In my experience, temperature is one of the most important factors.
Some seeds/some strains might benefit from stratification(horticulture) : put them in cold conditions for x amount of time and then put them in warm/hot(not boiling hot) water and they should sprout within a day or 3.
Some older seeds/ some strains might need some
scarification as already mentioned (sandpaper etc) although I havent really needed to do that yet.
Controling the temp is one of the biggest factors in my experience. After initial cold fase, preferably no big temp swings and a nice warm 20-22C constant temp.
Using coconut milk/water can also be benificial, although I never tried this, the science is there.
Hope everything goes alright! Nothing worse then having seeds not sprouting, nightmare shit😂
Tbh this could come down to the brand of paper towel used as well as if the soil or medium you’re going into is to hot or if you fed them right off the back for germination. What’s the variables you could change that you did for the set?
What are your temps where the seeds are? Low temperature really increases germination time. Higher temps speed it up but I believe anything over 90-93° inhibits germination.
And I have definitely killed my share with an unusually warm seedling germination mat without a temp control.
If the seeds dry out even one time they are likely done, keep them moist.
The seedling below is in pro mix and covered in horticultural vermiculite, which is also sold as loose fill insulation. The horticultural usually is in larger grains. I wet the pro mix, let it drain and settle, then drop a soaked seed on top and cover with the vermiculite. The great thing about the stuff is that it is very forgiving as far as depth planted. It holds an ideal oxygen/water ratio and won’t crust over like pro mix and block a new sprout. Seedlings emerge in 2-3 days.
Is it possible to build a super soil at home using coco coil? Would I need to transition into a full soil mix?
I’m asking because I ordered some GH nutrient with Amazon and Walmart they haven’t arrived yet and I’m sick of waiting. I’m taking it as a sign from god to go organic and learn how to build a living soil for my indoor grow.
You can absolutely build your own super soil by adding various ammendments. This could be a helpful step forward after you learn the basics. I would caution you to keep it simple as you just start out. Patience is critically important; perhaps the message was one of patience, not to switch gears.
There is no reason you cant tinker with soil ammendments, aact/ewc teas while still using nutrients that are not organic. However, if you intend to create a living soil, beware of chlorine as a nutrient ingredient, and aerate any water 24 hrs before watering/feeding into garden or using to brew a tea.
I meant to mention, the seedling in the pic above is enjoying some worm castings in the pro mix. It’s a low cost way to grab some of the benefits of organics. Teas are also very cost effective. You take a small amount of beneficial microbes and use aeration and sugar to culture them. There’s a few growers on here also using fermented teas with good results.
I disagree; it is extremely easy to damage a freshly germinated taproot with excess moisture. moisture (and temp, RH all interrelated) plays a significant role. Got to keep the germination medium moist but not saturated. I do not like ziploc bags for PT germination because they do not allow any evaporation and it is easier to create overwater conditions, just my .02
You dont disagree, that’s litterally what I said.
Once the root tap root is sprouted, it should not be emmersed in water.
That why I said “float” in a glas of water.
I’ve done direct sow to soil, rockwool, coco, cup soaking, basically whatever you can think of ive gone for it. I personally prefer paper towel tek. Everything has a parameter. Also if you can’t perform steady hand removal (surgery) I don’t suggest it as not everyone can handle that delicately.
Never a thing as “to much water” there’s such a thing as no airflow or to tightly packed medium though. I fully drench my plants 2x a day as they have a tremendous dry back and always water past run off. Steer them right and you’ll get good results. (Roots between 13-17 days on seedling)
Too much moisture is relative to aeration of medium etc; certainly such a thing as too much moisture with paper towels. Imo, if you need removal surgery you let it go at least a day too long more often than not
And if you actually took the time to read my other comment, you probably wouldnt have the need to repeat my own advice back at me about temp and what not. Just my 2 cents.
