Germing seeds...

[growclean]

Ok, so we are ready to try out our first grow from seeds. We will be using some Mr. Nice Shit. I am not 100% sure if I have this process down. This is what I am planning, does it sound right?

Soak all seeds in a cup of tap water (not RO or distilled). Wait 12 hours and grab the ones that sink.

Then scrape them a little with a razor (where do I do I this, all around, just along the seem?)

Plant in some Rapid Rooters, in a dome. Have the Rapid Rooters pre-wetted (again tap), and then mist twice a day and keep them warm with a heating pad underneath.

How does this sound?

What should the seed orientation be when going in the Rapid Rooters?

Thanks!

 

[habeeb]

R/O or tap does not make a difference

razor scraping is not really done unless old seeds, or known to be really hard shelled

no need to mist twice daily, I'm sure once a couple days in fine, just don't let it dry out. I'm sure all you need to do is wet it once. orientation does not matter. heating pad don't do over 90F, I like 80-85F

shanti gives you so many seeds, you should be fine, have fun is the most important part

 

[BPJR]

All I do is wet the rapid rooter with RO water (tap water is fine too) and put seed about 4mm deep pointy tip down. Place in a warm envimronment 75-85 or so. Wait about 24 hours and I have a seedling. I typicaly get about 95% to germ.

Keep it simple

Cheers,

b

 

[hilbie]

i will never ever use rapid rooters again, ime absolute junk, cost me weeks of growth last run with them, roots never left the fukin rooter, peeled off every piece of rooter off my roots and plants regained strenght in about 3-5 days, they are a soggy sponge that u dont need. even had seeds mold in them before they sprouted.

 

[BPJR]

i will never ever use rapid rooters again, ime absolute junk, cost me weeks of growth last run with them, roots never left the fukin rooter, peeled off every piece of rooter off my roots and plants regained strenght in about 3-5 days, they are a soggy sponge that u dont need. even had seeds mold in them before they sprouted.

I feel the opposite. They have done very well for me. But that said there are many options that will work. You just have to see whats best for you.

Happy Holidays

 

[growclean]

All I do is wet the rapid rooter with RO water (tap water is fine too) and put seed about 4mm deep pointy tip down. Place in a warm envimronment 75-85 or so. Wait about 24 hours and I have a seedling. I typicaly get about 95% to germ.

Keep it simple

Cheers,

b

Sounds good guys. Thanks for the help. I won't bother scraping, stressing about orientation, or the water. I will plant them and see what happens.

Oh, but do you think I need to pre-soak them or just drop em in?

By the way, the only "seeds" I have ever really grown are avocados. All my life I have used the toothpick in a glass of water trick and had great success! These are a little smaller though! LOL...

 

[hilbie]

yeah im not bashing anyone who uses rapid rooters, i actaully recomended them on here somewere and i forgot casue i want to go back an erase it, but i had some and had yet to use them and they seemed like a nice thing, didnt work for me, this was coco, nothing i did could get them to not stop wicking up the water and never letting the roots spread out for more fresh water. i would actually think soil to be just as bad early on but like i said if u got them to work great, they do germ alot of beans in a small space. id skip them.

 

[maryjohn]

i use a propagation tray that has a bunch of little "cells" that can be filled with whatever medium. Then I use a widger to move my starts into pots.

For rooting, I go with perlite/vermiculite 50/50. For seeds I use the same thing or if the dome will be off, peat/perlite 50/50.

I noticed with certain seeds you can't have the dome on when they pop. Sam the Skunkman's original haze x skunk seeds were sending up lanky little sprouts that stretched to the sky and fell over with the dome on (I had some cuts in there same time). With the dome off and the heat mat turned down to 75, they are giving me nice sturdy little seedlings.

 

[sneaky101]

I'm with you hilbie...the rapid rooters didn't work for me either. Same issue, too much like a sponge and was always too wet. Probably operators error...at least with me. Afterthat, I have been sticking with rockwool. They can be used for soil or hydro grows and has worked best for me.

Good luck growclean.

 

[BPJR]

Sounds good guys. Thanks for the help. I won't bother scraping, stressing about orientation, or the water. I will plant them and see what happens.

Oh, but do you think I need to pre-soak them or just drop em in?

By the way, the only "seeds" I have ever really grown are avocados. All my life I have used the toothpick in a glass of water trick and had great success! These are a little smaller though! LOL...

I turn the rapid rooter upside down. Wide side down. Make a small little hole in the top for the seed. Soak the RR just a little to make sure it has enough moisture. Then simply drop the seed using tweezers pointy tip down. Hope that helps. Rock wool, peat pots or even soil will work as well. But I really do like using RR and have had very good success with them.


I did this with some Cindy99 beans about 30 hours ago and have little sprouts this morning.

