Rookie mistakes and "lessons learned" from my first germination

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by AloeRuss, Dec 25, 2012.

  1. #1 AloeRuss, Dec 25, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 25, 2012
    Hi everyone

    The time has come to do "post mortem" to my first germination that was filled with basic errors and mistakes.

    I hope that new grower will read this and try not to do the same errors as me and double check the areas I mention, all though they are the basics

    Anyway, here are mine:
    1 Taking the seeds out of the paper towel too soon. Mine was only begin to show its roots.
    2. Burrying the seed too deep into the ground. I probably burried it and inch deep. Jorge Servantes recomends to look at the seed you are burrying. Figure the double size of your seed and thats how deep it goes. That's it. No guessing.
    3. Didn't have a warming mat to help them germinate faster. This is not a "must" all around but it is when it is friggin 50 degrees outside!!!!
    4. Didn't have a thermometer in the germinating room for the first 4 days! Guys, please be prepared when germinating. Not like I was.
    5. Wasn't sure how to properly water. From what I learned now, water it once until runoff. Don't add half a cup every morning just because top seems dry.
    6. LIFTA - leave them fuck alone!

    Those were my mistakes. I hope new growers will pay a special attention to those areas and grow a good looking plants.
    If the rest of you have anything to add to this story, please take the podium, and tell us what was your oversights or errors during your first germination so we all learn.

    Good luck
     
  2. #2 jetski, Dec 25, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 25, 2012
    I strongly advise people to not bother with paper towels. it's psychological because you can see them, but your far better off just putting them straight in to the soil

    if your seedlings can't break through an inch of soil you have something wrong. a healthy seedling germinating in descent soil will easily break through 6 inches of soil. I drop mine about half inch to an inch but I don't concern myself with depth

    heat definitely speeds things up but as long as you have it between 10-30'c they will hatch, lower temps will slow things right down though. I would say 25'c is what you should aim for

    I don't use a thermometer but I have a good sense of temperature, I agree with you, it's a great tool to have and a necessity for someone who isn't a good judge of heat

    having a good hard wet/dry cycle is extremely important when the plants are older but for me in the first week I like to keep the soil evenly moist because the roots are so fragile

    leaving them alone is the most overlooked thing newbies have to deal with

    although I obviously believe I'm 100% correct in what I have just said but I do accept its my opinion
     
  3. the only problem you had was putting the seed too deep. even then, it might see the sun and grow towards it
     
  4. I have a huge wooden bin that I use to mix soil and perlite. a few years back I must of dropped a couple of seeds in there because one day I notices two seedling sticking out. when digging them up the stem had pushed through about two feet of soil and the root had reached the bottom.

    if your plant can't get through a few inches of soil you have big soil problems that will need sorting out
     
  5. right on jetski brotha.

    LIFTA LIFTA LIFTA LIFTA

    i follow
     
  6. Werd

    The vast majority issues are moisture or temp related. Good seed will sprout everytime if given adequate conditions.
     
  7. I just quoted Jorge Servantes regarding how deep seed should go. According to him, it does not have enough energy to fight through several inches of dirt.
    Me, on another hand are nowhere near his experience level so I can't say what will not work for sure.

    Probably based on the average, 20 seeds out of a 100 will make it out and through 3 inches of dirt and he thinks this is not a good average and advised against it?
     
  8. i dont see how him saying that discredits what my point is. if your seedling cant push through your soil you are going to have a dieing plant on your hands because the roots arent going to be able to penetrate through the soil. use light airy soil with added perlite and dont over water it.

    im not saying everyone should plant their seeds 6 inches deep, im saying anywhere between half inch to a couple of inches is not going to cause any problems. if you fill your pot and then use a chopstick or something similar to push a hole in the soil, then drop a seed in, it has a tunnel of very loose soil already made for it to follow as it grows up to the surface

    anyway my point was that blaming germination problems on the fact a seed was sown one inch deep instead of half inch is simply incorrect

    have a look at the link in my signature, i put those seeds in an inch deep, maybe a little over and all germinated perfectly. germinating them in paper towels makes no sense
     
  9. well of course not, anatomically the seeds only fall off the plant, take a little time to get just buried enough to make a connection with the ground and sprout. roots grow by one force of energy, and vegetation from another.

    i just push my seed in without gerinating, just till its level with the surface, then cover it. thats the ONLY way my basil and tomatos would sprout. like two blanets of moist soil. i use a sparyer at first
     
  10. Seeds should be planted approximately twice the depth of the diameter of the seeds, this is an industry standard worldwide. Suggesting planting deeper is not good horticultural practice, this is the cause of many seed failures and is spreading misinformation. Anything deeper than 1/2" may have trouble. When planting into soil directly the pointed end goes up, if planting a sprouted seedling, the root goes down. Usually either way works, but if upside down and too deep, many seeds cannot reach the surface and die.

    PW
     
  11. wise man..the taproot should in fact point upward, as the seed unfolds and this is the most efficient position for the seed becuase it unfolds, then grows. if the seed isnt the correct way in the ground, it has to use energy to flip itself (theres a name for it, but i forget) it doesnt really matter that much though
     

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