Watering /waiting to sprout

GrowerCy

GrowerCy

Active Member
a quick question guys. While im waiting the seeds to sprout out from the soil shall i water them till water comes out from the bottom every 1-2 days when it starts getting dry?

because i wasnt watering them until water come out.i was just making the upper soil moist with drops of water and then covering them with a plastic to keep the humidity .do you think my seeds might have died because of this or will they sprout now that i watered them untill water came out. 1 seed is in the soil (bio bizz all mix) for 6 days now and second seed for 3 days. i have them in small plastic cups of 150 ml

thanks in advance

thank you
 
fearnoevil

fearnoevil

Well-Known Member
Yeah, 6 days is a bit much, and no you don't generally want to water until it runs out the bottom. Overwatering is one of the many bugaboos for new growers, this can basically drown them if there's no oxygen and fungus can rot them out. It won't hurt to take a toothpick or the like and move the soil away and see what the older seed looks like.

FYI, in the future it's a good idea to either soak them in water for 24-48 hrs or until you see the seed crack open, others soak for 24 hrs and then put them in damp (not soaked) paper towels on a plate and cover with stretch wrap.

Personally, I soak them in a 60/40 mix of water and 3% peroxide for an hour or so, stir em a bit to make sure they're well rinsed, because I never know if a seed may have any contaminates from the breeder. Then I put them in doubled up paper towels moistened with the same solution, put them on a glass plate and cover them tightly with stretch wrap, and then put them on top of the fridge.

I almost always have seeds sprouting within 36-48 hrs. (don't wait for the tap root to get too long) and then put them in dixie cups filled with seedling mix, (kind with NO ferts, just soil), which is also prepared and watered in advance with the same 60/40 water/peroxide solution. Plant them about 1/2" - 1/4" deep and them put them on a thermostatically controlled heat mat set at 82F. These numbers aren't exact, btw, just a guide.

The point about peroxide is that it's a great way to kill off bacteria and fungus/mold spoors, and it degrades fairly quickly when exposed to heat and light, so while the solution I mention seems strong, it won't hurt the seeds themselves and by the time they start to sprout most if not all the peroxide has turned to water. Hope this helps, post pics if you have any questions, and good luck.
 
GrowerCy

GrowerCy

Active Member
fearnoevil said:
Yeah, 6 days is a bit much, and no you don't generally want to water until it runs out the bottom. Overwatering is one of the many bugaboos for new growers, this can basically drown them if there's no oxygen and fungus can rot them out. It won't hurt to take a toothpick or the like and move the soil away and see what the older seed looks like.

FYI, in the future it's a good idea to either soak them in water for 24-48 hrs or until you see the seed crack open, others soak for 24 hrs and then put them in damp (not soaked) paper towels on a plate and cover with stretch wrap.

Personally, I soak them in a 60/40 mix of water and 3% peroxide for an hour or so, stir em a bit to make sure they're well rinsed, because I never know if a seed may have any contaminates from the breeder. Then I put them in doubled up paper towels moistened with the same solution, put them on a glass plate and cover them tightly with stretch wrap, and then put them on top of the fridge.

I almost always have seeds sprouting within 36-48 hrs. (don't wait for the tap root to get too long) and then put them in dixie cups filled with seedling mix, (kind with NO ferts, just soil), which is also prepared and watered in advance with the same 60/40 water/peroxide solution. Plant them about 1/2" - 1/4" deep and them put them on a thermostatically controlled heat mat set at 82F. These numbers aren't exact, btw, just a guide.

The point about peroxide is that it's a great way to kill off bacteria and fungus/mold spoors, and it degrades fairly quickly when exposed to heat and light, so while the solution I mention seems strong, it won't hurt the seeds themselves and by the time they start to sprout most if not all the peroxide has turned to water. Hope this helps, post pics if you have any questions, and good luck.
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thanks for your answer ,i really appreciated that.
just to mention something i also soak them in the water for 24-30 hours ( both sprouted)

also do you think the second seed thats planded 3 days ago and got a proper watering today and not just some drops of water on the top will survive? i was thinking that if i had them for like 24-30 hours in water when i germinated them that maybe they would still have some moisture in them and also a little bit from the little wattering i was doing that will still survive could survive ?
 
