Best way starting seeds in rockwool?

Charlie Green

Charlie Green

Well-Known Member
Hi mates!

Hey i really do need a BEST advice how to start my uniq seeds in high success rate! Some of my seeds may be damaged over years, but i need to try to save them!

Strains,
Whitewidow x Euforia x "Mindfuck".
Ghost of Ghana 100% equatorial sativa. (special).
Food of Gods secret strain from village of south Africa! (special).

Professional advice = reputation+ :leaf:

Thank you!
 
Humboldt14

Humboldt14

Well-Known Member
germinate them what ever method you prefer to use,

I use the paper towel method 100 percent success rate for me, then once the little white tail pops out of the seed, then move the seeds to the 1 inch rock wool with the tail facing down in the hole then lightly put a little piece of rock wool over the hole that the seed is in.
 
D

Dirty Harry

Well-Known Member
Soak the rock wool in 5.5 PH water for an hour or so. Squeeze out a little water from each piece. Put a seed 1/4- 1/2 inch in each one and put a cover or humidity dome to prevent from drying out. When they pop, keep them moist and under cover until they get a good start.
Any seed that doesn't pop just didn't pop. Pre-germination is just a say to see what seeds pop before you put them in what ever. Some of those will die before they pop out after being put into what ever.
I find it is less stressful on the seeds to just start them in what your going to grow in as they can be damage when moving them when they are just a sprouted root...but that is just MHO and it works for me. Your mileage may differ.
 
Humboldt14

Humboldt14

Well-Known Member
you dont use a humidity dome for starting seeds and second rockwool cubes will not dry out. they retain allot of water, and with

seedlings in them you would not have to water for about a week maybe longer.

i have a Hydro set up also so i have been starting seedlings in rockwool for years.
 
D

Dirty Harry

Well-Known Member
Humboldt14 said:
you dont use a humidity dome for starting seeds and second rockwool cubes will not dry out. they retain allot of water, and with

seedlings in them you would not have to water for about a week maybe longer.

i have a Hydro set up also so i have been starting seedlings in rockwool for years.
Click to expand...
Just stating my opinion and am not going to argue about it. But trust me, rock wool dries faster than you think when it has seeds/sprouts in it. Cost me some $ to learn that lesson.
 
Charlie Green

Charlie Green

Well-Known Member
Well i putted them in wet toilet paper and inside 2 saucers holding them locked inside. I didnt soak it with water i just made the paper wet. Now im waiting them to crack that shell open, then i will fast plant them into rockwool carefully (becouse later when the root is too long its more danger them to put in rockwool). So lets see what happens! I will start posting some pics also.
 
ganicsarebetter

ganicsarebetter

Well-Known Member
germinate in paper towl folded up, leave a littel pocket, and moisten the paper towe, and keep moist. leave it in a tupperware contaier in the dark for 3-7 days, keeping the towel moist, and you should see the embryo....

another ethod that ive HEARD works is just to put in a shotglass over night, see what happens ins the seed absorbs the moisture until it pops....thats what ya want..

the paper towel method ALWAYS works....IMO
 
Dwezelitsame

Dwezelitsame

Well-Known Member
i would have soaked mine over night first 75 percent of time is split the next day

from there go to paper towel all in dark on heating pad at about 80 degrees

once split i transfer to cup with holes in bottom covered with a baggie and rubber band for a little greenhouse effect once soil break i remove plastic once again all heating pad .. i normally use heating pad until first transplant at 3 or 4 weeks old
 
Fuzzbutter

Fuzzbutter

Active Member
Pre-sprout your seeds in a moist paper towel and then plant in the rock wool once the spouts are over 1/2" I did this and got 14/20 sprouted from which I had to pick 7 and they are all doing AMAZING.

