboard in darkness. When i checked 24hrs later they had all cracked and the little roots were sticking out a bit. I soiled up my pots and watered the soil, made a small hole in each for the seed about a cm. Dropped a seed in each ( not caring what way up or down they went in ) covered the holes with a little soil and left them under a few household energy saving lights. today the 5th of jan 3 of them are just over 2 inches high and the other 2 are about an 1 inch or just over. I guess its beginners luck! i really didnt expect it to be honest.

People say the paper towel method is the best but i prefer the soaking method..

When the tail pops out, it should grow longer then seed. seed has only so much energy in it. If the tail appears, and it does not grow longer then the seed> it is too we-not enough oxygen> or too hot or even too dry. The germination should be ok at a low temp, some where dark in the grow area. soak seeds for 24hours, then place in wet bog paper. not too wet. Seeds want to sprout, only conditions stopping them. Once seed has a tail, longer then seed, pop it tail first into soil with head of seed on surface. Why make it struggle? The seed wants to get a grip in soil, to push out first leaves, then it can convert energy from photosyntheses.

Too much heat is usually the reason why seeds are not working.

I haven't used the "paper towel" method since my very first grows and I wouldn't recommend it now for germinating fresh, healthy seeds.

Due to the delicacy of the emerging seedling and it's rootlet especially, I feel it is much better to start seeds directly in a well-draining soil-less medium like Black Gold seedling mix or Sunshine Advanced #4 (#4 is preferable), Light Warrior, or even rapid rooters. A true soil (like Ocean Forest) can also be used for germinating seeds, and that is what some people reach for successfully but I much prefer starting with a sterile or selectively inoculated mix which is very light on fertilizer like those I previously mentioned.

If you let the rootlet emerge within a paper towel, chances are it will become partially fused with it (after all, it really wants to establish its root system so it can grow vigorously) and you could do some damage by separating and handling it, even if you can't really notice the damage. If this ever happens to you just try to cut the rootlet out of the surrounding tissue with a blade or scissors and be very gentle.

That alone is reason enough for me to dismiss the paper towel method, but there are others. Ultimately I find it much more convenient, for both myself and the seedling, to plant directly into a quality medium. You can help the seedling by planting it in the correct orientation: the rootlet emerges from the more pointed end of the seed (as opposed to the 'butthole' of the seed, where you can see that sort of circular seam) so it is the pointed end you want to push down into the medium. Sprinkle some more soil on top, water thoroughly and have a little patience. The seedling will emerge and the root system can go to work immediately taking in water and nutrients, establishing itself, and forming early symbiotic relationships with beneficial microbes (mycorrhizae, et al) if they are present. Both the Sunshine Advanced Mix #4 and Fox Farm Light Warrior are inoculated with various beneficial bacteria species and mycorrhizae.

Fresh seeds shouldn't have to be soaked in water for any amount of time, or germinated in between paper towels. I see no benefit in either of these methods, except for with seeds that are several years old as the embryo within the seed will begin to dry out after some time. Otherwise the excess moisture could be doing more harm than good and lend itself to early fungal infections such as damping off.

There is nothing special about a paper towel to causes a seed to germinate. Any seed that germinated in between paper towels would have done so if planted directly into the medium that it is going to end up in anyways.

mike smith said:

When the tail pops out, it should grow longer then seed. seed has only so much energy in it. If the tail appears, and it does not grow longer then the seed> it is too we-not enough oxygen> or too hot or even too dry. The germination should be ok at a low temp, some where dark in the grow area. soak seeds for 24hours, then place in wet bog paper. not too wet. Seeds want to sprout, only conditions stopping them. Once seed has a tail, longer then seed, pop it tail first into soil with head of seed on surface. Why make it struggle? The seed wants to get a grip in soil, to push out first leaves, then it can convert energy from photosyntheses.

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Right. So why even put it in between paper towels and not into a good medium in the first place?