Help Please! Advice for a Rookie!

Hoodwinked27 · Jun 16, 2024

Hi there! New to growing and need help! There is lots of info posted all over the place and I swear I’ve read it all!

I ordered autoflower seeds from ILGM (I’m in central Minnesota, shorter growing season outdoors…) and germinated with the baggie and paper towel method. Nice sprout, text book progress at this point and I’m super stoked!

Prepped my raised beds and 15 gallon grow bags with a 70/30ish mix of top soil and worm casings and planted the excellent looking sprouts on day 5 in the evening. I wait and wait and eagerly stare at my little garden for days (day 16 in the ground today) and NOTHING. I’m so disappointed and discouraged.

I watered well and the beds are in full sun. Temps were optimal. I’m not a rookie gardener in general, I’ve done quite well with my veggie gardens… what am I f’ing up with these?

Begging for advice before I try again!

S.

(Attached a pic of the germ stage when put in the ground)

HeadHunterpipes · Jun 16, 2024

I would plant the seed now

stanknkatz · Jun 16, 2024

If it's been 16 days since you dropped your sprouts in the soil and they ain't popped up, then they probably ain't gonna. Could be you put them in a little too deep, the tap root maybe got damaged, lot of things could maybe have gone wrong.

Next time, maybe drop them in a solo cup and keep them indoors until they get a couple of sets of leaves or just sow the beans directly in the soil itself.

Asmodeus · Jun 16, 2024

^ that's what I would do. Start them in solos inside and get them established a bit before planting outside

GNick55 · Jun 16, 2024

paper towel method, weather it works for you or not, needs to go away and be forgotten about,..

TreeBee · Jun 16, 2024

Another vote for indoor solo cup start. I start indoor in a solo cup and I use sterile seed mix to germ in. Wet the mix fill the cup put the seed in an inch deep wait 5 days. 12 seeds planted 10 seeds sprouted so far this year with the most recent two having 2 days left until I expect them to sprout. Seeds want to live I don't really know why people fuck around with them so much.

Newty · Jun 16, 2024

How deep did you pant them? Anyway they would of been washed deeper?

GNick55 said:
paper towel method, weather it works for you or not, needs to go away and be forgotten about,..

I disagree.
I have 100% success rate with paper towel method when using seeds that were stored properly.
I don't put mine in a plastic bag though.
I soak mine in a shot glass with bottled spring water for 12-16 hours, then place them between 2 paper towels lightly so air flow is still good. I then just spray them with bottled spring water until I have tap roots. Has never failed me.

Now I've never grown Autos, I will be giving them a go in my smaller tent once the RB x Okie are harvested.
Maybe the paper towel method isn't good for Autos because of how sensitive they are, I'll do some research before I start germinating the Autos and decide then what I think the best plan is.

GNick55 · Jun 16, 2024

Newty said:
How deep did you pant them? Anyway they would of been washed deeper?

I disagree.
I have 100% success rate with paper towel method when using seeds that were stored properly.
I don't put mine in a plastic bag though.
I soak mine in a shot glass with bottled spring water for 12-16 hours, then place them between 2 paper towels lightly so air flow is still good. I then just spray them with bottled spring water until I have tap roots. Has never failed me.

Now I've never grown Autos, I will be giving them a go in my smaller tent once the RB x Okie are harvested.
Maybe the paper towel method isn't good for Autos because of how sensitive they are, I'll do some research before I start germinating the Autos and decide then what I think the best plan is.

really all these modern strains are indoor breed, which have soft shells and for the most part 100% should be germinating.. paper towel is a waste of time and a set up for failure with most people,. paper towel method was used back in the day when growing was illegal and most seeds were from bag seed which came from marijuana growing countries, landrace strains etc (outdoor grown) so those seeds shells are 100% harder to germinate,,
paper towel is a complete waste of time with anything modern,..

Bilber · Jun 16, 2024

Yeah.....the paper towel method works....but, so does a 80ish/20ish water/peroxide soak for 12 to 24 hours, then directly in medium, 1/2" or so deep.....do not let it dry out....do not overwater....spray once or twice with a spray bottle if it needs it....

Imzzaudae · Jun 16, 2024

Sounds to me like you broke the tap roots off when planting the seeds. It's very easy to do once they get long like that.
Next time. As soon as you see that the seed has cracked and there is a tap root viable. Plant the seed. On its side!
Do not plant the seed tap root down. The tap root will come out and go down as it pushes down the seed will turn crack up and if all goes well the seed husk will pull off as she breaks ground. Keep an eye pealed for a hung shell.

No problem bud. Crack some more seed and get them in the ground as described. You should shade the seedling with a potted plant for a week
maybe 2.

