Agreed; I think perhaps temps are the biggest factoid were looking at here; and it's been really cold bud; and so there's just so many factors at play; it's always hard to nail down something; especially when seeds are really old.
That's why I try to do them in little numbers; and see if I get some results; then make my circle a little bigger; once I've established the required conditions that makes things successful. For all of us; it's really about refining our techniques; and learning to keep our fingers on the pulse of the plants at any given moment during development.
Saw some old guys chatting about cracking old seeds open with hemostats..
Pretty cool idea IMO; I've done it before using various squeezers; and tweezers usually after some soaking; then assisting them out of their husk and membranes; then onto opening the wings so they can fly.....
Then it's just a matter if they can capture a single set of "true leaf set" Shit can certainly go badly; if you don't have a deft hand; pressure; and understand the weak spots in the seed....
they need to be basically unzipped from back to front; like a zipper; or a seal. It's just intuition; we all see how the seeds unfold every time.
some are just more twisty; or longer and straight than others; but it's all the same beginnings.
The part Iβm not sure , with rooters , is I feel like itβs harder for the tap root to push through ? I have some rockwool that Iβm learning to use but I think I like it better than rooters
Agreed; but highly dependent upon the soil density bubba; ie. I think coco is the most ideal substrate for popping beans actually; as long as it's sterile; and been sufficiently rinsed of any excessive potassium salts. Otherwise; I think your right; and it does a better job; probably even some of the lighter soils are in the same ballpark.
But I do think the CEC in coco is a huge advantage from the beginnings; and very little can compete with it from a growth or efficiency standpoint. Getting them out of the gates quickly has huge advantages from my perspectives.
Cation exchange capacity (CEC) is
a measure of the soil's ability to hold positively charged ions. It is a very important soil property influencing soil structure stability, nutrient availability, soil pH and the soil's reaction to fertilizers and other ameliorants
I think reviewing some of these fundamentals this season might help us all look at the entire process at work here; so bear with me please fellas.
I know I'm long winded sometimes.
I'm so fucking ready..... I'm going to wet my pants.
Plants finding new homes; i'll follow them in the other locals this season; if possible. Trying to stretch things out a bit more; and get everyone in the game; so to speak. Johns got his little cube going; and well get some more in his back yard soon if it's allowed; also hooking up with some Vet's; and another brother if he wants his favorite bubba.... can't wait to see his response.
Then I think I'm going to take some more clones off the bigger 2 bubba's and make a few more clones; before I start put them into circulation. I really want to parse this plant well; cause it's an important one; IMO.