Germinating seeds in soil question

Hello to all. My first post on here and probably not the last. Quick question regarding the germination of seeds. I noticed that most, if not all folks use the paper towel method. I understand this is a good method but for me to take the route is too late. Today(probably 8 hours or so) i planted my seeds in some high quality soil and have them nice and watered up. I am using a tray of lil plastic planting cups that are all attatched together. So anyways, will i be able to retrieve the seeds in about 48 hours from the soil and end up getting the same product as the towel method. I also covered the tops with saran wrap and stuck them in my dark closet. Good method or not? Thanks in advance. :)

I start seeds in soil and let them grow before transplanting dont let them get to wet they should pop in 3-5 days. good luck peace

Like Reaper says, "when in doubt, imitate nature". My Miraclegro sphagnum peat moss bag has instructions for seedling starter mix as 9 parts of peat moss to 1 part perlite but I add a little dolomitic limestone and potting soil for good measure. GL to you.:hippy:

keep the soil warm, 75 degrees or so, if you can ... and, don't let the soil stay wet ... cool, damp soil brings about Pythium Wilt, a fungus that kills young seedlings ... and, they don't need fertilizer for the first two weeks ... good luck :thumbsup:

Thanks for the replies guy's. Ok then, so i will stop adding anymore water as i think they have had enough already. So in about 3-5 days i just sort through the soil and collect the seedlings? Thats seems easy enough. I think next time will just use the paper towel method. The funny thing about the seeds in general is that i thought 2 had to somehow mate with each other to produce a plant. I had no clue that it took just 1 seed to produce a plant. Well i guess thats all part of the learning process. Im gonna keep track of my progress and let you guy's know how it's going(That's if you even give 2 shits lol) and maybe along the way i can continue to get tips. I have done a lot of reading about growing, but it's always good to have guides that know what they are talking about. Thanks again guy's:thumbsup:

I wanted to say thank you very much to Reaper for the grow guide and seed bank links. They are both extremely helpful and informative. Do you know how often the SB's get updated? One thing that has always made my blood boil are people who either scam or just steal money in general. Thats why the list provided is much appreciated. The last thing i need at this point in time is to lose money. lol Thanks again.

Why are you sorting thru soil foor seedlings instead of letting them grow for awile before transplanting? Am I missing something here?

Because of the fact that i planted about 4 seeds per container. Small containers at that. The seeds that i planted are not of high quality and i didn't purchase them. I was able to obtain seeds from a bag that i got. I figure instead of using high quality ones that i would need to purchase, why not experiment with ones that i don't care much about. I just wanna get a feel for the learning process so that in the future i can grow some high grade. Like i said in my previous post, i have been doing my research and the whole idea of growing any type of plant in general is exciting to me. So do you think that i should just keep the seeds where they are at and not mess with them?

How much light is sufficient for two plants that will be growing in 8" clay pots during the vegetative phase?

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Originally Posted by Bonesdowns25

How much light is sufficient for two plants that will be growing in 8" clay pots during the vegetative phase?

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You can get by with CFL or floro tube lighting, the first 3-4 weeks of vegging cycle. Clay pots are hard to transplant from; the roots want to stick to the walls. Plastic pots is easier.

(ps...don't put seeds too deep into soil. 1/2 inch...max.)...enjoy.

Thanks for the quick reply. What size pot should i be using during the plants final stage? I may go the rubber maid tub route for my growing so i want to keep the size of the pots at a minimal size.:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Bonesdowns25

Thanks for the quick reply. What size pot should i be using during the plants final stage? I may go the rubber maid tub route for my growing so i want to keep the size of the pots at a minimal size.:thumbsup:

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I start seeds in 16 oz plastic cups and transplant to 6 inch pots; then 8 inch pots, during the veg cycle. When I switch to 12/12 flowering cycle; I sex the plants and transplant into 10 inch pots. No sense transplanting males. The 10 inch pots go all the way to harvest. Square pots are said to be better than round pots.

What ever you use?...good drainage is critical. I mix in 20% perlite and drill extra drainage holes.

You can see the results in my profile/album.

Thank you again my friend. Each and everyday more knowledge is absorbing into my brain. I like this. Im gonna be back on here probably tomorrow after i gather more supplies, so I'll probably have more questions. Hope you guy's don':)t mind. Thanks again.

