Kid protocol
Member
I accidentally damaged the taproot of a seedling that was actually just starting have a little length on it. Is the seed dead or will it possibly grow another
Taproot
- Thread starter Kid protocol
- Start date
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
It won't grow another, but it might be able to survive off of what's left. Who knows really? Give it a day or two and see what happens.
CaliRootz88
Well-Known Member
Best case you probably stunted it and may be a slow starter.
bk78
Well-Known Member
Is the seedling wilted and looking dead? If your answer is yes then start a new seed
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
What are you doing to seedlings that you've damaged the taproot.
xtsho
Well-Known Member
Paper towel most likely.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Yep, and exactly why most people should be germinating in medium rather than all the other fusspot stuff that people do
crimsonecho
Well-Known Member
or be a little gentler and dont break taproots for years i’ve used the paper towel method and never ever broke any roots.
xtsho
Well-Known Member
I'll never understand the obsession some have with using paper towels. A warm moist environment is what you want for a seed to germinate. Those conditions don't require a paper towel. But as with so many simple processes, cannabis growers make it overly complicated.
I have a niece that's a Doctorate Student/Research Assistant at a major University and is co-author of several Peer Reviewed studies published on Frontiers in Microbiology. I text with her frequently as we both have a love of plants and anything that grows. When I tell her about some of the convoluted things cannabis growers do she doesn't believe me. I've had to send her links to posts to prove that they do. Her response is usually either "Good Grief!", "That's a waste of time", or "That does more harm than good".
blueberrymilkshake
Well-Known Member
crimsonecho
Well-Known Member
i feel you bro what paper towel method does for me or rather did for me is to accurately plan for my grows. lets say you got space issues so you want exactly 4 plants you can eliminate the duds faster because in a couple of days you’ll be able to see if its cracking or not but sown directly into soil you never know whats going on down there and its a longer wait till they break soil or not. especially with ordered seeds i still use the paper towel method, my own seeds are 100% atm so i directly put them in the medium.
Synchronicity
Well-Known Member
Different strokes for different folks- I use both methods but prefer just soaking in water and then placing them in soil. Under a good temperature and humidity in a grow dome on a heat mat.
If it works for you- then that is the way to go. They all seem to work to one degree or another depending on who employs the procedure. It is your grow so you have to do what works in your situation..................... That early germ taproot is very critical in how the plant develops and looks later on.
Eventually you will become confident in your methods................ these cannabis seeds can take some stress but you want optimal germ conditions for the quickest established seedlings.
If it works for you- then that is the way to go. They all seem to work to one degree or another depending on who employs the procedure. It is your grow so you have to do what works in your situation..................... That early germ taproot is very critical in how the plant develops and looks later on.
Eventually you will become confident in your methods................ these cannabis seeds can take some stress but you want optimal germ conditions for the quickest established seedlings.
King Avitas
Well-Known Member
I have been growing for over 30 years and have tried pretty much every way of starting seeds and they all work fairly well. But.......
That being said I personally prefer the paper towel method because it lets me see the seed crack and see the tap root start. I don't like planting seeds that may not sprout, also I want viability conformation that a seed is good before it is planted.
Also I have had seeds rot in moist medium while waiting for them to sprout when planting ungermanated seeds directly into medium. I do realize this is due to me having the medium too moist (not super wet, but just a little to wet to germanate in). But if the seed had been germanated then planted in medium with the same moisture content it would have been fine. I feel pre-germanated seeds are just more forgiving.
I know some will say they only ever pop seeds directly in medium and never rot seeds, that is awesome, keep up the good work. I am just saying twice I have lost seeds due to rotting, and not once have I ever had an issue with pre-germanated seeds. I would say at the end of the day use whatever method works best for you, there is no right or wrong method as long as you get your desired results.
That being said I personally prefer the paper towel method because it lets me see the seed crack and see the tap root start. I don't like planting seeds that may not sprout, also I want viability conformation that a seed is good before it is planted.
Also I have had seeds rot in moist medium while waiting for them to sprout when planting ungermanated seeds directly into medium. I do realize this is due to me having the medium too moist (not super wet, but just a little to wet to germanate in). But if the seed had been germanated then planted in medium with the same moisture content it would have been fine. I feel pre-germanated seeds are just more forgiving.
I know some will say they only ever pop seeds directly in medium and never rot seeds, that is awesome, keep up the good work. I am just saying twice I have lost seeds due to rotting, and not once have I ever had an issue with pre-germanated seeds. I would say at the end of the day use whatever method works best for you, there is no right or wrong method as long as you get your desired results.
I completely agree @King Avitas i like to use the paper towel method for the same reason. I like to check on it often to make sure that the seed germinates. Usually it takes 1-3 days to germinate, and another few days to pop out of soil, so about a week in total for a seedling. I never planted directly in soil, but i assume it would take a week to see results, and i'm too impatient for that. And if it's a dud, it would be a big waste of time. And i don't like keeping the soil moist for no reason, if nothing is drinking that water. I lost one seedling that i planted too early when the seed just cracked and didn't show a taproot yet, i thought it will be fine but it got drowned. It's harder to tell how moist is the pothole, paper towel is easy to tell.
bk78
Well-Known Member
Only twice in 30 years eh?
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
I generally get the sprout cresting the soil in 3-4 days. Haven't had any broken taproots or rotting seeds.
How deep do you plant the seed? I noticed when i planted the seed too shallow for faster sprouting, they come up with the shell stuck so i have to use tweezers to remove it. I started planting a little bit deeper than usual, it takes a day or two more, but no more stuck shell. About 2cm deep instead of 1cm.
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
I plant them 1/2" down. I have a sharpie that I've marked at the 1/2" mark to make it easy to get the depth right. I've only ever had to remove a seed shell once in the past 10 or so plants.
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
You can open up a Root Riot plug enough to see if there is anything going on or not. Usually you don't need to because you can see the white of the root without touching it.
King Avitas
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I have only planted a handful of times directly in medium. Gave up after losing all my seeds a couple times. I did have some luck but not enough to stray from my tried and true paper towel method. I still lose the odd sprouted seed but not very often.