Crazy things while germinating seed

[Micro G.]

I'm having serius problem in germinating my seed. They are all new, I bought them 3 weeks ago from royalqueenseed.
Long story short.

-The first one sprouted but the seedling was super week. tried to wait but it was a dead born seedling. Probable causes are over watering or too high humidity. I put the seed in a plastic cup with only peat moss and used another plastic cup as a dome to create a greenhouse effect. I could see some tiny white fungus in the soil, that's why I thought about to high humidity.

-The second seed, again, directly in the soil in a plastic cup. I did open dozens of 3mm holes all around the plastic cup to prevent over watering problems. I watered the seed with a dropper two times a day to keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. I didn't use the second plastic cup as a dome. No fungus problems but after 8 days the seed was still closed. I took it and put it in a wet paper towel. After two days it was still closed and had some white stuff on it. On day 10 I throw it away.

-Third seed...this is the crazyest. I was convinced to use different method such as soaking the seed for 24 hours and then put it in the wet paper towel. An that is what i did. After 24 hours in the paper towel (48 hours since water soaking) it cracked open. the day after I couldn't wait to see a tiny tap root, but it was exactly like the day before.
Today, day 4, the seed has closed.

During the two first attempt I had 22 °C and around 60% humidity.
Trying the wet paper towel I had 26°C, 80% humidity and the paper towel was in a plastic zip bag open that was, still is, inside a cardboard box to keep it in the dark.

I'm kinda lost...it's been 20 days since my first attempt...I' sad, just sad.

 

[Jesse_tpfi]

You're getting your seeds too wet. You don't need to water a seed twice a day. Wet your medium lightly and leave in a warm place. And you'll be fine. The fungus I caused by too much water. Seeds don't need to be super wet just moist

 

[Micro G.]

You don't need to water a seed twice a day.

I was watering with a dropper. like 10 drops of water in the morning and 10 drops of water in the evening. I was watering only the area around where the seed was. The rest of the soil was just moist but not much. The plastic of the cup was transparent an there were no sign of an excess of water or moist.

 

[Jesse_tpfi]

I was watering with a dropper. like 10 drops of water in the morning and 10 drops of water in the evening. I was watering only the area around where the seed was. The rest of the soil was just moist but not much. The plastic of the cup was transparent an there were no sign of an excess of water or moist.

You only need to water it once, the soil will stay damp enough. It was definitely too moist, talking from experience. I've done exactly what you describe

 

[TreeFarmerCharlie]

I was watering with a dropper. like 10 drops of water in the morning and 10 drops of water in the evening. I was watering only the area around where the seed was. The rest of the soil was just moist but not much. The plastic of the cup was transparent an there were no sign of an excess of water or moist.

That is still too much for a seedling.

 

[Kassiopeija]

mold is certainly due to no air exchange

 

[Micro G.]

The thing that I can't understand is why in guides, even video guides, even from seeds online stores, you see that those who use the coconut pellets, starter cube, rockwall etc. , they soak that stuff like really drawn in water.
The thing is, or this is what I've understood, the seed need a reallygood amount of water to start with. That is way those guys soak their chosen starter soil that hard. Then they leave it as it is for days until there is a seedling, keeping everything in a colse envyroment such as a plastic box to keep the humidity level high, and placing everything in a worm place. This way the "micro system" gives an initial water boost to the seed and then, as the seed needs less water, that water is already decreasing accordingly.

The same is for who sunk seeds directly in water for 12,16 ,24 hours, even days.
Or the wet paper towel method. That towel has to be well wet, not dripping ok, but still damn wet...

That said, I've bought coconut pellets fro my local store and using only bottled water, I'm going to have my fourth attempt. Now I have also the help of a soil with the right ph level and added nutrients to stimulate the seed...

 

[TreeFarmerCharlie]

The thing that I can't understand is why in guides, even video guides, even from seeds online stores, you see that those who use the coconut pellets, starter cube, rockwall etc. , they soak that stuff like really drawn in water.
The thing is, or this is what I've understood, the seed need a reallygood amount of water to start with. That is way those guys soak their chosen starter soil that hard. Then they leave it as it is for days until there is a seedling, keeping everything in a colse envyroment such as a plastic box to keep the humidity level high, and placing everything in a worm place. This way the "micro system" gives an initial water boost to the seed and then, as the seed needs less water, that water is already decreasing accordingly.

The same is for who sunk seeds directly in water for 12,16 ,24 hours, even days.
Or the wet paper towel method. That towel has to be well wet, not dripping ok, but still damn wet...

That said, I've bought coconut pellets fro my local store and using only bottled water, I'm going to have my fourth attempt. Now I have also the help of a soil with the right ph level and added nutrients to stimulate the seed...

I soak my seeds but that is only done until the taproot is out. Once it is out you want to keep the medium wet, but not saturated. I put a dome or cup over the medium until the seeds sprouts. Then I remove the dome and don't water until the medium is pretty dried out. If your seedling looks green and happy there is no need to add any water. They won;t grow fast at first because they start building the root structure once the cotyledons start taking in light.

 

[trews777]

You're getting your seeds too wet. You don't need to water a seed twice a day. Wet your medium lightly and leave in a warm place. And you'll be fine. The fungus I caused by too much water. Seeds don't need to be super wet just moist

also no air flow does this aswell

 

[trews777]

The thing that I can't understand is why in guides, even video guides, even from seeds online stores, you see that those who use the coconut pellets, starter cube, rockwall etc. , they soak that stuff like really drawn in water.
The thing is, or this is what I've understood, the seed need a reallygood amount of water to start with. That is way those guys soak their chosen starter soil that hard. Then they leave it as it is for days until there is a seedling, keeping everything in a colse envyroment such as a plastic box to keep the humidity level high, and placing everything in a worm place. This way the "micro system" gives an initial water boost to the seed and then, as the seed needs less water, that water is already decreasing accordingly.

