How I Germinate Seeds

outwest · May 4, 2012

Hello Farm,

I know germination is 101 shit for growers, but after recently fucking up a bunch of good genetics, I've done my homework, and found a successful method. I welcome comments, criticisms, and feedback if you've got it. If you think this is the stupidest germination method ever, I'm all ears. You can tell me if you love it, too. :rolleyes:

As with everything I approach in cannabis cultivation K.I.S.S. is the overriding mindset. With that in mind, I use an approach that skips the wet paper towel step and puts the beans right in the dirt.

Here is everything I use.

Light Warrior
Caps Bennies (Root/Nute/Foliar)
Earth Recharge (super mild N boost with more microbial content)
Water
5g Bucket
Keg cups
Spray bottle
de-chlorinated water

A friend made a nice description for prepping your cup and soil for fresh seed. You are basically making a home for it, and when it arrives in it's new home you want to make the seed feel welcome and provide it with the food, water, and microbes that it needs. Have everything ready for the seed to it can focus on what's supposed to. Growing.

I'll scoop out however many cups of soil I'll need into the 5g bucket.

Then I'll put in all the other ingredients (my measurements are variable and imprecise)

Then here is a very important step: WET THE SOIL IN THE BUCKET

Why is this so important? Because if you wet the soil once in the cup with a seed in it, the seed will drown. Yes, you can use something gentle like a spray bottle, but that takes a really long fucking time!

Here is the wet soil in the bucket.

Then I poke a nice hole in the bottom of a keg cup and fill it with the wet soil making a little dent in the top soil no more then a 1/4 inch deep.

The another important step, scuffing the seed. With fresh new seeds this may not be as necessary, but it doesn't hurt.

I take a grow stone and seizing the seed GENTLY with a pair of tweezers (read: seize it with a TWEEZER) scor the ridge if the seed very lightly against the grows tone. This helps the seed split open and melt.

Lastly, I place the seed in it's comfy new home, cover it with a thin dirt blanket, give it a little mist of water, and place it right under the fluoros. 3-6 days later their poking their heads out and saying hello.

Hope some farmers find this helpful.

outwest

deep buddy · May 4, 2012

i use a very light soiless mix cut with perlite/vermiculite. or coco ,or the good ihort plugs with a real spongy open texture. suleaves has some that i think are them re packaged.

mal · May 4, 2012

I'm a paper towel guy but I recently tried the straight to dirt approach. I went out and bought one of those use your soil and make 72 plants, moistened my soil and placed at least 7 packs of seeds in the little things/slots. I even put caps bennies 1/2 way up each hole and filled the rest of the way. A couple of days later about 5-10% of the seeds had sprouted so I took them to the dungeon to put them under the light. Went to check on them the next day and they were dried out badly and the light had pretty much burned them Flouro about 4 " away, sprayed them and moved the light up. Then had an emergency cleanout put them outside and I have 0 survivors. Now I admit that these had a rough run but I killed them all, was like 5 or 600$ there. Made me feel like a real dumb fuck, so I'm going back to the paper towel. Fresh seeds I get 100% others usually 80-90%, I killed a lot of good seeds got some making up to do(to myself)lol. Well thats my sad story, would be even sadder if I told you the seeds I was using. Sometimes in life you've just gotta laugh, its good for you I hear. Take care and hope all is well with you and yours, This is meant to be a funny story and it just happened, going into paper towels tomorrow

mal

outwest · May 4, 2012

Yeah. . .my fuck up just happened too, that's why I mixed it up. All the seeds I fucked up the first time, I germed successfully the second time. I really enjoy learning from my mistakes (ok, most of the time :eek:). . .but that's how I learn most effectively, not really efficient, but I'm a learn as I go and figure it out myself kinda guy.

outwest

symbiote420 · May 4, 2012

I learned my germ method in Dec '94, picked up a High Times mag with a Kyle Kushman article outlining his organic indoor tips. I soak my beans in a shot glass of distilled water for 24hrs, the seeds that sink get planted in a light mix of either Light Warrior or Coir.....I stopped using coir because of bugs but since I've started using Sea-90 I might go back!
I almost get 100% germ rates every time bros, and they start sprouting in less than 2 days after planting in the mix!

