seeds won't germinate properly

I'm a first time grower having trouble with germinating my seeds.
The seeds crack and start showing the tap root then stop growing after that point.

How i germinate.

soak seeds in water for 24 hours
then transfer to a damp paper towel, cover it between two plates leaving room for air to get in.
I place the seeds in a warm drawer around 80F to 85 F. i live in a warm climate year around but can't put them outside .

after two days the seeds crack and start showing tap roots from this point on the roots never grow any further no mater how long i wait. i would check on them every day at least once to make sure the paper towel is still damp and i try not to touch the seeds at all or move them around.

any ideas why my seeds are not going past this stage? any advice will be appreciated.

thanks

markyboy45 said:

I'm a first time grower having trouble with germinating my seeds.
The seeds crack and start showing the tap root then stop growing after that point.

How i germinate.

soak seeds in water for 24 hours
then transfer to a damp paper towel, cover it between two plates leaving room for air to get in.
I place the seeds in a warm drawer around 80F to 85 F. i live in a warm climate year around but can't put them outside .

after two days the seeds crack and start showing tap roots from this point on the roots never grow any further no mater how long i wait. i would check on them every day at least once to make sure the paper towel is still damp and i try not to touch the seeds at all or move them around.

any ideas why my seeds are not going past this stage? any advice will be appreciated.

thanks

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Burpee 36 cell self watering seed starter it’s all I use whether I’m doing hydro or dirt I just change my medium depending on which room I’m starting up. I stay away from all the other unnessary methods.

Lordhooha said:

Burpee 36 cell self watering seed starter it’s all I use whether I’m doing hydro or dirt I just change my medium depending on which room I’m starting up. I stay away from all the other unnessary methods.

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thank you i will look into this method

Quit screwing around with extra steps. Get a small pot or solo cup and poke holes in the bottom. Fill with soil. Put seed in soil and lightly water and leave it alone until it sprouts.

whitebb2727 said:

Quit screwing around with extra steps. Get a small pot or solo cup and poke holes in the bottom. Fill with soil. Put seed in soil and lightly water and leave it alone until it sprouts.

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will give this a try too. thank you.

Once tap root shows you can put tap root down in soil with top slightly covered and water. You don't have to wait. it's a weed so it's going to grow, cant let it dry out but don't over water. But the seed starter is even better.

@whitebb2727 is on target ... Although there is 1000 ways to pop a seed , basics are easier than multiple steps.

It's a seed for gods sake ... Planting in a cup of soil ( 1/8" down ) - light mix if possible .
There ARE bagged mixes that are a bit harsh on young seedlings. So a " starter mix " or something similar would work. I mist the soil ONLY to dampen , not soak . Solo or styrofoam cups will get you started , I use styro because it makes it easy to RELEASE the plug without too much stress before I transplant.

I do use a seedling mat for warmth ( because of low 60° weather lately ) but if ambient temps are a comfortable 70°ish or so inside the house , you are ok.

An " Alternative " is that I soak seed or seeds in a lukewarm shot glass of water for about
6 hours to hydrate seed ...... I do not let seed stay long in the water , just to hydrate , then plant in soil. You can also plant directly into a container ( 3 gallon or whatever you are using ) of soil. Young baby plants love warmth so that's all you should be concerned with.

Once they get their " legs " I move the girls to the bigger lights. Seriously you could toss a handful in the yard and they would pretty much take.

Budzbuddha said:

@whitebb2727 is on target ... Although there is 1000 ways to pop a seed , basics are easier than multiple steps.

It's a seed for gods sake ... Planting in a cup of soil ( 1/8" down ) - light mix if possible .
There ARE bagged mixes that are a bit harsh on young seedlings. So a " starter mix " or something similar would work. I mist the soil ONLY to dampen , not soak . Solo or styrofoam cups will get you started , I use styro because it makes it easy to RELEASE the plug without too much stress before I transplant.

I do use a seedling mat for warmth ( because of low 60° weather lately ) but if ambient temps are a comfortable 70°ish or so inside the house , you are ok.

An " Alternative " is that I soak seed or seeds in a lukewarm shot glass of water for about
6 hours to hydrate seed ...... I do not let seed stay long in the water , just to hydrate , then plant in soil. You can also plant directly into a container ( 3 gallon or whatever you are using ) of soil. Young baby plants love warmth so that's all you should be concerned with.

Once they get their " legs " I move the girls to the bigger lights. Seriously you could toss a handful in the yard and they would pretty much take.

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Great thank you. i will give these methods all a try see what works best for me. appreciate it .

to answer your original question, they don't grow more in a wet paper towel because they need a medium to grow into, a wet paper towel doesn't offer any space for them to grow into, they aren't like bean sprouts. they need to be able to orient themselves, you can gently dig around a seed and see the root growing up, curling over, then growing down.

Roger A. Shrubber said:

to answer your original question, they don't grow more in a wet paper towel because they need a medium to grow into, a wet paper towel doesn't offer any space for them to grow into, they aren't like bean sprouts. they need to be able to orient themselves, you can gently dig around a seed and see the root growing up, curling over, then growing down.

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so then should i just plant them directly into soil after soaking in water?

If you put them in a large pot, only add a tablespoon of water every day, over the seed.

yeah, that's what happens to them in nature, they either get buried shallowly or there's enough leaf duff to cover it, they get wet when it rains, they germinate, pop a root where ever it happens to be lying, then it starts to dig in and push the seed up

Roger A. Shrubber said:

to answer your original question, they don't grow more in a wet paper towel because they need a medium to grow into, a wet paper towel doesn't offer any space for them to grow into, they aren't like bean sprouts. they need to be able to orient themselves, you can gently dig around a seed and see the root growing up, curling over, then growing down.

