Far from new grower.. but dealing w noob problem.

[zingablack]

So im experiencing an issue I've yet to deal with after almost a decade of gardens. Trying to help a friend setup and we can't get him off the ground.

The problem starts in germination. I use the wet paper towel method.

After a day usually maybe two. Tail pops out .. or so we thought.

From that point, nothing happens. Taproot turns yellow and withers without any further growth.

Ive tried planting as soon as taproot comes out, letting it go a few extra days to see if it grows longer like I'm used to, i even left a seed in the towel for an entire week after tail showed w no difference.

We've almost used and entire seed pack, would hate to go on wasting genetics..

Got any ideas?

Thanks
ZB

 

[EastCoastHaze]

Good afternoon man,

Ive had the same results sometimes and the conclusion ive come up with is sterility (not saying you arent and im sure you keep everything sterile) and bacteria that can be formed.

If i may suggest rapid root cubes... plant the seeds and watch them sprout. Hope it helps

E.C. Haze

 

[EastCoastHaze]

Also seed viability may play a role in it as well so make sure there stored properly as well.

E.C. Haze

 

[Budley Doright]

I dont think there is much doubt...

bad seeds....

NOrmally if you have good seeds both the root and the top will progress....

If the root end stops growing.... that plant is history.....

 

[Granger2]

Forget the paper towels. It could be the brand. Soak seed 8-24 hours. Plant in soil 1/8" deep. Make sure soil is not too rich. Like don't use Ocean Forest. Too hot. Use something like Pro Mix or Sunshine. Good luck. -granger

 

[zingablack]

EastCoast. I've tried rapid rooters. to no avail. And maybe seed storage.. see below

BurntRope. I find myself more inline with what you're saying than anything else. Bad seeds. Ive never run these before, and I've had them for maybe a year or better now. Not kept in the fridge, but sealed in a cool basement room.

Granger. Ill make sure the soils not to hot, but w the rapid rooters that wouldn't have been an issue.

 

[FromHolland]

There are many ways to germinate seeds I really don't recommend the wet towel method because when you need to transfer them they're very fragile.

This is how I used to do it:

Soil: You need small pots, I use the smallest available these are 7cm by 7cm by 7cm.

1. Fill them with potting soil
2. Add some water to it, make sure the soil is moisty.
3. Poke a hole in it which is 1cm deep.
4. Put the seed in it and apply a little water on the seed.
5. Put the pots in a dome or wrap a plastic bag around it.
6. After a while the first baby leaves will popup. From then you'll need to put them under a growlight (CFL, fluorescent or HID) make sure the light is placed at a proper distance. In this stage they don't need any nutes, you can give them rootbooster if you want. You can keep them for a couple days in these small pots before you need to transfer them to a bigger pot. I suggest 1 week.

NOTE: potting soil contains almost NO fertilizers, if you use regular soil it will burn the roots! So make sure you get the proper soil for cuttings and seedlings.

Hydro/Aero/cocos/Soil:

You'll need rockwool cubes.
1. Put the cubes in a bucket add water and regulate the pH to 5.8, let them in the buckets for 30 mins.
2. Get the cubes out and squeeze the water out of them.
3. Plant the seed in the hole.
4. Put the rockwool cubes in a dome.
5. As soon the seed pops up and the first baby leaves get out place them under your growlight.
6. Transfer them to your Hydro/Aero/Cocos/Soil medium.

I used these methods since the first day I have started growing weed and it always works, the roots are always safe in the medium thus you cannot damage them like when you use the paper towel method. Potting soil can be found in many hardware stores and its very cheap, just make sure you know 100% its suitable for seedlings and cuttings. Regular soil contains fertilizer and its not recommended to use for seedlings and cuttings. I wish you the best and goodluck!

