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Hey!
Having got my seeds, which method should I use to germinate them? I know the wet paper towel method is popular but I also saw another one that tells you to put the seed under water until the little shoot comes out- at which point you just put it in the soil. The second method seems easier because there is no chance of the seed drying out, but which do you use/recommend?
Thanks,
If you stay on top of the paper towel method (keeping it moist) it works fairly well. I'm a "pop them into a clean shotglass full of water and put them into the closet for 24 hours" kind of guy. To each his own. We all have our own way we do things.
hmm, since I am only planting one seed this time, wont it be easier to just put it straight into the soil?, or does it take longer to start growing if I do that? I only have 2 female seeds, and only planting 1 at the moment so need to make sure they work :)
everyone has their preference.....I prefer the paper towel method.
You can soak them directly in water, but don't do it longer than 24hrs ... then transfer it to the paper towel.
Its so easy just using peat pellets you can buy them lots of places.
Amazon.com: Jiffy-7 5710 Mini Greenhouse 12 Peat Pellet: Home & Garden
I have tried several methods and they all have their pros and cons. In my experince it is easiest and the least dangerous to just put the friggen seed in the soil and keep it warm and moist. Why all the transplanting?
"Why all the transplanting?"
This is not transplanting this is about germinating quickly and effectively while not waisting any of that money you spent on expensive seeds. And the Jiffy pellets I suggested dosent require you messing with anything at all. Just toss the sponge in the soil after the plant is 1" to 3" 's.
trans·plant (trhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/abreve.gifns-plhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/abreve.gifnthttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/prime.gif)
v. trans·plant·ed, trans·plant·ing, trans·plants
v.tr. 1. To uproot and replant (a growing plant).
2. To transfer from one place or residence to another; resettle or relocate.
I know jiffy pellets work great, but why bother? Why not just put the seeds in the soil and enjoy a 100% success rate? When you transplant, and you are with any other method, you stress the plant and take a chance on weakening it or killing it. I don't understand how you can say this method wastes money and time, when it is the quickest and least expensive and safest method of getting a plant going from seed.
Soak it(the seed) over night and plant it..
good luck!
Find Stinkyattics signature. In there, she has a test tube method that I've tried and that worked for me 100%.
Thanks for the help, I think Ill soak and plant into soil, but im about to read Stinkyattics thing about test tubes, and if it seems better ill do that...
EDIT: I read the test tube post, I think ill just stick the seed into boiled///cooled tap water for 24 hours, then stick it in my BioBizz All mix(I dont have any special rooting soil etc.), hopefull that will do the job.
I didn't see the allmix. Which BioBizz? I hope it doesn't have any fertilizers in it, does it? If so, bad idea. No Nutes! for the first two weeks of growth.
Ye, I was just going to stick it in the BioBizz Allmix, but decided that ill make a little pot out of a plastic cup, put the Allmix in it and run a few litres of water through it, hopefullly that will take the nutes out and itl be all good.
I hope im not killing my seed, I put it in a test tube with clean water in a box that is siting on top of my wireless router- its the only place in my flat that is always warm but since its cold here at the mo I also put a jumper over the box to insulate it- the thing is it might actually be too hot, feels kinda warm to touch in there. I read a few things somewhere saying that heat can increase the speed of germ.? Its been about 12 hours and its still floating in those few drops of water, ill give it 24 more hours and then start to get worried if nothing happens.
Ye, I was just going to stick it in the BioBizz Allmix, but decided that ill make a little pot out of a plastic cup, put the Allmix in it and run a few litres of water through it, hopefullly that will take the nutes out and itl be all good.
I hope im not killing my seed, I put it in a test tube with clean water in a box that is siting on top of my wireless router- its the only place in my flat that is always warm but since its cold here at the mo I also put a jumper over the box to insulate it- the thing is it might actually be too hot, feels kinda warm to touch in there. I read a few things somewhere saying that heat can increase the speed of germ.? Its been about 12 hours and its still floating in those few drops of water, ill give it 24 more hours and then start to get worried if nothing happens.
How much did you pay for your seeds? Wouldn't it be worth it to spend another $4 on a bag of soil? I mean to make sure they live instead of taking chances trying to fix fertilized soil. Running water through will not get rid of any time release ferts, unless you do it for a few weeks non stop.
I would have got another bag of soil but I need to get everything delivered from the net (no car), and delivery costs lots for huge bags of soil- when I only need a tiny pot's worth. The seed split about 17 hours after I put it in the test tube so looks like putting that box on my wireless router worked well,and its now planted in the soil that I flushed many times. Hope the soil holds up and should see the thing come up in the next few days....
If you flushed well you may get lucky and not have any young roots touch fertilizer. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Paper towels are reliable as long as you are careful with the not drying them out. I am not that trusting. Whether I'm using soil or hydro, I soak my seeds in a quart of water with liquid seaweed or liquified kelp. Then I put my seeds into a mixture of 3 parts perlite to 1 part vermiculite. Then I moisten the mixture. The key is to use a container that's at least 3" deep and put at least 1" of standing water in the bottom of the container. The mixture wicks up the water and let's the seeds germinate and grow. Use a spoon or scoop and pull the seedling out and transplant to where ever you need to do so.It's not just a germinating method but a seed starting method.
Sounds good lmdesade, Ill try that next time. Its been in for about two days now and not popped out the soil yet, not worried yet but will be if I dont see anything in three days time...
Sometimes seeds are old and take a while. I've noticed that when I soak my seeds they pop quickly. I let them go for a little while before I transplant them. I let them get a couple inches tall. I sometimes use 100% perlite when I don't want the mix to be too wet. Using the method with just perlite is the most failsafe way that i've had.
The seed popped quickly, so I planted it on the 1st, 7th today and no sign of growth above the soil, not looking good :( , at least I have another fem Mazar seed in the fridge waiting- so if this one dies I have a backup.
Had a careful poke around the soil, the seed had about an inch long root ( in 7 days!:( ) and its growing sideways, not down. Do you think the seed is a gonner?- since its not growing up above the soil? I just ordered some moss+perlite mix, no added nutes, so when that arrives ill either try to transplant that seed into it, or just dump it and start my new seed. What do you think?
If there is an inch root I would just leave it, but try to expose the seed part so it can easily grow out.