I wanted to test my atmospheric conditions to make sure it is ideal for germination. To do this, I selected only two seeds of each strain to germinate. On Jan 10, 2007 00:30, I started by placing the 6 seeds in water for 12 hours to soak. At 12:30 I had 5 of the 6 sunk to the bottom, implying they are viable. I took all six seeds and placed them inside the cubes, moist with warm water. I turned on the heating pad and left it to go. The temperature remained around 23°C and the humidity around 50%. The dome was not on the tray, as this would increase the temperature to 30°C and humidity to 90%.

2 days later at 13:00, I have the five viable seeds split and sprouting. The sixth seed is still in there, and I'll give it 7 days to germinate. Two of the seeds were upside down, so I gently removed them from the cubes and placed them right into 4" pots of moist soilless soil (miracle grow) right beside the seedling tray. These seeds had at least 1" of tap root. The other four seeds are still in the cubes. I am planning on leaving the three viable ones in the cubes until I see the roots pushing out (needing a transplant).

In another day I will start to germinate 2-4 more seeds of each strain. I feel comfortable with the germination so far. Does anyone know how long seedlings can be left on a heating mat before needing to be removed from the heat?