Starting Your Seeds

For those that might not be aware, there is a more 'correct' way to plant seeds directly into your medium. The tap-root emerges from the end of the seed that is clearly (typically) more pointed. At the opposing end is the circular seam, which you want to face upwards. Only cover with 1/4 inch (no more than 1/2 inch) layering of your mix and water thoroughly with a solution of a good liquid seaweed (Maxicrop). Do not cover.

Sure you could toss the seed in the hole randomly. The seedling will eventually orient itself and break through the surface, but you might find that they are happier when they are sown more thoughtfully.

I think my seeds are duds.. unless there are a number of ways that I could have possibly screwed up the paper towel method..

your daim right dude ... i fuckt up 30 seeds starting with gemination kit ...keep 'it simple

vrainoire said:

I think my seeds are duds.. unless there are a number of ways that I could have possibly screwed up the paper towel method..

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Try the mother nature method.... It never fails me....

Serapis said:

Try the mother nature method.... It never fails me....

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Thanks!! I took them out of the paper towel and threw them in some soil..and they popped!!

vrainoire said:

Thanks!! I took them out of the paper towel and threw them in some soil..and they popped!!

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Of course they did. Seeds love soil....

Nullis, there is no upside down to a seed. Imagine sowing wheat and having to be concerned with which way the seed fell. Most seeds will end up coming through the soil AFTER the stem does. That is why the first day, the cotyledons are facing down and the stem has a 180 hook in it. The plant is pulling, not pushing the seed kernel up, so it can use the friction of the soil to free the seed husk from the leaves. Only then does the stem straighten out and point straight up. The tap root is always going to try and form a hook and pull the seed husk through the soil. I have seen the seed pop out a few times first, with a stem for a neck, and then the seed husk was forced open by the new leaves. I usually mist the hell out of those so the husk fluid never dries and cements itself on the new, delicate leaf.

what sort of watering cycle is best for seed once it's in the soil - for like the first few days? just water once and leave it till it pops (hopefully a couple of days) then water again? then to normal sort of watering?

last seeds i germinated was bleuberry. they cracked after 10 hours with the paper towell method.
allways worked for me.
last grow i did it the mother nature way and the paper towell. paper towell won timewise

i just changed mine from ziplocs to jiffy plugs i really hope they pop i left the seeds 4 days on the ziploc and only one popped at least the freebie seed did i really hope the jiffy plugs make em explode

I have always used the paper towel method. I had good results with it, but also some problems. Just got some new beans and decided to try the mother nature method. Planted two beans directly into the small RW cubes that I use and both came up on the second day.
I will use this method again.

Good point.

Is that from the Mandala site?

Nice post man, however i use the paper towel method and have never lost a seed, i'm also not a commercial marijuana grower, just for personal use and patients/friends

I recently made a serious advancement in seed germination. I take a nice white fuzzy cotton towel cut out a chunk big enough to double over and fit in a QP sized ziplock bag. I boil the towel in water for at least 10 minutes. I then remove the towel from the water with tongs, hold it up to cool an allow excess moisture to run off.
When it is cool enough not to melt the zip I place it directly into the bag. Allow it to cool to 90 degrees F or so , place the seeds onto the towel. close the bag leaving it puffy and full of air. This method has totally eliminated seed rot even on some seeds that took 2 weeks to germinate. I actually forgot about the seeds expecting them not to grow after 1 week. took the bag down off the fridge and had sprouts growing, pulled em out and planted em in the garden.
I have had good results with old seeds and 100% on store bought seeds. which is important, obviously.

CrackerJax said:

Okay to all you paper towel heads and water nuts. I have been saying this for a long time now but found a site which states it nicely. Read this and don't lose any more of your precious seeds needlessly.

