Germination

[Jitterbug1971]

I grew 15yrs ago, just mids , nothing of today's caliber, and literally it was as if you could do no wrong, I'd get on average 4oz on a plant, I thought I'd try my hand again since it's legal now. I've started in napkins , jiffy pods, directly in soil 50/50 fox farm , and forest soil, they pop in napkins, then I place in jiffy pods , plant that in 50/50 soil, seeds just below soil in jiffy pods , outside, lightly water pods daily, this time one in ten come up , I thought I had a good plan this time , I'm at a loss, are today's seeds just not compatible to outside growing any longer?

[Jitterbug1971]

I feel like you need the planets to line up and a sacrificial offering to get a seed to take root, I don't understand why it's so complicated, I'm over 300 dollars into seeds and don't have a plant to show for it , and I barely smoke once a month, I just use to enjoy growing, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[OldManGrower]

I am a moderately experienced grower and I still struggle to germinate seeds. I have a couple of ideas about this. PH all of the water that touches your seeds from day one. Be very careful about over watering. Like many things in this hobby, I have found that less is often more. I also have a totally unproven belief that the more hybridized a seed is, the harder it is to get started. Just sayin....

[shadycon]

I'm an old hippy from way back when I started growing again as a hobby I'm trying to get use to this way of growing also I tried Jiffy pots and jiffy pellets/cubes, never again, they restrict root growth Follow the recommendations from this site, it will help you a lot. Now as soon as the seed germinates and has the root starting I go into a pot. Damp soil, small hole with a pencil and drop in with tweezers I start watering with an eye dropper, a little at a time where I planted the seed to keep it slightly damp The waiting begins

[Bluey]

I never used to worry about germinating seed.

I've always had heaps of them from my own grows and always started at least double what I wanted to allow for males. This strategy worked great, all my seeds would pop and away we go.

This grow I had nothing but problems. One batch from the Netherlands was unviable, my seeds have all been mixed up and many are marginal, and others damped off. The start of the grow was a disaster.

Most of the issues I experienced were probably the seeds fault but I also experienced a higher level of anxiety which would have impacted the end result negatively also.

I absolutely hate germinating now so built an aeroponics cloner and now I am happy again.

F*ck you seed!

[Gingerbeard]

Bum seeds.
Too much man-handling.
Water quality.
Water amount.
Nutrients.
Floaters.

[Ckbrew]

The only trouble I had with germination is with old beans. Soak in tap water for 24 hours, drop in moist coco/p about 3/8 inch deep, pop by day 3-4. Don't complicate it. I tried the wet paper method, that often resulted in damaged tap root which is doom for them.

[Bluey]

I've been using paper towel forever and it has worked great for me. If your tap root grows into your paper towel, which I have rarely seen, just plant it with the paper towel attached.

This round I combined H²O² and the viable seeds popped in record time but I did notice far more twisting and looping of the tap root and damping off of the seedlings which hasn't been an issue for me before, but then I'm new to growing indoors in coco also.

[Rwise]

I had issues sprouting seeds this year, but they were old and freaks.

[Gingerbeard]

Got something against old freaks?

[Rwise]

LOL, not at all.

[Jitterbug1971]

You gotta love old freaks, thanks for the feedback guys, I removed that fine mesh the jiffy pods were in , felt the roots may be restricted also, I can't help but think genetically indoors growing has some effect on plant and seed that causes a plant or seed to be compromised by outdoors elements, the heat the fluctuating temps wind rain , has anyone ever had any success with a long term indoor strain being placed outside in elements successfully.? Guess my ? Is does a plant , seed become genetically unable to survive outdoors elements over time.

[bdeegan]

I have successfully sprouted “new generation” photo and auto seeds outdoors. I use paper towel method and then into a solo cup or forever home, skip the jiffy pot. Depending on your climate and amount of direct sun I can see potential issues with germination/seedlings (I’ve got em here). My preferred method is to start indoors under a low powered light and then move outside around 3-4 weeks old. Gives them a moment to take root so they can take temp fluctuations, a good soak or full sun. Do you have a sunny window or other spot for a few solo cups indoors?

My bigger hurdle growing outdoor is the finish. Budrot mold like a mofo around here (high humidity). I have found modern seeds that have been bred for the outdoors with resistance to mold and mildew and also have earlier finishing times. So if starting them indoors is a no maybe find a cultivar that is for the outdoors?

Hope this helps. Best of luck!

[Rootsruler]

You gotta love old freaks, thanks for the feedback guys, I removed that fine mesh the jiffy pods were in , felt the roots may be restricted also, I can't help but think genetically indoors growing has some effect on plant and seed that causes a plant or seed to be compromised by outdoors elements, the heat the fluctuating temps wind rain , has anyone ever had any success with a long term indoor strain being placed outside in elements successfully.? Guess my ? Is does a plant , seed become genetically unable to survive outdoors elements over time.

I don't think it's the seeds per se. You mentioned that sprouting the seeds wasn't the issue so much as when you transferred them into jiffy pots. Seems like jiffy pots were the issue. I've heard some that like them but most don't, at least not for cannabis.

If I were you I would do 2 things. Napkin sprout your seeds and plant them directly into soil in your solo. Use a clear solo for the dirt and sprout and a red solo as a sleeve to keep out the light. This way you can monitor the root structure your plants are developing by slipping the clear cup out of the red cup. The second thing would be to look for seed traders. Many of these grow sites tend to bring groups of pollen chuckers together and they'll trade seeds or give them away. Going2fast is one example of a weed warrior doing good for the community by giving away seeds. The only time I would actually buy seeds from a seed seller is if there is a particular cultivar that I can't find from anyone else.