Seeds not germinating!!

W

weedas

Member
Hey guys,

I recently got around 30 seeds from my friend who got them back from an amsterdam trip, they are bagseeds. I tried germinating all of them using the usual paper towel method but surprisingly NONE OF THE SEEDS SPROUTED! Is there a way to check if the seeds are good or bad ?
 
Hum215

Hum215

Active Member
I usually soak in distilled water for 12-hours then do the wet paper towel thing in the warm dark for 1-14 days. I keep them around 70F. If they don't crack after a week, I put a seed heating pad under them and make sure they stay wet and dar... Then if you still don't have any germinated, you can try to soak them again in distilled water and soak them again for 12-hours and back to a warm paper towel. However, the likelihood of them sprouting is much less the second time 'round. That is... if they don't rot out first. Good luck, you may have gotten a batch of bad seeds.
 
W

weedas

Member
Hum215 said:
I usually soak in distilled water for 12-hours then do the wet paper towel thing in the warm dark for 1-14 days. I keep them around 70F. If they don't crack after a week, I put a seed heating pad under them and make sure they stay wet and dar... Then if you still don't have any germinated, you can try to soak them again in distilled water and soak them again for 12-hours and back to a warm paper towel. However, the likelihood of them sprouting is much less the second time 'round. That is... if they don't rot out first. Good luck, you may have gotten a batch of bad seeds.
Click to expand...
Actually a few of them rotted and were disposed... I currently have them in a Tupperware with wet paper towels.. Im hoping any would crack..

Thanks for the reply, very informative and definitely helpful :D

Peace.
 
hempstead

hempstead

Well-Known Member
If they are rotting then maybe it is too wet. I like to soak mine in water til they sink and if after 12 hours it does not sink then I will let it dry and scratch the shell and try again. Then I stick it in a peet pellet. Then 1-5 days later I usually see the seed climbing back out as a helmet for my little ganja warrior. heh Some people swear by the towel method but I always had bad luck with the germs sticking to the towel and then getting damaged detangling them from paper fibers. I have very good germination rates the way i do it and the only time I had trouble was in the beginning by keeping the pellet too wet and drowning the sprout.
 
W

weedas

Member
hempstead said:
If they are rotting then maybe it is too wet. I like to soak mine in water til they sink and if after 12 hours it does not sink then I will let it dry and scratch the shell and try again. Then I stick it in a peet pellet. Then 1-5 days later I usually see the seed climbing back out as a helmet for my little ganja warrior. heh Some people swear by the towel method but I always had bad luck with the germs sticking to the towel and then getting damaged detangling them from paper fibers. I have very good germination rates the way i do it and the only time I had trouble was in the beginning by keeping the pellet too wet and drowning the sprout.
Click to expand...
Awesome!! Thanks, will give it a try.. Would it be too late now to soak some seeds in water ? i already have them between 2 wet paper towels and they been there for 2 days?
 
guitarisgr8

guitarisgr8

Well-Known Member
make sure its not too cold, if its too cold they take forever, I leave my beans between two sheets of wet paper towel and leave them between two plates and leave the plates sitting on a pot above my ballast and they always sprout in 24hrs. Just have to make sure they dont dry out so I spray them a couple of times throughout the day, also using boiled water that has been left to cool has always given great germination results.
 
W

weedas

Member
guitarisgr8 said:
make sure its not too cold, if its too cold they take forever, I leave my beans between two sheets of wet paper towel and leave them between two plates and leave the plates sitting on a pot above my ballast and they always sprout in 24hrs. Just have to make sure they dont dry out so I spray them a couple of times throughout the day, also using boiled water that has been left to cool has always given great germination results.
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I'm going to check on them now, hopefully there is any sign of sprout.. If not, then i will wrap the sealed container with a blanket!

Thanks :)
 
guitarisgr8

guitarisgr8

Well-Known Member
Try putting the wet paper towels between two plates like a humidity dome because it still lets some air in, I find using a sealed container it gets too humid and the seeds wither slighlty and results aint great. I get neat 100% results using the plate/ballast method. And dont worry too much I had to wait 4 days once when it was a bit chilly but once I kept them above the ballast they all sprouted the next day.
 
W

weedas

Member
guitarisgr8 said:
Try putting the wet paper towels between two plates like a humidity dome because it still lets some air in, I find using a sealed container it gets too humid and the seeds wither slighlty and results aint great. I get neat 100% results using the plate/ballast method. And dont worry too much I had to wait 4 days once when it was a bit chilly but once I kept them above the ballast they all sprouted the next day.
Click to expand...
Okay, i checked on them and nothing happened yet (some of the seeds left a light brown spot beneath them i dunno why) i soaked some in water and left the rest where they were in the tupperware.. And you do make sense in regards to the Plate.. so im going to move some seeds from the tupperware to a plate once i get home.. Thanks a bunch..
 
littleflavio

littleflavio

Well-Known Member
i would share my method as i was having a hard time germinating my seeds a couple of months ago...soaked in water...after 3-5 hours if seeds are still floating force them to sink down if a seed did not sink come back again in a couple of hours and repeat process, then the following day, less than 24 hours some of them will show tap roots and some of them wont but if the seed is still floating there is 95% chance it will not germinate meaning the seed has nothing inside, dont throw any seeds though as it might germinate, youll never know!!! then i get a small container placed dried moss wet it then drain excess water place the seed and cover with moss but make sure that u can still see the seed then spray and leave it for a day or two.
 
