Most reliable way to start new seeds?

So every time I start new seeds I drop them in water for like 48 hours or so until the radicle / taproot shows and then transplant them with tweezers to organic soil, buried about 1/2 inch deep and then put under 600w LED light for 24 hours, then switched to 18/6 light.

This has always worked for me until my last grow. I dropped 4 x Dinafem Quick OG Kush seeds in water but I had to go out of town unexpectedly and it was over 72 hours later until I got back to them at which point the radicles on all the seeds were well over 1/2 inch. I wasn’t too too worried and transplanted them into soil. After about 6-7 days nothing had popped through the soil so I dug up the seeds and every single one was fucked (radicles gone, no growth).

Anyway I just dropped another $40 on some more Quick OG Kush seeds from Dinafem and they’re on the way now. What would you guys suggest I should do to start these? I’ve never done the whole seed direct to soil method - would this be the best way? I think since the seeds were Quick variety the radicles just popped so fast (in my experience after 2-3 days in water with regular seeds they’re usually not nearly so long).

Just plant them directly into the media. Get it wet, make a hole a few seed lengths deep and drop the seed in. Push a little bit of dirt over it and give it a little more water to "water it in" and you're all set.

I prefer to plant directly in soil. Just make sure it stays moist. You can also put a humidity dome over the top until it sprouts to help keep it moist, but I just make sure it stays moist, especially around where I planted the seed. I hope works out better next time.

I have never tried soaking as I have great luck with the paper towel and heat mat
method. I have been doing the same thing since starting almost 45 years ago, other than doing it directly into soil. Not saying soaking is wrong as many do it, just never felt the need. I do have more success with PT than difectly into soil though for some reason. If I leave them too long in the PT I just cut around the tap root and towel and plant it so there is no damage to the tap. Is my way the best way? Fucked if I know lol.

Haven't seen budley in awhile

f series said:

Haven't seen budley in awhile

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Na he kind of retired lol. It’s gotten so cheap here I only grow a few outdoors in summer as a hobby. I’m away to much to run the room.

Deso718 said:

So every time I start new seeds I drop them in water for like 48 hours or so until the radicle / taproot shows and then transplant them with tweezers to organic soil, buried about 1/2 inch deep and then put under 600w LED light for 24 hours, then switched to 18/6 light.

This has always worked for me until my last grow. I dropped 4 x Dinafem Quick OG Kush seeds in water but I had to go out of town unexpectedly and it was over 72 hours later until I got back to them at which point the radicles on all the seeds were well over 1/2 inch. I wasn’t too too worried and transplanted them into soil. After about 6-7 days nothing had popped through the soil so I dug up the seeds and every single one was fucked (radicles gone, no growth).

Anyway I just dropped another $40 on some more Quick OG Kush seeds from Dinafem and they’re on the way now. What would you guys suggest I should do to start these? I’ve never done the whole seed direct to soil method - would this be the best way? I think since the seeds were Quick variety the radicles just popped so fast (in my experience after 2-3 days in water with regular seeds they’re usually not nearly so long).

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the standard procedure by the Horts:

1 scarify the seed first ...(line a jar with sandpaper insert seeds shake for 30secs)

2: then soak until the seed sinks, that means water has got to the inner cells

3: remove for some Imbibtion or rest that takes 4-48 hours

4: this is how they do all precious seeds chems are sometimes used but most are banned now

good luck

I just planted 3 Memorial Day. 2 Genius Granddaddy’s & Bodhi’s Soar..Around 9 tonight I peeped in on them, GGP 1 had popped up. The other 2 should be up by tomorrow evening.
I just put the seed in moist soil..keep them in warm dark area with dome or plastic sandwich bag.. simple 2-3 days there up..

In the wild.. seed hits grow, with the right conditions it sprouts... just think about that damn crabgrass in a lawn.. seeds lay around damn near a year and then if not for pre-emerging... the lawn is now screwed..

You ever pitched some bag seed in the yard... trust me that shit will pop up...bout like farming

I had a plant grow out of my carpet in college. Yup even started to water it lol

I was felt that soaking was a way to weed out bad seeds when the vitality was unknown, but these days the seeds are really good and fresh. Not like you are using 5 year old seeds and praying that they pop.

That soil incubates the seeds as well as holds the moisture. Even if the seed has enough nutrients alone for the first week or so.. a good seedling soil should help out as well. Now only if I could make 7/10 regular seeds female..

Black Gold Seedling Mix. Buy anywhere. Fill a Dixie cup with it and moisten it. Seed directly into this. Keep moist but not wet. If under a dome remove the dome once sprouts emerge or risk damping off.

I've found most of these methods I read to be way overkill. It's a seed, how do you think it sprouts in nature? Birds shit it out, it falls into some dirt, hopefully it rains .. and then it sprouts lol.

So all you really need to do as has been said by several ppl is to plop it into some moist soil.

That said there are 1 or 2 things *I do* for my own sanity, I put them in black tea for a few hours (it's how to 'scarify' them by mimicking the acidic stomach of birds (who are the primary vector of spreading these seeds around), plain water soaking probably works too.

You don't need to do the paper towel thing at all but *I do*, but just until they show their taproot. I suppose it puts me at ease knowing the seeds I am planting are viable before I bury them under soil/soilless. I use rockwool or rapid rooter type plugs, dirt would probably work just as fine I just use these cuz it's easy to then transplant into solo cups and also easy to see when they have rooted well. I just cut the cubes in half, put the seed in the middle (so you don't have to jam a taproot down a small hole) and put the 2 halved back together and inside of a tray.

