troutman
Seed Whore
I tried Jiffy pots once and didn't like them.
If you don't like using soil to start seeds cause of bacteria, bugs, etc. you can use a 50/50 mix of vermiculite and perlite.
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Why can't I germinate a seed?
- Thread starter trouthugger
- Start date
I tried Jiffy pots once and didn't like them.
If you don't like using soil to start seeds cause of bacteria, bugs, etc. you can use a 50/50 mix of vermiculite and perlite.
StickyBandit
Well-known member
Thanks for the tip
I'm always keen to try to improve things 
I wonder if it's possible to get little baby fine, soft net pots so the roots can come through and I don't have to re-pot?
Cuddles
Well-known member
FREEZING! Why didn´t I think of yesterday? If you got some seeds left still, try and put them in the freezer overnight before germinating them, this sometimes helps.
Can´t believe I forgot about this trick when I wrote my first post
trouthugger
Active member
If you are tired of losing seeds and money try my method in the propagation forum. I've only lost 2 seeds in the last ten years and have success everytime.
Is it stickied? How do I find it?
Cuddles
Well-known member
If you are tired of losing seeds and money try my method in the propagation forum. I've only lost 2 seeds in the last ten years and have success everytime.
I really wish I could have a grow with such a number of plants
FREEZING! Why didn´t I think of yesterday? If you got some seeds left still, try and put them in the freezer overnight before germinating them, this sometimes helps.
Can´t believe I forgot about this trick when I wrote my first post
I read a while ago about germinating fresh seeds, the dude did few tests and the cold treated seeds actually had lower germ rate than the ones that had been stored in room temp. so cold treatment doesn’t work every time, thou the common assumption is that it helps.
..can’t remember if it was a thread here on ICMag or where i read it.
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Auto-seeds and young autoflowering seedlings are reportedly more sensitive to over watering and damping off and personally i’ve had more trouble germinating autos than normal seeds.
Awhile ago i germinated over 500 normal seeds i made myself with about 95% germ rate but i had serious trouble germinating autos around the same time because of damping off and i did nothing differently than with the 500+ normal seeds.
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Here’s how i germinate seeds:
- I soak them in a glass of water for 24h that i keep in a small cupboard above my fridge that gets slightly warmer than room temperature
- Then i put them in plastic container in a moist paper towel and keep them in the warm cupboard for a day or two ..if you keep them too long in the moist paper the tails can get too long and then you have to be very careful when you move them into a pot of soil, a jiffy or what ever.
..just like Troutman, i don’t like germinating seeds in Jiffy pucks, i put my seeds in a tiny amount of potting soil.
- So after the paper towel i put them in small pots of about 2dl that are filled 1/3 with potting soil that i lightly moisten with a sprayer.
..when the seedlings pop out of the soil and the soil starts to dry out abit in the following days i keep moistening the soil with a sprayer cause it’s an easy way to control how much water goes into the soil; when i have poured water into the germinating pots, it’s easy to over water the tiny seedlings which can then lead to damping off.
- Why i fill the small 2dl pot only 1/3 is because this way the soil dries out abit faster, so that damping off wouldn’t be such a problem.
...Also once the seedling grows for a few days and stretches out abit and reaches the top of the tiny container, only then i fill the pot rest of the way up; the idea being that this way, cause during the first few days seedlings can stretch quite abit, good part of the stretch gets buried in the soil which also gives support for the seedling.
Cuddles
Well-known member
I read a while ago about germinating fresh seeds, the dude did few tests and the cold treated seeds actually had lower germ rate than the ones that had been stored in room temp. so cold treatment doesn’t work every time, thou the common assumption is that it helps.
..can’t remember if it was a thread here on ICMag or where i read it.
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Auto-seeds and young autoflowering seedlings are reportedly more sensitive to over watering and damping off and personally i’ve had more trouble germinating autos than normal seeds.
Awhile ago i germinated over 500 normal seeds i made myself with about 95% germ rate but i had serious trouble germinating autos around the same time because of damping off and i did nothing differently than with the 500+ normal seeds.
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Here’s how i germinate seeds:
- I soak them in a glass of water for 24h that i keep in a small cupboard above my fridge that gets slightly warmer than room temperature
- Then i put them in plastic container in a moist paper towel and keep them in the warm cupboard for a day or two ..if you keep them too long in the moist paper the tails can get too long and then you have to be very careful when you move them into a pot of soil, a jiffy or what ever.
..just like Troutman, i don’t like germinating seeds in Jiffy pucks, i put my seeds in a tiny amount of potting soil.
- So after the paper towel i put them in small pots of about 2dl that are filled 1/3 with potting soil that i lightly moisten with a sprayer.
