Does the light actually need to be out for seeds to sprout?

[Xtensity]

I've germinated and sprouted many seeds, though I think they've all sprouted while the lights were on, meaning I never had lights off when I found some had sprouted.


I recently got these starter plugs from my local hydro store. They were just the little moist cubes with the holes in them for the seeds. I asked the guy if I needed to cover up the hole after I dropped the seed in, and he says no just drop the seed in and leave it under the light.

The reason this concerned me is because, 1)Does the light not hit the roots if the seed is not covered in the hole?

2)I recently only put one germinated seed outdoors in one of these starter plugs, in the soil, and I can't tell if, the root just turned into a stem(because of sunlight hitting the root in the hole?) and grew upwards, or it actually sprouted and a bug bit off the top of the seedling. My other seedlings around the area are fine.

The seedling that looked like it got the top chewed off just looks like a green stem(barely 1 cm high), with a little brown spec at the top, as if something bit it off and it started to rot. Does it sound like a bug bit it off? If so, is there any chance of it continuing growth if no leaves exist?



As with the starter plugs, that have nothing to cover the hole once the seed has been dropped in...... How do I go about using these correctly? I germinated seeds, when tap root shows, drop them in... Then what? Do I wait until the seed sprouts before putting it outside? Will it sprout if there's no light?

Here's a picture of the starter plugs:

A question I recently asked on the outdoor forums, was relating to the light intensity when the seeds sprout.... I was told that whatever light the seedling sees when it sprouts is what it considers the 'sun'. If that light is intensified(like moving from under a CFL to the sun when it sprouts), the plant will go into shock more or less. What happens when it sprouts in the darkness, if it will sprout in the darkness?

I know these details are really minor and simple... but no where do I see technical details like this explained, and it can mean the difference between a few ounces-pounds or nothing at all.

 

[Xtensity]

I find it hard to believe no one knows the answer to this :S. Should the seedlings be waited until they sprout before putting in the light?

 

[THC123]

i always germ mine under 18/6 light

 

[circadian clock]

light is not required to germinate seeds. i've germinated seeds with no light for up to a week,as long as they were moist they lived. the funny part is when u introduce the light they go from that white look to green pretty fast.

 

[FreezerBoy]

I sprout under 24/0 in rockwool starter cubes. Once seeds go in the hole, the hole is plugged with a piece of rockwool torn from the side of the cube. Not for darkness but to: surround seed with moisture, apply stress (struggling makes them stronger), makes it easier for the sprout to shed the seed hull.

 

[real ting]

I sprout under 24/0 in rockwool starter cubes. Once seeds go in the hole, the hole is plugged with a piece of rockwool torn from the side of the cube. Not for darkness but to: surround seed with moisture, apply stress (struggling makes them stronger), makes it easier for the sprout to shed the seed hull.

Yeah what he said. With the root plugs you can just tear a little chunk off the corner to plug the hole.

 

[Xtensity]

Very good clarifying information. Thank you

So the growing seed will push the pieice of the plug(that I put there) up and the cotyledons will unfold?

I find putting them outdoors before they sprout leaves them to at risk of getting say washed away or something or eaten quickly.

 

[FreezerBoy]

One snail can wipe out an entire garden of seedlings single handed. I learned the hard way to keep plants indoors till they were a foot tall. Most animals don't like it but, it can take a few bites to figure it out.

 

[Xtensity]

I have a little cage set up and organic environment safe snail/slug killer.

The only insects I seem to have a problem with are flying ones.

I notice small mammals that can squeeze through the cage only disturb the pots of soil for the first 1-2 days, because they can smell new dirt. After that they don't seem to fuck with them.

Another thing I do is when putting seedlings outside, I do it as the sun it setting so I can applicate a neem dilution to the seedlings and the soil around them. That was if bugs land on them they can hopefully get a neem-contact buzz. I did that to 5 of my other seedlings outthere and it has seemed to have keep them safe.... so far, they've been growing for a week or so.