The same is for who sunk seeds directly in water for 12,16 ,24 hours, even days.
Or the wet paper towel method. That towel has to be well wet, not dripping ok, but still damn wet...

That said, I've bought coconut pellets fro my local store and using only bottled water, I'm going to have my fourth attempt. Now I have also the help of a soil with the right ph level and added nutrients to stimulate the seed...

Make sure u have good air flow. ph doesnt really matter at seed or humidity or nutes. They have enough nutrients in the seed 2 last the 1st week of growth without extra nutes. You don't want a dome over them, they get dampaned off. The main thing in germination is temp around 25c and air flow.

 

[Micro G.]

Well this is my setup right now:

As you can see I'm trying coconut pellets. The plastic box is my green house and it's not sealed.
As you can see, 25-26 ° C and 90% of humidity or a little more. Here I'm mimicing exactly the same condition of these starter kit you can find all over the web:

The purpose of the coco fiber(that has to be soaked that much) is that when it is ready and full expanded all the water for gravity is stored in lower part of the pellet and, thanks to capillarity created by the coco fiber, water is costantly "sucked" in the higher part of the pellets where the seed lies, keeping it in a perfect moisted environment.

Lets see what happen...

 

[blake9999]

The worse thing you can do to a seedling is cover it with a dome.

 

[Micro G.]

A seedling. We are talking about seed.

 

[Micro G.]

Hi everybody!
It looks like all the thought and time I've put into Germinating techniques gave their results.

I never liked the soaking method or the wet paper towel method or the mix of them. I've tried them both because, as you know, I did not know what to do anymore. I'm not saying that these methods do not work, I'm sure they work, but to me they feel "wrong". Let me explain my self.
The seed we use are the result of countless years of evolution. They have been meticulously selected year after year for thousand and hundred of thousand of years. The 99.9% of those seed in their history has born or died in soil. This does not means they can't sprout in a cup or in a paper towel, but still they have not been designed to do so.
This is why I went to coco soil pellets. Ok, they are not cheaper then a cup of water or of a paper towel, but I've payed 40 cent each and I bought the bigger ones which are more expensive. The little ones, of the same brand, cost 24 cent each. But at least they really mimic, without any effort, the best condition for a seed to sprout: The perfect water quantity, the perfect humidity, the perfect PH, the right nutrient and darkness for the seed. The only thing you need to do it's to place the pellet inside a plastic box and put it in a worm place about 22-28 °C. And the best thing is that, when it's time, you simply take them an put them in the soil. This is so easy and error proof...I really don't see any reason to use any other method.
Most of the folks on this forum, take the seed and put it in water for 24 hour or even more. Then they take the seed and put it in the paper towel for 2 to 3 days or even moore. Then take the sprouted seed and put it in soil and wait 2 to 3 days to see a seedling coming out. So it is a 5 to 7 days, maybe more, multi stage process to se a seedling just breaking soil surface.

This is my seed in coco soil pellet at not eyet 5 days since I took the seed from the blister and put it directly in the pellet:

It will be 5 days within 5 hour.

 

[CptTripps]

Looks like you're finally on your way then! Once it's above ground, you're off to the races.

I alway just put the seed in a paper towel, fold it 2-3 times, dampen the towel (not overly wet)...put it in a ziplock and place it on top of the tent. I come back 2-days later and I'm looking at a 1cm taproot.

 

[jondamon]

Hi everybody!
It looks like all the thought and time I've put into Germinating techniques gave their results.

I never liked the soaking method or the wet paper towel method or the mix of them. I've tried them both because, as you know, I did not know what to do anymore. I'm not saying that these methods do not work, I'm sure they work, but to me they feel "wrong". Let me explain my self.
The seed we use are the result of countless years of evolution. They have been meticulously selected year after year for thousand and hundred of thousand of years. The 99.9% of those seed in their history has born or died in soil. This does not means they can't sprout in a cup or in a paper towel, but still they have not been designed to do so.
This is why I went to coco soil pellets. Ok, they are not cheaper then a cup of water or of a paper towel, but I've payed 40 cent each and I bought the bigger ones which are more expensive. The little ones, of the same brand, cost 24 cent each. But at least they really mimic, without any effort, the best condition for a seed to sprout: The perfect water quantity, the perfect humidity, the perfect PH, the right nutrient and darkness for the seed. The only thing you need to do it's to place the pellet inside a plastic box and put it in a worm place about 22-28 °C. And the best thing is that, when it's time, you simply take them an put them in the soil. This is so easy and error proof...I really don't see any reason to use any other method.
Most of the folks on this forum, take the seed and put it in water for 24 hour or even more. Then they take the seed and put it in the paper towel for 2 to 3 days or even moore. Then take the sprouted seed and put it in soil and wait 2 to 3 days to see a seedling coming out. So it is a 5 to 7 days, maybe more, multi stage process to se a seedling just breaking soil surface.

This is my seed in coco soil pellet at not eyet 5 days since I took the seed from the blister and put it directly in the pellet:
View attachment 4525879
It will be 5 days within 5 hour.

I presoak my seeds for less than 24hours in plain old tap water and then plant in my coco and light them up.

don’t get many failures this way in a decade of popping beans.