Problem with transition from germinated seed to 1st container

[rickt49]

I am having a big problem with the transition from the germinated seed to its 1st container. Of the last 16 seeds I purchased, none have survived the transition. None! I've been growing successfully for decades, have grown hundreds of strains, but have no plants in vegetation at all for this growing season.
All the seeds were germinated with the 'paper towel' method. Once they split and threw out, at least, a 1/2" of root, I moved them to the small, starter pods or peat pellet pods. And that was the end of it. Not a single one grew. So now I am in the first week of June with not even a single plant. I've got 400sq ft of garden ready to grow weed, and it is empty for the first time in decades.
Does anyone have any ideas on what to do or has anyone experienced this and found success doing something different. I am at my 'wit's end' on this. I could have bought enough vapes with the $200 to last a long time, but I like to grow, dry, cure, and then smoke or process my own 'homegrown' into hash, vapes, oil, or whatever I want to, and do so with the confidence of a product that I grew from seed!
Any ideas? I'm desperate.

[Rootsruler]

Setup a mother tent. I like the variety of seeds but I've also noticed it getting harder to get germinated seeds to survive. Not sure if it's from cross breeding or just that the seeds we get from seed banks are old.

[OldManGrower]

You may be burying them too deep? Get seeds to take off is my biggest difficulty by far

[Bowhunterwoody]

I'm not a fan of the plugs at all. I'm just about 100 % going from paper towel to soil. I tried the plugs once a few years ago and 0 for 2. Same seeds right in soil was 2 for 2 from paper towel. Maybe too acidic or I had it too wet but I chucked the rest.

[Rootsruler]

Usually too wet plugs is the problem. I like to use a vertical germinator to sprout my seeds but paper towel is also a good method.

When I've used plugs I noticed that after you soak the plug I try and swing it around to get whatever excess moisture is in it then I'll put my seed in it.

[Smallgrow]

I’m not a fan of the plugs, I used them when I started growing but have since given them up for just paper towel then straight into soil.
One thing I found was sometimes the plugs need to be opened up a bit before you put the seed in so the seeds have an easier time pushing out. The plugs can squeeze them too tight sometimes and this prevents sprouting.

[golfnrl]

I've kinda ran into the same scenario. Not as drastic as you describe but I hate to see seed $$ vanish into thin air or I guess dissolve in the dirt with no return. Ugh! I used the peat Jiffy pods for a while with good success. Because I am a little OCD, and do not like to see the peat pod in my coco medium. To cut down on transplant shock I decided to ditch the pod and start the seed and then transplant into a small starter pot with 50/50 coco/perlite, 1/2" deep.

I've tried the paper towel method. I'm not good at it. Now I soak seeds for 24-36 hours in tap water and then they go into the starter pot. I ran into a patch where seeds were not sprouting and think I was planting them too deep, that's how I arrived at 1/2". Could your issue be old seeds? Old seeds take longer to sprout, right? IDK for sure but that seems to be the opinion. I've read on the forum that some like to sand or crack their seeds before they start to germinate. Ima try the sanding but the seed crackers look a little too harsh for me

[Allenpro]

Start breeding your own

[golfnrl]

That's likely in my future. I'll probably try it at some point.

[Allenpro]

Its fun and you will have more seeds that you know what to do with

[Allenpro]

Rapid rooters are usually my go to after germination and I like to see the tails pop out so I soak them for a while. The only reason I dont use them for germination is I like to see the progress. I have never had any luck with the pete pods but I think its operator error and over watering. If your growing in soil or coco try skipping the pods and go from germination to a solo cup with the soil/coco in it. Dont forget to put some holes in the bottom of the solo cup

[apacin0]

I just sow the seeds directly in coco (sometimes with or without perlite) in small containers or even seed starter trays. They pretty much always sprout, unless the seed is just bad. I've never done the pre-soaking and transplanting after seed crack. Sounds like it adds an extra step, risking exposure to contaminants and damage to taproot, so that you can see the seed cracking first. I'd try putting the seeds directly in the peat pod or starter medium (recommend more). Rapid rooters work also, but I think their true purpose is a safer alternative to rockwool for hydroponics.

[Allenpro]

Thats the reason I soak them, if they dont pop its on the breeder and if they do and then dont grow well that is pretty much on me. I agree they are a sub for rock wool. I have never had the best of luck with those

[Dgrobro]

I’ve had great success by soaking the seeds 24-36 hours in distilled water and then placing them directly into the mediu (tail down of course). Use a meter to set the light level appropriately. Keep the soil moist and cover the container with an appropriate clear cover to control moisture loss. Works well for me and there’s less handling

[Allenpro]

(tail down of course)
Yes but why do they always try to jump in head first

[ductwizard]

how important is this tail down thing? i was under the impression the tap root would find it's own way down

[Allenpro]

It usually will it just makes a funky looking tap root, it just pisses me off becasue they dont do what I tell them to do

[Wayzee]

Dodgy seeds, ( old or not stored properly) or too wet starter pellets would be my first thought. So easy to Overwater those little pellets I find but I still use them like others have said I like to see what's going to sprout and I like to see tap root pushing the bottom of the pellet before I put in medium. I've found letting the pellet dry out to it's original colour all over inbetween waters helps from overwatering.
Is there anything at all that your doing different this yr?
Sucks to be all prepped with nothing to plant man, hopefully you can get something sorted.

[DabberDog]

Is this still active?
To the original post: If you have been growing for decades and this is the first major catastrophe, something changed suddenly, or you have bum seeds. The change can be something you did unintentionally or one of the products you are using has changed.
Put me down for direct-to-final pot, whatever medium. Grow weed easy, not superfluously.

[Wayzee]

ductwizard ay mate Ive done it both ways but tail down is the way I do it now. The problem if they up the wrong way is the tap root will generally grow up, and if seeds aren't quite deep enough the tap root will come out of the medium then realise it's seen the light and turn back down into the dirt IF it goes back down, sometimes they don't and you have to try do it by hand (pita). And then the green bits have to try turn around and start growing the right way as well..
All this going the wrong the way down a one way street causes time lost, stress to the seedling and over half the time they don't recover.

[ductwizard]

yeah, soil cups, i'm hopin' for the best i'll just hafta wait. i've been getting pretty lucky, my biggest prob. is after they pop up they're so weak and leggy. next year i'll be able to get a light and do it right

[DabberDog]

Weak and leggy seedlings might mean you need more or closer light. It could also mean the seeds sprouted too close to the surface. I've run into that a few times.
Don't worry about your cups. Figure Mother Nature doesn't drop seeds pointy side down, and she knows her shit!

[Wayzee]

Imagine if she did, there'd be wild ganja growing world wide everywhere that someone has grown a seedy plant