Germinating seeds?

So iv grown many times, from both seed and clone. But I'm just wondering here being that it's coming to that time again where I start my grow back up which involves growing strains from seed to find the best moms for each strain then clone the shit out of them for my Indoor grow and outdoor grow, anyways......
My question is what method do you use to germinate your seeds and once their sprouted and redy to plant what do you plant them in, rock wool, straight into dirt, a root plug, a hydro setup in coco or clay pellets anything whatever you use or do to germinate your seeds then start them for their seedling stage? Even what lighting do you use and feeding routine if any?

Personally,
My routine consists of obtaining the seeds from an online source, which usually takes 2 weeks from the day I order,
Once I get the seeds I put them in a little max box that's covered Inside with sand paper to scuff up the seed and make the shell more able to penetrate the inside of the seed,
Once scuffed up I pop them in a darkened container of tap water for 18 to 20 hours, then pour the water and seeds out on a peice of paper towel that is always moist and on an angle for excess run off just incase,
The paper towels are layed and placed in black plates and covered by another black plate but turned so theirs air gaps, the plates sit on a heat Matt that keeps the temps at a steady 25'C to 27'C and also a small fan rotating left to right from a far distance jus for some fresh steady air,
Usually by the 7th day max all the seeds are popped, and redy to plant, I then place them into root plugs (rapid root plugs), but I want to try rock wool this time or maby even just plant then in red solo cups into a germination/seedling soil mix,
I place the seeds under t5 fluros that are 8ft long and two bulb fixture, and I'm thinking about adding 6 cfl fixtures that hang lower and have 3 down each side,
The seeds were always planted in store bought soil that already had all this stuff but I want to make my own types of soil mixes for this grow so suggestions would be awesome, but that's how I germinate my seeds then plant them and it's how I'll do it this grow which starts in 1 and a half mths!!
 

srt8666

Well-Known Member
i take 4 pieces of paper towel. wet them. ring out about 20%. place the seeds. do the same for more paper towels. put it over the seeds. ive got 2 plates that kinda lock together, place them on a heating pad on low and wrap a towel around the plate. within 12 hours they pop. i place them in solo cups with slits on the bottom (for drainage) i then put the solo cup in a ziploc bag and spray the shit out of the inside. tap water, ph'd water, my nute formula water, doesnt matter. after doing that, they break ground with 48 hours max. i use only coco/perlite. i dont scuff them, i dont pre-soak them. just the paper towel. i use to do all that other shit, but after having so many die, i tried it this was. havent looked back. 100% success on close to 50 beans id say
 

srt8666

Well-Known Member
I've tried going straight into coco. Hardly works for me. I have used peat pellets and such before. No luck
 

Gregor Eisenhorn

Well-Known Member
I just keep it simple: when I have obtained any seeds I just use the paper towel method. I wet one paper towel under regular tap water, put it on a small plate and then pop the seed on top of it an cover with another wet paper towel. No "2h in water" etc. I place another plate on top to block all the light and keep the moisture. After two days the taproot is big enough to be able to sustain itself and from there on in I just pop the seed into soil. That usually takes another two days until I see a small stem emerging from the soil and then bada-bing-bada-boom we're in buisness.

Everything takes about three to four days, and although this may seem like a very newbish or uncontrolled method (I don't pH the water), it has by far given me no problems what so ever. Lots of people complicate this method by soaking the seeds in water for 48h, then checking if the shell has cracked or some other stuff like that. The simpler the better, some people say that there are faster methods, but four days isn't long and I highly doubt a stem will emerge in the space of two days.

No domes, no heating mats, no fans, no misters and no extra hormones.
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Tried it many different ways over the years but the easiest way I've found- through veteran growers here on RIU I should add- is to simply drop your seed in a shot glass with a puddle of tap water & leave it overnight. Next day stir it up if it floats leave for another 24 hrs; if it sinks it's popped & you can pour it into a solo cup full of starter mix.
 

srt8666

Well-Known Member
I started bagseed with the shot glass method. It worked all the time. With purchased seeds, every time I did the shot glass they all drowned. Have had zero success with quality seeds and the shot glass method
 
I started bagseed with the shot glass method. It worked all the time. With purchased seeds, every time I did the shot glass they all drowned. Have had zero success with quality seeds and the shot glass method
That's interesting? This does seem to happen a lot when I do think of it, and being that all my seeds will be bought online from dinafem seed company and green house seed company, maby I'm better off just using the paper towels, plates, moisture but not lota of water, no use of a glass of water what so ever and only use the heat mat, paper towels, plates and hope for the best, mind you I don't always have 100% success with this method either, I'll avoid the glass of water tho or maby even if I soak them for about an hour then put them on paper towels cuz I do find they sink fast
 

TopDogTHC

Well-Known Member
I do wet paper towels inside a ziploc bag and set it on a plate on top of the water heater to stay warm
Only on my first grow. Used exact same method but blew some air into the bag and put it in a warm dark place. All 4/4 I put in popped.
 

BobCajun

Well-Known Member
I guess it probably would be best to skip the soaking part, since straight to paper towel seems to be more reliable. They can't really breathe much if they pop under water. Even better might be to use those unbleached coffee filters. Never know what chemicals are in bleached paper towel.
 

mo841

Well-Known Member
I read somewhere that sticking them in the tip of your dick is the best environment. I'm not sure as I usually germenate mine in my asshole and haven't explored any other methodes yet. :)
 

Alienwidow

Well-Known Member
I read somewhere that sticking them in the tip of your dick is the best environment. I'm not sure as I usually germenate mine in my asshole and haven't explored any other methodes yet. :)
What if your trying to germ different strains? Can you use a butthole divider? And if so where can i purchase these butthole dividers?
 

innerG

Well-Known Member
What if your trying to germ different strains? Can you use a butthole divider? And if so where can i purchase these butthole dividers?
Just go with the dick method and use a rusty nail to gouge additional holes as necessary
 

Abiqua

Well-Known Member
I have had trouble at times with just about every method you can imagine...shit happens...
warmth, darkness and a little bit of moisture seem to be the best....

paper towels can have chemicals, can choke off oxygen if waterlogged and will attract dampening, but hey they work.
 

03clarkea

Member
I just keep it simple: when I have obtained any seeds I just use the paper towel method. I wet one paper towel under regular tap water, put it on a small plate and then pop the seed on top of it an cover with another wet paper towel. No "2h in water" etc. I place another plate on top to block all the light and keep the moisture. After two days the taproot is big enough to be able to sustain itself and from there on in I just pop the seed into soil. That usually takes another two days until I see a small stem emerging from the soil and then bada-bing-bada-boom we're in buisness.

Everything takes about three to four days, and although this may seem like a very newbish or uncontrolled method (I don't pH the water), it has by far given me no problems what so ever. Lots of people complicate this method by soaking the seeds in water for 48h, then checking if the shell has cracked or some other stuff like that. The simpler the better, some people say that there are faster methods, but four days isn't long and I highly doubt a stem will emerge in the space of two days.

No domes, no heating mats, no fans, no misters and no extra hormones.
Hey thanks for this post I am going to try this method for my first attempt at growing
 
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