New Grower Finally after 5 year of waiting, decided it's time for a new Grow.

[snerval]

hey @Don't Fear the Reefer sorry to hear about your loss - it sucks when that happens but it certainly happens...
When I first moved from clone only growing to auto's seeds were my nemesis - I did very well at throwing £50 notes out the window.

I found a faff free way which has given me 100% since then, basically, a little tupperware box with lid, half filled with worm castings and dampened - should be nice and moist, sit the beans on top of the poo, close the lid, sit it on top of your wifi router and leave it there, if you wait 24 hours of so and open it you will have plenty of cracked beans ready for their final pot.

For me it was about simplicity, I have the heat mat and the inkbird and the propagator etc...apart from the inkbird the other two items are gathering dust as this way just works

Thanks for the inspiration, I will try this method as I want to plant directly in final pot

 

[Lil Dab]

I personally try to keep my seedling tent between 75-80f… I also only soak the seeds for 3-5 hrs max after which they can start to drown.. I think we’ve all seen this but this is what MOG has to say about the situation and since direct planting with a short soak and scuffing my germination is at least 80% if not higher

I know that a lot of growers swear by it and their proof is the fact that many plants survive the technique but unless seeds are old or have been stored poorly soaking seeds is not needed and can drown them. Then because they need the instant gratification of seeing the tap root they germinate them in paper towels. If you look at a tap root under 200x magnification you will see the “root hairs” that grow laterally out from the tap root. These become the plant’s uptake roots. They will grow into the fibers of the paper towels and are ripped off every time the seedling is move or the towel is opened – ouch. This opens the seed to secondary infections.Then when transplanting it is very easy to bump the tap root tip and damage it or kill the seedling – Why?
I know that a lot of growers swear by it and their proof is the fact that many plants survive the technique but unless seeds are old or have been stored poorly soaking seeds is not needed and can drown them. Then because they need the instant gratification of seeing the tap root they germinate them in paper towels. If you look at a tap root under 200x magnification you will see the “root hairs” that grow laterally out from the tap root. These become the plant’s uptake roots. They will grow into the fibers of the paper towels and are ripped off every time the seedling is move or the towel is opened – ouch. This opens the seed to secondary infections.Then when transplanting it is very easy to bump the tap root tip and damage it or kill the seedling – Why?

Put the fresh or properly stored seed ½” deep in a Rapid Rooter, Root Riot, rock wool cube or similar or right in the soil. Don’t use Jiffy peat pots the PH is too low. Keep moist – not wet, and ~80°F, 60% humidity with your blue (veg) lights on and they will germinate if viable. I use 25% strength week one nutrients with a little kelp to moisten my starter cubes. Most strains will germinate in 5 to 7 days. Some strains take longer than others. The African sativas can take 21+ days so be patient. If your seeds are not fresh or have been stored poorly an 8 hour soak in a weak kelp solution can encourage germination. Kelp has natural Gibberellic acid GA3 which is a growth stimulator.

 

[Don't Fear the Reefer]

Thanks Lil Dab, just weighing up my options now.

 

[Crow River]

Sorry to hear about the germination issues.

Dunno if this will help, but my experience over the past two years is a nearly 100% germination rate. Only lost two seeds in that time, and they may have been duds or reacted badly to used soil.

I'm quite old school, I just do the same as I would for any fruit or vegetable seed. Small paper/fibre/peat pots, filled with potting mix. Water, then dib a shallow hole in the moist soil. Put the seed in the centre and cover with about 5mm of potting mix. Onto a heated propagator, which keeps the soil around 21ºC or so. Most seeds break soil within 3 to 4 days, some take a little longer.

No pre-soak, blotting paper, cotton wool, rock wool, or anything like that.

Once the seedlings outgrow the propagator (usually a week to ten days) they are potted up into finals (autos) or a larger pot (photos).

Anyway, best of luck with the grow and hope you don't lose any more.

 

[Don't Fear the Reefer]

Thanks @Crow River, I've had many good recommendations on how to start seeds.
I thought I had found my way.
Not sure if it's the seeds or what?
Will probably try just planting straight into the pots next time.
Not happy handling the seeds when the taproot has grown so it's it's straight into pots or the root riots for me and just hope my luck changes

 

[Crow River]

Will probably try just planting straight into the pots next time.

Only thing to watch for if planting straight into finals is overwatering. Very easy in a larger volume of soil.

Not happy handling the seeds when the taproot has grown so it's it's straight into pots or the root riots for me

Yeah, I'm not comfortable moving the wee seedling like that either. Prefer to go straight into soil.

 

[Don't Fear the Reefer]

So I planted 3 more beans, calling them beans, hoping they are magic ones.
2 free beans and 1 very special bean (only have 1)
The two that were planted Feb 1st, have not shown up yet, not looking good for those, will give them a little longer.
Will see if anything pops up over next few days.

Humidity is a bit low, in the germination station, maybe this caused my problems?

 

[R Wayne]

So I planted 3 more beans, calling them beans, hoping they are magic ones.
2 free beans and 1 very special bean (only have 1)
The two that were planted Feb 1st, have not shown up yet, not looking good for those, will give them a little longer.
Will see if anything pops up over next few days.

Humidity is a bit low, in the germination station, maybe this caused my problems?

I’ve always found that higher humidity helps with germination and seedlings. Good luck with the 3 magic beans. Hoping they all pop for you.

 

[DDubs]

So I planted 3 more beans, calling them beans, hoping they are magic ones.
2 free beans and 1 very special bean (only have 1)
The two that were planted Feb 1st, have not shown up yet, not looking good for those, will give them a little longer.
Will see if anything pops up over next few days.

Humidity is a bit low, in the germination station, maybe this caused my problems?

Good luck. Do you have a dome over top. I would give them a good 10-14 days before I went digging. They might take a bit longer if they are further down.

 

[Don't Fear the Reefer]

Good luck. Do you have a dome over top. I would give them a good 10-14 days before I went digging. They might take a bit longer if they are further down.

Thanks DDubs, they are in root riots at the moment, my last ones.