So I ordered my seeds from Nirvana and am going to run through a few freebies before I use my selected strains. The problem is that out of five freebies, none of them have shown any signs of popping. One is in the paper towel method between two plates, the other two were soaked in a glass of water for about 4 hours and then placed in their seed starting mix soil, and then the other two have been soaking in a glass of water with no taproot in sight (it'll be 48 hours soon that they've been soaking). I've grown once before with a similar setup. The only difference in my setup is that I've moved and now use well water. All of the water I use has been from the refrigerator's filter and then sat out to warm up (ice cold right out of the fridge). Am I being impatient or is something probably wrong with the seeds?
Get the ones that have been sitting in for 48hrs out of the water. To quote Jorge Cervantes "Do not let seeds soak for more than 24hrs, or they'll suffer oxygen deprivation and rot". Have patience with the others. Make sure paper towel is wet at all times. And that your soil is moist like a rung out sponge. Usually you'll see something in 4 to 5 days. I've had them sprout in as little as two days and as long as ten days.
I'm doing all three methods now on germinating mine. I have 4 in a pot to get them started. I have 4 in a wet paper towel and I have 4 in a cup of water which I will remove in the morning and germinate them. I figured I would do all the methods and figure out which one works for me. Good info there. I know I read that you shouldn't leave the seeds in water for no more than 24 hours. Someone said at least 3 hours though.
I've had great luck when I soak seeds over night. I'll put them in a cup with distilled water around 10pm and plant them in the morning around 7am. I use pro mix bx and get really good results. The paper towel method never worked for me. But that's because I'd always forget to wet the towel at some point.
I just went and bought some Jiffy peat pellets to start the two seeds that have been soaking in the glass of water. Just put them in, placed the plastic humidity dome on and tucked them away in my dark grow box. Really grossing my fingers. My first grow was a total fluke and it was before I really even discovered my passion for growing. I seriously took some bagseed and put it in a glass of water. The next morning I saw one seed had a taproot so I got some soil and tossed the seed in carelessly then placed the pot on my windowsill. Left town for two days, came back, boom I had a sprout. Now that I've done lots of research and have a far better idea of what I'm doing, I can't even get a seed to germinate
I'm a first time grower too. I had a similar problem getting mine to germinate. The first 2 were a complete loss. The two Iced Grapefruit seeds took their time. I soaked them for just under 2 days and then put them in damp paper towel in a plastic container for 2.5 more days and they finally decided it was time. Now they are 15 days old and they seem to be ok. I know that can change quickly so I am keeping an eyeball on em. I'm think the my next go round I'll use better genetics. I read that makes the world of difference.
Where did you get your seeds? I specifically picked Nirvana because of their great reputation and their speedy delivery. I won't be too upset if I lose some seeds but I'm crossing my fingers that I'm simply in the minority of these germination problems via Nirvana.
I got my gear from Single Seed Centre. I just bought some Mota Rebel genetics from Great Lakes. I have to setup another tent so it'll be a while before I germ them. If they are as good as I hear, I won't go anywhere else. Costs a bit more but I think I will save more in long run by having better genetics.
Just checked on them and still nothing at all. Really disheartening. I still have plenty of seeds at least to try with once I'm 100% sure these won't germinate. Still trying to remain patient and hope at least one pops if I wait it out.
I'm learning that I need to be patient. The worry doesn't end once they germinate or even after the first few days after sprouting. I was checking on mine almost ever hour for probably the 1st week. Now at 16 days, I'm down to only 3 or 4 times a day. You can see mine here: My Girls
Haha! It really doesn't end for new growers. I have one previous grow and I was the same way through the whole thing, wanting to check on it constantly. I looked at your thread and I subbed! I like the idea of LED grows and I want to see what kind of yield you're going to end up with. Really rooting for you! I'm doing a CFL grow with my eyes on a 600w HPS but I hesitated on buying an HID simply because I'm curious about LED grows.
Freebies could be old seed stock, not stored properly...who knows. But my guess is that the seeds are fine and your just being a little impatient. I have soaked seeds up to 48 hrs with no problem germinating. I usually go no more then a 24 hr soak though, then into a solo cup with what ever medium i am growing in. They are usually breaking ground 2-3 days after planting in the medium. Practice methods with as little transitions for the seed/seedlings/plants as possible and you will achieve the best results!
The trick with the wet paper towel method is that you MUST place them someplace WARM. I use a TuperWare container with a top on it.It's about the size of a container that could hold a sandwich. Fold the paper towel in half. Wet it completely to the point it is soaked. Place your seed(s) on the towel and fold it in half over itself again covering the seed(s). Put on the lid and place it on top of a DVD player, cable box etc. Someplace where it will be warm, not hot. With this method if your seed are good thy will have a tap root within 18 hrs.
I think the problem was with the temperatures being a little low and it slowed the growth down. I actually just took one of the Jiffy pellets apart to see if the seeds were rotting (knowing I may be killing it, but I had to satisfy my curiosity) and the taproot had formed and was growing downwards almost to the bottom of the pellet. I was extremely relieved and didn't bother the second Jiffy pellet. Alas, problem solved. At least I'm assuming so. This forum is full of extremely friendly people that are patient with new growers so I want to thank everyone who replied and left their advice. Much love to everyone and may luck be with you on your own grows!
Another update: One of the seeds in the original pots has broken the surface as a very small sprout but the seed is maybe an inch from the side of the pot. Should I leave it alone or try and transplant it to the center of another pot? Had it been in the center I would have left it alone but I simply don't know if it'll do any harm to let it grow that close to the side of the pot.
I'm glad to hear your seeds are germinating! I wouldn't move it. The seedlings are really delicate. I'd wait until its grown some and then transplant. I'm sure some of the experienced growers will provide a better answer.
Advice taken! I'm going to go ahead and start a proper journal once they get just a tad more height and my CFL fixture comes in on Saturday. The picture included was taken just a few minutes ago. The more mature one has some slight stretching but the lights have been adjusted. I didn't want to overheat the baby sprouts but they shot up very fast overnight! Now they're nice and warm about two-three inches from the light and I'll be adjusting accordingly as I compulsively check their growth.
They look good! I'm looking forward to your grow updates in your journal. Just to prepare you, there is a period where they look like they stop growing. When it happened to mine I was freaking that I somehow killed them. I researched it and apparently during this time they are spending all their energy building their root system so not much shows above the soil. In about another week I'm going to transplant them into bigger pots with coco and out of the crappy soil and plastic cups. I will be setting a journal once they are transplanted.
I remember the exact same thing happening to me on my first grow. My first grow was a train wreck of mistakes and I wasn't prepared for it. I took a few months to regularly read guides and these forums before I tried again. My first grow was actually a male and while I was frustrated, I made myself see it until through for the practice and then sterilized the grow area after he was finished and I chopped him to clean up the pollen.
I just subbed. I love watching threads like this. I'm starting my winter grow either next month or October. Whenever the temps aren't so insane. Are you planning any type of low stress training or are you letting them grow naturally as God intended?