Pre Prep.
Mix 1/2 cup of bone meal into the soil at each location.

Super charge your soil!
Make this microbe solution. When you dig the hole to plant in. Dump a 6" nursery pot full of good compost into the hole.
Then 1/2 a bucket of Microbes. Plant the seedling and water her in with the rest of the bucket of microbes.

You can feed her this.
I use fresh compost and Muskie. If you don't have compost buy a bag. You can always top dress with the leftovers.

This is a great fertilizer and super easy to make.

You can always add an oz Muskie to a watering can if you need a boost.

ArtfulCodger · Jun 16, 2024

Some possibilities include damaging the taproot, planting too deep, over-watering, soil that's too dense, critters eating them, temperature swings...I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking of. I do my starts indoors in coco or peat, and don't move outside until the plants are well established.

stanknkatz · Jun 16, 2024

Myself, I would never let them go that far when sprouting. As soon as I see that taproot tail poking out, they go right into a jiffy peat pellet, tail down, helmet up, with just enough dirt to cover it. Then when I see those white fuzzy roots coming out of the peat pellet, they go into a solo cup until I'm satisfied they have enough growth to move to veg (at least one set of true
leaves, usually 2).

HeadHunterpipes · Jun 16, 2024

I use regular seeds just to develop sex of the plant to make it into a mother plant for cloning.
I DIY Clay balls in a 3 inch basket with a drip system. Because I grow mainly in hydroponic and clone allot.
Normally starting seeds I am only starting 5 or 10 at a time.
If I didn't have the germination station I made I would use these.

Beachbumm · Jun 16, 2024

Hoodwinked27 said:
Hi there! New to growing and need help! There is lots of info posted all over the place and I swear I’ve read it all!

I ordered autoflower seeds from ILGM (I’m in central Minnesota, shorter growing season outdoors…) and germinated with the baggie and paper towel method. Nice sprout, text book progress at this point and I’m super stoked!

Prepped my raised beds and 15 gallon grow bags with a 70/30ish mix of top soil and worm casings and planted the excellent looking sprouts on day 5 in the evening. I wait and wait and eagerly stare at my little garden for days (day 16 in the ground today) and NOTHING. I’m so disappointed and discouraged.

I watered well and the beds are in full sun. Temps were optimal. I’m not a rookie gardener in general, I’ve done quite well with my veggie gardens… what am I f’ing up with these?

Begging for advice before I try again!

S.

(Attached a pic of the germ stage when put in the ground)

For best results don't plant sprouted seeds like that, next time put them in small containers first, then plant the small plants.

the rrock · Jun 16, 2024

been using paper towel method for 40+ years with success(95%+) kept it simple

Docgrows · Jun 16, 2024

Plant in solos when tap is 1/2 inch or so, not as likely to break it that way. Only make hole in soil deep enough to cover tap root, plant seed and barely cover seed with media, keep under dome with 80% or so rh. Mine always break through next day. Lightly spray helmet with fine mist to make covering fall off easily, the mist softens shell and it falls away. About a week should fill the solo with roots. To plant in final place, place a solo cup in your media and fill pot to rim of solo, then carefully remove cup, leaving a perfect form of solo cup. When transferring, slide plant carefully out of solo and center over hole and lightly drop it into place. When done right, you’ll see the plant fills the hole perfectly and they take right off with no stall or recovery time. I do give them a shot of Superthrive at transplant, they seem to like it. I do this with autos and photos alike. No method is perfect, most are not wrong, you just need to figure out what your comfortable with and works for you. These are 4 weeks old using this method, they are photos and just got their second and final transplant yesterday, they never noticed it as they grew visibly overnight. They are on Jacks nutes in Promix and perlite. Pics are week to week to show progress.

Help Please! Advice for a Rookie!

Help Please! Advice for a Rookie!

Hoodwinked27

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HeadHunterpipes

stanknkatz

Asmodeus

GNick55

TreeBee

Newty

15% Off Fast Buds Orders, Code: NEWTY42

GNick55

Bilber

Imzzaudae

ArtfulCodger

stanknkatz

HeadHunterpipes

Beachbumm

the rrock

Docgrows

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Help Please! Advice for a Rookie!

Help Please! Advice for a Rookie!

Hoodwinked27

Attachments

HeadHunterpipes

stanknkatz

Asmodeus

GNick55

TreeBee

Newty

15% Off Fast Buds Orders, Code: NEWTY42

GNick55

Bilber

Imzzaudae

ArtfulCodger

stanknkatz

HeadHunterpipes

Beachbumm

the rrock

Docgrows

Attachments

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