I can't find the thread currently but I saw you wrote about germinating inside of a glass cigar tube.
Is it as easy as putting water inside the tube, adding heat, and if they crack placing them in the soil?
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I can't find the thread currently but I saw you wrote about germinating inside of a glass cigar tube.
Is it as easy as putting water inside the tube, adding heat, and if they crack placing them in the soil?
Stinky's Seedling Survival Guide
I know everyone is all big on the wet paper towel thing. I'm not.
There are a couple legitimate reasons for this.
First, to check them, you have to disturb them.
Second, that tap root can SHOOT out. It has tiny hairs on it that can get stuck to the paper towel, and it's tough to plant the sprouted seed without damaging it in this case.
I prefer to do it this way:
Take a glass test tube of the sort that good cigars come in. Put the seeds in it. Add just enough water so that they barely float, but are not covered. Put the stopper back on and lay the tube sort of diagonally on its side in a dim and slightly warm place (a cardboard box on top of your fridge is just about perfect).
The seeds should 'pop' in anywhere from 24 hours to a week, depending upon temps, seed age, and husk thickness.
When you see the tip of the taproot sticking out about 1-2 mm, it's time to plant. The taproot is white, but may have a dark tip. This is normal.
Plant your seeds in small containers to start. You will be transplanting them very soon. Bathroom-sized dixie cups with a bunch of holes in them are fine, as are the nursery 6-packs that fucking petunias come in. Fill right to the top with a seedling starting soil. It must be of very fine texture. Happy Frog soil is said to be excellent for seedlings too, but I haven't tried it yet. The point is to have a fine, light soil with no added fertilizer in it. If you go with a box store seedling mix, fill the pots and FLUSH them before use.
Seeds should be planted no more than 1/3 of an inch deep. The taproot should face DOWN. You may put the pots under a propagation dome until the cotyledons emerge, but as soon as you see them, remove the dome- at this point they are vulnerable to damping-off, a fungal disease that is incurable and deadly.
I prefer to put my young seedlings under a small T5 flourescent fixture, but in the past I have been perfectly happy with a T5 flourescent shop light fitted with cool white tubes. They should be no more than 2 inches from the tops of the plants. Give them 18 or 24 hours of light. I like 24, but it is up to you.
At this point, it is very important not to let the soil dry out. The plant has a VERY limited root system! I like to water with one of those cheap plastic ketchup dispensers they have at diners. This allows me to control the water stream very well and not disturb the plants.
DO NOT FERTILIZE YET!!!!!
Soon you will see a pair of longer, serrated leaves coming out. These are the first 'true leaves' and may be considered your second node. (Node= point on the plant where leaves or side shoots ortiginate)
Now you just wait.
When there are 5 sets of true leaves, you are ready to transplant and fertilize. The 5th set should have 5 or even 7 fingers on it. This plant is no longer a seedling, it is an immature plant in the vegetative stage.
You will need a larger pot to continue growing your little plant, and better soil than those seedling starting mixes! The agway manure, humus, and perlite mix I mentioned above is perfect to use now. For pots, one that is 4" in diameter, or about a quart, is the right size for this next growth stage, which will take you right up to the point of sexual maturity and eventual sexing.
Let the soil dry out a little bit. Fill your pot a little more than half way with soil. Place the seedling IN ITS POT into its new home to check the levels- the soil surface will be not more than an inch below the rim of the new pot, and the plant should never be planted deeper than the node that the cotyledons appeared on.
Once you are satisfied with the levels, turn over the seedling and support the stem and soil with your fingers. Tap it sharply and the whole root ball will slide right out into your hand. Place it in the new pot, fill around it with the fresh soil, and give it a light watering with a solution of 1/4 strength grow fertilizer with superthrive.
This is now a happy little plant! You can put it back under the shop lights, or under a MH (don't burn it!!).
If you want to pinch your plants, you may do it now. Just pinch off the very freshest bit of the new growth- the smallest set of leaves that are being produced. Side shoot development will now speed up.
Not much heat. No more than 82'F. Just a few drops of water; enough to wet but not float the seeds. To remove sprouted seeds from the tube, simply flush them out with water into a teacup.
Like OJB was saying about the paper towel method...the taproot can shoot out pretty fast sometimes, and the little hairs coming off the taproot can get caught-up the paper towel...when this happens, you can use sharp scissors and tweezers to CAREFULLY cut the paper around the seed and taproot, and plant as normal. Ripping the fine feeder roots (is that what they are called?) from the paper towel is a great way to kill your seedlings. Paper will, of course bio-degrade.
Also...I now use the glass bottles from a spice rack set for germinating in the same way as the cigar tube method. (and I use 'em seed storage, too) Seems to cut a few days to a week off the germination process, versus just starting them in the soil.
that was a copy + paste, im actualy a big fan of the paper towel way to go, never had any luck with cigar tubes, glass bottles/jars, or ceramic bowlsQuote:
Originally Posted by Rusty Trichome