Seed Germination questions

[DevilRed]

Hey fella's (and ladies) ive got a couple more questions.

My indoor grows with clones have gone great, from start to finish. Im now starting a batch of seeds to grow outdoor.

Ive got some general questions maybe some of you experts can help me iwth.

Strains are White Widow, Blue Mystic, Bubbleishious, and Northern Lights.

Generally I put my seeds between two moist napkins, on a plate, and then in a zip lock bag. I place the bag someplace warm like the top of my water heater, Computer Monitor or on top a Flor light that gives off a bit of heat.

Anyhow, that seems to work great. In 24-36 hours i typically have seeds with the small root head bursting out.

Here come my questions. Once ive got my seeds germinated what is the next best step?

Currently I place the seed with about a 2-3mm root into a cup of soil with the root pointed down....about 2-3mm into the soil. I then keep the soil moist down good.

My problem is of about 50 germinated seeds i put in cups only about 20 have taken and are now growing great.

The cups are all in my grow room of about 77 degrees with plenty of light (and some big mums).

So here are my questions
1) am i placing the seeds deep enough or too deep)
2) how long can I expect to typically wait for the seed head to burth through the soil 24, 36, 48 or more hours??
3) how moist should i keep the soil? Ive been just "wet"

Thanks, maybe im just rushing it, but i thought after two days in the soil they should be pop'n out.

[NaughtyDread]

which ones arent working out for you? i can tell you the ww i got didnt do to well as far as germination. out of 11 only one made it. and this is what it looks like at day 25, he's the lil guy on the right. the plant to the left is the same age. the ww seeds are from your personal batch? i think they may not be geneticly stable

[DevilRed]

Yes the WW are from my personal grow, but i don't think that is the problem being all the different strains im trying are doing the same thing.

The WW's seeds germinate fine, meaning a root pops out.......christ thats the hard part usually. Once a seed has made it that far generally it will grow if in the proper soil, light, temp etc.



Maybe i should let the root grow longer befor planting?

[johnnytoobad]

a peculiar problem ive had is when the stem and seed raised out of the ground but the leaves never came out of the seed shell. ive left it stand yet. so its a stem with the seed on top. weird...

[DevilRed]

Ive also had that happen. Often the seed shell will pop off when the leaves grow. At times ive been very detailed and attempted to remove the shell after a few days.

I think.....now this is just me guessing. Is that normally the seed shell would be pull off when the sprout is growing up through the soil. The shell is left on because it is still attached once the head reaches air, it then dries and becomes "stuck" on.

Im going to let my seeds get a bit longer root started before i soil them.

[DirtGrower]

the best germination is direct soil seeding.

when placed in napkins the root sprouts horizontally. then moved vertically into soil. there's too many errors that can occur during transition.

I've got home bred bag seed that's put straight into styro cups for germ. last time got 20 outta 23 seeds & I think 2 of the no-shows weren't even planted (being a stoner, may have missed 2 cups) couldn't find the seeds in them.

to answer your Q's;
1) 2-3mm is too deep. try removing the top lsyer of soil. the seed should be ~1mm down!
2) 2 days should be enough. some straglers may appear up to 8 days later but aren't usually very good growers.
3) just keep moist to the touch. water w/ room tempature H2O, NO ferts. after the starter leaves unfold let the top .5mm of soil dry, then moisten.

all my sprouts shed there seed shells after popping through the soil. I also remove any shells after 2 days.

Hope some of this helps & Have Fun,
Dirt

[DevilRed]

so only 1mm down. My problem has been its tough to get the soil to stay moist on top. Maybe a later of plastic over top

[muddy420]

to get the soil just right you should use a water bottle and take you time with it

[Heavystone]

A little advice from DJ Short (i suppose a lot of you heard of this guy...) ..

In his book "Growing Excceptional Cannabis" he says "plant the sprouted seeds with the ROOT TIPS UP... then, the root tip will grow down and push the cotiledons out of the soil.."

I guess it's part of the Cannabis seed's genetic program...

That's why, if you plant the seed directly into the soil, all grow books will advise you to always plant the seed with the pointy end up, that is where the root will INITIALLY SHOOT UP, and then curve back into the ground...

the inside of the seed is kinda like a snail shell, so the root tip needs to curve around the outside shell as it grows out, I suppose...

I don't know if that is the real reason why your sprouts aren't growing, but it could be...

Well, peace out!

[DevilRed]

true true, never thought of that
Thanks

[dunekorn16]

Some of your seeds will always be duds, My questions are how long have they been stored, If they have been cured, and if you have a moisture meter at home.

For moisture just ceep it barly in the green about level 7 should do. Doing this makes the seed think it hast to grow to ceep moist. I recomend using a spray bottle for watering at least while its germinating.

If a seed is stored for any amount of time it slowly uses nutrients and dies. But that takes a really really long time.

Properly cured seeds can make a big differance, especillay if the seeds have fungus in them or if they have been stored for too long, curing seeds increases the likely ness of germination.

Also if you dont have a Co2 system I would suggest you invest in one even if it isnt great it can increse your harvest and vegitative by 3 times. Trust me. If you want Co2 generatore in structions cheack out my Posts.

[Heavystone]

Hey, dk, how do you cure seeds?

[DirtGrower]

Hey DevilRed,
a layer of plastic is fine. I've used a piece of wet T-shirt. anything to help hold in moisture til they pop through the soil.

Hey Heavystone,
you might be on to sumthin. Iv'e placed seeds on top of soil to germ. the root tip usually sprouts horizontally then digs down.

seeds are living things. if they are dryed too quickly, heated, mold, or froze they will be effected. I think dune meant was properly cured with the bud.

[Heavystone]

Originally posted by DirtGrower

Hey Heavystone,
you might be on to sumthin. Iv'e placed seeds on top of soil to germ. the root tip usually sprouts horizontally then digs down.

I'm not onto it, I know for sure... DJ Short says so, and he's the father of the Blueberry, and Flo...


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Don't you people read any books?

[DirtGrower]

Books??

read your book again. maybe IT will tell you how to get ounces of MJ with fertless soil & a 100 watt incandescent.