how have you guys been germinating your guava hashplant seeds? I sowed half my pack directly into the soil and only got 2/6 sprouts. when I excavated the others to see what had happened, they had stalled out after cracking and never pushed their way out of the soil.
what methods do people usually use for these? I usually get great germ rates planting my seeds direct in soil. I was thinking for these I might try germing them out of the soil somehow, and then plant them at the surface with the tap root down and the seed itself not fully buried.
Need to make sure I get enough males and females to make decent f2s.
Yeah, I use Rapid Rooters. For some reason, in November and December, I get a shit germ rate when I don't. I've switched to this same regimen for all seeds last year, and I've only lost one very old seed since then:
1. 160 or 220 grit sandpaper rolled up into a tube as tight as I can roll it... I slip the seed in, hold the tube between my thumb and finger, and shake it up really good.
2. Then a 24 hour soak. Knock it down as soon as it will sink.
3. Turn a Rapid Rooter upside down. Snip the "top" (really the pointier bottom side) with scissors. Don't be too careful, it doesn't matter.
4. Stick the seed in the cut with the point sideways.
5. Dip the Rapid Rooter into a cup of water mixed with powdered mycos. Just the bottom half, not the seed's side. This is how I water it too, either daily or every two days.
6. Put the Rooter in a Dixie cup so it doesn't dry out so fast. Place under full veg lights.
7. She'll come up in a day or two, and there will be outstanding roots in 7-10 days. Then, plant the full Rooter into soil and veg.
**This is all from personal experience, and I have no idea if any of this is "best practices," but one thing I know for sure is this: There are a lot of gimmicks out there when it comes to growing, but Rapid Rooters made me a believer. A 50-pack of Rapid Rooters is one of the BEST investments I can think of. The entire life cycle of the plant improves when there is a strong, branchy root system from the very beginning. At the end of my plants' lives, I see a remarkable difference in how the Rapid Rooter plants fill up the pots than when I grew without them. I even did much of my vegetable garden in Rapid Rooters this year, and WOW they look great.