Nafydad420

Nafydad420

Well-Known Member
GrowerCy said:
thanks for your answer ,i really appreciated that.
just to mention something i also soak them in the water for 24-30 hours ( both sprouted)

also do you think the second seed thats planded 3 days ago and got a proper watering today and not just some drops of water on the top will survive? i was thinking that if i had them for like 24-30 hours in water when i germinated them that maybe they would still have some moisture in them and also a little bit from the little wattering i was doing that will still survive could survive ?
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you are doing a LOT more than you need to. there is no need to soak seeds (unless they are old dry bag seed) your seeds have everything it needs to adapt and survive. you could just put the seeds in the moist soil. nothing else needed. keep it simple my dude :)
 
Nafydad420

Nafydad420

Well-Known Member
Nafydad420 said:
you are doing a LOT more than you need to. there is no need to soak seeds (unless they are old dry bag seed) your seeds have everything it needs to adapt and survive. you could just put the seeds in the moist soil. nothing else needed. keep it simple my dude :)
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just remember, seeds like it warm,moist and dark. nothing more nothing less.
 
fearnoevil

fearnoevil

Well-Known Member
Hard to say, considering that it was already sprouted when you planted it, you should have seen something by now I would think - if you're worried about that you can, very carefully, dig down to find it and then pull back the soil to expose the root. If it's overwatered and/or dead, you'll know, but unless you're living in a very arid environment, I wouldn't be watering more than a little every 3 days and NOT till it runs out the bottom unless the medium is really porous, say with a lot of perlite or too loose a soil (should be compacted a little).

Alternately you can just dig your finger down a couple of inches at the edge of the cup to see what the moisture situation looks like. A little dry, not bone dry, isn't going to hurt as much as overwatering.

Ultimately, experience is the best teacher in this hobby, which is why I encourage newbs to NOT buy really expensive high-grade seeds to start - in fact find a good REPUTABLE seedbank and buy a bunch of their cheapest, hardiest seeds, ones that have a difficulty rating of "Easy", and start there, then any lost seeds aren't breaking the bank ;?)
 
fearnoevil

fearnoevil

Well-Known Member
Nafydad420 said:
you are doing a LOT more than you need to. there is no need to soak seeds (unless they are old dry bag seed) your seeds have everything it needs to adapt and survive. you could just put the seeds in the moist soil. nothing else needed. keep it simple my dude :)
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That may be how you do it, but a LOT of very experienced growers do exactly that, and I do mean A LOT. And this is especially useful for beginners because it tells them right out of the gate, whether or not their seeds are viable, which in turn helps to keep those newb jitters to a minimum.

Plus if they're sprouted, it's easier to tell if you have a problem post-planting - unsoaked/unsprouted seeds can take days to sprout and the waiting can lead the unexperienced grower to start fiddling around, like watering too much, lol.
 
fearnoevil

fearnoevil

Well-Known Member
There's a lot of videos on the Tube, but Vader is one of my favs, he keeps it interesting and while his style is a little over the top, his grow techniques are solid, and he has a TON of videos, so I suggest subscribing and watching if you're a newb. I like that he does a lot of stuff pretty much the way that I do, fits my style I suppose, though I don't do anything on that scale, nor the breeding tech (waiting till I move back to the Left Coast ;?).

 
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GrowerCy

GrowerCy

Active Member
hello again and thanks for the advises,will keep them in my mind for my second try.

I managed to dig the seed out from the soil as fearnoevil told me so i can see hows going and this is what the seed looks like . Do you think its dead ? or shall i still keep it in the soil. when i first plant it was less open than this ,but that was 3 days ago.

IMG_20180128_163411.jpg
 

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Nafydad420

Nafydad420

Well-Known Member
GrowerCy said:
hello again and thanks for the advises,will keep them in my mind for my second try.

I managed to dig the seed out from the soil as fearnoevil told me so i can see hows going and this is what the seed looks like . Do you think its dead ? or shall i still keep it in the soil. when i first plant it was less open than this ,but that was 3 days ago.

View attachment 4080583
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Looks rotten to me.. but cant really tell unless i see that taproot better. shoot, push that sucker back down see what happens in a day or two though..
for the future, i feel like this way is the most natural and easiest way to germinate. http://www.nosoilsolutions.com/rapid-rooter-plugs-germinate-seeds/ good luck and hope this helps!
 
fearnoevil

fearnoevil

Well-Known Member
GrowerCy said:
hello again and thanks for the advises,will keep them in my mind for my second try.

I managed to dig the seed out from the soil as fearnoevil told me so i can see hows going and this is what the seed looks like . Do you think its dead ? or shall i still keep it in the soil. when i first plant it was less open than this ,but that was 3 days ago.

View attachment 4080583
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Sorry dude, but yes that is way too wet, you never want to see the medium that saturated as it will drown seedlings - larger plants can survive a little of this, but too much for too long and you'll get root rot. Generally speaking, and I've never seen different, once the seed cracks and you see the beginning of a tap root pushing out, once planted it should grow and be sticking above the surface within 12-24hrs (provided it's not too cold).

If they don't that usually means trouble - anything from root rot to bugs eating them and rarely it can be bad genetics that cause failure early on. This is one reason I'll pretreat my seedling cups with H2O2 the day before planting just in case something came with or got into the grow medium. Well chalk one up to experience, and remember every failure is just one step closer to success, so keep reading, keep trying and keep the faith ;?)
 
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GrowerCy

GrowerCy

Active Member
Hello again guys ...after considering your opinions and reading more on the internet i come back after 18 days to show you my secont attempt :) I feel so proud of this :)

11 days old.
No fertilizers yet (biobizz all mix soil)
6.5 PH water .Mineral from supermarket.