 

[BurnOne]

I use Rapid Rooters right out of the bag. They are already properly wet. I just drop the seed in and gently push it to the bottom of the hole.
Then I put the Rapid Rooter in a small container of lightly damped LC's Mix. A 16 oz. cup with holes in the bottom will work. Put the top of the Rapid Rooter level with the top of the mix.
When the seed gets about an inch above the top of the Rapid Rooter plug, I push the plug down into the mix and pile the mix up around the stalk up to the first leaves. This keeps the seedling from falling over and dieing.
DO NOT OVER WATER THE MIX!!! You will drown the roots. The seedling needs very little water the first few days or even weeks.
Leave them in the cups for about two weeks.
At the same time I germ the seeds, I mix enough LC's Mix and blood/bone/kelp (Recipe #1) to fill enough containers to grow the seeds I planted. By the time your seedlings need food, the bone will be ready and you can uppot into the containers.
Don't plant all your seeds at once. I generally plant about 2/3 of them. When you turn your lights to 12/12 plant the rest of your seeds. Then in about two weeks, when your males show, pull them up, remove the root ball and reuse that mix just as it is to plant your new two week old seedling in.
Does that make sense?
Burn1

 

[Hydro-Soil]

I noticed with certain seeds you can't have the dome on when they pop.

For maximum growth rates..... Keep the dome ONLY until the seedling has popped through the soil and has shed the hull. Start hardening it off immediately.

 

[Kcar]

I swear by Jiffy pellets. And the little humidity dome that comes with them.

 

[maryjohn]

For maximum growth rates..... Keep the dome ONLY until the seedling has popped through the soil and has shed the hull. Start hardening it off immediately.

yeah, but if you have some clones in the same tray... yeah, I know, I should just not do that.

but i do, and I noticed some strains do fine like that.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Ah I feel ya man..

It can be stressful.

It seems it's the humble things that get me worried.. Starting precious seeds or getting cuttings to root.

Each has it's own moment where life takes hold and it's something of a wait and see thing isn't it.

If you are worried then the paper towel method is the one that may give you more satisfaction.
That is where we place the seeds in a moist paper towel and wet it with a spray bottle of water. Then place the sprouted seeds in our medium.

The float and sink has the advantage of hydrating seeds and separating dead seeds. It doesn't mean old tired seeds will open and grow but it might help them.

I am starting some "Tiki jo" seeds right now and I am waiting for them to break the soil. I bought one of those cute trays with all the mini plastic pots.
These "Tiki jo" seeds I have are young seeds and I just put them in the soil and wet that soil.

I am sure we can all agree a warm area is best and once the seedlings are up that a regular light cycle will help them grow.

Mostly, it's a wait and see game.

Good luck on that and if I can answer any questions feel free.. Again I understand how you must feel.

Jack

 

[growclean]

The deed is done! Thanks for the replies. I really like B1 idea of starting them in the RRs in the soil, but I wasn't prepared for that so I just did the RR in the little trays. I hope it goes well. I will let you know. Luckily this was only half the pack of seeds (planted 9 of 18) and this was the "cheap" strain that I bought. But nonetheless, I am projecting positive energy their way and think it will work fine. LOL. This "hobby" is so much fun!

 

[BurnOne]

You can still push them down into the soil mix when you uppot. And watch out, when the stalks get about two inch long they will fall over and die. So push the RR down in there and pile the mix up to the leaves.
Shit is an absolutely fabulous strain. You should take cuttings off of every plant and make mothers out of them. Mark them so you can track which plant they came off of and throw away the male cuttings when the first plants show their sex.
Don't let the price of the seeds fool you. Shantibaba is the best breeder anywhere.
Burn1

 

[growclean]

Yeah, I have some other Shanti strains that I am waiting to know what I am doing before I pop them. As far as taking the clones, when do you suggest to do this? I have read that about 2 weeks before flower or up to about 2 weeks into flowering. This will also be my first taking of clones!

 

[BurnOne]

Cloning takes a lot of practice. I suggest you make a bubble cloner. The only difference with soil vs. hydro is you plant the clones into soil when the roots are about 1/2" long.
Keeping mothers and taking clones is the only way to go IMO. It just takes a lot of time and space until you get a few mothers. Then you're set for life.
I suggest three types of mothers. A heavy couchlock Indica strain, a Indica/Sativa hybrid and a Sativa. Maybe a total of four mothers of different strains.
If I were to choose from Mr. Nice strains, I would choose Shit, Medicine Man, Super Silver Haze and La Nina. And maybe Shark Shock or Black Widow.
Burn1

 

[VerdantGreen]

its keeping the number of mums down that i have trouble with. ive got 10 or so atm and i only flower 4 plants at a time

but yes you should really clone anything you grow because it will always be the ones you didnt bother with that'll be your keepers.

V.