WhY CaNt I gErMiNaTe!!!!!!!! -NEED HELP_!

ok this is my second atempt at a grow that i had to trassh.

soil was mixed into a 5 gal. 50%Scotts Potting Soil + 50% Scotts perlite. hand full of lime.

first attpemt- i germinated in a cup for 1 week until a tap root was revealed (didn't want to wait for it to grow a 1/4 inch cuz i was scared i would damage it) then tranferd the seeds into the soil. from there i underwaterd and the roots dried out and died.

second attemp - germinated for 48 hours (24h until they fell, 24h after they fell) then i transferd into the soil. its been a week. this morning i wake up to check to see if any of them poped out of the soil....and nothing. soi lightly move the dirt to the side to find the seed. and i don't see any seed.WHERE DID IT GO. i take all the dirt out and look for the seed and nothing. no seed no stem system. im sure its there but some how it fell to the bottom. but i made sure the soil was lightly packed (NOT TIGHTLY).

Lights are CFL (all i can afford)- got 8x 27w 216w CFLs

as soon i as i water them the top qaurter inch of the soil is mostly perlite (not cuz i just put perlite there. the water seems to wash the dirt down towrds the bottom)

sooo. can someone plz help me. this shit is really puting a future grower down :(

Are you planting the seeds in dry soil and then watering?

Water the soil first to have it settle and then try planting. The germination doesn't seem to be your problem if you're able to sprout a tap root. Just seems like you're having trouble finding the right balance in the soil.

My suggestion?

Water the soil so that it is damp and compacts on itself before you plant the seed. You don't need to pack it with your hand.. gravity and the weight of the water is ideal

You could even do this a day ahead to ensure the top part of the soil isn't to wet . You don't need mud.. just settled, damp and mildly compact soil.

hope this helps.
Bob.

That cat looks pissed off bob.LOL

Try what bob said you will eventually get a plant.

Also try more than one seed next go around.
(in separate containers) If you have multiple
germinated seeds planted your chances will
be better on sprouting one.

I did all the above.

put soil in cups waterd until water driped from the drain hole. used a tooth pick to make a whole for my seeds. (did this to 4 cups for 4 seeds) then i put the seed in (last time i didn't germ until tap root show just germed 24hours after they sank no tap root was exposed)the soil and sprinkle a lil more dirt ontop and then i waterd half as much the first time. then i put them in my box and turned on the lights. 24 hours later i open the box and there is nothing but perlite on the top surface of the soil. i didn't do anything to it then i just sprayed them with about an oz or 2 of water and put back under light and did this for 5 days. then i took a tooth pick and removed some of the perlite off the top of the soil. and waterd like reg and put back under the lights. 2 days later im still nothing so i dig about an inch (cm at a time) to look for the seed and i can't find the fucking thing. *was lookign to see if a root system was even goin to get startyed) so then i give a couple more days and nothing. im thinking im just goin to buy some new soil add less perlite less lime and give her another go. anything else i can do? shouldi always wait for a tap root to emerge from seed?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SiXFeEtDeEp

I did all the above.

put soil in cups waterd until water driped from the drain hole. used a tooth pick to make a whole for my seeds. (did this to 4 cups for 4 seeds) then i put the seed in (last time i didn't germ until tap root show just germed 24hours after they sank no tap root was exposed)the soil and sprinkle a lil more dirt ontop and then i waterd half as much the first time. then i put them in my box and turned on the lights. 24 hours later i open the box and there is nothing but perlite on the top surface of the soil. i didn't do anything to it then i just sprayed them with about an oz or 2 of water and put back under light and did this for 5 days. then i took a tooth pick and removed some of the perlite off the top of the soil. and waterd like reg and put back under the lights. 2 days later im still nothing so i dig about an inch (cm at a time) to look for the seed and i can't find the fucking thing. *was lookign to see if a root system was even goin to get startyed) so then i give a couple more days and nothing. im thinking im just goin to buy some new soil add less perlite less lime and give her another go. anything else i can do? shouldi always wait for a tap root to emerge from seed?

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You can technically plant the seeds directly in the soil and wait. I can't see any real problem if you have the seeds showing taproot when you plant... what about temperature? is the soil warm from the light?

It sounds like you got poopy seeds to be honest.. and it does happen. Even with seeds you buy.

my only advice is to try again and NOT disturb the soil at all.. digging up the seed to see if it's growing or not is only going to kill the thing.

Never play peek-a-boo with a seed once it's in the soil. It'll either sprout, or not sprout.. but you poking at it will only kill it.

Best of luck,
Bob.

Get those spongy plug deals, like 3 bucks at WalMart, a little tray with a dozen little spongy plugs with a little hole in the middle of the top of each one. Make sure the plug is damp and drop a seed down the hole. Tear off a little piece of spongy stuff and tuck it in over the hole that now contains the seed. Keep the spongy thing wet for 2-3 days and it should sprout up. The only seeds that HASN'T worked for, for me anyway, are those old unviable freebie seeds that seedboutique sends out when you buy real seeds.

Incidentally, sometimes it is okay to poke at them. I planted five Blue Mystics, and they had real probs throwing off their seed shells, so I got out a couple of needles and gave them some careful surgery, detaching the seed shells for them, and all five are doing fine now. But no, poking around with seeds isn't generally a good idea. Sometimes though, ya do what ya gotta do. ;)

sounds like the soil was too wet and it rotted.

i germinate in moist paper towel until the tap root is about a half inch long, then gently put in soil., root pinting down, just below the surface, barely covering the seed shell.
to be honest ive never had a seedling fail once its sprouted out of the shell.

unless its literally bone dry, you dont need water at this stage, just let it grow.

dont be scared of damaging them.
once you heve a root growing out the seed thats about 4 times the legnth of the seed,you can pick them up by the shell (gently) and stick them in a little hole in the soil, ive done it many a time:)

also, on re-reading the post, just plant them in pure soil, in my experience seelings just grow pretty much by themselves. why lime????

I had really excellent success using a quart sized Ziploc. Just lay a couple damp paper towels in it and scatter your seeds on top of the towels and zip it closed, then set them in a place where they'll stay warm and get good light. I've done that twice and it worked like a charm both times. within 24 hours the shells were begining to crack and within three days I could have planted them if I'd had my set up.

I actually wound up germinating them for about 6 days because it took longer for my stuff to arrive then I thought it would. By the time I transfered them to the rock wool cubes the seed jacket parts were completely off. I found out you got to be ubercareful with them when they're like that. The rootlette on one of my four got damaged in the transfer process and it never recovered from it.

..plus... just to be on the safe side....I like to germinate seeds ..during the dark of the moon...150 years of folklore can't be THAT wrong. Next dark of the moon....22 SEP 06 Good Luck.