A couple questions about growing from seed.

If they haven't sprouted yet, light is unnecessary unless you're using it for heat.
Once they sprout, I like to keep my t5 about 4" from the tops of the plants.
Domes are for clones.........not seedlings.
Good luck.

 

I've had horrible success germinating seeds. Hilariously, the way I've had 100% success is to just put them in the pots they are eventually going in, and just put them in the overflow light. Then I use a shot glass to water so its not too damp. Has worked for me all 4 times, but everything else has failed for me. IDK if that's advice, but its my experience.

 

What is the PH of your water ?????
Soak the seeds in a jar of 1 part hydrogen peroxide 9 parts water for 24 hours.
then use that water to soak a coffee filter,place seeds in filter put filter in room temp closet ,in a plastic baggie slightly opened

 

It doesn't matter if it's in a dark room or not.........they're underground and light is irrelevant until they sprout.
My humidity is usually around 50%.

 

A:1 T5's are low quality light, you may move them right down to an 1-2 inch of the plant let the temp gauge show you 77f/27c, you be amazed

A:2 No Dome needed, or cover, they will pop out over the next few days


good luck

 

A lot of people put the seeds in a glass of water for 24hr. Then in to damp paper towels between two plates or damp paper towel in a plastic bag. On top of heating mat. Usually in 24-23hr you'll have a taproot.

I go seed straight in to a damp paper towel, between two small kitchen plates on top of a heating mat. 24-48hr max you'll see taproot unless the seeds are really old. I prefer tap roots no longer than the seed itself when I plant

Hope this helps

 

If you've got no tap root sticking out at four days, it is almost certainly dead. You should see something happening at 48 hours max. I've had them take up to three days for the taproot to extend a bit out of the shell, but the seed always pops open by two days, in my experience. How old are the seeds? I popped some that were maybe 2-3 years old this year, but my germination rate wasn't stellar. Maybe 70% max. You can help old seeds along by using the peroxide method mentioned above or by putting the seed in a small tube of sandpaper and shaking it around a bit to introduce scratches to the seed shell before soaking. Some people also have luck putting their seeds in the fridge or freezer for a few days before soaking them, to simulate a spring unthaw. If your seeds are fresh, none of these additional methods should be necessary.

 

I've got some 10+ year old beans I haven't had any luck with. Just popped a bean that's 3 years old and had a taproot in 36hr

 

It happens. Once you've done it a few times, you'll figure out a method that works best for you. I do the paper towel thing a little differently than most, after I drowned a seed by accident once. I use a coffee cup, canning lid, and paper towel. I fold up the paper towel to fit nicely on the wall of the cup, saturate with water, and dribble a little bit of water into the cup as well. I then stick the wet paper towel to the inside wall of the cup with the very bottom dipping into the water. Then peal the paper towel back about halfway and stick my seed to the paper towel and squish the towel back down so it's all sticking to the wall of the cup again. So the seed is sitting between the wall of the cup and the paper towel, not between two layers of paper towel. I use a canning lid to cover it, but you can use whatever fits. Make sense? I have found this method to work well for a few reasons. Having the seed up against the cup instead of having paper towel on both sides allows for a small air gap for when the tap root finally pushes out and wants some oxygen. The paper towel in the vertical position, dipping into the water works as a wick, keeping just the right amount of water around the seed. With paper towel on both sides, it's possible the taproot won't get any oxygen and the seed could die if you don't get it into soil quick, which sadly happened to me once.

 

Wet the rooter, squeeze out excess, place seed in hole, put in a drawer, and within a few days it will sprout.
No brainer and no excess handling..........simple and easy.

10 for 10 last time.

 

How To Germinate Weed Seeds: 8 Pro Tips




If you’re new to the whole ganja-growing game, you’re probably wondering how to germinate weed seeds to produce a healthy crop.

Have we got a treat for you! The experts at Honest Marijuana have been germinating weed seeds for a loooong time.

In this article, we’ll introduce you to the basic science of germination (no boring textbook stuff here) and give you some pro tips for starting your seeds off right.

What Is Germination?


The technical definition of germination is:

The development of a plant from a seed after a period of dormancy.

After they’re fully formed, seeds go dormant — meaning there’s no biological activity — and wait for the right conditions to start growing again. When stored properly, seeds can last up to a year and still produce a viable plant.

But once they’re dormant, how do you activate them again so they’ll produce a pot plant? Yell at them? Pet them like a cat? No and no.

Dormant seeds react to heat and moisture — the two things a plant needs most to grow.

“Now wait a minute,” you say, “if heat and moisture are all a plant needs, I could turn my thermostat up to 90 and grow my ganja in a dark closet as long as I watered it enough.”

To that we say, “Very astute of you, dear reader.” And if that were the way biology worked, you’d be right.

But when we say “heat,” what we really mean is the thing that creates heat: sunlight (or just light for short).

Seeds don’t know the difference between heat and sunlight. When the ambient gets warm enough, they “assume” there’s plenty of the light they need to sustain a fully grown plant. Then they start “looking” for moisture.