420alldaze · May 4, 2012

thats o good method ow,im a paper towel guy. i gotta see something before i bury it.lol if it works for you that way its all that matters. 42o

kolah · May 4, 2012

Nice tutorial. An interesting approach by scuffing (scoring) the seed. I do something quite similar. I pre-soak the seeds and wait for them to sink (usually 24 hrs.) I use plastic beer cups to start them off and fill the bottom quarter with FF OF and the rest with Light Warrior (pricey stuff). (btw, I like using a bit of OF in the bottom of the cup which gives them a little food-kick once they start growing) FYI, Just before the seed pops through the soil it's root has already grown 4 inches into the soil. Anyway, I wet it my soil heavily then pack it down a bit. I drop my seeds in using a tweezers and going about 1/4" deep and lightly cover them. Just plop them in some nice warm sun and they should pop in 24-72 hours. The FF OC at the bottom of the cup also helps prevent plant-shock when I transplant them into bigger containers of the OF. It makes a nice gentle transition, IMO.

dirk d · May 4, 2012

Almost every strain i have, i germ'd myself. First off the Light Warrior isn't a very good soil for germination. Try the happy frog.

Then if you are a paper towel germinator and you want to switch remember that it will take longer to find out if the seeds sprouted their taproots. normally takes anywhere from 3-6 days. Don't expect the 1 day thing anymore.

I dont recommend beer cups. I know it's everyones favorite but use a real pot. doesnt have to be a 20 gallon pot but I use a 4" x 4" square pot that is about 6" deep. You want to get the deep pots so the tap root doesn't feel claustrophobic. Supposedly you get you more females this way. Get them for around 55 cents. Don't reuse the pot, just toss it when you are done.

Then you want to put soil up to the very top. Use as much soil as you can. then gently tap the soil with your fingers. I try to add water to the soil a day before i want to put my seeds in. I put the seed about 1/2" from the top. Add more water and then you're good to go. Almost 100% germ rate.

By the Way you want to practice with beans you DON'T CARE about First. Absolutely best method. nothing comes close to it. Called the Mandala Method of Germination. Less stress on the seedlings = more females. http://www.mandalaseeds.com/Guides/Germination-Guide

420alldaze · May 4, 2012

lol i dont know what the hell happened to my typing skillz this am....pffhhtt 42o

accent · May 4, 2012

decent looking technique. i think it's better not to germinate one one medium until you see the radicle and then transplant to another.

Skunkmasterflex · May 4, 2012

you guys all have some good methods and points. i still rock the paper towel then transfer into a soil 16oz plastic cup. been cracking beans this same way my whole life. i have tried a few other ways with beans i didnt mind if i messed up like dirk said. i use FF ocean forest. i do flush till i get to the desired PPM before i place the seeds in it. i grow with added perlite but when i start seeds, or in the cup stage of the veg cycle, i do not add more perlite. lots of people say you will burn your seeds in FFOF because it is usually hot. this may be true but with a flush till you get to the desired levels it is a great median to use. my seedling are always super green and also this way i do not need to feed at all till the third week. by this point they can pretty much be transplanted into larger buckets of FFOF and i dont need to flush, its like they are getting fed for the first time. might sound to simple but iv learned over the years sometimes simple is the best way. different things work for different people, to each there own. :) ~SMF~

caregiverken · May 4, 2012

I like the paper towel method too. except when the root sticks to the towel and breaks..:mad:

I had some seeds that had plenty of, so I wasnt worried about em.
I gave those Jiffy peat pellets a try..
I have heard they suck and that they are hot
But they worked great for me.
...I am going to try them again...and Flush the crap out of them with hot water before I use em next time.
Sorta like MastexFlex there^^ flushes his OF :) thats a great idea too...I use Happy Frog for seedlings..no flushing

SolMannaFest · May 4, 2012

outwest said:
Hello Farm,

I know germination is 101 shit for growers, but after recently fucking up a bunch of good genetics, I've done my homework, and found a successful method. I welcome comments, criticisms, and feedback if you've got it. If you think this is the stupidest germination method ever, I'm all ears. You can tell me if you love it, too. :rolleyes:

As with everything I approach in cannabis cultivation K.I.S.S. is the overriding mindset. With that in mind, I use an approach that skips the wet paper towel step and puts the beans right in the dirt.

