help with germinating seeds.

I have 2 seeds germinating right now. I have them in damp paper towels in between to plates. I have them on my cable box for heat. I was wanting to know if I should place a towel over the plates to keep them warmer. Or remove the towel and just let the plates do there thing?

I would put them in a dark place,they need dark.
It's nice to have the heat but they don't necessarily need heat,room temp is fine.
I always put my seeds in a glass of water and cover it with a cup,a shot glass works well with a coffee cup over it.

big bud 56 said:

I would put them in a dark place,they need dark.
It's nice to have the heat but they don't necessarily need heat,room temp is fine.
I always put my seeds in a glass of water and cover it with a cup,a shot glass works well with a coffee cup over it.

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ok thank you for the reply.

Depends, what is the temp in your room? In the cable box in an enclosed area/entertainment center or out in the open?

If you think the temp between the plates is 72-85 or so they should be fine.

My advice is next time assuming they are healthy seeds, is soak them in water for 6-18 hours and then plant them 1/4" deep in soil on a heat mat, they will pop in 2-5 days and you will not risk damage to the roots or a possible mold problem between plates. Good luck man

What I do, is put them in cups (ph'd water) for a day till they "pop"..then put them on damp paper towel (covered with more damp paper towel, and seran wrap over the top) until they sprout.....Dont use a towel...to many fibres may affect the tap roots and get stuck to them..use seran wrap to keep moisture and heat....I always found they "Pop" Better with no light avail, and a lot of warmth (the seran wrap will ensure they do not dry out)...just ensure you do not "soak" the paper towel...just damp as the humidity from the seran wrap will keep the proper environment.

actont said:

What I do, is put them in cups (ph'd water) for a day till they "pop"..then put them on damp paper towel (covered with more damp paper towel, and seran wrap over the top) until they sprout.....Dont use a towel...to many fibres may affect the tap roots and get stuck to them..use seran wrap to keep moisture and heat....I always found they "Pop" Better with no light avail, and a lot of warmth (the seran wrap will ensure they do not dry out)...just ensure you do not "soak" the paper towel...just damp as the humidity from the seran wrap will keep the proper environment.

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I have them on a plate and another plate on top. I have them the pate on my cable box. I lay a towel over the top of the plates just to keep them warmer. I think sometimes it may get too warm. Thats why I was asking if I should just keep them on the cable box with just the plates or keep using the towel to cover the plates.

you're thinking too much . it should work either way .
I myself don't bother with papertowel method and soak my seed for 24 hours in a shotglass of water ( kept in dark place at room temp ) and straight into soil it goes . Haven't had a problem yet .

Dabolili said:

you're thinking too much . it should work either way .
I myself don't bother with papertowel method and soak my seed for 24 hours in a shotglass of water ( kept in dark place at room temp ) and straight into soil it goes . Haven't had a problem yet .

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ok thank you for the reply. I soaked my seeds for 6 hours in a shot glass. I tapped them and the went to the bottom. I then placed them in the paper towels after that. I started all this yesterday, so they been in damp paper towels just since last night about 9pm. So they have not been in paper towels too long. so should I just take them out of the paper towels now and plant in soil?

I don't want to start a seed germination technique war here just to be clear. But, If it was me I would move them to soil 1/4" deep. Make sure it is light soil with no big sticks or twigs on top of where the seed is. Make sure you keep them above 70 degrees, 75 would be better. You will see them pop in a few days and not take the risk of handling them.

Cascadian said:

I don't want to start a seed germination technique war here just to be clear. But, If it was me I would move them to soil 1/4" deep. Make sure it is light soil with no big sticks or twigs on top of where the seed is. Make sure you keep them above 70 degrees, 75 would be better. You will see them pop in a few days and not take the risk of handling them.

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ok thanks you. So to keep at 70-75 as a temp. I should place a light over them or maybe place on a heat pad? I am growing autos, so they should planted in there final pot from start.

I have always planted into solo cups because they allow for the medium to cycle from dry to moist more often and more easily than a large pot, so that does add an element of risk (of the medium staying too moist for too long). If you plant them make sure there is some perlite or something to help with drainage mixed in in the immediate area where you plant the seed (maybe 1/4 perlite and slightly deeper than 1/4"). Don't water it for a couple days at least and if you do just mist it with a spray bottle lightly.

70-75 minimum and up to 80 is fine, if you have a heating pad definitely use it especially if they are going in a large pot. A small light over them is all they will need initially.

I didn't catch how long you have had them in paper towels, if it has been less than a day then you could move them to soil. If they have been there a while then it might be too much of a change from the environment they are used to and could shock them.

I don't bother with paper towels or soaking. Just throw the seed about half inch deep into plastic cups with moistened SAM#4 and water thoroughly. Seed usually breaks thru in 2-4 days.

Heat mats are beneficial, especially in cooler regions or even just at night time if temperatures tend to drop then. If you just put them under a 24 hour light from the outset, even a T5, it might generate enough heat to keep the soil warm, but peoples circumstances do differ. Humidity domes aren't necessary for seedlings, though, and I don't think paper towels are either.

texastiger707 said:

I have 2 seeds germinating right now. I have them in damp paper towels in between to plates. I have them on my cable box for heat. I was wanting to know if I should place a towel over the plates to keep them warmer. Or remove the towel and just let the plates do there thing?

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You are going to get many different ideas on how to germinate...probably most of them are fine or people would not be recommending the method but if you want to read a super good method on germinating seed, go to www.mandalaseeds.com and check out thier web site. First check out thier prefered method of germinating seeds and why they prefer that method then browse thier entire website. They have a first class web page that gives advice on many many things. Mandala seeds ( Mike and Jasmine) are now in the breeders hall of fame....they didnt get there by NOT knowing what they are talking about. Its worth taking a half hour just to look over the site!

Its my knowledge of seeing ppl over think grows to be staggering. In the wild a seed falls to the ground and slow and some time really slow begin to grow in the ground. let your beans do what beans do.

scarelet said:

Its my knowledge of seeing ppl over think grows to be staggering. In the wild a seed falls to the ground and slow and some time really slow begin to grow in the ground. let your beans do what beans do.

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I couldnt have said it any better myself! Thats why I recommended reading the Germination portion of Mandalas web site!

the paper towel method is tried and true. i never even put plates on top. i always put the paper towel in a ziplock and either breathed in it or sprayed co2 form my old paintball gun into it(i thought it would help, dont know if it did or not). that was my old method. i know there are a lot of methods, not only on this thread, but on the web as well. its up to you to find the best method for you. i usually sow them straight in soil, just wet the soil in a solo cup or small pot with good drainage. poke a small hole about 1/4" deep. insert seed knot side up. cover lightly with soil then put a ziplock over the cup. wait a few days and youll have a seedlng! you could speed it up a bit by (this is what i do) placing seed(s) in a CLEAN pill bottle. fill about a 1/2" with water, put it in your closet, forget about it for 2 days or so. by then, if the seeds are viable, you will have your tap root out. plant it and enjoy!!!!

texastiger707 said:

ok thanks you. So to keep at 70-75 as a temp. I should place a light over them or maybe place on a heat pad? I am growing autos, so they should planted in there final pot from start.

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I think you should keep the temps 75-80 . it will take longer to germinate at 70 . it still should pop thou . so go ahead and use the heating mat if you have 1 . you don't have to like many people have said here but if you have it why the fuck not

You are still trying to complicate things. Room temp, as long as it is 70+.no heat pad, no towel, nothing esoteric. Refer to cascadian's post, and always remember the K.I.S.S. principle. Always plant shallow in soil. Again, see Cascadian's post. & be kind.