W

weedas

Member
littleflavio said:
i would share my method as i was having a hard time germinating my seeds a couple of months ago...soaked in water...after 3-5 hours if seeds are still floating force them to sink down if a seed did not sink come back again in a couple of hours and repeat process, then the following day, less than 24 hours some of them will show tap roots and some of them wont but if the seed is still floating there is 95% chance it will not germinate meaning the seed has nothing inside, dont throw any seeds though as it might germinate, youll never know!!! then i get a small container placed dried moss wet it then drain excess water place the seed and cover with moss but make sure that u can still see the seed then spray and leave it for a day or two.
Click to expand...
I got a couple of floating seeds now.. let's see how long will they stay floating. Thanks.
 
guitarisgr8

guitarisgr8

Well-Known Member
weedas said:
Okay, i checked on them and nothing happened yet (some of the seeds left a light brown spot beneath them i dunno why) i soaked some in water and left the rest where they were in the tupperware.. And you do make sense in regards to the Plate.. so im going to move some seeds from the tupperware to a plate once i get home.. Thanks a bunch..
Click to expand...
The light brown spot suggests to me that they have essentially drowned (too much moisture) and the seed is rotting, but if you have seeds floating in the water it might just be the seed shell breaking down.The soaking in a glass of water trick does work and is good for stubborn seeds with hard shells, the water is forced into the shell and when it sinks you know water has penetrated so remove the seeds imediatley or they will drown and rot. Honestly its normally a real easy process but my first time they gave me shit because of the cold, the seeds were taking in water but it was too cold for them to spark to life. Sounds just like what your going through, my seeds ended up looking withered and left the same brown spot on the paper towels, I started new seeds from the same batch of seed and this time used boiled water left to cool and kept them warmer and got 100% positive results, I still use the same method to this day and it never lets me down. Once you get them girls started ther will be no more problems...I hope/kinda promise.
 
littleflavio

littleflavio

Well-Known Member
weedas said:
I got a couple of floating seeds now.. let's see how long will they stay floating. Thanks.
Click to expand...
try to force it to sink in a couple of hours, and make sure its on a dark place like a cabinet, i open the door a little for air...then again if it wont sink come back again in awhile and try again if not check out the following day...i never had my seeds seat on the water for more than 2 days. oh i forgot to tell you before i soaked my seeds in the glass i am doing this 5mw laser pointer thing on my seeds for about 60sec, its not necessarily but i do it anyways. heres the link: https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/355889-laser-irradiation-seeds-improved-growth.html
 
W

weedas

Member
guitarisgr8 said:
The light brown spot suggests to me that they have essentially drowned (too much moisture) and the seed is rotting, but if you have seeds floating in the water it might just be the seed shell breaking down.The soaking in a glass of water trick does work and is good for stubborn seeds with hard shells, the water is forced into the shell and when it sinks you know water has penetrated so remove the seeds imediatley or they will drown and rot. Honestly its normally a real easy process but my first time they gave me shit because of the cold, the seeds were taking in water but it was too cold for them to spark to life. Sounds just like what your going through, my seeds ended up looking withered and left the same brown spot on the paper towels, I started new seeds from the same batch of seed and this time used boiled water left to cool and kept them warmer and got 100% positive results, I still use the same method to this day and it never lets me down. Once you get them girls started ther will be no more problems...I hope/kinda promise.
Click to expand...
I hope i still have some good seeds remaining as i tried germinating all of the seeds i had (maybe 30 seeds) some are between papertowels in the tupperware, some are between papertowels in between plates and some were soaked in a glass of water.. Considering that the weather is cold nowadays i assume it is one of the reasons.. So i will try germinating the last batch that's soaked in water using the plates & paper towel method and putting them near an air heater. Let's see how it goes.. What is the ideal warm temperature for germination? Thank you man.. I really appreciate all the help.

Peace.
 
W

weedas

Member
littleflavio said:
try to force it to sink in a couple of hours, and make sure its on a dark place like a cabinet, i open the door a little for air...then again if it wont sink come back again in awhile and try again if not check out the following day...i never had my seeds seat on the water for more than 2 days. oh i forgot to tell you before i soaked my seeds in the glass i am doing this 5mw laser pointer thing on my seeds for about 60sec, its not necessarily but i do it anyways. heres the link: https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/355889-laser-irradiation-seeds-improved-growth.html
Click to expand...