 

[PetFlora]

See my multispectrum thread. Th beginning is tutorial on germing

I just drop seeds in water. USUALLY within 24-48 hours the hull cracks

Not so much this time, and these are fresh seeds from my July harvest

 

[stihgnobevoli]

right after germination is probably the hardest part of life for plants. lots of things waiting to attack. molds, mildews, pests, bacteria, etc. usually if the seed shell cracks open and you see its swelling then that means it's viable seed. sterile seeds usually don't do anything at all. but just because it cracked doesn't mean that it's going to make it yet. I just lost my most valuable seeds dropped all 5. 3 cracked after 48 i put em in dirt, nothing up after 4 days. the other seed i used to fill the 6th slot without even soaking for 48hr, just dropped in...been up for almost 36 hours now. i'm sad.

but there's some things you can try. make sure the soil/media is properly moist. make sure there's not too much humidity, make sure that the soil/media isn't too wet. gotta be properly warm over 80 degrees at the rootzone. make sure there's enough oxygen in the environment. don't need a fan blowing, just make sure fresh air gets in the area around your containers so that mold and shit like that doesn't have a warm moist oxygen less environment to eat your plants in. root eating insects also like that type of environment to hatch their young who really love the nutrients stored in the freshly hatched embryo of a future giant. helps them grown nice and strong so they can kill the rest of your garden too.

i need my seeds to come out of that goddamn soil so i'm going to get out my heat mat because it's september and just a tab cooler inside now. gonna set an upside down plate on the mat, my seed tray on top and set it to the lowest setting and pray.

 

[BudBongJovi]

Yeah either switch to rockwool or try a friends seeds to see if its you or the quality of seeds. Who'd you buy off of anyways? Are they credible?

 

[CHEFfy]

Bury 1/2" into solo cup of wet coco, put on seedling mat @75 and be done with it. No paper towels, no domes. Solo cup, coco, water.

 

[CloudyAmberDay]

I use to germ in paper towels with almost 100% success rate

strung out damp napkin in plastic container, covered on temp controlled heating pad. I even had a seed push it's tap root through the napkin in 24 hours, like a full inch.

I've ended up just putting them in solo cups under 4 foot T5HO's

Plant seed as far as twice the width of the seed -->0<--

Pointy side down. Keep soil/coco in cup damp with a spray bottle as the light can dry out the top but the heat aids in germination.

This has been my go to method lately so I don't have to handle delicate seedlings with tap roots hanging. I've broken a tap root a time or two.

Also if you soak your seeds in plain water for 24 hours - the ones that sink are suppose to be more viable - you can tap the ones floating and see if they sink.

Many ways going about it, what granger said is the safest way IMO. It's what I do. Coco or pro-mix with myco's

 

[moses wellfleet]

Old seeds by the sound of things...

You can baby them all you want to but they ain't gonna respond

Heartbreaking I know!

If you obtain fresh seed and you use the same method you will see...

 

[stihgnobevoli]

2 more days and still no signs of life from my seeds oh well i guess that just means i need to pop all the rest and hope some are still good. the 2 test seeds i germ tested the old fashioned way both came up on their own. one was fresh off a plant the other at least 5 years old.

 

[zingablack]

yea its gotta be bad seeds… i think they were from serious or attitude.. can't recall.. bought them at a hazy point in life.

Im mostly a clone grower once i find a keeper.. so i end up only starting seeds every couple years. been maybe 4 or 5 since my last seed starting endeavor. i thought maybe i had forgotten something. lol.

I've had almost 100% success w paper towel method. Until now. Ill probably stick w what i know.. Might be stuck in my ways a bit. But I've always stuck w what works.

lord i wish i could get some clones still..

 

[bombadil.360]

also think is bad seeds... hook your buddy up with some fresh f2s if you got them.

peace

 

[Mikell]

Why not experiment a bit with them? Try the 24 soak/plant method, but start the first hour in H2O2 or chamomile tea?

 

[BudBongJovi]

good luck!

 

[Digahole]

Superthrive then into soil (I threw some on top and buried some)
I even popped some that a friend said were giving him trouble
Pineapple kush x Tahoe og i believe. Use that as a starter
according to directions or don't.

 

[MIgrow]

Old seeds maybe a freebie from herbies