There is no best (plenty of worst though) methods I don't think, just keep it simple (stupid), it's just a seed sprouting, think nature, she doesn't require much complexity to sprout one of her seeds.

Deso718 said:

So every time I start new seeds I drop them in water for like 48 hours or so until the radicle / taproot shows and then transplant them with tweezers to organic soil, buried about 1/2 inch deep and then put under 600w LED light for 24 hours, then switched to 18/6 light.

This has always worked for me until my last grow. I dropped 4 x Dinafem Quick OG Kush seeds in water but I had to go out of town unexpectedly and it was over 72 hours later until I got back to them at which point the radicles on all the seeds were well over 1/2 inch. I wasn’t too too worried and transplanted them into soil. After about 6-7 days nothing had popped through the soil so I dug up the seeds and every single one was fucked (radicles gone, no growth).

Anyway I just dropped another $40 on some more Quick OG Kush seeds from Dinafem and they’re on the way now. What would you guys suggest I should do to start these? I’ve never done the whole seed direct to soil method - would this be the best way? I think since the seeds were Quick variety the radicles just popped so fast (in my experience after 2-3 days in water with regular seeds they’re usually not nearly so long).

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Soak 12-24 hrs max. You are drowning them. All soaking does is soften the seed hull so the seedling can emerge. Soak too long = drowning seeds.

rsvp_gardens said:

Just plant them directly into the media. Get it wet, make a hole a few seed lengths deep and drop the seed in. Push a little bit of dirt over it and give it a little more water to "water it in" and you're all set.

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I’m going to do it this way - directly into the soil in #1 pots - when I get the new seeds (sometime in the next few days).

When I would plant new seeds after soaking them (in the past) I’d take a paper towel and soak it with water then once a day (or so) sort of drizzle it lightly around the soil - would you recommend doing the same thing when just planting directly into soil? I’m paranoid about losing another batch of seeds so I really want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to ensure healthy plants.

Finally is there anything special I need to be doing lightwise? I know people use florescent and other types of lights with seedlings but for me when I would soak and plant in the past I’d just run my standard LED light (600w) for the first 24-36 hours before switching to 18/6 and it always worked fine - I’m assuming this would still be okay lighting when just planting direct in soil (as it’s basically just emulating sunshine)?

Deso718 said:

I’m going to do it this way - directly into the soil in #1 pots - when I get the new seeds (sometime in the next few days).

When I would plant new seeds after soaking them (in the past) I’d take a paper towel and soak it with water then once a day (or so) sort of drizzle it lightly around the soil - would you recommend doing the same thing when just planting directly into soil? I’m paranoid about losing another batch of seeds so I really want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to ensure healthy plants.

Finally is there anything special I need to be doing lightwise? I know people use florescent and other types of lights with seedlings but for me when I would soak and plant in the past I’d just run my standard LED light (600w) for the first 24-36 hours before switching to 18/6 and it always worked fine - I’m assuming this would still be okay lighting when just planting direct in soil (as it’s basically just emulating sunshine)?

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Sounds good.

Yes, you want to keep it moist. So I give them a little water a couple times a day so the soil stays good and moist so the seed doesn't dry out. It is really dry here though, around 20% Rh. You might not need to do it as often if it's humid. But yes keep it moist.

And if the light worked in the past, it should work fine still. Just cause your planting directly in soil doesn't mean anything else changes. If that makes any sense.
Good luck.

Deso718 said:

I’m going to do it this way - directly into the soil in #1 pots - when I get the new seeds (sometime in the next few days).

When I would plant new seeds after soaking them (in the past) I’d take a paper towel and soak it with water then once a day (or so) sort of drizzle it lightly around the soil - would you recommend doing the same thing when just planting directly into soil? I’m paranoid about losing another batch of seeds so I really want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to ensure healthy plants.

Finally is there anything special I need to be doing lightwise? I know people use florescent and other types of lights with seedlings but for me when I would soak and plant in the past I’d just run my standard LED light (600w) for the first 24-36 hours before switching to 18/6 and it always worked fine - I’m assuming this would still be okay lighting when just planting direct in soil (as it’s basically just emulating sunshine)?

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Ya like most people are saying keep it moist but not wet. Personally for me, I don't treat seedlings any different than teen or mature plants, in terms of watering, I water by the weight of the pot or in this case cup until runoff. And for the light, you don't really need to do anything different. I keep it on the 18/6 time and just use a 40w led just to save electricity but I'll swap that out once they get going.

Thank you everyone for all of your helpful input. I’m sure these next seeds will work out well - I guess I’m lucky that I’ve gone this long without having lost any seedlings (until now). so I basically got a $40 lesson in not over soaking seeds (plus these Dinafem “Quick” seeds seem to develop very fast - compared to standard seeds - at every stage).

I get a solo cup. I fill with soil. I have holes in the bottom of the cup. I saturate the entire soil so it’s wet. With a bit of run off that comes out. I plant the seed right in the soil. Cover the seed. Let the cup sit in a dark warm place. Once the seedling pops out I will put under a screw in LED Bulb. Never had an issue. Just did some blueberry seeds like that last night. Give it 2-3 days and something will pop up.

Budley Doright said:

I had a plant grow out of my carpet in college. Yup even started to water it lol

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Crack of my seat in my blazer