Its interesting.. I never even thought of anything like this.. But where da hell will i find a laser now. And considering that it's not necessary and very unfamiliar i won't sweat on it. But thanks for the pointer.. an eye opener indeed :D
 
littleflavio

littleflavio

Well-Known Member
weedas said:
Its interesting.. I never even thought of anything like this.. But where da hell will i find a laser now. And considering that it's not necessary and very unfamiliar i won't sweat on it. But thanks for the pointer.. an eye opener indeed :D
Click to expand...
yeah dont sweat on it...i have wasted so much money on my seeds not germinating just a couple of months ago, believe me i have tried everything i can it seems like i have lost touch on the seeds, i even once thought that taking care of the plant is way easier than germinating it. i dont know but i am currently growing more than 20 crops right now and only one seed that did not pop on me doing everything i told you.
 
littleflavio

littleflavio

Well-Known Member
weedas said:
I hope i still have some good seeds remaining as i tried germinating all of the seeds i had (maybe 30 seeds) some are between papertowels in the tupperware, some are between papertowels in between plates and some were soaked in a glass of water.. Considering that the weather is cold nowadays i assume it is one of the reasons.. So i will try germinating the last batch that's soaked in water using the plates & paper towel method and putting them near an air heater. Let's see how it goes.. What is the ideal warm temperature for germination? Thank you man.. I really appreciate all the help.

Peace.
Click to expand...
i would like to help you because i know how stressful it is: here is George Cervantes seed and germination article at high times. i never liked or got any blessings from above with the paper towel germination method though.

a. moisture: soaking seeds in water allows moisture to penetrate the protective seed shell within minutes. moisture continues to wick in to activate the dormant hormones. in 24 to 72 hours, hormones activate and send signals to produce a small white rootlet.

b. warmth: cannabis seeds grow best at 78F, low temp below 70F delay germination, high temp above 90F cause bad germination "my personal opinion i had high temp more than 90F and i got no problem germinating on that much heat, just make sure it doesnt dry up on you and spray it with water like 3 times a day or so." once germinated, move seedlings to a slight cooler growing area and increase light levels. avoid high temp and low light levels, which cause lanky growth.

c. air/oxygen: seeds need air to germinate. moist, soggy growing mediums cut off the oxygen supply and seeds will literally drown. ( that is why i use dried peet moss, so i get less chances my seeds will either dry out on me or too damp), planting seeds too deeply also cause bad germination (so i adviced you to just cover it with little peet moss as long as you can still see the seed just make it looked like an egg on a nest but a little less visual for the seed.) seedlings do not have enough stored energy to force their way through too much soil before sprouting (i place mine in soil if the seed is cracked enough and the roots are at least long enough for it not to reverse its way back inside the seeds and yes it happened to me a lot of times). this whole process is done in a dark place while spraying it once in a while not directly but a few feet above where my seeds are germinating.

i just germinate my pineapple express, i thought it will not pull through but she has now a few cm roots coming out of her. just awesome, rule of thumb never throw your seeds away even if you think it will not germinate try to let it seat on the dirt...still the best way but not the season for it on my seeds
 
W

weedas

Member
littleflavio said:
i would like to help you because i know how stressful it is: here is George Cervantes seed and germination article at high times. i never liked or got any blessings from above with the paper towel germination method though.

a. moisture: soaking seeds in water allows moisture to penetrate the protective seed shell within minutes. moisture continues to wick in to activate the dormant hormones. in 24 to 72 hours, hormones activate and send signals to produce a small white rootlet.

b. warmth: cannabis seeds grow best at 78F, low temp below 70F delay germination, high temp above 90F cause bad germination "my personal opinion i had high temp more than 90F and i got no problem germinating on that much heat, just make sure it doesnt dry up on you and spray it with water like 3 times a day or so." once germinated, move seedlings to a slight cooler growing area and increase light levels. avoid high temp and low light levels, which cause lanky growth.

c. air/oxygen: seeds need air to germinate. moist, soggy growing mediums cut off the oxygen supply and seeds will literally drown. ( that is why i use dried peet moss, so i get less chances my seeds will either dry out on me or too damp), planting seeds too deeply also cause bad germination (so i adviced you to just cover it with little peet moss as long as you can still see the seed just make it looked like an egg on a nest but a little less visual for the seed.) seedlings do not have enough stored energy to force their way through too much soil before sprouting (i place mine in soil if the seed is cracked enough and the roots are at least long enough for it not to reverse its way back inside the seeds and yes it happened to me a lot of times). this whole process is done in a dark place while spraying it once in a while not directly but a few feet above where my seeds are germinating.

i just germinate my pineapple express, i thought it will not pull through but she has now a few cm roots coming out of her. just awesome, rule of thumb never throw your seeds away even if you think it will not germinate try to let it seat on the dirt...still the best way but not the season for it on my seeds
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the help, i really appreciate all the effort :) and trust me i'm taking every single point in consideration.
I have 3 plants growing (2 are 4 weeks) and (1 is 2 weeks) But them seeds were from a different Country and they are my first successful grows ever.
I never had that much trouble germinating before, i always got a sprout but i always messed up after germination and my plants died after sprouting. But I'm hoping i could at least start 5 more plants out of the 30 seeds i got. And hoping i can keep up with my 3 plants and hopefully whatever new babies that sprout with your help :). Cuz i wanna increase the chances of having females and at least TWO FEMALES. One for seeding and one for cloning. That's basically my PLAN!

Peace Buddy !
 
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