So i have watched a few youtube videos on germ seeds. There is a question I have involving the glass of water soak that no video seemed to go in depth about. With the paper towel, you soak, enclose, and leave in a dark place. With the glass of water do you leave it on the counter for 3 days? under a light? or in a dark closet? Also which has worked best for you? My first grow and I am pretty stoked. Going to try and start off germing 3 seeds hoping all 3 take. I have more seeds but only allowed to have 2 plants according to the wifey. Also, do you think its cutting it close to be planting them now and wanting them done first week december? I need them gone because family is coming into town. was going to veg under 400w mh 3-4 weeks then flower asap under 400w hps... as long as i get SOME yield I will be happy for a first grow.
I can't speak for the water or shot glass method, but I have used the paper towel method for my grows and it works. Just take some paper towel, fold it up so you get 4 layers or more. Soak it with water and put another folded up paper towel on top of it. Make sure its soaked with water but not so much water where it is dripping. Then just seal it in a zip lock bag and check a day or two later. Once you see a tap root which is 1/8 of an inch long plant it in your soil. As far as harvesting by the 1st week of December, yes I think thats cutting it very close. Normally you want to veg for 4 weeks and flower for at least 8 weeks if not 10 weeks. Not to mention that you also need to germinate your seed and wait for it to pop up out of the dirt before that time also. You may end up having to harvest it around the 7th week of flowering which will be a little early.
Thanks for the input. Maybe I will just do the ziplock method then, would early harvest just grant me a lower yield and thc %? but still make it useable? Also, should I use my 400w mh after i plant it the seedlings in soil 12inches away or use 2 26w(100w equal) cfl's 2-3 inches away until it sprouts more? So I dont burn the little lady
i don't know about the glass of water, but i usually have a good 1/4" tap-root ready to plant in 3 days. i put the paper towel in a ziplock bag, blown full of air. then i put it in a warm, dark place. some put it under a couple towels above the fridge, so the warm air blows on it. i use one of those sore muscle heating pads. keep temp around 80. male to female ratio is about 50/50, so germ 4 seeds. you'll be cutting it close for your dec date. i'd flower at 8" using a 400 watter.
when i put the sprout in the medium, i make sure the seed-cap is exposed so i can use the light immediately. if you decide to bury it completely, you don't need light till it breaks to the surface. i save a day or two by exposing it immediately. early harvest will mostly effect yield, and then type of high. since you'll prob have mostly clear and some milky, (this means little to no amber) so different high.
The paper towel method works great for dirt grows, little chance of damaging the delicate tap root with dirt. But if you're going hydro them the shot glass method is preferred. This has worked marvelously for me for years: Fill a shot glass with a 50-50 mix of 3% hydrogen peroxide and purified water. Soak the seeds for a couple of hours; this kills off any contaminants that can hurt your seeds. From this step forward, do not touch the seeds again. After the soak, dip the seeds into a shot glass of purified water & allow to soak overnight. Soak a rapid rooter plug in purified water for about 15 minutes, just before planting. Use the end of a spoon handle (sterilize first with alcohol) to lift each seed out of the water (they should have sank overnight, indicating they are beginning to hydrate) and place it in the hole in the top of the rapid rooter. Pointy end of the seed down. Pinch off a corner of the plug and poke it into the hole to seal light from the seed. Place the rooter plugs / seeds in a styrofoam egg carton (sterilize with alcohol, remember where eggs come from... allow carton to air dry first). Wrap in a towel, put in warm dark space just like Growbot said. Check daily & move to fluorescent as soon as the seed breaks the surface. Some like to use rock wool, works OK too (hate the shit, makes me itch), but you must soak the cubes in pH balanced water overnight, then flush with more pH balanced water just before planting. This method works well for dirt grows as well, but especially effective for hydro as there's no dirt to contaminate your reservoir. Hope this helps, Bestaluck to ya.
i got some supps.. also no one gave me an answer for starting it off on 2x 26w cfls or just go straight to 400w mh as a seedling/1st week
you can start under the 400, just leave LOTS of room between the lights and the seedling. invest in a t5.. even if just a jumpstart single tube. good investment for clones and seedlings!
lol returned my 4ft 4 bulb t5ho for my new 400mh/hps system. will 12-18 inches be good? i dont want to be to far away the seed wont take but too close it fryz
dont need ANY light to germ.. dont need light til it sheds its helmet! and i would shoot for about 36+" away to start with and slowly move it closer every day.
If you already have the CFL, use them until you get two sets of true leaves, then go under your 400 MH. You can stay under the CFL's a little longer if need be. Right after germination the plants are still very tender, their roots are not developed, and they may not recover from wilt or heat stress. So yes, 36" is not unreasonable, wouldn't start closer than 30". If after 24 hours they seem to have perked up, drop the light 6". I usually drop 6" a day until I'm within 18"; as soon as the plants show good growth response (new leaves and a swelling trunk) I go to within 10-12" with a 400W MH.
thanks got my seeds last night, germing 3(2 diff types) using the paper towel method... going to check on them after 24 hours. whats the rule of thumb for going from towel to solo cup for planting? then doing 3 gallons.
Issue:: as stated above i started germing last night but realized I can't plant until Monday Will this be a problem? To long in paper towel? I plan on keeping it moist and opening ziplock every 24 hours for fresh air but will waiting till afternoon Monday be waiting to long to set it in soil
[quote name='"LetGo"']Issue:: as stated above i started germing last night but realized I can't plant until Monday Will this be a problem? To long in paper towel? I plan on keeping it moist and opening ziplock every 24 hours for fresh air but will waiting till afternoon Monday be waiting to long to set it in soil[/quote] It's a stretch, not impossible. Could take upto 72 hours before they break so you should be good.