Does it look healthy? whats your oppinions?Any suggestions? :)

thanks again in advance !
 

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GrowerCy

GrowerCy

Active Member
fearnoevil said:
There's a lot of videos on the Tube, but Vader is one of my favs, he keeps it interesting and while his style is a little over the top, his grow techniques are solid, and he has a TON of videos, so I suggest subscribing and watching if you're a newb. I like that he does a lot of stuff pretty much the way that I do, fits my style I suppose, though I don't do anything on that scale, nor the breeding tech (waiting till I move back to the Left Coast ;?).

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Vader is a professional grower indeed! I Learned a lot from him. I also check GreenBox Grown in youtube.His not on Vaders lvl but perfect for beginners. :)
 
fearnoevil

fearnoevil

Well-Known Member
GrowerCy said:
Hello again guys ...after considering your opinions and reading more on the internet i come back after 18 days to show you my secont attempt :) I feel so proud of this :)

11 days old.
No fertilizers yet (biobizz all mix soil)
6.5 PH water .Mineral from supermarket.

Does it look healthy? whats your oppinions?Any suggestions? :)

thanks again in advance !
Click to expand...
Looking good Cy, what strain is that (fem or reg seed?).
Only thing I would change is not to use mineral water, I don't think it's necessary, just get the cheapo generic spring water if there's a problem with your tap water.
Otherwise just keep it simple, using tap water after leaving it sit for a few days to let the chlorine evaporate, that's all I use, but I have pretty good quality tap water (some use a small aquarium pump with air stone to speed up the process, depends how bad it is ;?).

Also, a lot of people emphasize keeping the humidity at a set point, but unless it's really arid where you live, it's not much of a factor. My most recent bunch of seedlings has lived through many days where the RH got below 20% without any problems, and on the flip side, if you get the humidity too high it could allow a variety of fungi to grow. That's provided the spores are already there, they won't appear magically just because of high humidity, but I'm leery because I have had to battle with some, a real pita. Just one less problem to deal with, imo, so I try to keep my RH below 50%. Well good luck and keep up the good work.
 
GrowerCy

GrowerCy

Active Member
fearnoevil said:
Looking good Cy, what strain is that (fem or reg seed?).
Only thing I would change is not to use mineral water, I don't think it's necessary, just get the cheapo generic spring water if there's a problem with your tap water.
Otherwise just keep it simple, using tap water after leaving it sit for a few days to let the chlorine evaporate, that's all I use, but I have pretty good quality tap water (some use a small aquarium pump with air stone to speed up the process, depends how bad it is ;?).

Also, a lot of people emphasize keeping the humidity at a set point, but unless it's really arid where you live, it's not much of a factor. My most recent bunch of seedlings has lived through many days where the RH got below 20% without any problems, and on the flip side, if you get the humidity too high it could allow a variety of fungi to grow. That's provided the spores are already there, they won't appear magically just because of high humidity, but I'm leery because I have had to battle with some, a real pita. Just one less problem to deal with, imo, so I try to keep my RH below 50%. Well good luck and keep up the good work.
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Thanks a lot Fear :) Its auto Blue Amnesia from Ministry of Cannabis .I will start using my tap water from now on after letting it sit for 24 hours.

Check it now 2 days later( almost 3) ! It starts growing fast ! Its so nice to watch this plant getting bigger and bigger everyday :o :)

edit : temperature here was 19 because it was just after the light turned on ...its usually with lights on around 22-24 with RH 50-60 and lights off 19-20 and RH 60-70
 

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Tx-Peanutt

Tx-Peanutt

Well-Known Member
GrowerCy said:
Transplant day :) wasnt expecting to see so many roots at the bottom.Only 1 small root was coming outside from the bottom of the cup .:) Lets see ..:) !
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U shouldn’t be transplanting autos bud they don’t have time to recover u always want to start them in there final pot.... good luck

Happy growing
 
GrowerCy

GrowerCy

Active Member
Tx-Peanutt said:
U shouldn’t be transplanting autos bud they don’t have time to recover u always want to start them in there final pot.... good luck

Happy growing
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Thanks for answering to the post :) well yeah thats another oppinion. I mean half of the people suggest to transplant autos and the other half suggest not to. I was afraid of overwatering so thats why i choose to start with a smaller pot.But yeah..next time i will go straoght to the main pot :) Thanks again
 
Tx-Peanutt

Tx-Peanutt

Well-Known Member
GrowerCy said:
Thanks for answering to the post :) well yeah thats another oppinion. I mean half of the people suggest to transplant autos and the other half suggest not to. I was afraid of overwatering so thats why i choose to start with a smaller pot.But yeah..next time i will go straoght to the main pot :) Thanks again
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No problem when I do autos I start them in final pot and only water around the stem until the third week every week making my circle bigger..They start flowering week 4 if I’m not mistaken hopefully they don’t get shocked during transplant
 
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