hi guys i had 10 seeds a few weeks ago and i did everything but they don't germinate i don't know why first i did put 2 seeds in a cup of water and after 12 hours they sank so i put them between wet paper towels but they didn't germinate i tried directly planting to soil , i tried 24 hours glass of water and then wet paper towel i did every combination but they don't wanna germinate i'm about to go crazy i have 2 seeds left
Seeds don't germinate
- Thread starter elzero
- Start date
Silentvirtue
Well-Known Member
Could be a few things. Firstly I soak mine untill I see them split before moving to paper towels. I then put these inside a inflated plastic bag before tying. I then put these in a warm dark place for a few days for tap root development.
I think it's either a duff batch happens unfortunately. Shops can be rubbish at getting fresh levels of seeds.
Secondly it could be temp related. Low to mid 80's or 24c (ish) normally works.
I think it's either a duff batch happens unfortunately. Shops can be rubbish at getting fresh levels of seeds.
Secondly it could be temp related. Low to mid 80's or 24c (ish) normally works.
thank you for your reply now i only have 2 seeds and i'm going to give it a last chance wish me luck
Boatguy
Well-Known Member
Nowhere in nature does a seed need a soak in a glass, followed by damp paper towels.
I do do the overnite soak for no good reason, but then they hit the dirt.
For years I did paper towel method. It was successful.
It wasn't until earlier this year while I was sowing my outdoor gardens I realized I was doing things backwards. How many outdoor vegetables do I baby with paper towels, zip lock bags etc? None!
Immediately began doing all seeds the same way I do outdoor. Straight into medium.
100% success rate thus far. I'll never mess around with anything but how nature has intended and done things since forever regarding seed germination again.
Silentvirtue
Well-Known Member
This makes sense to be fair. Isn't werid we add these extra steps. Meh each to their own however. Paper towel works for me won't change it if it's not broken!
xtsho
Well-Known Member
It wasn't broken before people started using paper towels.
Silentvirtue
Well-Known Member
Very funny. I meant once your shown one way you tent to stay with it.It wasn't broken before people started using paper towels.
J232
Well-Known Member
I thought I would try something new... I treated my garden seeds like cannabis seeds and had poor germination lmao. Not kidding, and I never had issues with paper towel germination, this year was the first regardless the seed, something new in the paper towel lol. 2020. I even switched paper towel brands fer fuck sakes.
Silentvirtue
Well-Known Member
Covid in every sheet?
GiovanniJones
Well-Known Member
For my last grow, I did the following with success:
At least, that's mostly what I read from Uncle Ben here on RIU and it rang true to me, lol.
- Soak seeds in water for 24 hours
- Get a red solo cup with holes drilled into the bottom for drainage
- Fill it with soil
- Water it thoroughly and let it drain out the bottom so that all the soil is moist.
- Make a hole, maybe 3/8" deep into the top of the soil with the back side of a pencil
- Drop the seed in and cover it
- Spray the top with water as often as necessary to make sure it doesn't dry out
At least, that's mostly what I read from Uncle Ben here on RIU and it rang true to me, lol.
GiovanniJones
Well-Known Member
If it's not growing, perhaps your seeds are too deep and getting root rot, or they're too close to the top and they're drying out.
xtsho
Well-Known Member
In the end all that matters is a successful germination. But many new growers are literally drowning their seeds. Soaking for too long and then into wet paper towels for days until they have a taproot 2 inches long. Then they stick them in a pot of soil that looks like a swamp, water them 3 times a day, and then when they rot in the soil and don't come up the first thing they do is point the finger at where the seeds came from and call them duds. There is a reason most seed companies that provide germination methods say to use a paper towel. It's because 95% of the seeds are good but the grower can still screw it up. If they crack in a paper towel and start growing a root then they were good and they can't blame the place the seeds came from because they rotted or dampened off from over watering which is one of the top rookie mistakes made when starting from seed. Once they go into the soil it's all up to the grower.
I just put them in small 2" x 2" x 4" black nursery pots of potting soil I've ran through a screen to get all the big chunks out and water them in real good. They usually don't need anything more than a light misting now and then to keep the top from drying out. Once they pop it's off to the races.
I can accept this. As growers, we all find things that work, and stick in that groove. I will never say that if you moisten a paper towel, put some seeds into it, fold it up loosely, put the moist towel in a Ziplock, roll up the Ziplock and wrap it in a black tea towel and put it on top of the fireplace mantel or fridge that germination won't happen.
That does work. For certain. Did it for years.
I just won't use that technique going forward, because there are several handling stages that can be avoided by putting the seed directly into the medium.
I like simplicity. When you're doing grows where you have to repeat things several times, exponential with the space you have and the number of plants you're growing, shaving off even two minutes per plant adds up. So does the mess. So does the waste of paper towel and Ziplock bags. So does especially my time.
When I don't have to waste time transplanting taproots from paper towel to medium, I've saved myself that time and effort.
I'm a bit flush with seeds currently (not as many as I'd like, but enough for some experiments) so I think I'm going to start a new journal for seed starting directly in medium.
Seems this aspect of growing needs some attention.
i really like root riot cubes, get them wet and stick seeds in as far as you can push...plant in soil and water good AROUND the cube. The cube really does a great job of balancing oxygen an moisture for the seed, if the temp is warm you can’t screw it up
Silentvirtue
Well-Known Member
Yeah I guess I see what your saying spek but I have to say I love starting in these. Soak untill split a few days developing in paper towel and in the cubes they go.
I also know that people leave them soak and develop 6 ft roots before transplanting. People are idiots admittedly.
I think as long as it you get success don't change it. Unless you're like me and LOVE experimenting. I just experiemnt more with training, lighting, feeding etc.
Back to original post, the guy has tried paper towel, soil starting, glass soaking and still not getting places.
It's more than likely a dud batch. Also depends where he's from. If he's state side and in a legal county chances are fresh High quality seeds are avaliable everywhere. If he's in Dubai chances are Mohammed is risking his arms being chopped off for even mentioning seeds. Thus making higher quality seeds hard to obtain or have seeds that could be a decade old.
I have a friend in the UK and has to buy from abroad as the seed banks in the UK are very hit and miss according to him. It's worth him buying from Europe and shipping them.
Anyway also back to the original post. If you are in a legal state or country why no just obtain cuttings and skip this starting process all together?
Set up a very small tent to house further cuttings from you plant. Do it right you'll never need seeds. If you time it even better you don't even need a mother plant.
guitarguy10
Well-Known Member
I used to do all that soak and paper towel bullshit but since just putting them in rehydrated cheap jiffy pellets from the hardware store I have had the same amount of seeds sprout as I did before.
A big waste of time it is to soak and then put them in paper towel imo, esp. me who is lazy as fuck I don't know why I bothered in the first place
Nature has never used paper towels to germinate plants from seed, so why should we?
A big waste of time it is to soak and then put them in paper towel imo, esp. me who is lazy as fuck I don't know why I bothered in the first place
Nature has never used paper towels to germinate plants from seed, so why should we?