For an optimal germination result the seeds should be planted DIRECTLY into the substrate. We clearly advise against using pre-germination methods or soaking. Please do not place the seeds into a glass of water or in moist paper tissues. Fresh and healthy seeds prefer a nurturing and airy substrate to germinate in – just as mother nature has meant it to be. Cannabis is a plant species originating from semi-arid and temperate biotopes and the vast majority of modern cannabis hybrids contain a substantial percentage of these genetics. Cannabis seeds are not adapted to swampy wetlands, but they are suited for germinating in well drained soil/substrate. In nature they rot if they fall into a puddle of water...and there are no paper tissues lying around either. Taking into account these botanical facts, it is quite logical that by creating germination conditions that are similar to those of the natural habitat one can expect the best results.
What happens if one uses pre-germination methods?
1. Soaking seeds in water/wet paper towels is a method which can be used for old seeds (3+ years) that are drying up and losing germination power; and for pure land race equatorial strains such as from Africa. Both factors do not apply to our seeds. Fresh seeds have a healthy embryo whose cells are filled with water. But excess water causes the cells to bloat, depletes oxygen and leads to the tissue rotting away before the seed embryo can germinate. Old seeds have lost water in the cell tissue, the embryo starts to shrivel, which is why germination rates drop the older the seeds are. Therefore, old seeds (ie. 3+ years) can soak up more water before adverse conditions cause them to rot. This is one of the main reasons why various seed stock reacts differently to pre-germination methods. Especially novice growers make a lot of mistakes with pre-germination methods such as soaking seeds in water for up to 1-2 days. Even if one chooses to pre-germ seeds it has to be done correctly.
It is in a growers best interest to choose a germination method with the lowest risk of complications. Because we want customers to have the highest success rate possible we recommend the most convenient and safest method. This does not mean it is the only option. We simply believe it carries the lowest risk. In fact, planting seeds directly in the substrate is also the most plant friendly method for any type of seed stock. The reasons are explained below in paragraph 2 & 3.
2. Placing healthy & fresh seeds in water/wet tissue can lead to the development of fungi or bacteria on the seed hull. Lack of oxygen and contaminating substances in the water/wet tissue promote fungal growth which can be transported to the substrate later on. Often the seed simply rots away if left for too long in a glass of water, or wrapped up in wet tissue.
3. Once the seed sprouts in a glass of water or paper tissue it already has the taproot growing out of the cracked seed hull. While transplanting the germinated seed it is very difficult, indeed impossible, to prevent damage to the delicate taproot. Many sprouted seedlings handled in this way show retarded development, or even simply fail to appear out of the substrate after transplantation. Handling seedlings this way can impair the health & vigour of the plant for the duration of it’s life cycle - especially if other disturbing factors occur during the early stages of growth.
Professional horticulturists rarely use pre-germination methods to actually grow out the seedlings because of the shock suffered from transplanting them. For example, we use the paper tissue method only as a quick test for germination rates of aged seed stock from our genetic repository. This allows us to see beforehand how many seeds we have to put in soil to get the amount of plants we require for breeding projects.
Germinating cannabis seeds is not difficult. All you need is some basic information on what is important and everything should work out fine.

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Awesome post especially for a newb, thanks

Keep it simple and trust in mother nature, no more than a 1/4" deep, some light soil over the top, keep them semi moist and not in direct sun is what i got out of the first 15 pages lol

Seems simple enough thanks cracker. I couldn't give your first post +rep for some reason.

I used the paper towel method, Had 100% Success

(Iv only done 1 seed though haha)

so if you plant the seed directly in the soil,how long will it take to break the surface? And is it ok if it sprouts during the night time and gets no light for 10 hours?

i posted in this thread along time ago i however have since realized that i get the best results 100% using rapid rooters after i gem them in paper towel inside zip lock over night

I read the long post and yeah I agree with the whole substrate idea, which brings me to my point. The paper towel method (which worked for me extremely well) somewhat mimics some of the methods MJ is grown in to a degree.... soil less anyhow. Clearly there are many opinions and methods of germinating seeds and if one method seems to work well, then why change? Simple simon seems to work well.

Hello guys, very informative thread.

After much reading I have placed my 10 seeds directly into there rockwool cubes. This is my first time working with rockwool. I soaked the cubes for 30 or so minutes and I had to keep pushing them down as none of the ever sank. I held my hand on top of them to completely submerge them. As i placed each seed i also then re submerged for another minute or two before placing on the tray. Is this normal? I opened on in half and noticed is was also dry inside. I also placed a heating pad on the low setting below the tray. Also going the no Dome route. What do you guys think of this? It is in my closet with no light. All help welcomed! thank you!

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