Seed Germination

hi guys im pretty new here and definitely new to the grow scene, however i'm a quick learner and really devoted to anything i do. so you are probably gonna see alot of questions from me until i get good at this because i'm the kinda person who can't stand sucking at something!

so here goes,
since i'm starting from seeds the first step is the germination process. i have decided to go along with "widowmakers" process (the moist paper towel in a glass) because it seems fairly simple and effective

Q1: about how many seeds should i attempt to germinate at a time if i intend to care for 5-6 plants?

Q2: how wet does this paper towel need to be for best results, damp or soaked?

Q3: i noticed in the picture that part of the paper towel is submerged in the water at the bottom of the glass i assume the the seeds are wrapped up somewhere higher in the towel and not in fact submerged in the water themselves, correct?

Q4: when it said they should germinate in the dark, was that to mean pitch black, or just a cool dark ish place like an unlit closet?

thanks so much in advance for the help you guys are gonna give me ill post pictures of how they come out in like 5 days or so!!! i look forward to learning enough to give back to the community some day!

1. start with probably 10 seeds, due to the 50/50 male/female ratio, if you turn out more females than desired, kill the weaker ones, give them away, or grow it outside or somewhere else...

2.I wouldn't keep it too soaked, but never give it a chance to dry out...

3.Probably not directly submerged, but just high enough for the water to be channeled through the paper towel...

4.Either would work, but you get a better germination rate with warmer temperatures...


SLB

Hey man welcome to RIU!

There are countless ways to germinate, and everyone does it a little bit differently. Using my way my seeds crack in 20 hours and have a sprout come out in 24 hours. The paper towel method usually takes 2-3 days to see a sprout.

Very simple: Get a small glass (<5oz maybe) like a shot glass, fill it to the top with tap water. Let it sit for awhile to get to room temp. Drop your seeds in (if you're using different strains, use seperate cups). I keep my cups with the seed in them in my attic, where the temp is 95F and 60% humidity. After 24 hours in the cup, you will see (usually) that the seed has sunk to the bottom and cracked. Now place the seed (carefully!) onto a moist paper towel (basically follow widowmakers idea) which is room temp and put it in the cup with a very small amount of water (1Tbl). After 12 hours you should see a 1/2 - 1cm sprout sticking out. Plant into moist warm soil and keep a light on 24/0.

purplehazin said:

Hey man welcome to RIU!

There are countless ways to germinate, and everyone does it a little bit differently. Using my way my seeds crack in 20 hours and have a sprout come out in 24 hours. The paper towel method usually takes 2-3 days to see a sprout.

Very simple: Get a small glass (<5oz maybe) like a shot glass, fill it to the top with tap water. Let it sit for awhile to get to room temp. Drop your seeds in (if you're using different strains, use seperate cups). I keep my cups with the seed in them in my attic, where the temp is 95F and 60% humidity. After 24 hours in the cup, you will see (usually) that the seed has sunk to the bottom and cracked. Now place the seed (carefully!) onto a moist paper towel (basically follow widowmakers idea) which is room temp and put it in the cup with a very small amount of water (1Tbl). After 12 hours you should see a 1/2 - 1cm sprout sticking out. Plant into moist warm soil and keep a light on 24/0.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the "pre-soak" method also works rather well!


SLB

The easiest way to germinate, in my opinion... is as simple as using a cloth wash cloth; lay the wash cloth down flat and opened up; then place the seeds at either edge of the towel; spray down the seeds as well as the cloth until the cloth is nice and moist/damp. You don't want to leave the towel too wet, as this will just invite mold.

But, once you have the towel nice and damp.. then simply take the edge where your seeds are closest too, then start rolling up the cloth towel. And of course, yes, you will want to make sure your seeds stay inside the towel while your rolling it up for storage.

Once you have the seeds into the towel and have the towel nice and damp/moist and rolled up.. then its time to place the towel somewhere. A nice cool and dark place is where they need to be while germinating.

Within 3-5 days you should have a few popped beans.. just waiting to be planted.

Sorry, I like to keep things simple.

Good luck to ya.

peace..


and have a great holiday weekend everyone. be safe though!

Your question was answered perfectly by smokeslikebob, windowmaker has a fantastic and unique method, which I personally have found extermely sucessful. Have fun!

Welcome Superstarr. Yeah everyone's got their own way to germinate-- so I'll tell you mine! This last round I successfully germinated 22 of 25 seeds.

I get a paper towel and wet it with water. Ring it out, or squeeze it, until I've gotten most of the water out. It should be damp, but not soaked-- as stated above it will bring mold to your seeds quicker. Place the seed in rows, or a grid, on one half of the paper towel. Then fold the other side over so that the seeds are covered on both sides with the damp towel. I then put it into a ziploc sandwich bag and seal it. Some say to leave it open, but my experience has been the paper towel will dry out faster. The seeds don't need complete darkness, but you don't want them in direct sunlight.-- indirect light is okay. I usually put them under my kitchen window ledge where they only get indirect sunlight. I won't open the bag for the first two days. After 2 days open the bag and start checking for sprouts daily.

This is only one way, amongst MANY. I've used this method to germinate dozens of plants, MJ or not. But to each his own. Good luck to you, cheers!