1-12-04
I soaked the rockwool & hydroton in 1/2tsp. per gal. liquid kelp ph'd to 6.0. I let it soak for at least 24 hours.
1-13-04, Day #1 of Germination:
Today I got the net pots ready for the seeds & planted the seeds.
Here's what I do.
I put a 1" layer of hydroton in the bottom of a 3" net pot. Then I set the rockwool plug on top of the hydroton & fill in the empty space around the plug with more hydroton. Next, I prepare the rockwool for a seed by tearing small pieces loose from the top of the plug, then place the seed, point down, on top of the plug & place the pieces of rockwool I pulled loose lightly on top of the seeds. Once the seeds are planted, I put the net pots under a humidity dome with the humidity at 95% & the temp at 78f.
Placing the seeds point down is very important. The pointy end is where the root tip will come out. Sometimes it's difficult to tell which end is which. So I look at the seeds through a magnifying glass. One end of the seed will come to a point; the other end will have a depression in it & have a lighter coloring in the middle of the depression. This is the end that will act as a hinge when the sprout comes out. Getting the seeds planted correctly will greatly increase your chances of getting sprouts.
Here are a couple of pics of the first day & close ups of a seed pod showing which end is which.
You can see the top of the humidifier in this pic.
I keep the dome off center just enough for the mist to get inside the dome.
You can see the mist from the humidifier in this pic.
You can see how I covered the seeds with small pieces of rockwool in this pic.
Here are a couple of close-up of a seed pod so you can see what I was trying to describe.
1-14-04, Day #2 of Germination:
Temp Under Dome 78f, RH 95%
Everything’s looking good.
1-15-04, Day #3 of Germination:
Temp Under Dome 78f, RH 95%
I can see the small pieces of rockwool starting to lift up in 2 of the net pots.
1-16-04, Day #4 of Germination:
Temp Under Dome 78f, RH 95%
10:00am
Two of the plants are now poking their heads out of the rockwool.
9:00pm
Another one of the plants has poked its head through.