..when the seedlings pop out of the soil and the soil starts to dry out abit in the following days i keep moistening the soil with a sprayer cause it’s an easy way to control how much water goes into the soil; when i have poured water into the germinating pots, it’s easy to over water the tiny seedlings which can then lead to damping off.
- Why i fill the small 2dl pot only 1/3 is because this way the soil dries out abit faster, so that damping off wouldn’t be such a problem.
...Also once the seedling grows for a few days and stretches out abit and reaches the top of the tiny container, only then i fill the pot rest of the way up; the idea being that this way, cause during the first few days seedlings can stretch quite abit, good part of the stretch gets buried in the soil which also gives support for the seedling.
I´ve never had really fresh seeds as far as I recall. Do you happen to know how fresh those seeds were? Seeds need a little time to mature as far as I know, don´t they? Sadly I don´t have serious experience in this matter . I once bought auto seeds and they were hermies mostly and ended up bonking each other. Result: tons of seeds but I didn´t bother germinating or growing them. Too bad I didn´t give it a go, really
The freezing method I mentioned can help with older seeds though.
Sorry, can’t remember exactly but the seeds were very fresh, something like a month after harvesting them. Did he dry them out for a week after harvesting them and then put one batch in the fridge for few weeks while one batch was kept in room temp?? ..something like that. But there was a noticeable difference in germ rate, something like 15-20%.
Yea usually seeds need a little rest period before they germinate properly, but with some plants they can have a fairly good germ rate straight off the plant. Personally i like to wait a few months before i’ll have a try with them.
StickyBandit
Well-known member
There's nothing wrong with controlling the environment but I find heat pads have too much of a range of temps. At least the one I've used.
The method I'm using now with the aquarium heater and the floating incubator seems to work awesome
Heat can help some seeds pop. I only use heat on seeds that do not pop normally. I use 80f max, too much heat will cook your seeds. I make sure the seeds are cracked before I use heat. Not all seeds are the same. Some seeds do not need help, some do.
Bobchronic gave you some good advice. Grab a pack of garden seeds and give a few practice runs with different methods and find what works best for you. So far it doesn't seem to be Jiffy's. You go 2 shots left. Your call in how you want to do them.
Do you have experience growing plants of any kind? It's not hard to grow smoke but there is a bit of trail and error involved sometimes until you get your style.
Do you have experience growing plants of any kind? It's not hard to grow smoke but there is a bit of trail and error involved sometimes until you get your style.
So it is Gas Reaper Genetics..important to get the name correct there sir....They have a authorized dealer..seeds here now..not the place you got them from...
Always get seeds from the authorized source. Seed quality and the health of the seed plant are very important. Seed age can be a factor as well as how it was stored. Anyone can put up a informative web page about how awesome there gear is...anyone. I am VERY skeptical of most seeds companies. They can send you anything and how would you know. In short I do not trust most anyone who sells seeds. I have seen way to much lying in this industry to do so.
That said I have bought quality gear from one company in my life...That was Ocean Grown Seeds. Very transparent in where there lines come from and completely honest in my opinion. Fresh, high quality seeds at a fair price.
The wet paper towel in a dark place for 3 days has always worked for me. Some times they already have cotyledons after only 3 days in the towel.....nice. Just normal room temp here...
Dough G seeds from Ocean Grown 3 days in....were ready to plant in 2 days...
Have a great day all.
Peace, negative.
Always get seeds from the authorized source. Seed quality and the health of the seed plant are very important. Seed age can be a factor as well as how it was stored. Anyone can put up a informative web page about how awesome there gear is...anyone. I am VERY skeptical of most seeds companies. They can send you anything and how would you know. In short I do not trust most anyone who sells seeds. I have seen way to much lying in this industry to do so.
That said I have bought quality gear from one company in my life...That was Ocean Grown Seeds. Very transparent in where there lines come from and completely honest in my opinion. Fresh, high quality seeds at a fair price.
The wet paper towel in a dark place for 3 days has always worked for me. Some times they already have cotyledons after only 3 days in the towel.....nice. Just normal room temp here...
Dough G seeds from Ocean Grown 3 days in....were ready to plant in 2 days...
Have a great day all.
Peace, negative.
gizmo666
Active member
one thing about seeds is everyone has their way.....
i personally keep it simple and to be honest i've never had a seed fail to open
place tissue paper inside a tupperware box soak it with lukewarm water place the seeds onto the tissue and cover with more tissue close the lid and look at it in around 3/4 days
never failed for me
i personally keep it simple and to be honest i've never had a seed fail to open
place tissue paper inside a tupperware box soak it with lukewarm water place the seeds onto the tissue and cover with more tissue close the lid and look at it in around 3/4 days
never failed for me
WET is open to debate. There is no point getting out of a glass at a critical number of hours, if the tissue is just as wet.
