Tap root growing up through the surface!

onegreenthumb

Well-Known Member
Yes pointy end up. The taproot grows out of the pointy end, does a u-turn and grows downward. What we mean by "taproot down" is the tip of the taproot should be pointed down in the direction that it needs to grow. If you place the entire taproot under the seed In the soil, it then has to change directions again and reorient itself, otherwise growing out of the soil or sideways. Although most seedlings will still be fine when planted improperly, this could stunt growth and extend flowering times.
I wonder if they are still alive?
 

Dish

Active Member
This is one of the most trivial topics. Just bury deep enough, the seed will sort itself out.
There are a lot of us out here using Rapid Rooters or Rockwool and both those mediums have little holes in the middle. It's really isn't feasable to just "bury it" because there is nothing moving around to bury it in.

The whole trick is realizing that the taproot "unfolds" and then heads down.

Imagine a folding knife that opens up and locks. The taproot is the blade. When the seed is dormant the taproot is pointing one direction. When it opens it "unfolds" like a knife.

The trick is simply planting the seed so that the dormant taproot is facing UP, not down. That way when it opens it "unfolds" and is pointing down.

To put it another way...

The pointy end of the seed should face up.
 

m99smith

Well-Known Member
what wastes valuable energy is germinating them in a paper towel to begin with just put the seeds in dirt and keep them humid FFS simple horticulture the plants will grow towards the sun :cuss:
I like to germinate mine in paper towels/toilet paper because I can see which seeds were good because not all seeds will sprout
 

T macc

Well-Known Member
There are a lot of us out here using Rapid Rooters or Rockwool and both those mediums have little holes in the middle. It's really isn't feasable to just "bury it" because there is nothing moving around to bury it in.

The whole trick is realizing that the taproot "unfolds" and then heads down.

Imagine a folding knife that opens up and locks. The taproot is the blade. When the seed is dormant the taproot is pointing one direction. When it opens it "unfolds" like a knife.

The trick is simply planting the seed so that the dormant taproot is facing UP, not down. That way when it opens it "unfolds" and is pointing down.

To put it another way...

The pointy end of the seed should face up.
The seed would be pushed up by the tap root regardless of direction. Have you ever just planted a seed without a pre-soak? There's no telling which way the seed lands if you just plant the seed.

I haven't used rapid routers, but something similar. I just molded the hole to cover the seed
 

Clgilley

Member
So I bought rapid rooters to germinate my babies this grow. An organic sponge with a hole in the top. So for some reason I was worried about seed orientation so I googled it and read a few forum threads and an article. I kept seeing pointed side up. I planted seeds from seedsman pointed end up in the plugs. The royal gorilla tap root came straight up out of the hole on the top of the plug. So I carefully ripped the plug open and used a tweezer to correct the seedling. I think this is mainly a plug and rock wool issue. Planting with the point up helps the seedling to shuck or shed its shell as it is being rotated in the soil. The tap root has to pop upward to grow downward. Then the seedling is pushed up as it unfurls it uses the soil to shed the seed. If the seed is planted with pointed end down the tap root grows straight down and pushes the seed straight up along with the shell. When the seedling breaks the surface its shell is still in tact. Without any leaves exposed to the light right away there little to no photosynthesis. Either way is natural. Root plugs and rock wool are not. It's difficult for the seed to unfurl in a narrow hole with less give than most soil..
 
Top