Quote Originally Posted by stinkyattic
How fast it breaks dirt doesn't have much to do with whether you want to keep the mom. Grow out all your females and choose the one you really like in terms of hardiness, structure, and bud flavor/effect.
Old seeds can take longer to germ, as can seeds from lines with very tough husks.
Words of wisdom, truely!

As a side note, I have found it extremely practical to germinate seeds in a custom hydro setup. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is not a true hydro in that it wouldn't support anything bigger than about 6 inches tall, but it makes seeds germinate and seedlings grow like wildfire. I think this is an exception to the rule though. For whatever reason, the way it was set up must be favorable to young plants. I wouldn't recommend trying this with "good" seeds. It was tested first using bagseed, with spectacular results, and only then used for the good stuff.