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i'm not really a recipe kinda guy, so i'm sharing this for what it is - anecdotal. though most of my grows have been in a crap micro, decades ago i used to germ seed for a nursery using a variety of techniques, so i've tried many tricks, GA3 et al., and of course, like to make seed with everything i grow.
the technique
after nicking the sides with a file, seeds soak 24 hours in 2 oz. water, a small dab of honey (mesquite, eg. real honey, not grocery store fake), a liberal squirt of h202 (3% in this nation), a pinch of fulvic powder and about 8 "balls" of CaNO3 (one of my favourite amendments for "organic struggling".. say two grains of rice worth by volume).
i had a pack of 16 seeds made by a respected breeder in 2010. i've had difficulty germing them since i received them in 2012, i presume due to poor storage. the seeds were stored in a plastic vial with some grains of dessicant, refrigerated for most of the time since, but still.. up to this point, i was 2 for 13. maybe they throw a tail and whither.
i just got 3/3 on the last seeds in the pack using this method, heads above soil of their own volition, healthy and cracking their own helmets.
the journey
i've always been cautious about h202 and only recently discerned i didn't need to be - i used to give seeds a quick dip, but i've found that seeds can soak in it, and seedlings with bugs can be watered with it, and the seedling will survive (pending h2o2 doesn't mechanically upheave the soil enough to damage roots). so up to this point, i've used these substances, but not in a strong enough solution..
i'm sure any can be substituted, kelp for fulvic, molasses for sugars, anything for nitrogen. i cultivate my techniques with a strong aversion to anything that can't be adapted. the points i'm trying to hit with the combo is of course, N, sugars and a bit of micronutrient/chelate for good karma. but maybe there are some benefits to honey over anything processed? i don't know much about all the kinds of sugars.
superfluous germ tips
everybody has their favourite way suiting their needs, paper towel, plate, straight to soil.. depends how many seeds you have, what kind of gear you got..
my technique is intended to keep the seed observable for the longer period, to avoid mold, and keep them isolated from predation for the longest time, because i can't afford new seeds often.
so:
after a 24 hour soak in warm water they go to the "germ chamber" - this is a small, shallow jar with a layer of rinsed perlite on the bottom. add water/h2o2 below the perlite (or sand or whatever) level, then set the seeds on top of the perlite. the benefit is that radicals (tails) don't intertwine with paper fibers and there's no damage to handle them.
usually healthy seeds show the tail in 24 hours and it's into soil, but if not, the jar gets more light after the first day.
(i'd throw them straight into soil but in the desert there are a lot of moisture seeking predators that make it a bad idea, when you only have one expensive seed).
when i was a kid i used to slice helmetheads with an exacto knife.. never had much luck with it. if a seed helmets or gets a stuck embryo, the easiest way to remove it is with a drop of water on the end of your finger. wait a minute for it to soak in, then anything stuck will slide instead of cling.
i use the same solution above if the seed is still slow at this point, one drop, place it where it sits on top and gradually absorbs in.
i'm not really a recipe kinda guy, so i'm sharing this for what it is - anecdotal. though most of my grows have been in a crap micro, decades ago i used to germ seed for a nursery using a variety of techniques, so i've tried many tricks, GA3 et al., and of course, like to make seed with everything i grow.
the technique
after nicking the sides with a file, seeds soak 24 hours in 2 oz. water, a small dab of honey (mesquite, eg. real honey, not grocery store fake), a liberal squirt of h202 (3% in this nation), a pinch of fulvic powder and about 8 "balls" of CaNO3 (one of my favourite amendments for "organic struggling".. say two grains of rice worth by volume).
i had a pack of 16 seeds made by a respected breeder in 2010. i've had difficulty germing them since i received them in 2012, i presume due to poor storage. the seeds were stored in a plastic vial with some grains of dessicant, refrigerated for most of the time since, but still.. up to this point, i was 2 for 13. maybe they throw a tail and whither.
i just got 3/3 on the last seeds in the pack using this method, heads above soil of their own volition, healthy and cracking their own helmets.
the journey
i've always been cautious about h202 and only recently discerned i didn't need to be - i used to give seeds a quick dip, but i've found that seeds can soak in it, and seedlings with bugs can be watered with it, and the seedling will survive (pending h2o2 doesn't mechanically upheave the soil enough to damage roots). so up to this point, i've used these substances, but not in a strong enough solution..
i'm sure any can be substituted, kelp for fulvic, molasses for sugars, anything for nitrogen. i cultivate my techniques with a strong aversion to anything that can't be adapted. the points i'm trying to hit with the combo is of course, N, sugars and a bit of micronutrient/chelate for good karma. but maybe there are some benefits to honey over anything processed? i don't know much about all the kinds of sugars.
superfluous germ tips
everybody has their favourite way suiting their needs, paper towel, plate, straight to soil.. depends how many seeds you have, what kind of gear you got..
my technique is intended to keep the seed observable for the longer period, to avoid mold, and keep them isolated from predation for the longest time, because i can't afford new seeds often.
so:
after a 24 hour soak in warm water they go to the "germ chamber" - this is a small, shallow jar with a layer of rinsed perlite on the bottom. add water/h2o2 below the perlite (or sand or whatever) level, then set the seeds on top of the perlite. the benefit is that radicals (tails) don't intertwine with paper fibers and there's no damage to handle them.
usually healthy seeds show the tail in 24 hours and it's into soil, but if not, the jar gets more light after the first day.
(i'd throw them straight into soil but in the desert there are a lot of moisture seeking predators that make it a bad idea, when you only have one expensive seed).
when i was a kid i used to slice helmetheads with an exacto knife.. never had much luck with it. if a seed helmets or gets a stuck embryo, the easiest way to remove it is with a drop of water on the end of your finger. wait a minute for it to soak in, then anything stuck will slide instead of cling.
i use the same solution above if the seed is still slow at this point, one drop, place it where it sits on top and gradually absorbs in.
