[AreYouEverNot]

is this a legit mix to start my outdoor seeds with?

[Douglas.Curtis]

I would recommend just water.

Starting the seeds in the media you're going to grow them in is also recommended.

[Douglas.Curtis]

Originally Posted by <~>

medium/ media never works much good for starting larger batches of seeds.

Examples?

72-cell flats work great for mass sprouting an amazing number of different types of plants, including cannabis. Transplanting is quick and simple.

When sprouting for hydro, use vermiculite which washes off easily during transplanting to pebbles or whatnot.

[Douglas.Curtis]

Originally Posted by <~>

less then 100% germination rates. you want a full room. not one full of empty slots.

Your experience has me at a loss for words. I stand corrected.

[Sourdiesel hat]

that peroxide is nice.

[brown_thumb]

I never have a problem germinating with plain tap water and paper towels. I keep the towels moist but not wet. Seeds are sandwiched between towels and covered to block light. I estimate 95 percent germination and the very few that didn't pop were due to a bad batch of seeds from one vendor.

CAVEAT: I'm still a newb and kill plenty of plants 'after' they germinate.

Originally Posted by brown_thumb

I never have a problem germinating with plain tap water and paper towels. I keep the towels moist but not wet. Seeds are sandwiched between towels and covered to block light. I estimate 95 percent germination and the very few that didn't pop were due to a bad batch of seeds from one vendor.

CAVEAT: I'm still a newb and kill plenty of plants 'after' they germinate.

For whatever it's worth to you, if 'damping off' (e.g. your seedling stems wither and die) is killing much of your seedlings than soaking them & watering with hydrogen peroxide will indeed improve your survival rates (click uderlined text for further links), as peroxide kills the fungus & bacteria that contribute to damping off & seedling stem rot.

I can germ in tap with no problem, but without H2O2 or Hyrdoguard my seedlings have pretty dismal survival rates, and I won't pop seeds without one or the other anymore. I dunno about the 10% to 90% ratio, as I typically use 1/2 to 1 cup of 3% peroxide per gallon (which appears to be closer to 2-5% of volume), but common opinion seems to be that peroxide is relatively harmless to your plants at similar strengths.

As noted, I also use Hydroguard in my regular feeding schedule, but it also prevents root rot & damping off fungus/bacteria, and I will occasionally pop seeds with that, but I prefer peroxide for seed germination since it's cheaper. Contrary to my earlier held beliefs, both peroxide & Hydroguard have about 6 months of useful activity after opening, and after that may be inactive/useless, so keep that in mind when thinking of bulk & container size. In general (AKA entirely inaccurate) terms, peroxide is the chemical solution to the problem of root rot & damping off, and Hydroguard (or the specific micro-organisms that make it up) is the organic solution to the same problem, and you can use the one that best corresponds to your existing growing method, but it's not entirely necessary. What you definitely shouldn't do is use both at the same time, as a proper dose of H202 will kill the beneficial bacteria in Hydroguard rendering it immediately useless. I'll admit that I HAVE tried used both on exceptionally important/expensive seeds, figuring a waste of a few cents of Hydroguard was worth the extra imaginary piece of mind....but it truly is a waste.

Also, just in case you're really new to the idea of peroxide, it's always worth mentioning that there are different grades of Hydrogen Peroxide available, so it helps to pay attention to what ratio you're buying as well as what grade the particular application you're using it for requires. In this case (and in most cases) we're talking about the 3% solution that can usually be found just about anywhere, but there are also concentrations of 5, 10 and 20 percent that are available for other purposes, and you don't want to douse your plants in something 3-5 times stronger/weaker than expected, so always double check.

[OregonBorn]

This site seems to be infected with insane spammers...

H2O2 is great for sterilizing seeds and for killing mites and PM.

1 cup of H2O2 in a gallon of water is great for soaking seeds and soil and averting dampening off and for killing mites and for nuking PM. Add a cup of sugar and it is even more effective at killing mites and PM. 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of 3% peroxide and enough water to make a gallon of spray. It works, and its cheap. 80 cents a quart for 3% peroxide. You can spray the peroxide and sugar right up to harvest time. And for those that say that PEROXIDE IS TOXIC AND EVIL! You can spray yourself with this stuff. The sugar gets sticky though so I do not recommend it. Peroxide also breaks down into water and oxygen. Highly toxic stuff, water and oxygen. Not to humans and most life on earth now though. The plants love the peroxide/sugar shower too. Kills mites dead on contact. If you do not like sugar on your buds if you spray just before harvest, just rinse them at harvest time. Or leave the sugar out of the spray.

[brown_thumb]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

For whatever it's worth to you, if 'damping off' (e.g. your seedling stems wither and die) is killing much of your seedlings than soaking them & watering with hydrogen peroxide will indeed improve your survival rates (click uderlined text for further links), as peroxide kills the fungus & bacteria that contribute to damping off & seedling stem rot.

I can germ in tap with no problem, but without H2O2 or Hyrdoguard my seedlings have pretty dismal survival rates, and I won't pop seeds without one or the other anymore. I dunno about the 10% to 90% ratio, as I typically use 1/2 to 1 cup of 3% peroxide per gallon (which appears to be closer to 2-5% of volume), but common opinion seems to be that peroxide is relatively harmless to your plants at similar strengths.

As noted, I also use Hydroguard in my regular feeding schedule, but it also prevents root rot & damping off fungus/bacteria, and I will occasionally pop seeds with that, but I prefer peroxide for seed germination since it's cheaper. Contrary to my earlier held beliefs, both peroxide & Hydroguard have about 6 months of useful activity after opening, and after that may be inactive/useless, so keep that in mind when thinking of bulk & container size. In general (AKA entirely inaccurate) terms, peroxide is the chemical solution to the problem of root rot & damping off, and Hydroguard (or the specific micro-organisms that make it up) is the organic solution to the same problem, and you can use the one that best corresponds to your existing growing method, but it's not entirely necessary. What you definitely shouldn't do is use both at the same time, as a proper dose of H202 will kill the beneficial bacteria in Hydroguard rendering it immediately useless. I'll admit that I HAVE tried used both on exceptionally important/expensive seeds, figuring a waste of a few cents of Hydroguard was worth the extra imaginary piece of mind....but it truly is a waste.

Also, just in case you're really new to the idea of peroxide, it's always worth mentioning that there are different grades of Hydrogen Peroxide available, so it helps to pay attention to what ratio you're buying as well as what grade the particular application you're using it for requires. In this case (and in most cases) we're talking about the 3% solution that can usually be found just about anywhere, but there are also concentrations of 5, 10 and 20 percent that are available for other purposes, and you don't want to douse your plants in something 3-5 times stronger/weaker than expected, so always double check.

I never have problems with damping off but I use loose well-drained soil and avoid watering too much. However, it can't hurt to add some insurance with a little peroxide.