Seeds not popping

Ive had atleast 10 auto flower seeds that I got from a seed stalk not crack and 3 or 4 seeds I paid for not crack...ive done papertowl method in sealed container and I just soaked seeds for like 2/3 days and only 1 or 2 cracked ...it winter here and house is pretty cold thats what I think is preventing it

Dannoo93

Why are you soaking seeds for 2 or 3 days before trying to germ them?
You could very well be drowning the seeds by soaking them for so long IMO..

I'd skip the soak and go right to paper towel or even skip the paper towel and germ them directly in your medium like soil or rapid rooters..

I soak for 2/3 usually 2 then straight to dirt and add a few drops of water where seed was planted and paper towl method I have sit In wey towl till tap root pokes out then plant

Dannoo93

racerboy71 said:

Why are you soaking seeds for 2 or 3 days before trying to germ them?
You could very well be drowning the seeds by soaking them for so long IMO..

I'd skip the soak and go right to paper towel or even skip the paper towel and germ them directly in your medium like soil or rapid rooters..

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I have no idea why people soak their $$$$$ seeds.. Some vines, like Morning Glory, do well if the seed is cut and soaked for a week. Cannabis seeds do not like to be cut open and soaked in water, they are not vines.

anyway, I have 100% germination rate with fresh seeds using NOTHING but coco fiber. My seeds ONLY go directly into coco fiber and I have cracked 1000s of seeds over my time as a canna farmer for personal usage.

Fresh seeds need some dead time...I prefer 2-3 months, to dry out completely, some growers freeze them for a week or two before germing, but as you picked these yourself,...perhaps a little early ..then...?
either way keep up your temps avoid soaking too long, as seeds can drown

danooo i think i may have had issues with the house being too cold too...try a seed starter mat for warmth...I had a heating pad but for safety reasons it shuts itself off so thats no good...

Or you could put them in a cup of water....when they sink out them in a seed germinating greenhouse...that's what i did in my cab with the lights on for heat, and they sprouted...i covered the greenhouse with a towel so no light got in.

And the seeds are fine ive popped quite a few of em already havent had issues till now ive had good germ rates but my house is prob 70f max I hate heat and my plants prefer cold also to keep the temps low

Dannoo93

SpaaaceCowboy said:

danooo i think i may have had issues with the house being too cold too...try a seed starter mat for warmth...I had a heating pad but for safety reasons it shuts itself off so thats no good...

Or you could put them in a cup of water....when they sink out them in a seed germinating greenhouse...that's what i did in my cab with the lights on for heat, and they sprouted...i covered the greenhouse with a towel so no light got in.

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I dool need a seed mat for sure and these seeds where an auto that hermied and gave me seeds like 150 ..

Dannoo93

I soak my seeds in water with one drop bleach to disinfect. I have had more than a few guys tell me to do it this way so I did. I will soak no longer than 24 hrs in water about 80-82*f on heating mat. then typically straight into my medium, usually sunshine mix for first 2 weeks. I have yet to ever have problems such as people describe. with really healthy seeds 24 hrs soaking will have most hatching already.

dr.greenthumb was actually the person who talked me into doing it this way. I thought he was a little crazy but i gave it a go and never stopped. I think it softens the shell quicker so they are ready to pop as soon as they hit the media. they will float at first and then sink within 24 hrs. any that sink right away are usually junk and any that won't sink after 24 hrs are also usually junk. I believe heaven's stairway/overgrow used to send a wad of paper describing this method as working best for them as well. I can always tell which seeds will not sprout with 99% success by just soaking.

this is just one method there are many that work fine, I paper toweled them for over a decade and would again with no worries. no matter what method you use keeping them warmer than the ambient room temps will make them hatch quicker.

Wet paper towel in a ziplock bag on top of the router always worked well for me.
I just toss them strait in the medium now after a 12 hour h2o2 soak. 3 or 4 days later they're usually sprouted and doing their thing. Might have a straggler that wakes a week.

