Good Morfnoevight All you Sunday Stoners!
In case you have not seen my previous posts Happy New Year.
I have read numerous posts about adding h2o2 to water when starting seeds, what is the purpose of that?
In water h2o2 decomposes into h2o, o and heat within a few hours.
First off, soaking fresh seeds is
not needed. H2o2 will sanitize a seed that has pathogens on them giving a seed a fresh start, also not needed in most cases. For those of you who insist on seeing a seed germinate (why?) A little h2o2 will add Oxygen to the soak water so you are less likely to drown the seed which can and does happen. I would recommend that you add a little Kelp to your soak which contains the the hormone GA3
Gibberellic acid which is a growth stimulator.
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 moved or the towel is opened – ouch. This opens the seed to secondary infections. When transplanting, it is very easy to bump the tap root tip and damage it or kill the seedling – Why? White paper towels may have bleach and other detrimental chemicals remaining from the manufacturing process.
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. Jiffy peat pots PH is too low – buffer them before use. 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.
5 plus year old seeds require special treatment. As the seeds age the outer shell becomes denser making it harder for water to penetrate and stimulate the growth. A slight scuff on a piece of super fine sand paper or the striker on a match book will cut into the surface of the shell. You can also "Crack" the open. The idea is to make sure the seed gets enough water inside before it runs out of energy to grow. A few minutes rinse in H²0² will sanitize the outside of the seed. Then proceed as above.
Old TimingMan from another forum germinated 40 year old Maui Wowi seeds using this method Here is a quote:
“ Old TimingMan
I wish there was a easier way but so far my best luck has been scuffing them in a sandpaper tube, letting them set in a H2O2 bath for an hour while plunking them down every 15 minutes, and then using the GA3 at a rate of 500 PPM in distilled water with temps at the 80 degree mark from soak to sprout.”
If your seeds are fresh just plant them.
@Dale's Proper Bud thanks!
I wanted to address the loss of moisture, the watering issues with the water exiting the sides of the bag and pinching the tops of the bags together when lifting them. It appears I may have succeeded, lol
I think you may be defeating the reason to use fabric pots which is better soil aeration. If your water is running out the sides of the pot you are watering/fertigating too fast and or your soil has become hydrophobic. I am sure the rigidity will help when you move your pot but root damage is likely to still occur. IMPO this is the reason I don't use fabric pots even in my vegetables or flowers.
