How long to wait for seeds to germ

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SlappyD

Member
Hey all

So 3 days ago I started 3 seeds with the wet paper towel method.

1 has popped and basically ready to be put in soil, the other 2 have no tail or don't even look to be cracked yet. I'm especially worried because my Gorilla Bomb seed was very small compared to others and when I took it out of the bag a small part of shell fell off (I didn't touch the seed, just opened the bag onto the paper towel).

If the other 2 won't pop I want to start 2 more seeds somewhat quickly as I want 3 growin at the same time. How much longer should I give the other 2 seeds before giving up?

Cheers
 
shaggydog365

shaggydog365

Well-Known Member
I would give them a couple more weeks, that would be plenty of time to see if there just slower, other than that, just plant more seeds
 
S

SlappyD

Member
shaggydog365 said:
I would give them a couple more weeks, that would be plenty of time to see if there just slower, other than that, just plant more seeds
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Oh wow weeks? I thought it's normally 1-3 days.

Should I switch out the paper towels? I assume after weeks they might get moldy.
 
GreenHighlander

GreenHighlander

Well-Known Member
Very rarely in my experience will anything that is gonna pop take more then 2-3 days in paper towels. I have had some older less viable seeds take up to 7 days. And yes the paper towels will absolutely be moldy in a couple weeks.
If some pop and others don't I tend to plant all of them at the same time anyway. Usually with viable seeds they will all break ground.
Cheers :)
 
Lordhooha

Lordhooha

Well-Known Member
SlappyD said:
Hey all

So 3 days ago I started 3 seeds with the wet paper towel method.

1 has popped and basically ready to be put in soil, the other 2 have no tail or don't even look to be cracked yet. I'm especially worried because my Gorilla Bomb seed was very small compared to others and when I took it out of the bag a small part of shell fell off (I didn't touch the seed, just opened the bag onto the paper towel).

If the other 2 won't pop I want to start 2 more seeds somewhat quickly as I want 3 growin at the same time. How much longer should I give the other 2 seeds before giving up?

Cheers
Click to expand...
Stick them in soil or rapid rooters with burpees 10 day self watering trays with a heat mat. Mine all pop within 2 days. 99% germination rate.
 
S

SlappyD

Member
GreenHighlander said:
Very rarely in my experience will anything that is gonna pop take more then 2-3 days in paper towels. I have had some older less viable seeds take up to 7 days. And yes the paper towels will absolutely be moldy in a couple weeks.
If some pop and others don't I tend to plant all of them at the same time anyway. Usually with viable seeds they will all break ground.
Cheers :)
Click to expand...
Ahh k I was thinking the same. Sounds good I'll plant them all tmrw and just see what comes of them.

Do most people use paper towel method? I've heard of just putting them in a glass of water but that always seemed like it would drown them.
 
GreenHighlander

GreenHighlander

Well-Known Member
SlappyD said:
Ahh k I was thinking the same. Sounds good I'll plant them all tmrw and just see what comes of them.

Do most people use paper towel method? I've heard of just putting them in a glass of water but that always seemed like it would drown them.
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The best germination, just like growing method is what ever you are most comfortable with. If you ask 5 people you will get atleast 4 different answers lol
The best method is whatever works best for you.
Cheers :)
 
B

bigsteve

Well-Known Member
With my refridgerated seeds --

* @ 24 hours they show a crack.
* @ 48 hours I have a 1/2 inch taproot.
* @ 72 hours the 2 leaves are out, sprout is 1+ inches and ready for dirt.

If they haven't cracked at 3 days chances are slim they will. Are you keeping the paper towel set-up in an air-tight baggie?

Good luck, Big Steve.
 
MichiganMedGrower

MichiganMedGrower

Well-Known Member
I have found temperature has the biggest effect.

I try to keep my germination seeds around 75 degrees farenheight give or take a little for fastest germination.

Good seeds always sprout for me in 1-2 days in a moist coffee filter in an open baggie in a dark place.
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
SlappyD said:
Hey all

So 3 days ago I started 3 seeds with the wet paper towel method.

1 has popped and basically ready to be put in soil, the other 2 have no tail or don't even look to be cracked yet. I'm especially worried because my Gorilla Bomb seed was very small compared to others and when I took it out of the bag a small part of shell fell off (I didn't touch the seed, just opened the bag onto the paper towel).

If the other 2 won't pop I want to start 2 more seeds somewhat quickly as I want 3 growin at the same time. How much longer should I give the other 2 seeds before giving up?

Cheers
Click to expand...
Opened what bag? Read up on using warmth to speed germination. Not cooking them. So read.
 
S

SlappyD

Member
bigsteve said:
With my refridgerated seeds --

* @ 24 hours they show a crack.
* @ 48 hours I have a 1/2 inch taproot.
* @ 72 hours the 2 leaves are out, sprout is 1+ inches and ready for dirt.

If they haven't cracked at 3 days chances are slim they will. Are you keeping the paper towel set-up in an air-tight baggie?

Good luck, Big Steve.
Click to expand...
Ya it might have been something I did and wasn't aware of but to be safe I started 2 new seeds while waiting for the others to pop and the 2 new ones have germed. So maybe 2 not great seeds plus me doing something off perhaps. Just sucks when it's like $10 per seed lol.

I usually put them in a small tubberware container with the damp paper towel.

I'll likely toss the other 2 seeds tonight if no signs of progress. Too bad, was looking forward to those strains (gorilla bomb and purple trainwreck)
 
S

SlappyD

Member
so threw one seed out but the other i cracked open with my fingers and removed half the shell and put back under the paper towel last night and now a small tale has grown. hopefully i didnt contaminate it but we'll see.

can stressing a seed impact future growth or cause hermie later on? or is that more due to stress while its growing?
 
onionslinger

onionslinger

Well-Known Member
SlappyD said:
Do most people use paper towel method? I've heard of just putting them in a glass of water but that always seemed like it would drown them.
Click to expand...
Thats how i do it.. seeds in water until they sink. Then i put in soil and into a terrarium under a cfl. Temps stay around 75-78 and ive only had 1 seed not germinate. So i put that seed in a box with sandpaper and scuffed it all up after 4 days i think, and it finally cracked after another couple days. I'd give your seeds at least 5-7 days to break then after that its your call.

But like most have mentioned good seeds usually crack within 2-3 days. This has been my experience too.
 
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