germination problem !

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AdasAleks

New Member
I put my new seeds into there respective pots to germinate about 10 days ago, I'm new so thought 5 plants would be a good test grow

I put them tip down in wet-ish soil about 1/4 deep and within 4 days, 3 of them had broke soil cover ... The other 2 i just checked today and after 11 days and it seems they started germinating and growing/sprouted and suddenly stopped

any reason behind this, all that was different is when the first 3 broke cover i hit the lights... Shall i leave them ? Or bin ?
 
LetsGetCritical

LetsGetCritical

Well-Known Member
Hi welcome to riu. all I can say is that all mine germinate between 2-3days under constant correct temps I think that's the key.
 
Mr. Solo Dolo 420

Mr. Solo Dolo 420

Member
They need to be kept warm and preferably in a dark area like a dresser drawer or cabinet. Better yet you can spend about $15 and get together a propagation tray and some rockwool for much better chances of a 100% germination rate.

Your seeds could have drowned from over-watering or gotten too cold. How deep is 1/4? We do not know the dimensions of your medium. You should only plant it twice the width of the seed, otherwise it may have a hard time breaking through the soil.

Another cool trick is to get a heating pad (one of the ones you can use while falling asleep that plugs into an out), and place it under the seeds in your propagation tray. Those little seedlings will come up quick!
 
A

AdasAleks

New Member
Mr. Solo Dolo 420 said:
They need to be kept warm and preferably in a dark area like a dresser drawer or cabinet. Better yet you can spend about $15 and get together a propagation tray and some rockwool for much better chances of a 100% germination rate.



Your seeds could have drowned from over-watering or gotten too cold. How deep is 1/4? We do not know the dimensions of your medium. You should only plant it twice the width of the seed, otherwise it may have a hard time breaking through the soil.

Another cool trick is to get a heating pad (one of the ones you can use while falling asleep that plugs into an out), and place it under the seeds in your propagation tray. Those little seedlings will come up quick!
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sorry that's 1/4 inch, ive put them on a 5watt heat matt, like you would use in a reptile viv and three of them sprouted like rockets ... The soil has heavy drainage so its unlikely they drown, is it to early to try a dilouted fertiliser to spark them into growth ?? There not dead they have a very nice white sprout and a tinge of green ... Theyve stopped at the point where the shell is about to break away .....
 
Mr. Solo Dolo 420

Mr. Solo Dolo 420

Member
Most all potting soils contain enough nutes to feed the seeds through germination and a few weeks into seedling stage, so it is not an issue with nutes unless you just have terrible soil.

How frequent do you water them, and how much water do you give them when you do? Even though it has good drainage you can still choke the new taproot if you keep the medium constantly wet.
 
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AdasAleks

New Member
Mr. Solo Dolo 420 said:
Most all potting soils contain enough nutes to feed the seeds through germination and a few weeks into seedling stage, so it is not an issue with nutes unless you just have terrible soil.

How frequent do you water them, and how much water do you give them when you do? Even though it has good drainage you can still choke the new taproot if you keep the medium constantly wet.
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ok yes .. My bad ... 1. I didn't knead or filter the medium so it was quite clumpy with hard bits also when i watered it made this situation worse, the first 1/4 of soil was fine but underneath it was like thick black tar. Obviously the lights dried the topsoil out. Ive done a rescue operation so fingers crossed over the next few days !!
 
Mr. Solo Dolo 420

Mr. Solo Dolo 420

Member
My girl gave me a little seedling she started in 'mystery soil'. It was rock hard soil about 4 inches below the surface. I had a very healthy seedling until the roots couldn't grow anymore and I had to do a transplant. I'm still waiting for that one to get out of shock after about a week, but it should be okay. If you used a mystery soil it's nutes could be exhausted already from a previous plant. It's always best to start in fresh soil.

Go buy a cheap bag of some kind of potting soil at Wal-Mart at least so you can browse for the right NPK level soil. The numbers 20-5-5 on the package is what you are looking for, really so long as the Nitrogen is higher than the P and K you'll be alright. Put the soil in a solo cup, poke holes in the bottom for drainage, and start putting your seeds in these, 1 per cup. This isn't the best way to germinate, but definitely not the worst. It's the cheapest and easiest way.
 
A

AdasAleks

New Member
I used gro-sure i got from Homebase, .. All it sais is 25% more germination... It doesn't even give NPK levels :\ ... Thanks for the advice and warm welcome, ill hunt for a better quality soil with relevant levels of nutrients.

much appriciated !
 
Mr. Solo Dolo 420

Mr. Solo Dolo 420

Member
I'm new myself to these forums, so I am trying to be as warm and helpful as possible because of how many new things I have learned from this community.

Good luck with your grow! Keep me posted on how they are doing and I'll help however I can.
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
Patience is the key here. You can't be digging in your soil to "check" and expect it to grow. I'm not trying to come off as a dick, I'm just simply giving you advice.

I germinate in paper towels.
I then wait until about a half inch tap root shows before I put it in my soil.
Before I put it in, I moisten my soil, and put it in and bury it.
I then, mist the top of the soil a good bit too.


I've had none die this way. And also, when I say soil... I use coco coir
 
A

AdasAleks

New Member
fir3dragon said:
Patience is the key here. You can't be digging in your soil to "check" and expect it to grow. I'm not trying to come off as a dick, I'm just simply giving you advice.

I germinate in paper towels.
I then wait until about a half inch tap root shows before I put it in my soil.
Before I put it in, I moisten my soil, and put it in and bury it.
I then, mist the top of the soil a good bit too.


I've had none die this way. And also, when I say soil... I use coco coir

i understand were your coming from, i didn't dig till day 10 and i felt necessary as the others were so far ahead and clearly there was some issue.... I was going to use the paper towel/cotton wool route until advised otherwise. Obviously there's great info on forums .. But there's also people who think they know everything after 10 minutes and give bad advice, this goes for supply shops too ... Its getting to know the good from the bad. Thanks for all your input, back to the cotton wool germinagion next time !! :)
Click to expand...
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
AdasAleks said:
fir3dragon said:
Patience is the key here. You can't be digging in your soil to "check" and expect it to grow. I'm not trying to come off as a dick, I'm just simply giving you advice.

I germinate in paper towels.
I then wait until about a half inch tap root shows before I put it in my soil.
Before I put it in, I moisten my soil, and put it in and bury it.
I then, mist the top of the soil a good bit too.


I've had none die this way. And also, when I say soil... I use coco coir

i understand were your coming from, i didn't dig till day 10 and i felt necessary as the others were so far ahead and clearly there was some issue.... I was going to use the paper towel/cotton wool route until advised otherwise. Obviously there's great info on forums .. But there's also people who think they know everything after 10 minutes and give bad advice, this goes for supply shops too ... Its getting to know the good from the bad. Thanks for all your input, back to the cotton wool germinagion next time !! :)
Click to expand...

All i do is take a paper towel and fold it in half.. You want it a square however big is up to you.
i then, mist the paper towel until wet, and put excess water in there so I don't have to check every day.. Not a lot of excess though
i put the seeds in the middle of the paper towel
put in a dark drawer that's warm... Check in 3 days
Click to expand...
 
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