I have not used a glass, but have used tissue. Just a couple of sheets thick, under and over it. I wouldn't call it wet. If you could tip the plate and get water to physically move about, that would be wet. I use damp tissue. I will lift the top sheets and drop them back, so they lay over the seed, but there is also air present. So the seed has definite points of contact with the damp tissue, but also the air of a trapped bubble. Air which will be 100% RH. I use plates, with one over the top, to stop the tissue drying. I want a warm space. 25-27c I find is sweet.
Better rates in coco or compost. The seed just has to orientate itself once, and there is no disturbance of the forming root hairs. I don't want to do everything twice. A pot/cell of substrate keeps a more consistent moisture level. A few drips lost is nothing, but in tissue that might be major. The bigger volume slows the changes down. Put a lid over a container, and what does evaporate off, condenses and drips back.
Where does the notion of it being 85c come from? a laser pointer or the mat stat? I won't go near a heated prop. I do have a heat mat warms my box. The box sits at 25-28 and my prop goes in the box. Not touching the mat. As mats cause serious hot spots. I find heated props, used indoors, will work round the edges, but cook the middle 80%. Everyone I know bought them at some point, then chopped the cable off. You use them in cold environments, with pebble layers. It's really not for us.
Pop down the pet shop for hemp seed. Birds eat it, and people with beards. That's how I taught myself. It costs next to nothing.
I have not used a glass, but have used tissue. Just a couple of sheets thick, under and over it. I wouldn't call it wet. If you could tip the plate and get water to physically move about, that would be wet. I use damp tissue. I will lift the top sheets and drop them back, so they lay over the seed, but there is also air present. So the seed has definite points of contact with the damp tissue, but also the air of a trapped bubble. Air which will be 100% RH. I use plates, with one over the top, to stop the tissue drying. I want a warm space. 25-27c I find is sweet.
Better rates in coco or compost. The seed just has to orientate itself once, and there is no disturbance of the forming root hairs. I don't want to do everything twice. A pot/cell of substrate keeps a more consistent moisture level. A few drips lost is nothing, but in tissue that might be major. The bigger volume slows the changes down. Put a lid over a container, and what does evaporate off, condenses and drips back.
Where does the notion of it being 85c come from? a laser pointer or the mat stat? I won't go near a heated prop. I do have a heat mat warms my box. The box sits at 25-28 and my prop goes in the box. Not touching the mat. As mats cause serious hot spots. I find heated props, used indoors, will work round the edges, but cook the middle 80%. Everyone I know bought them at some point, then chopped the cable off. You use them in cold environments, with pebble layers. It's really not for us.
Pop down the pet shop for hemp seed. Birds eat it, and people with beards. That's how I taught myself. It costs next to nothing.
I store my seeds in the freezer, so they start frozen but surely thaw quickly. What has worked for me is to half fill a pint jar with warm water, add a couple drops of food grade H2O2, some aloe, and put in the seeds.
I shake the jar vigorously, few times a day, and keep them on top of a water heater in a dark closet. The shaking removes the air bubbles that form on the seeds.
Seeds usually take 1.5 days to tail. They have taken as long as 3+, so be patient. I just screwed that part up.
With a tail, I put them in dixie cups, tail down, and cover lightly with sifted soil. The cups are on a heated pad in a nursery, light 24/0. When they pop, I keep them in the dixie cups until the roots are getting bound.
I shake the jar vigorously, few times a day, and keep them on top of a water heater in a dark closet. The shaking removes the air bubbles that form on the seeds.
Seeds usually take 1.5 days to tail. They have taken as long as 3+, so be patient. I just screwed that part up.
With a tail, I put them in dixie cups, tail down, and cover lightly with sifted soil. The cups are on a heated pad in a nursery, light 24/0. When they pop, I keep them in the dixie cups until the roots are getting bound.
TychoMonolyth
Boreal Curing
I use the tried and true Paper Towel in a Baggie method. Soak for a couple days, the I put them in sealed zip-lock baggie and on a slight heat source. Any slight heat source like router, PC, top of fridge, LED, then sit back and wait.
For problem seeds I'll crack by putting them in the jaws of a pair of vise grips and slowly turn the adjustor until I hear it crack. Then I start the process above.
For old seed, you can try GA3.
For very old seeds I use this
https://www.icmag.com/forum/marijua...n/17993471-germinating-old-and-stubborn-seeds
For problem seeds I'll crack by putting them in the jaws of a pair of vise grips and slowly turn the adjustor until I hear it crack. Then I start the process above.
For old seed, you can try GA3.
For very old seeds I use this
https://www.icmag.com/forum/marijua...n/17993471-germinating-old-and-stubborn-seeds
Switcher56
Comfortably numb!
I would only change one thing good buddy. The baggie is not sealed, even seeds need oxygen and, it allows the "extra heat" generated in the sauna a place to escape