My plants(seedlings) are now about 1 week old. Why are mine so long and lanky? with just the 4 lil leaf's at the top. I transplanted 2 of them in 6" pots. How deep should i have planted them in their new home? Should i plant them a good portion down so the soil is about 3/4th up the stem from the root of the plant? I noticed in a lot of peoples photos, that their plants are very short with lots of leaves. Unlike mine which are long and lanky. lol. Thanks in advance for any help on this subject.:thumbsup:

:)..,http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-gr...l-fittest.html

Thank you once again my friend.:)

I decided to make a lil grow box from a 20 gal aquarium tank that i have. I lined the inside walls with tin foil (Shiny side) and i have a 19W fluoresent tube light. I am going to up grade the lighting situation sometime soon. Im gonna get 2 10" clamp lights, along with some Y adapters. So a total of about 4 or 6 26W CFL's. This is going to be for 2 or 3 plants depending on how many plants will fit in the 20 Gal tank that i have. They are now about 8 days old and are currently growing in 6" plastic pots. How does this sound so far? Any response is greatly appreciated as always. Thanks :thumbsup:

Gonna put soil in the tank?...right?

Veg the plants in your 6 inch pots...until rootbound. Switch to 12/12 lighting/flowering cycle and sex your plants.

The tank will have to have drainage (holes)...good drainage. You will need to sex the plants before going into the tank....otherwise...male plant roots will get tangled with the female plant's roots and you won't be able to get them out. You can cut the males down...but, their roots will rot in the tank. The walls need to be light proof.

better off with individual pots...IMO....10 inch/3 gallon pots for flowering

I think I confused, myself?....:wtf:

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Originally Posted by Dutch Pimp

Gonna put soil in the tank?...right?

Veg the plants in your 6 inch pots...until rootbound. Switch to 12/12 lighting/flowering cycle and sex your plants.

The tank will have to have drainage (holes)...good drainage. You will need to sex the plants before going into the tank....otherwise...male plant roots will get tangled with the female plant's roots and you won't be able to get them out. You can cut the males down...but, their roots will rot in the tank. The walls need to be light proof.

better off with individual pots...IMO....10 inch/3 gallon pots for flowering

I think I confused, myself?....:wtf:

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No i have not put any soil in the aquarium tank, and dont plan on doing so. I was just gonna use the aquarium tank as a sort of grow box/ holding station. Im not sure this method will work in the long run due to the plants getting bigger as time goes on. I was thinking about constructing a rubber maid grow box since the operation is gonna be done in a closet that i plan on keeping stealth. The tank that my plants are sitting in now serves as a good place until they reach their vegetative state. How many leaves or sets of leaves would constitute a plant being in it's Veg state? Mine are just over a week old now and are still displaying the 2 round leaves, and the 2 rigid leaves. It looks as if the true leaves are starting to protrude higher than the 2 oval ones. Does this all sound like proper process for seedlings? Sorry for the obvious questions. lol. :jointsmile:

If ur gonna make a grow box u are definitly gonna need ventilation
i used one of the stove vents
just rigg it to an old cord so i could plug it in
i am currently using cfls as well
i have 3 but ppl say i need more
i dont know were but i read that u need 5000 lumens per square foot
3000 minimum
1 26 watt cfl has 1750 lumens
hope that helps:hippy:

To your initial question: we placed the seeds in warm (~85F) distilled water for a few hours (4-10), or until they cracked, and then put them into soil (12oz starbucks paper cup w/ a MG soil mixture). Put the cups in a dark, warm area and waited. A couple days later (usually) we had sprouts. After 2-3 weeks of weeks of growing (closely under 40W fluor. cool white tubes), we put them into their final pot (5 gal) until finish. Only one transplant and less plant stress overall.

When we first started, we put the germinated seeds into rockwool, then into soil; however, we decided to bypass the rockwool part because the seeds that sprouted in soil seem to have a stronger stem. If the stem is long in the beginning it usually means it is reaching for light; but we have had some that started out long, but got leafier after awhile.

Happy growing...

Thanks guys for all your helpful insight and advice. I am now past this simple stage, that at one point needed questioning. lol.So Now i guess this thread can be closed down now, unless there will be other members with the same question. I just don't wanna be taking up space. Ya dig:thumbsup: