Germination help.

[Johnaldinho]

I'm going for the ziplock tub with paper towels.
My questions are:

Do seeds need adjusted ph water?
Can I use bottled water?
Is it better to just use tap water and leave open to a room for 24 hours, then adjust the PH? Do I adjust the PH first, then leave the water open to a room?

I am not able to get hold of distilled water.

Thanks.

Johnaldinho Reviewed by Johnaldinho on 10-21-2007. Germination help. I'm going for the ziplock tub with paper towels. My questions are: Do seeds need adjusted ph water? Can I use bottled water? Is it better to just use tap water and leave open to a room for 24 hours, then adjust the PH? Do I adjust the PH first, then leave the water open to a room? I am not able to get hold of distilled water. Thanks. Rating: 5

[whatsthatsmell]

you can use tap water that is not adjusted for pop'n seeds. just place them between damp paper towels place in plastic baggie, put in warm dark place, check in 24 hours.

[Big Haze]

I just got 1 of our old potatoe salad bucket's from the deli at walmart. Got some bagseed, and used the paper towel method. I used water out of the kitchen, so I didn't adjust the ph. My seed's popped fine with no problem's within a day or two.

[Mrs. Greenjeans]

I'm starting to think I've just been lucky. I keep reading posts about people having a hard time germing. In 4 grows, I have never ever had less than 100% germ rate. I put my beans in paper towels, wet it, put that in a plastic container with a lid like the kind produce comes in, stick it on top of the fridge or on top of my computer tower, and presto, they germ.

Oh, if your taproot grows into the paper towel, just carefully cut around it and plop it into your dirt with the little piece of paper stuck to it. It will break down and won't hurt anything. And the water doesn't really matter. I like to use it at room temp though.

[zebulon]

I don't have any problems whit Germination....this paper towel method is very good...i put the paper towel in a Game Boy cartridge box and keep it in my pocket...that way i use my own body heat to
germ the seeds it's like a chicken sitting on some eggs
and don't worry about the Ph ,you can use any kind of clean water...

[Mr. Clandestine]

There are plenty of good answers here already, but I'll add my :twocents: just for good measure.

While distilled water would be the best for germinating your seeds, there are other ways of cleaning up regular tap water to provide for an almost sterile environment for your seeds.

Method #1: Put some regular tap water in a bucket, and add an airstone to the bottom of it. Hook the airstone to a pump, and leave it running in the bottom of the bucket for at least 24 hours. This will oxygenate the water and remove the chlorine that might be present. (If you are using water from a city's municipal water supply, it probably contains chlorine.)

Method #2: Take a smaller amount of tap water (1 cup) and add a few drops of pharmacy-grade hydrogen peroxide, and let it sit for a few hours. The peroxide will remove many of the impurities from the water, and is also rumored to prevent 'damping off'.

Method #3: Just germinate with regular tap water! There aren't excessive amounts of impurities in most localities water. Don't get me wrong - there are some, and in some places, probably noticeably more impurities - but, probably not enough to kill your seeds. Granted, regular tap water might inhibit initial growth...but it shouldn't all-out prevent the seeds from germinating.

If all else fails - just make a trip to Walmart whenever you can. You're guaranteed to find some distilled water there.

[dodohead]

what seemed to work great with me was putting the seeds inside the paper towels, then on a dish with a small bowl over them. i then put that between freshly stacked, washed laundry, right out of the dryer. nice and warm and the seeds cracked right open.

[Johnaldinho]

Thanks for the answers
While i'm here, whats bottled water like for germination? Or even for growing?

[cwesto]

If i were to use the paper towel method on a plate under a bowl, should i put the seed in between damp paper towels or just sit it on top of some damp paper towels? Also should i refrain from touching the seed while it is germinating?

[Mr. Clandestine]

If i were to use the paper towel method on a plate under a bowl, should i put the seed in between damp paper towels or just sit it on top of some damp paper towels? Also should i refrain from touching the seed while it is germinating?

The seed needs to be in between the paper towels, so that all sides will get an even amount of moisture. Otherwise, there's a good chance that the water won't be able to penetrate into the seed.

As for touching the seeds; they should be disturbed as little as possible, but need to be checked at least once every 24 hours. In theory, you don't want the emerging roots to grow too long after cracking the shell...or you'll risk damaging it by peeling it off of the paper towel, transplanting into your growing medium, etc. Touching the seeds themselves isn't the problem, it's disturbing the super-sensitive root. If it becomes damaged at such a young age, there's a very good chance that their initial growth will be stunted, or worse, halted altogether.