Click to expand...

I have a 100% success rate with the moist paper towel in the left open ziplock bag. The point is, you're only in that for two days, maybe three, until it cracks open and has a root about 1/4 inch long, then you plop it into a 1/2 inch deep hole in the pop you're growing in and you're done.

No replants, no from a cup to a pot to a pot, nothing. That's it. Done.

I've never had a seed not work with that method.

TacoMac said:

I have a 100% success rate with the moist paper towel in the left open ziplock bag. The point is, you're only in that for two days, maybe three, until it cracks open and has a root about 1/4 inch long, then you plop it into a 1/2 inch deep hole in the pop you're growing in and you're done.

No replants, no from a cup to a pot to a pot, nothing. That's it. Done.

I've never had a seed not work with that method.

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my roots don't grow to a 1/4 inch they just hang out the side of the seed a little and stop. after this point i've tried planting a few about a 1/4 deep into potting soil for them to grow but i haven't had any success. i was thinking it could be because the roots weren't fully grown out properly. i try not to traumatize the seed or holding it with unclean hands.

could temperature be an issue? i wonder if my soil gets to cold at night or my room. its roughly around 70F at night in my room sometimes its can get to around 60F outside rarely tho. i live in a pretty tropical environment. was expecting it to be much easier to grow after all it is called weed. guess its harder than i thought to get it started.

my friend just tosses his seeds in his garden and let nature take its course i don't have that option where i am.

markyboy45 said:

my roots don't grow to a 1/4 inch they just hang out the side of the seed a little and stop. after this point i've tried planting a few about a 1/4 deep into potting soil for them to grow but i haven't had any success.

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You're probably drowning them.

You don't "water" seeds like that. Get yourself a nice spray bottle. NEW. Do NOT use something you rinse out after whatever was in it is gone.

All you want to do is mist the top of the soil with 5 or 6 pumps of water. That's it. DO NOT make it soaking wet.

You will never need to water that plant until the first true leafs start appearing. Just misted topsoil is more than enough.

TacoMac said:

You're probably drowning them.

You don't "water" seeds like that. Get yourself a nice spray bottle. NEW. Do NOT use something you rinse out after whatever was in it is gone.

All you want to do is mist the top of the soil with 5 or 6 pumps of water. That's it. DO NOT make it soaking wet.

You will never need to water that plant until the first true leafs start appearing. Just misted topsoil is more than enough.

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^^ yep, this is good advice.
I always pre-moisten soil before putting it into solos, then carefully transfer sprouts from the cup of water. If your soil is too wet, the seedlings will grow a little, then stop. Some may not even make it out of the hull. If you pull them out of the dirt and look at the root tip, it will be brown and wilted.
In other words, yer fooked.
Even if you can save a few, they'll be stunted and unlikely to live up to their genetic potential.

markyboy45 said:

my roots don't grow to a 1/4 inch they just hang out the side of the seed a little and stop. after this point i've tried planting a few about a 1/4 deep into potting soil for them to grow but i haven't had any success. i was thinking it could be because the roots weren't fully grown out properly. i try not to traumatize the seed or holding it with unclean hands.

could temperature be an issue? i wonder if my soil gets to cold at night or my room. its roughly around 70F at night in my room sometimes its can get to around 60F outside rarely tho. i live in a pretty tropical environment. was expecting it to be much easier to grow after all it is called weed. guess its harder than i thought to get it started.

my friend just tosses his seeds in his garden and let nature take its course i don't have that option where i am.

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Yes temperature can be the issue. They germinate best in the mid 70’s. If you leave an open taprooted seed in a wet paper towel at 85 degrees it will dry out and die.

I agree with the above experienced tips and want to add that if you taproot it first plant it in a moist cup of soil when the root shows about an 1/8 inch down covered over to sprout. Tap root facing up to speed and help with germination.

Also I use a coffee filter as paper towels can catch the fine root hairs. Just be careful as the seed and root can roll right off the smooth moist filter.

raggyb said:

Once tap root shows you can put tap root down in soil with top slightly covered and water. You don't have to wait. it's a weed so it's going to grow, cant let it dry out but don't over water. But the seed starter is even better.

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I have read this also but it is common gardening practice to put the root pointing up so it doesn’t get damaged and grows right up to the top and turns right around to grow back down and it helps flip the seed up through the dirt helping remove the shell.

I'll try that taproot up myself if you say it's faster. If you use these little spongy seed starter things they might be too tight to let the seedling turn around and right itself, but I'll try it.

markyboy45 said:

my roots don't grow to a 1/4 inch they just hang out the side of the seed a little and stop. after this point i've tried planting a few about a 1/4 deep into potting soil for them to grow but i haven't had any success. i was thinking it could be because the roots weren't fully grown out properly. i try not to traumatize the seed or holding it with unclean hands.

could temperature be an issue? i wonder if my soil gets to cold at night or my room. its roughly around 70F at night in my room sometimes its can get to around 60F outside rarely tho. i live in a pretty tropical environment. was expecting it to be much easier to grow after all it is called weed. guess its harder than i thought to get it started.

my friend just tosses his seeds in his garden and let nature take its course i don't have that option where i am.

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Your temps are too high in those paper towels, which you don't need.
Think Spring outdoors, when seeds germinate. The ground is still somewhat cool.
As mentioned, try sowing seed direct into medium; keep it simple.
Good luck!