Here is everything I use.

View attachment 214168

Light Warrior
Caps Bennies (Root/Nute/Foliar)
Earth Recharge (super mild N boost with more microbial content)
Water
5g Bucket
Keg cups
Spray bottle
de-chlorinated water

A friend made a nice description for prepping your cup and soil for fresh seed. You are basically making a home for it, and when it arrives in it's new home you want to make the seed feel welcome and provide it with the food, water, and microbes that it needs. Have everything ready for the seed to it can focus on what's supposed to. Growing.

I'll scoop out however many cups of soil I'll need into the 5g bucket.

Then I'll put in all the other ingredients (my measurements are variable and imprecise)

Then here is a very important step: WET THE SOIL IN THE BUCKET

Why is this so important? Because if you wet the soil once in the cup with a seed in it, the seed will drown. Yes, you can use something gentle like a spray bottle, but that takes a really long fucking time!

Here is the wet soil in the bucket.

View attachment 214162

Then I poke a nice hole in the bottom of a keg cup and fill it with the wet soil making a little dent in the top soil no more then a 1/4 inch deep.

View attachment 214163

View attachment 214161

The another important step, scuffing the seed. With fresh new seeds this may not be as necessary, but it doesn't hurt.

I take a grow stone and seizing the seed GENTLY with a pair of tweezers (read: seize it with a TWEEZER) scor the ridge if the seed very lightly against the grows tone. This helps the seed split open and melt.

Lastly, I place the seed in it's comfy new home, cover it with a thin dirt blanket, give it a little mist of water, and place it right under the fluoros. 3-6 days later their poking their heads out and saying hello.

View attachment 214169

Hope some farmers find this helpful.

outwest

For this thread I present to you a...*Golf Clap*!!!:)

No matter how rudimentary this subject is, it does not denounce the fact it is still very much needed here.
In fact, just today I was like, WTF why are my beans not popping? Never had a problem before?! Than I found your thread and it made me smile and I gave it a very well deserved *Gold Clap*!
Thanks for starting it ODub! This thread will also form dialogue and will become a place where ALL people can find a plethora of information in one isolated area with regard to germinating beans!

I know Ill be back later on to ask a few questions I have of my own if I may?

Bless up...Sol

Thoth · May 4, 2012

That's a nice mix to give your seedlings a good start to their lives Outwest. I like the fact that you add beneficial microbes to it. The recognition that microflora are gaining in recent times is definitely changing the way we view horticulture.

Chobble · May 5, 2012

I like to do a 50/50 mix of Light warrior and Ocean forest. Just a personal preference, because the OF gives a nice nitrogen kick. Always a nice to brush up on a such an important part of our plants life.

Chobble

Mississip Hip · May 5, 2012

I know this sounds bold.

I get about 90-100% Germ rate. Consistently.

These were all popped in the last month for this season..I have popped another 40 with the same results...enough pics though...lol. I scuff them gently, soak them in the lucky jar JUST until they drop, put them in an UNbleached coffee filter (inside a plasic sack) on top of the fridge. Tails in24-48 hrs. (No diffing into the filters, they're thicker)

Mississip Hip · May 5, 2012

digging..not diffing..

deep buddy · May 5, 2012

love the coffee filter idea. there are alot of reasons i can think of that would make it a better choice than paper towels.

kolah · May 5, 2012

I think there are tons of good ways to do it "right." I also think cleanliness is important, the growers attitude at the time and I choose to plant during the waning moon (as the Native American Indians did). All are good informative posts fo' sho. (and no "my way is better than your way" posts or ego fluffings. Yet. :)