[Jaypot]

hi all,hope i've posted this in the right place!
i am hoping that some of you helpful people can help me with a question.when germinating seeds i'd like to get as many females as possible and i've read that a couple of ways to do this is to either dissolve the pill,which contains oestrogen,into 50ml of water and use this water to soak the seeds over night and then use the same water to dampen the kitchen towel that the seeds will germinate on.also i've read that ethylene,from ripe bannanas will also give a higher percentage of females if the seeds are left for approximately a fortnight in a bag with ripe bannana skins in it.
so basically do these things actually give a higher percentage of females when germinating seeds? or can you guys give me any other ideas that will make the all important difference to the percentage of females produced?

thanks

[Andyo]

treat the seeds with a solution of silver thio sulphate and its ethylene that makes the difference ,

[Jaypot]

hi andyo,thanks for the reply
silver thio sulphate? ok thats a new one for me!! could you give me a link to a thread or site(put it in google but couldn't see much relevant info!) where i can read up and get some info?
anyone else can also feel free to donate info on silver thio sulphate and how to use it when germing pips for a higher female %
thanks

[VerdantGreen]

im pretty sure the silver thing only works when you treat a branch of a plant to reverse it - its also very poisonous. cant think that soaking seeds in it would work at all.

there are a few things you can do to give a slightly better percentage of females, but if you just want females then get fem seeds. dont listen to all the BS that people talk about fem seeds - they are fine if you get them from a reputable company like GH or DP or many others. you get just as many herms with regular seeds as you do with fem imo.

V.

[Matanuskan Flo]

the whole banana/plantain peel thing has a decent following, but i have yet to see any research or data to back it up. usiing colloidal silver or some form of pure silver nitrates etc is only applicable after the seeds sprouted from my knoiwledge. but, i must say, the way u describe the banan peel is wrong or sumthin ive never heard of. i hear you place the peels near or underneath the pot your plant is in. whilst the plants growing, the peels will rot, which releases the sought after ethylene gases. a fortnight is 4 days, right?? but either way, doing it to just the seed alone is useless imo, i don't see how a seed can absorb anything in the air or any gaseous substance.

my trick is putting superthrive in my watered down paper towel. i damn near have a 100% female rate. havent had a male in 2 yrs now. i use tap water set out for 2 days. in a 64oz bottle, gatorade ones, i mix 1 tspn molasses, 5 droplets of ST into the tap water. i fold the towel into a small square & just pour the mixture on it till completely soaked. add seeds, max of 5 per paper towel or it can get hairy. nplace into ziploc swich bag, place that into a lightproof or close there of container & rest the package in a warm spot, preferably dark as well. like, on top of the fridge or behind your cable box etc

[toohighmf]

Reverse and others have ethylene and have stopped nanners deep in their tracks. I use it as preventive measure. I just don't know what estrogen or ethylene can really reverse a male seed from the start, or if it will need to be flowered to apply to the forming flowers. Mel thomas uses Estrogen to reduce males and I think that guy really knows what he's doing. MaTFLO. NO MALES OR HERMS IN 2 YEARS? how many beans have you popped in that duration????
That's amazing to me and I use superthrive. Can you elaborate please?

[PonixHydro]

Originally Posted by Andyo

treat the seeds with a solution of silver thio sulphate and its ethylene that makes the difference ,

This technique is used by lower quality seed vendors to turn a female hermaphrodiet to gain pollen to pollent another female to get fem seeds. I might add that any seeds obtained from using this method have been known to grow as mutants, and in a fair few cases go hermaphrodite. Remember these are being sold as FEMINIZED seeds not HERMAPHRODITE.

Not sure of a good way to increase likelyhood of fems though, maybe praying to Shiva? Or using all your will power? lol

[Matanuskan Flo]

Originally Posted by toohighmf

Reverse and others have ethylene and have stopped nanners deep in their tracks. I use it as preventive measure. I just don't know what estrogen or ethylene can really reverse a male seed from the start, or if it will need to be flowered to apply to the forming flowers. Mel thomas uses Estrogen to reduce males and I think that guy really knows what he's doing. MaTFLO. NO MALES OR HERMS IN 2 YEARS? how many beans have you popped in that duration????
That's amazing to me and I use superthrive. Can you elaborate please?

hey too high,

to answer your question, under a dozen beans. so, not very many. half were bag seed, so they already had female genetics from day 1. i apologize for making it sound like i was special or an expert b/c i am far from it. i do have a very retentive memory & a green thumb tho!

[toohighmf]

thanks for clarifying, mon plus rep for honesty!

[VerdantGreen]

Originally Posted by PonixHydro

This technique is used by lower quality seed vendors to turn a female hermaphrodiet to gain pollen to pollent another female to get fem seeds. I might add that any seeds obtained from using this method have been known to grow as mutants, and in a fair few cases go hermaphrodite. Remember these are being sold as FEMINIZED seeds not HERMAPHRODITE.

........l

thanks for a great example of the BS that people talk about fem seeds.
1. you dont treat seeds with silver to reverse then, you treat a branch of an established female plant.
2. the reason why seed vendors are selling fem seeds is that 99% of their customers want to but fem seeds.
3. as long as it is done properly with a true female plant, there is no more chance of getting herms or mutants with fem seeds than with regular
4. selfing (pollinating a plant with itself) is a ver established and accepted horticultural technique and the best way of creating a seed version of a clone - if the genetics are relatively true breeding then the seeds will be very similar to the clone. it is far better than using a backcross (if it works) as backcrossing just adds more gentics to the mix.

V.