help save my pheno hunt

so i started planning this pheno hunt back in may.i ordered the first batch of seeds from tropical seed co. i ordered 100 and they included 40 extra the strain was smooth smoke special purple f3 however, when i started trying to germinate the seeds nothing not a single seed cracked or sprouted using several methods to germinate. (during this time i germinated quite a few seeds from a different breeder with 100% success) so i contacted tropical and to there credit they sent out another 60-70 of the purple f3s and 50-60 of a green f1 that i havent touched yet however after attempting another small germination batch of the puprle f3s nothing not a single sprout or crack
so my questions are
1) what is wrong with these seeds
2)is there a method to help with the germination of hard to germ seeds
3) how should i try to handle the situation with the company while they have been helpful so far the only strain they have that i would be interested in is the special purple f3 of smooth smoke so most of their seeds would never get used but ive gotten around 200 and theyre all duds

How are you cracking the seeds

tried a few
soak in shot glass 12-48 hours then plant (preferred)
soak in shot glass then paper towel then plant
planted direct to coco/soil
soak in h2o2 and water

Bottle water?

yea i tried bottled a couple times but usually just ro water

Ns950641 said:

yea i tried bottled a couple times but usually just ro water

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Dam your doing it right

yea im not mad though a bunk run of seeds is understandable just really disappointed so far

on a positive note i remember reading of a chemical something like giberelic (sp?) acid that would help with the germination of old seeds anyone think it could be applicable in this situation

Throw a few in the freezer then try 24 hours later
Soak in water for about 12 hours and plant in medium
Sometimes they need a little winter

G

Herb & Suds said:

Throw a few in the freezer then try 24 hours later
Soak in water for about 12 hours and plant in medium
Sometimes they need a little winter

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Good to know

Caliverner said:

G

Good to know

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Have you tried cracking one open to see the “germ “ inside?? If it’s hollow they are bunk if not you might need to “crack them” by physically popping the shell prior to sprouting.

Herb & Suds said:

Throw a few in the freezer then try 24 hours later
Soak in water for about 12 hours and plant in medium
Sometimes they need a little winter

Click to expand...

just threw a few in a ziploc baggie and threw em in the freezer will try these tomorrow with as many as i have doesnt hurt to experiment

Joedank said:

Have you tried cracking one open to see the “germ “ inside?? If it’s hollow they are bunk if not you might need to “crack them” by physically popping the shell prior to sprouting.

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ok you got my attention sounds intimidating but so does alot of stuff what are some easy/safe methods of doing this i tried scuffing some in the last batch not sure if i actually scratched the outter membrane like i was supposed to but i tried lol

The easiest way I’ve done it is to take the sharp edge of the seed and a pair of nail clippers and just slice off the outer edge. There also is a little device called a seed cracker that will gently crack it but I’ve done it between my fingers before with pretty good success

Ns950641 said:

yea im not mad though a bunk run of seeds is understandable just really disappointed so far

on a positive note i remember reading of a chemical something like giberelic (sp?) acid that would help with the germination of old seeds anyone think it could be applicable in this situation

Click to expand...

Gibberellic Acid / GA3 can be used to get old seeds to crack. I've used it successfully on a variety of old seeds not just cannabis. Give it a try. But you shouldn't be getting old seeds from any breeder that require anything more than just planting to get them to germinate.

got around to cracking one open tonight and sure enough little plant embryos just chilling. so when you say crack prior to sprouting do you mean
soak then crack then plant or just crack then plant. forgot to mention the seed i cracked open was a seed that had failed to germ

I am posting a disclaimer first cause this is something I vaguely remember reading about

I believe you can put seeds in a small container with a bit of clean sand (hobby store) and shake gently for a minute to scratch the outer casing of the shell, making it easier for the taproot to crack it after soaking/paper towel.

Again, I’ve never done this and I’m not sure of specifics but, it makes sense in my mind.

You're getting good advice so far, and it seems like you're doing everything right too. It's odd that you're getting no germination at all for sure.

Times I've gotten no germination is usually because the seeds were 10+ years old, non refrigerated.
The one other time was recently, with fresh seeds that I decided to "give a head start" by gently cracking them in vice grips, only until I heard the faintest pop of the seam.
Well, for some reason, they didn't like that at all, and none popped.

Just be careful if you decide to manually crack them. You shouldn't have to though, with healthy seed.

The sanding thing is usually done by lining a pill bottle, or matchbox, etc, with sandpaper, and shaking the seeds around for a minute. This is supposed to help sand that seam down, and open easier.
People usually do this with especially new or tough shells. If your embryo looked good on the non sprouted bean, they might just be really tough, and sanding may help.

Gibberellic acid can help, but also may cause the seedlings to be stretchier than you want.

The best results I've heard of was basically planting in a worm bin, or compost pile. I can't remember exactly why, but likely something to do with the microbial activity. If you've got a compost pile, or worm bin, I'd try a couple in there.

Have you tried germinating other seeds from other breeders? Could help narrow down whether it's the seeds or something with your process, which it doesn't seem like.

Edit: I see you tried other seeds, so maybe the tropical seeds are just old, or especially tough shells. Since Tropical has been so accommodating so far, maybe ask them what they would recommend regarding germination technique, and maybe ask how old they are?

Good luck!

It helps to shine light on them after they soak up water, like after 24 hours. Just a few minutes will do. It's actually just the red part of the light that stimulates germination, far red reverses the effect. And yes, light can get through seed coats. One thing's for sure though, you ordered way too many seeds from one company before having made a small test buy. They got positive reviews but apparently something's wrong if seeds from other companies worked.