It's easy:
get 2 paper towels
fold them in half together
place the seeds in-between the folded area
dampen the paper towel (damp, not dripping, but not too dry either)
place the damp paper towel with seeds in a ziploc bag
put them somewhere dark for a couple days
ta-da!
IMG_0668.jpg

Also, rock wool is naturally alkaline, so you'll need to soak it in PH balanced water over night first before putting ANYTHING in it. My plants are currently in rock wool and doing great :)
 
Fuzzbutter

Fuzzbutter

Active Member
Humboldt14 said:
you dont use a humidity dome for starting seeds and second rockwool cubes will not dry out. they retain allot of water, and with

seedlings in them you would not have to water for about a week maybe longer.

i have a Hydro set up also so i have been starting seedlings in rockwool for years.
Click to expand...
Dirty Harry said:
Just stating my opinion and am not going to argue about it. But trust me, rock wool dries faster than you think when it has seeds/sprouts in it. Cost me some $ to learn that lesson.
Click to expand...
He's right, rock wool can and does dry out very fast. I had to work with professional hydroponics in my horticulture classes and we ended up losing a whole crop from a tard forgetting to properly set the water timer and the cubes dried up.
 
Serapis

Serapis

Well-Known Member
I don't know where the paper towel method started, I only know that it has been around far too long. I first learned of it over 30 years ago. It's hogwash... does it work? Most of the time, but why risk handling a delicate seed and it's new born tap root when you can simply place the seed in any moist medium and have it germinate? If the seed germinates in a paper towel, which surely can't sustain the seed, won't it surely germinate in moist rockwool?

Please don't tell me God created weed that needed man's assistance to sustain it's self because there is no paper towels laying around in mother nature. LOL I'm sorry, but I have to laugh at the though of all the extra work towlies have to go through. Just plant the seed already, if it's viable, it will grow, because amazingly, it is a weed. It's hardy. The only time the plant has troubles is when we try to care for them. :)
 
Serapis

Serapis

Well-Known Member
Fuzzbutter said:
He's right, rock wool can and does dry out very fast. I had to work with professional hydroponics in my horticulture classes and we ended up losing a whole crop from a tard forgetting to properly set the water timer and the cubes dried up.
Click to expand...
Yep, you can skip the dome ONLY if you are flooding the tray and watering from bottom up, which is actually recommended. I understand Humboldt's concern too, because moist seedlings in a cold environment run the risk of damping-off disease. Those trying to avoid damping-off disease, usually the same one's who have lost crops to it, do not use dome tops unless absolutely necessary. So it's not that one guy is more right than the other, it is just 2 different methods. Pick the one that best suits you or develop a 3rd. :)
 
ghb

ghb

Well-Known Member
i know, i know. i think you nailed it pretty much with the viability aspect. i personally use root riot plugs but i have also had 100% success rate with striaght into coco and water. i don't know why people make a big deal out of germinating seeds, it couldn't be much simpler.

26 to go
 
Fuzzbutter

Fuzzbutter

Active Member
Serapis said:
I don't know where the paper towel method started, I only know that it has been around far too long. I first learned of it over 30 years ago. It's hogwash... does it work? Most of the time, but why risk handling a delicate seed and it's new born tap root when you can simply place the seed in any moist medium and have it germinate? If the seed germinates in a paper towel, which surely can't sustain the seed, won't it surely germinate in moist rockwool?
Click to expand...
It's done because it gives a higher growth yield. This is a fact. In my horticulture class we were taught this by having to germinate seeds in different ways. Some were just dropped in soil, some rock wool, and others were pre-germinated like the above mentioned method. You get a higher yield because you are supposed to germ more seeds than you expect to sprout, once sprouted, so long as they are properly taken care of, you're all set to go and you already know that your plants are started vs waiting to see it the seeds ever sprout. It's very rare to lose a sprout from transplanting long as you know what you're doing. Also, germinating with the paper towel method let's you already see which plants are growing fastest and strongest so you can do an initial picking of stronger genetics to start with and possibly end up with better plants. I'm a wee bit stoned, so i hope this makes sense...I'll re-read it later and edit if necessary...but I think that conveys what I'm trying to get at.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top