how germinate seeds in paper towel

[Gio88]

hi! i'm having difficulty to make my seeds germinate in the soil (seeds are girls scout cookies - sativa with an all mix soil , growing indoor with a 250w lamp) , we are in the middle of autumn so it's cold outside.
My idea now is to make germinate my seeds in a wet paper towel put under my lamp... my questions are how do you suggest to do it in order to make these seeds germinate? and how much the lamp must be far from the seeds? i read somewhere to put a dish above the seed in order to keep the tempearture i dont' know if it is useld... thank you!!

 

[GOT_BUD?]

Seeds don’t need light. Start them in a warm dark place and check on them in 24 - 36 hours. They should have tails or at least cracked open by then.

 

[mr.brunch]

^^ this.
Also, squeeze that paper towel out, it should be damp rather than wet... you can put an upturned plate on top to keep it from drying out.

 

[MLD]

I recently started my first grow and had trouble germinating my seeds. Fortunately, I bought extra. I also came to these forums for help. I had 100% success my 2nd try.

Start by soaking the seeds for 24hrs in a shot glass of water. The PH and EC don't matter. Put the shot glass in a dark place for 24hrs and don't bother checking on it. After 24hrs check to see that all seeds have sunk. If some have not, you may leave them for another 12hrs max.

Place these seeds on a wet paper towel. Fold the paper towel 1 or more times and place it in a zip lock bag with the bag open. Put the zip lock bag on a plate. Place the plate in a dark place and leave it for 24hrs. Don't bother checking it. After 24hrs carefully unfold the towel and check your seeds. You want to see root tails coking out from the seeds that are 1.5cm to 2cm long. If they aren't that long, fold the towel up and let it sit for another 24hrs in a dark place. By then all seeds should be ready to be planted.

At this point one of my seeds had a root tail 3cm long and leaves actually started to sprout. So I planted the other 3 seeds 1cm deep and the one seed with leaves I planted so that the leaves were just barely out of the soil. At this point I turned the light on. Witin a day all seeds had emerged from the soil.

You don't need lights to geinate seeds. They are needed as soon as the seed pops from the soil. It can't hurt to turn the light on for heat once they are in the soil though.

I am not in cold weather, but I did put a heat pad under my plate while the seeds were in the paper towel. My heat pad is meant for muscle and bone injuries though. It only stays hot for 20 mins. I didn't bother to keep reheating it

 

[flylowgethigh]

That is how we've always done it.


Don't always work. Top of fridge for warmth, no light... but what about paper towel PH, water contaminants, and ???

 

[aridbud]

That is how we've always done it.


Don't always work. Top of fridge for warmth, no light... but what about paper towel PH, water contaminants, and ???

Some paper towels have added bleach. If you can, buy the unbleached.

 

[MLD]

That is how we've always done it.


Don't always work. Top of fridge for warmth, no light... but what about paper towel PH, water contaminants, and ???

I did not PH the water or check for EC. I did add Nitrozyme for the soak and reused that water on the paper towels

 

[The_Skunkist]

Hi there;as example take a case when a seedling germinates in few hours, and it can happen . 24h soaking would kill it . Keep in mind water is simply as important as oxygen while germinating .

Also, squeeze that paper towel out, it should be damp rather than wet... you can put an upturned plate on top to keep it from drying out.

Sometimes old seeds are long to pop : smell the paper towel everyday . If it starts to smell wet sock, change it, and redo the wetting process .

╚>bleaching phase of paper towel is done now with oxygen, ozone, hydrogen peroxide . The use of chlorine and chlorine dioxide has been abandoned in favor of less harmful products for the environment (in civiziled countries )

And then : fresh seeds (3months/1 year/1year an half) are top germinating rate ! Buy fresh ones if it is possible .

 

[El Timbo]

hi! i'm having difficulty to make my seeds germinate in the soil (seeds are girls scout cookies - sativa with an all mix soil

Biobizz All Mix? I wouldn't use that for seedlings as it has quite a lot of nutrients - they also do a light mix.

 

[aridbud]

Yes, of course, 'civilized'. Worldwide, two main chemicals found in most paper towels are Chlorine and Formaldehyde. Chlorine is quite commonly used to make the paper towel white in color. The by-products of using Chlorine for bleaching are toxins such as dioxin and furans, which are known to be hazardous in large amounts. Scant in paper towels, but having those chemicals to germinate seeds....thanks, I'll pass.

Gio, soak in water 24-48 hrs, plunk seeds in your medium. Soak medium before making depression for your seed(s). Having a product to sprinkle like Great White Mycorrhizae, you're golden!!

Paddi mentioned his sure fire method. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=368004

Many ways to germinate. Good luck with your next grow! Each time you'll get better at germinating, growing and harvesting your fine plant!

 

[WHIPEDMEAT]

and TAPwater.. is very different at other locations... also ph standardized for human consumption and disinfected mostly with chlorine or something else if needed.

 

[Kalbhairav]

As others have said, biobizz Allmix is probably too hot for seedlings. Personally I only use biobizz light mix and then supplement with liquid ferts.

I usually only soak seeds for 12 hours and then into paper towels. I don’t bother with covering with a plate, or putting in a bag, and never had an issue. You do have to keep an eye on the towels drying out though. I use filtered water from a standard pour through water filter, and non bleached paper towels.

I’ve had amazing luck sprouting very very old seed using the paper towel method and very lightly bleached water. You still have to change the towels even with a bleach solution.

Paper towel method is great and simple tech. In my personal opinion you don’t need anything more complex.

 

[buzzmobile]

I skip paper towels and plant directly into my planting mix.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

Watching my first seeds pop gave me a rush like the first time I smoked. Growing it kept me high all summer. Lol.

 

[albertagrower]

I also get a rush when all my seeds sprout as they are costly. Soaking seeds in a cup of water with a splash of peroxide for 24 hours then into paper towels and place them in a dark warm place. 90% germination with this method for me.

 

[mr.brunch]

Personally I haven’t done the paper towel method for years.
I put soil in a pot, firm lightly then place the seed on top. Then I give them no more than a few teaspoons of water on the seed and surrounding soil, sprinkle of dry soil over the top- then in a bag somewhere warm.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a seed not pop... the method came from an old school gardening book I read about 30 years ago.

 

[scrogrow]

My preferred method is put ya seeds in a glass of Water in an airing cupboard over night and put into your medium after then

(36hrs for cookie crosses)

 

[944s2]

Biobizz All Mix? I wouldn't use that for seedlings as it has quite a lot of nutrients - they also do a light mix.

The above,,,,
All mix is too rich with nutrients,,,,
Use biobizz light mix then transplant into all mix in a couple of weeks or so,,,s2

 

['Boogieman']

I skip soaking in water and go straight to paper towels. I used to experiment with seeds from brick weed and the paper towel method worked best in my opinion. Wet the paper towel, give it a light squeeze, and add your seeds. Putting it in a plastic bag at room temp is all you need.

 

[aridbud]

I skip soaking in water and go straight to paper towels. I used to experiment with seeds from brick weed and the paper towel method worked best in my opinion. Wet the paper towel, give it a light squeeze, and add your seeds. Putting it in a plastic bag at room temp is all you need.

All great ideas!! Mr. Brunch, like you, directly into medium and not over watering! Boogieman, that's a winner!