Diamond Dave

This site has been amazing in educating me. I read and learn more every day. I am happy to report that I can now give back something I hope will help others.

Seed germination seems to be an issue for many in the beginning. I know I had my challenges. Once you get the knack of your "system" however it is not that big of a deal. So this thread may be more useful for people who have not quite figured out their process. But based on it's ease the old timers may want to adopt it.

I did the paper towel method, sowing them direct to soil and soaking them in water. None of them were complete failures for me but they all lacked consistency in germination.

I thought "there has to be a better way". And I found it. The answer? The USB Coffee warmer!

You can buy these on ebay for under $4.00 with free shipping.

DD

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Diamond Dave

It's easy as 1,2,3.....

1) I mix one cup of room temperature water and 1tbls of hydrogen peroxide. Pour that in a shot glass. You can use any glass you want as long as it fits on the warmer.

2) Drop your seeds in and plug in the coffee warmer. I cover mine with a box to keep it dark. Not sure how important this is. I have not tried it without covering the glass.

3) 24 hours later you will have tap roots.

It's honestly that simple!

Stop worrying about keeping the towel too moist or too dry. Or over/under watering them in soil. No hassles trying to keep the temperature just right. No issues "drowning" them as they pop within 24 hours.

I have run this test MANY times with over 50 seeds. Finally found a use for all those cs.com seeds I had left over. Seeds I could not get to germinate any other way popped within 24 hours.

I have had the odd seed or two take 48 hours. All but 2 from the 50 seeds I have done this with germinated. The two that didn't I gave 72 hours and pitched them when I did not see any life.

After they pop I throw them in a Jiffy and we are off to the races.

DD


DD

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The Future of Seed Germination

My First Indoor Grow-cannabisseeds.com "Fem White Widow" Real Crap! - Complete

Underarock

how hot does the water get?

I have a little hot plate for my coffee...plugs in wall
gets too hot

I guess the 5v coming off the USB is cooler...

could you stick a thermometer in there on the next 'test'?

Thank you, UAR

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Diamond Dave

Well as luck would have it I am running a test right now. 101.3.

Now before anyone says anything, I agree that seems WAY too hot. Everything I read said you should not go over 80-85.

I almost bagged the idea once I read how hot they got. I assumed I would just fry them. But being that it was only a $4.00 investment and I had seeds I was going to throw away I gave it a shot.

Like I said in previous post I am 48 out of 50. With this test 51 out of 53. Once they have popped I have had 100% success rate getting them to sprout in the Jiffy's.

I might get lower temps if I removed the box top or put some cardboard between the glass and the warmer. Or if I used a larger glass. I am only using a shot glass. But since it's not broke I am not trying to fix it.

As you say "Your results may vary......."

DD

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The Future of Seed Germination

My First Indoor Grow-cannabisseeds.com "Fem White Widow" Real Crap! - Complete

cavadge

I've only germinated a few times, but the last time proved to be quite successful - 100% germination. Just offering this is another method. I had several breeds going so used separate containers for each.

First set up a seedling heat mat on a timer - 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off.

Took a coffee mug. Filled with RO water. Added 1 drop of Superthrive. Added seeds, covered, put on the mat, put a towel over that, and soaked overnight.

Next morning took a plate, and white paper towel. Emptied the water and seeds in the mug onto paper towel. Spread seeds around evenly, and folded paper towel over. Covered the plates. Put the towel back over them.

The morning after that I found 80% had popped a tap root. They were all germinated with 48 hours. All seeds grew into healthy plants.

I also use Superthrive in my cloning machine. Four gallons, eight drops. They root within five days, and in about 10 days the roots look like this. Love the Superthrive

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Nelson Mutz

Like your "shot glass", Diamond Dave ...

Regular Jack or Gentleman Jack ??

Nelson

PS: Not a bad idea, but IMO, have to keep a close watch [which you have...].

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toshiba

diamond, here's an easier one

take soil, put in cup/ pot
water soil
make hole, plant seed
cover soil and water where seed is


nature's method is already perfected

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all i'm saying is if some tribe out in africa knew a stars density and orbit rotation thousands of years ago, im gonna have to believe them on pot .. me

I would like to think of myself as someone important, a Herbologist.. me

countyspud

I respectfully disagree with natures method. Natures method produces germ rates fare smaller than human intervened methods. In nature how many randomly dropped seeds actually germinate? Not many.

What we as growers should aspire to IMHO, is to produce the optimum conditions to achieve as close to the impossible 100% germ rate as you can.
Sure in nature, one can plant a seed outdoors, come back 3-4 months later and harvest some buds (sometimes) but what I want are buds with the highest possible yield and the maximum amount of potency so I try to reproduce what are generally considered to be the optimum conditions to achieve that with respect to temperature, humidity, light duration, PH, nute concentration, etc, etc.

Please stop passing off the fallacy of "well just let nature take it's course" because you are not helping newbies especially, by misleading them in such a way. If pure nature was the best way to germ seeds and grow them to harvest then we really wouldn't need grow forums at all would we?

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BCGuerillaGrowa

Now now... Be civil folks, I think this is just a simple misunderstanding and unnecessary complication of information by both parties.

I hear what County Spud is saying. There is a difference between surviving and thriving.

But you absolutely CAN start seeds directly in soil and have it thrive if you know what you're doing.

But not without care and maintenance of course.

Of course if you just drop seeds in some soil outdoors expect them to germinate
and produce buds you are fooling yourself.

If you're going to start directly in soil. Make sure its well drained. Use something like Premier pro-mix and add some additional perlite.

If you start in soil. Start off in 4 inch pots indoors under a fluroescent light for at least the first month of life. Don't plant the seed any deeper than a half inch or a centimetre. Don't let the soil go dry at this point or your seed/seedling will die. Also make sure you only wet the soil when watering not the foliage in seedling stage.

Another thing about seeds planting outdoors to start. There is always a dark period.

The seedling will stretch at night. Not as much as it would indoors in the dark due
to the moonlight but point being if you want it to thrive outdoors, you still have to start it indoor.

Reminds me of the story everything touched turn to gold. Everything humans touch is corrupted by greed.

BCGuerillaGrowa

Maybe Ruderalis' could reproduce itself and survive and thrive for what it is.

Cannabis according to archaelogists is one of the oldest known cultivated
crops if not the oldest. Corn depends on human intervention as well because
of the length of time we've cultivated it. It will no longer reproduce without
our intervention. Maybe only in a few isolated places in the world does drug
producing Cannabis reproduce itself without our intervention. Mostly Ruderalis
I'm sure.

Scarcely isolated populations of wild Cannabis exist at best.

Spuds right about that.