Help please

[Bob v]

I have had a few grows using bag seed and have had about an 80% success rate almost all would germinate and give me a decent harvest.
Never the best quality i admit
So i went to fem seeds and had about a 50% or less rate . Sometimes they would germinate sometimes not. Sometimes die after germinating for whatever unknown reason
Then i wanted to try autos. So now i have about a 20 % chance of germinating then when they do they look like the pic.
I have tried all diff methods and soils
The pic is a small bit of a seed starting soil from bag in middle surrounded by happy frog with ocean forest in bottom of pot. Similar to something a see someone use on this site. I try to keep waterings between 6 to 6.5 ph i have a 3.x 3 tent kept at 75 and a sf1000 light i have given no nutes or supliments yet and they look burnt
It seems like i have tried everything but cant seem to get it at all
I have tried a few seed dealers and strains even the “easy beginner “ strains

 

[Badfinger]

These super soil's we're using can be a little rough on the seedlings, but they do tend to grow out of it.
As for your germination rate, I pretty much have the same story. 8 seeds, 3 germinated, which basically has cost me over $30 per germinated seed. Those were GC seeds.
I'm presently waiting for my 3 seeds to sprout which are FastBuds seeds. All 3 germinated, but I have no idea if its due to supplier or the fact I went a different germination route.
After a 62% failure rate using the paper towel method, I decided to try something different. This time I let them germinate in the glass for two days, then right to the final pots.

 

[Bill.de.Cat]

I'd be pointing my finger at the OF in the bottom of the pot...as Badfinger says, I have shyte for success with paper towels as well....soak in water then into the pots no more than 1/4 inch down.

 

[DCLXVI]

I've had really good germination success using a bit of a presoak in some water and then into Jiffy Pellets before potting. I do use one of those cheezy germination boxes but it seems to work.

1) Seed into shotglass of water and onto router to stay warm. Might need to top up if it evaporates quick

2) 20-24 hours soak then into presoaked jiffy pellet, into the box, onto the router. Wait a couple days. Might need to add a little water to the tray. Then pot once it sprouts.

I've got a few pics on the first page of this thread here:

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/v-twenty20-mendocino-purple-biscauto.83711/

 

[EP3]

Cotton pads and old black lunch box ontop of boiler for me 100% success rate, so far.
EP3

 

[MIAutomatic]

I'd be pointing my finger at the OF in the bottom of the pot...as Badfinger says, I have shyte for success with paper towels as well....soak in water then into the pots no more than 1/4 inch down.

This is good advice, I would also be looking at the OF, always too hot for babies. I used to use HF for germination with no problems, but I switched to Promix for the whole grow a few cycles ago. It has DM added, but otherwise a choose your own adventure medium. The soak is also good advice. I soak my seeds for about 24hr then right into the final 3 gallon pot about 1/4 inch deep.They usually sprout in 2-3 days with well over 90% germination rate. In fact since I have switched from paper towels to this method I have not had a failed seed yet, but I have only done about a dozen this way, so probably just good luck to have no failed germinations.

 

[Capt.Quirk]

I can't tell for sure, but it appears those plants are in a jiffy peat pot or something similar. If so, an inch outside of the Jiffy, take your garden spade and go down an inch or so past bottom of the Jiffy, all the way around, then remove. Blend your medium and mix well, adding more perlite if necessary to get 30% minimum, by volume. Take a gallon jug of water, add a few drops of Super Thrive and uniformly moisten medium. Key word MOIST, never wet. Make a Jiffy pot size mold in your medium, tear away bottom of Jiffy pot, lightly cutting with a razor blade helps facilitate this, and place in hole. Elevate your fabric bags so that they never sit in runoff and provide 24/7 air circulation. This is what I would do were they mine. As far as germination, I soak my seeds for 4 hrs. in a liquid seaweed solution to kick start imbibition (first stage of germination), then place in the jiffy pellets that have the top and bottom mesh removed. The tap root always emerges day after sprout and I transfer to final pot.
Organic soil auto grower.

 

[BowHunt3r]

Wet cotton ball, inside a small Tupperware container ontip of my pc.

 

[St. Tom]

hi @Bob v i know this can be a little frustrating but don't give up also if you can get some root riots this method works 100 pcent for me https://www.autoflower.org/threads/germination-the-ronin-way.33891/
also if possible can you try to pickup some biobix light mix or any other soil like that as for starting your girls I find it absolutely brilliant also if you wanted to keep things simple maybe even start the seedlings in solo cups as every plant I grow starts off in them as I think that's soilk you have is either 2 hot or just not suitable

 

[OldSchool718]

I'd be pointing my finger at the OF in the bottom of the pot...as Badfinger says, I have shyte for success with paper towels as well....soak in water then into the pots no more than 1/4 inch down.

Crazy I only have had success with the paper towel method,
the two I soaked 24 hrs then put straight into soil never took !
Go figure,