the man who cannot sprout a single seed :(

I'm hoping someone might have some good advice for me... I've been growing vegetables hydroponically for several months now, with good results. Not once have I run across seeds which would not sprout, from tomatoes to peas to chili peppers.

Recently an old weed wizard passed some seeds down to me. This guy used to grow, and I mean GROW. He also has had a hand in the breeding of a handful of popular strains from northern California. The seeds he gave me were from many different strains, including White Widow, AK-47, Bubblegum, Grape Ape, Train Wreck, and something of his own making called Instant Karma.

Between what he gave me and some bagseed I ran across (more white widow, procured from one of those cats who allows a little pollination into his grow to, in his words, 'keep things more natural') I have attempted to sprout seventeen seeds in the last month. I have one trainwreck seed left, as well as one bubblegum and the lone Instant Karma.

Not a single one of the seventeen has sprouted.

I've tried several different methods of germinating the seeds, from paper towels in a small plastic tent to dropping them into a cup of water. I've tried it at room temperature, I've tried putting the tent on top of my floro's to stay humid, I've placed them on top of my hot water heater (which is in its own closet, which stays nice and humid... this is how I germinate my veggie seeds and it never fails). I've tried tap water, distilled water, spring water, all with nutrient as well as without. I even dropped one into my hydroponic nutrient resivoir, and another I planted in soil.

I'm quite frustrated at this point. Am I doing something hideously wrong? I realize not every seeds is guaranteed to sprout, but still... seventeen seems a bit much. I eagerly await any helpful advice anyone might give.

-SS

UPDATE 3-4-07: I've finally sprouted my first seed ever! I don't know what strain the plant will be, I don't know if the seed is feminized, but who cares? I did it!!

-SS

sounds like you got a black thumb for trees. might just be best if you hang up the growing and just stick to buying.

AllMeatNoPotato said:

sounds like you got a black thumb for trees. might just be best if you hang up the growing and just stick to buying.

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OUCH, that seems a lil harsh don't you think? How about some words of encouragement? He has grown other plants before. It could be by some force of nature that all the seeds are not viable.

I thought this forum was to help people out and teach them new things. Here you come out and tell him to not even try anymore. That is ridiculous...

Shadow, you should try to get your hands on some more bag seed and try those before using up those good strains that you have. I'm sure someone else has some more tips for you and not negative comments...

Hey shadow


If you have been growning tomatoes.. peas to chilis before then i think there could be something up with the seeds he gave you as atleast one should have shown signs of life how old are they? as you said HE USED TO GROW so they may just be duds that not even he could get to grow..!?


from the sound of things as well you have all the gear needed to grow so just buy yourself some good seeds whats £20 4 10seeds?? then if they dont sprout well give up lol

do you know the ph of your water? are you adding something to the water? if you are using tap water you need to let the water stand for 24 hours in an open container to let the chlorine evaporate out. ph should be between 6.0 and 7.0. Preferred is around 6.5 to 6.8. Follow this post for more details.

DELETED - there is no need for antics like this towards anyone - Meat

Try putting 1 aspirin (uncoated) per 1.5 gallons of water and make sure your ph is low

make sure every seed or try to have everyone be a dark color otherwise thier udeveloped

you say that the seeds came from a reputable grower and he gave you alot. it is not you it is the seeds. those seeds are old probably. i am more than positive that he was using clones. those seeds have probably have been sitting around for ages. my advice would be to get different seeds. you might even want to try a seed bank. they have the freshest seeds. f it is not that atleast we ruled something else out. sry for the ranting on your thread, it is very unprofessional and i know unapprociated.

solid shadow said:

Not a single one of the seventeen has sprouted.

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As others have mentioned, it's highly possible (and quite likely) that the seeds you've been given are simply not viable - but it depends on how old they are. Seeds stay viable for up to about 5 years, depending on strain and how they've been stored, but the older they are, the longer it can take them to germinate and the less % success you'll have with germination.

The fact that you've had success growing vegetables rather suggests that this is the case. However, give them their best shot at germination and soak them for 24 hours in water in a warm dark place. Then get one of those plastic tupperware containers and soak some tissue or paper towel with tepid water until damp but not soggy and place the seeds on it and cover it with the same, put the lid on the plastic tupperware container and place in a warm dark place - cover it up with a towel so it's nice and dark. Check them every day and if necessary re-dampen the tissue or paper towel. Leave them that way for up to 21 days. If they still haven't germinated then they're probably too old.

I tried to germinate about 20 bagseeds with that method and not one of them cracked, some partially opened but no taproots emerged. I used exactly the same method for shop bought seedbank seeds and every one cracked and produced a taproot within 48 hours.

As you can see, it's not always the person or method and often the age of the seeds. Good luck with the ones you have left.

btt - don't -rep people because you don't happen to disagree with what they say - it's childish.

I believe the seeds are a bit old - 2-3 years from what I understand. I've heard and read confliction information regarding the longevity of seeds; some are viable for as short as six months or as long as five or so years, depending on the source my info has come from. I was hoping it was simply a matter of the seeds just being too old and not something terrible I was doing.

I've tried straight tapwater, which around here is chlorinated and the ph is around 7. I've lowered it, allowed the chlorine to evaporate, and still I get the same results.

As far as the advice given about buying... well, I could start a whole new thread on that subject...

heres the method i use thats been 100% success germination in 2 to 3 days. get a glass jar like this one . or any other kind that has a twist on lid. then get about 2paper towels and place one on top of the other.then put the seeds in the very middle of the towel and fold the paper towels in fourths with the seeds in the inside middle of the towells. place the paper towel inside of the glass jar then put about a half inch of water inside the jar and then just seal it as tight as you can, then put in dark place with some clothes or something on the jar to make sure no light gets in. it may take more then 2 or 3 days but this way is guranteed to work

EDIT for Allmeat....

Deleted - Meat

dont u hate when the seed cracks open..and U can see the taproot but after a couple days the taproot never actually comes OUT of the seed? its like its playin games with me.

One of my seeds actually did crack and the taproot DID actually come out about 1/2 a cm..then a few hours later I went back to see if it had gotten any longer and the damn thing went BACK into the shell..I was like "WTF!! U tryin to play PEEK A BOO or some shyt?!!"

shyt happens man, I had about 17 seeds my first time around and at most 3 cracked but the root never emerged, so I had gotten 15 more seeds, and then 3 cracked and only 1 showed its root....hopefully I'll be able to get to a seedbank soon bcuz bag seeds are too much "like a box of chocolates..."

you know allmeat people were were were nominating you to be a mod right??

door is that way??? whats with the bad attitude man? wow.

its over. cooler heads prevailed.

I was a little suprized to see you responding like that. Bad hair day? Broke a finger nail? But that doesn't mean I like you

Ive actually been arguin w/ someone else and I thinks all is finished now..... relief, must have been just a bad day all around I guess

black thumb rotflmao !!!!!