SpaaaceCowboy said:

Or you could put them in a cup of water....when they sink out them in a seed germinating greenhouse...that's what i did in my cab with the lights on for heat, and they sprouted...i covered the greenhouse with a towel so no light got in.

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I don't suggest this, I have seen plenty of seeds float and they grow anyway. Push them down, break water surface, float again, still grow as long as they are not yellow and soulless. Keep the environment at 60f-80f, plant seeds in coco fiber, put a small floro light 6" above, no need for a heat mat. they will grow as long as they are not sterile, they can become sterile after many years OR too much environmental problems through storage.

don't buy into BS myths.

MonkeyGrinder said:

I just toss them strait in the medium now after a 12 hour h2o2 soak.

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Hydrogen peroxide? YUCK!!! that would kill most seeds almost instantly.. Same with bleach..

Don't buy into BS myths..

I've done the one drop of bleach per cup of water for maybe ten years and have yet to loose any due to the bleach. if you do even a small amount of reading 90% will recommend this. putting straight bleach on your seeds is obviously not smart.

all it will do is kill anything nasty that the seed shell is harboring.

remember there is many ways that work fine to hatch seeds. just because it is not your way does not mean it is BS. any way that works well for someone is just as well as any.

+1

I've only soaked two seeds in a glass of water in the last three decades. They were both still floating 24 hrs. later. And now, a month later, they're both growing nicely.

dopeydog said:

all it will do is kill anything nasty that the seed shell is harboring.

remember there is many ways that work fine to hatch seeds. just because it is not your way does not mean it is BS. any way that works well for someone is just as well as any.

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{edit} I don't mean to sound like a dick, sorry man, just some constructive criticism.

i`ve cracked 1000s and you are telling people that bleach is good for seeds because it is available in nature for natural seedlings? I call it BS.. I love the "natural way".


the problem is that people put seeds into soil or other "NON-STERILE" mediums. This is what causes seed rot, bacteria in the medium AND usually high temps. Heat mats usually heat up the medium to 80f-90f, this is perfect for rotting your seeds.


You are telling people to put bleach on their seeds and not addressing the bacteria concerns of the medium. Do you think that is smart or call it BS? I put seeds in steamed and sterile coco fiber.. Never bleach or h2o2, never any rot.

If it's not in nature's perfection, I call it BS.


seeds will often rot in 90f temps, and in poor-bacteria enriched, non-aerobic conditions. You can use bleach or h2o2, they will still rot. Anything water-wet will hold 100,000,000x more bacteria than something which is dry.

pSi007 said:

{edit} I don't mean to sound like a dick, sorry man, just some constructive criticism.

i`ve cracked 1000s and you are telling people that bleach is good for seeds because it is available in nature for natural seedlings? I call it BS.. I love the "natural way".


the problem is that people put seeds into soil or other "NON-STERILE" mediums. This is what causes seed rot, bacteria in the medium AND usually high temps. Heat mats usually heat up the medium to 80f-90f, this is perfect for rotting your seeds.


You are telling people to put bleach on their seeds and not addressing the bacteria concerns of the medium. Do you think that is smart or call it BS? I put seeds in steamed and sterile coco fiber.. Never bleach or h2o2, never any rot.

If it's not in nature's perfection, I call it BS.


seeds will often rot in 90f temps, and in poor-bacteria enriched, non-aerobic conditions. You can use bleach or h2o2, they will still rot. Anything water-wet will hold 100,000,000x more bacteria than something which is dry.

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Actually, chlorine is in natural soil and is even an essential element for plants... so yeah, it's not only natural, it's necessary for a healthy natural plant and would even be found in your coco fiber (since it comes from a plant). The reason that chlorine is used on seeds in agriculture has nothing to do with microbes that are already in an environment but is instead used to prevent spreading plant pathogens from wherever the seeds may have come from.

Most agricultural extensions recommend using somewhere around 1 part Clorox to 4 parts of water on fruit seeds. Using just a drop per gallon, like someone said they used above, is rather insignificant in comparison and isn't going to cause any harm.