Is distilled water worse for germing seeds in towel?

Is distilled water worse for germing seeds in towel than tap water? ive been having major issues germing seeds using distilled water.

Distilled water should work fine. Maybe you should re-think your methodology. You might be doing something else wrong.

i agree with cr8z13

thats a def possibility lol . Had less than 10% germ rate last try.I think I either soaked them too ling ( 2 days ) or got them to hot over my heat vent, or kept them too wet in the towels.

iv had 100% germ rate with any seed iv planted and the the only way iv ever done it is mother natures own way. give it some soil, water and a little light.

never failed on me yet? iv never done anything like papertowel or cotton wool etc.

sometimes its best to folow the old mother. after all she's been doing it alot longer than we have.

I soak for 12 hours, place them between moist paper towels and I keep them moist, not soaking wet. I don't use any heat either, just put them in a cool dark place and make sure the towels don't dry out. My seeds are usually ready to plant in less than 72 hours.

It's got to be your methodology as I always use distilled water for germing. If you need some help go ahead and let us know how you do it (step by step) so we can critique and get you going in the right direction.

I'm bad. I just use tap water, but Ive had 100% success rate on all my seeds.
what I do is I put all my seeds in a glass of water for 24 hours in a dark place (i use a cupboard in my kitchen).
after 24 hours most of the seeds have sunk to the bottom of the glass. the ones that are still floating I tap a little with my finger. usually they sink, so i know they are ready.
after that I put them in a paper towel thats pretty damp and fold it up. I place two bowls one to set it in and one over the top. I use pasta bowls cause they aren't deep.
then I put it on top of my computer (which also happens to be near my grow area so there's quite a bit of warmth. then I check them everyday. I plant them after the sprout is about 1/2 inch. some go pretty fast in which case they are about an inch long when i plant.

I put my beans in a glass of distilled water after 24hrs I see if any have cracked open if they have I plant them. It usually takes no more then 48hrs for all to crack open!

people say that using tap water is better because of the chlorine killing germs and disease. some people say distilled because its pure. done it with both and had 100% with both ways. just preference I guess...

Your problem is probably too much water. When using the paper towel method too much water and no air is a sure way to rot your seeds instead of germinating them. Let those babies breathe!!! By the way, has anyone checked out the new germ/cutting cubes from hydrofarm? They look like little cubes of cotton, and are supposed to be more eco friendly than rockwool. My local hydro shop gave me a free handful last time I was there but I haven't used them yet.

justatoker said:

Is distilled water worse for germing seeds in towel than tap water? ive been having major issues germing seeds using distilled water.

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It's not the water. Something else is wrong.

Here is the way I did it last time..

1. soaked in distilled water for around 36 hrs. all seeds sunk..Most seeds were cracked but no taproot.
2.placed in wet ( really wet ) P towel ( actually I think it was toilet paper as I was out of P towels ) and placed it in a ziplock baggie,blew air into it.sealed, and placed it on top of my heat vent ( placed a towel over the vent to diffuse the heat )

the taproots never got over 1-2 MM long. Its weird, this was the first time I ever PAID for seeds and only 2 beans out of 2 entire orders actually germed and sprouted.Ive germed bagseed before and never had a problem.

Cr8z13 said:

I soak for 12 hours, place them between moist paper towels and I keep them moist, not soaking wet. I don't use any heat either, just put them in a cool dark place and make sure the towels don't dry out. My seeds are usually ready to plant in less than 72 hours.

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Agreed... I do exactly this with a small upside down bowl placed over the top to ensure darkness, occasionally sprinkle with a little water. Approx 95% success. - Well so far anyway.

Good luck!