luckystrike

Hi guys!
I use the paper towel method and damm i´v killed almost 8 seeds now.
First i let them soak in a cup of whater a coupple of day, as soon as i see them crack a little i move them to the towels, to ensure they get plenty of air.
But i dont get any further than that.
So now im thinking of trying a new method, got any ideas?

Lucky

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to bad you have to exhale

smokinrav

Yup, dont soak them in water, just put them in a moist paper towel and put that inside a ziplock with as much air squeezed out. Put that on top of the fridge or other warm place and check in 48 hours. If you see standing water in your ziplock after squeezing the air out, drain a little

Smokin

luckystrike

Doing it as i type.

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to bad you have to exhale

SmokyRobnsn

you're supposed to squeeze the air out? i thought u were supposed to put the seeds and towel in, and then blow air in and seal it???

UncleBen

Even though the paper towel is somewhat successful, it can be dangerous to the health of your seeds and seedlings and is NOT a wise choice for many reasons. Your seeds are either dying due to Damp-off fungus or mechanical damage.

Give my germination method a try. Many issues have been considered to insure success, please follow the easy steps carefully.

"Your seedlings will be alot better off if you germinate directly in soil - less handling and mechanical disturbance means less chance of physical damage to the plant's taproot and less food reserves used to orient itself due to the natural hormonal influence called Gravitropism.

This is one of my favorite methods for Seed Germination in soil:

Soak the seed in plain water for 12 hours prior to planting which will speed up germination. Good seeds will sink, bad seeds will largely remain floating after this extended soak. I first sterilize seeds in a bleach solution (1 Tbsp. bleach/1 gallon of water) for 1/2 hour to kill any fungus residing on the seedcoat.

Sterilize enough *damp* soil with heat to germinate all of your seeds. You can do this by treating the damp soil to temps of 240F for 20 mins in a conventional oven, or in a microwave oven on high for 2 minutes, while stirring a couple of times and let cool. This will insure that damp-off fungus spores have been killed in the soil mix. Make sure the soil mix is light and humusy (but not real coarse). You can add a little sand or vermiculite to aid in drainage and weight. Stay away from perlite, it has a nasty habit of floating out of the mix when watering (along with your seeds).

Buy some white 20oz styrofoam "drinking glasses", commonly called "Styro-Cups", and punch holes in the bottom (and side) for drainage. I use a red-hot ice pick for this. These containers are 6 1/2" tall and will allow ample room for the taproot to grow before cotyledon emergence which will increase your seedling's vigor. The taproot (radicle) is already at least 4" long at the point of emergence - don't cramp it. These cups are found on the shelf displaying picnic items at your local grocery store.

Fill the pots almost to the top with your soil mix, water well to settle the mix, take a pencil and make a small hole about 1/4" to 1/2" deep, NO deeper, and drop *one* seed in. Cover the seed with *fine* soil, only enough to top up the hole, firm lightly with your finger, and lightly water until water runs freely thru the drain holes. Place in a warm spot around 82F/28C.

During the first couple of days, mist the top soil surface lightly (if need be), never allowing the top 1/2" to dry out, but not to the point that the medium stays waterlogged which will invite rot. Do not water anymore until the seedling is up, and only if it needs it at that point. No need to cover with plastic wrap as the radicle will grow at least 4" before the cotyledons emerge from the soil. IOW, even though you can't see it, the plant's root is seeking and finding moisture at the container's lower soil levels.

That's all to it! This method is pretty much foolproof. With good care, your fave will be ready to transplant within 1 to 2 weeks, and will easily slip out of the "cup" with a solid rootball that will never know it's been disturbed if potted up gently and quickly. Move up to a final pot of 3 to 5 gallons to sex and finish. An effective transplant solution can be made using 1 teaspoon of a 15-30-15 fert and 10 drops of Superthrive per gallon of water. Take note regarding the immediate growth spurt after this transition!

Good luck,
Uncle Ben"

luckystrike

You method make a lot of sence, as little disturbane as possible.
The thing is do, that i grow the DWC way, and dont whant any soil near my plants.
But i figure i can do the same thing with vemiculate and som veak nutrien solution.
I´ll try it next time and see if it goes better, but i´ll have to wait untin the 25:th (thats when my paycheck comes) sence i have way too bad lights now, and whont be able to buy new untill then.
Anyway, this method gave mee another 2 sprouts today wich i´m gonna transplant to vermiculate this afternoon.
Then i have 4 little babys in my closet, guess some of them will be male so i´ll better start some moore to ensure my high this summer


Lucky

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to bad you have to exhale

luckystrike

One of the seeds which i moved to vermiculate has popped up today.
I better not germinate any more now sence im getting out of space here .
Question: On my sprout there is still the "shell" from the seed, and if i look real close i can see the green under it.
Shall i remove the shell or let the plant make it on it´s own?

Lucky

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to bad you have to exhale

UncleBen

Do not "help" the seed. Put it into place and leave it alone. I knows what to do :-)

Uncle Ben

luckystrike

Several days later, i watched the por bastard die.
somehow the shell was stuck and the plant looked poor as hell so i feed it to my cat, hehe.
the other ones are doing great do

Lucky

__________________
to bad you have to exhale