If there’s enough of both, they’ll germinate (or wake up and start growing).

It’s only once they’ve sprouted into a seedling (the end of the germination stage) that they need actual light to continue growing.

We’ll tell you how to germinate weed seeds the right way for best growth in our pro tips section. But first, let’s identify where germination falls in the life cycle of your plant.

Germination In The Life Cycle Of Your Cannabis Plant


As we hinted at above, germination is the very beginning of your cannabis plant’s life cycle. Technically, it’s also the very end as it’s the last thing that remains after harvesting.

There’s a “Which came first?” joke in there somewhere, but we’re too baked to make it work.

Anyway, after germination, your cannabis plant follows the same general course. Here are the seven stages of the marijuana plant life cycle:

1. Seed
2. Germination
3. Seedling
4. Vegetative
5. Pre-flowering
6. Flowering
7. Harvesting

Once you’ve harvested the buds and separated the seeds from the plant, you can start over on a new batch of cannabis plants.

So now that you know a little bit about how to germinate weeds seeds — they need heat and moisture — we’ll get into the specifics of how to nurture those darling little seeds into mega-marijuana monsters.

Pro Tips On How To Germinate Weed Seeds


1) Keep It Simple
Germination is really very simple: soak your weed seeds in a glass of water for 24 hours or until the seed sprouts a taproot.

If, for some reason, you don’t have access to a glass, cup, pot, or other container, place the cannabis seeds in-between layers of damp paper towels.

2) Don’t Soak Seeds For More Than 32 Hours
Seeds, like humans, can drown if they get too much water, so don’t soak them for more than 32 hours.

Keep a close eye on your seeds and remove them from the water when they start sprouting a taproot. If you don’t see a taproot after 24 hours, the seed may not be viable.

3) Tap Water Is Fine, But Distilled Water Is Better
Tap water contains chemicals like calcium, sodium, fluoride, and chlorine. In large enough quantities, those chemicals can harm your tiny seeds and actually prevent germination.

So if you want the cleanest, most organic marijuana possible, soak your seeds in distilled water.

As this tip says, tap water is fine (the seeds are only going to be soaking for 24 hours anyway), but distilled water is better. The choice is yours.

4) pH-Balanced Water Is Best


pH (or Potential of Hydrogen) is a numeric scale used to specify the acidity or alkalinity of a liquid.

It’s vital to check the pH of the water you give to your cannabis plants when they sprout because they need a slightly acidic medium to digest and break down all of the organic nutrients that you’ll be feeding them.

You can kick-start this process by soaking your weed seeds in pH-balanced water instead of the tap water mentioned in the previous tip.

Checking and adjusting the pH level of your water is a simple process. If you’re using distilled water, you can skip to step two.

1. Leave tap water in an open container for 24 hours to dechlorinate it.
2. Use pH tester drops or a pH tester pen to determine the pH of your water. Distilled water is already neutral (pH of 7.0), but it can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and become slightly acidic (pH of 5.8).
3. Add pH up and/or pH down to your water to keep it within an optimal pH range of 6.0 to 7.0.

5) Label Your Seeds
If you’re only growing one strain of marijuana, you don’t have to label your seeds. But if you’re growing different strains, it’s essential to keep track of which seeds are which.

The easiest way to do this is to write the strain on a piece of masking tape and stick it to the glass in which you’re soaking your seeds. If you’re soaking in a plastic cup, you can write directly on the cup itself with a marker or heavy pen.

Be sure to label the container with the strain name when you transfer the germinated seed to its growing medium.

6) Don’t Germinate Male Seeds
Only the female plant produces the trichome-rich cola buds that you can harvest to smoke, vape, dab, and ingest.

The male plant produces none of that. In fact, the male marijuana plant can actually be a detriment to your cannabis harvest if grown with female plants.

This is because the male plant’s sole purpose is to pollinate the female plants. And while that doesn’t sound like a bad thing, it actually is.

When female marijuana plants are pollinated, they start using their energy to produce seeds and stop using their energy to feed the buds that we all know and love.

Allowing a male plant to grow alongside a female plant is a recipe for reduced bud harvest and can ruin the euphoric properties of the female cannabis plant’s high-inducing “fruit.”

Be sure you separate all male and female plants right away.

7) Don’t Touch The Taproot
The taproot of a germinated weed seed is very fragile. Do your best not to touch it.

Treat the seeds gently when you transfer them from the soaking container to the growing medium (i.e., the dirt).

You can also invest in a small pair of tweezers to help you get a grip on the little suckers without coming into contact with the taproot.

 

I've soaked seeds. I have done the paper towel thing. I've started in peat pods. I just start them in 4 inch square pots of seed starting soil now. I've never had less than 90% successful germination. All the methods seem to work fine. I have just reduced the amount of steps that it was taking me to get from point A to point B. I would say to pick the method that seems right for your situation, and then work on mastering it. After you have gained some experience and are comfortable with it, mix it up. Try something different. That way if it doesn't work you can confidently go back to what you know works for you.