In my opinion, it's definitly best to start counting the days from when you first see the seed break the top-soil instead of when you put the seeds in the soil.

The main reason I think it should be done this way is because germinating seeds is done in MANY different ways. There are too many variables from germination to planting the seed to create any kind of time-table with.

For multiple plants/seeds you'd be best to write down on a piece of paper the date each seed breaks the top-soil because some may break top-soil before others.

When I germinate, I don't use the paper-towel method. What I do is take however many seeds I plan to start with, place them all in a cup of natural spring water and leave them sit. Then I wait until the first seeds sink. The first seeds to sink go directly into the soil. To ensure that I get an even time-table to base the log off of I keep track of the depth at which each seed is placed into the soil. I usually measure it in at 1/4inch deep.

The side affect of doing it this way is that waiting for the seeds to break top-soil this way can take some time. But in most cases this method is faster than the paper towel method. Usually only taking about 4-5 days, about the same as a paper-towel germination period, when you're putting your 4-5 day germinated seeds into the soil, mine are already breaking the top-soil.

What I consider day two can be seen in my grow log. This usually results in very accurate timing based on the strains "specifications" from the seed-bank for me.
EXP13 Reviewed by EXP13 on . 2nd week? hey is it considered second week when the cotyledons just emerge? Rating: 5