The Tale of the Terrible Bagseeds

5 days later...Jan 14... 3 white tips are showing..thats about it.. I got 4 more seeds from local dealer and decided to germ using the heating pad under moist towel in baggie method...right now it seems like im having a hard time just getting these ladies to crack open and i gotta admit the morale is gettin low. hopefully the next entry will actually contain some news...RESPK`t

You are in too big of a hurry. Sometime when germinating my seeds can take up to 6 days to show signs of sprouting.


You ever wonder why those seeds don’t germinate? Here are some things that might stop your seeds from germinating in soil!

Too Wet
seeds need to be damp, not wet for germination. Excess water prevents oxygen getting to the seed. Poorly drained soils may also cause soil fungus diseases. The condition of wet soils may be improved by adding perlite. which will aerate your soil.

Too Dry
A certain amount of water is essential for germination, so maintaining a constant soil moisture during the germination period is vital, cover containers with glass or glad wrap to prevent you soil drying out.

Too Hot
High temperatures result in excessive soil desiccation and injury to seeds and seedlings.

Too Cold
Cold temperatures can kill seedlings and prevent germination. Cool temperatures can result in slow, un-even germination, and attack by soil diseases. You may want to start your seeds indoors, before outplanting. Make sure planting dose not done too early, when it is stll cold and there is a frost hazard.

Planting Too Deep
This will result in delayed emergence. seeds may not be able to grow enough to reach the surface on the limited food storage within the seed. Soil temperature is also lower with depth. Plant your seed 1/2 and inch to an inch down for best results.

Planting seeds Too Shallow
If you plant your seeds to shallow the seeds can dry out.

Soil Too Firm
Making your soil mix to firm can prevent oxygen getting to your seeds also drainage is also affected.

Soil Too Loose
Soil which is too loose results in too much air surrounding the seed, and they will not absorb moisture and will most likely dry out.

Soil fungus
seeds may root or seedlings fall over. Overwatering, poor drainage and lack of aeration will increase the likelihood of this occurring. Plant seeds in sterilized potting mix, and make sure you containers are clean.

Non Viable seeds
If your seeds have not been stored correctly they can deteriorate. Look for dark brown seeds. Avoid and light colored or whitish seeds as they are not mature.

My favorite method to stores seeds is to place your seeds in a film canister, then fill it up to the top with rice, this will absorb any moisture, and either freeze them for long term storage or place in a dry, dark cool place for a shorter time period.

I agree with the previous post. You should not see any germination results after 12 hours. Personally I soaked my seeds in a cup of water for 12 hours first, then I placed them into my growing medium. Only after another 24 hours did I see the first seed crack. In another 24 hours I started to see the sprout emerging. Finally by the 3rd day I had my first sprout above the growing medium.

first off thanks ...i really appreciate ur responses to my post

i'll try to be more patient...but its almost 7 days and none of them have sprouted yet...the pots are on a heating pad now, set to medium so that should take care of my temperature issues...as far as the watering i dunno what im gonna do about that..maybe i'll only give them a couple table spoons of water to take extra caution

i double checked the soil and it seems loose enough..the water slowly drains thru it..i just hope its not too loose..is there any way to check this?

day 10 as of today, a few (by few i mean probably 3 or 4) of them have small white tips showing..not longer than a bread crumb but its still showing..i dunno what could possibly be taking so long but its been a really long time and its super frustrating reading that most ppl get their seeds to germinate and have 2 inch long tails in 2-3 days...makes me feel like im doing something wrong...i know its not my water bcuz im using bottled water and i kno its not due to the temperature, not too hot or too cold...maybe its the brand of paper towel or plastic baggies im using? but what ever it is, its causing my seeds to not sprout roots and its getting quite frustrating and discouraging.

Could just be the seeds. Depending on how they have been handled there viability can be shorten. Don't stress too much. Can you start over with differnet seeds?

My personal method for germing (100% success within 48hrs of wetting):

Wrap seeds in tin foil
Wrap tin foil package in cling-film
Put in fridge for 2 days
Put in paper towel soaked in filtered water, then fold up towel and put it in a glass with about 1/2" water in the bottom
Leave in a DARK place, ideally slightly warm, like near a radiator (NOT on it or next to it), on top of an amplifier or some appliance that generates a little heat, or in an airing cupboard
Let nature do it's thing, don't check more than once every 24hrs (the more you disturb them at this stage the longer it'll take and the more risk there is of mold introduction)
Once all are showing 'tails', plant about 3/4" deep in your (moistened) medium ensuring the radicle (tail) is pointing down, cover over gently. Make sure this is in an opaque pot or rock wool cube. I'd avoid jiffies as they seem to attract mold. Make sure these remain well ventilated, and a little light won't do any harm. Make sure they stay moist too, but not sodden either.

Again, give em time. And maybe play them some Bob Marley and give them pretty girls' names
Good Luck!

Originally Posted by mogie

Could just be the seeds. Depending on how they have been handled there viability can be shorten. Don't stress too much. Can you start over with differnet seeds?

Yes I can and thats exactly what I had to do...
I bought a nickle from her and asked her for all the seeds she could give me...she ended up giving me 15 more seeds. I immediately put them in a new paper towel and watered it with some tap water I had from before and about 2 days later they cracked and showed tips that were a decent length (probably about 2cm) so I figured I had a good start and wanted to do this another way. I went to the local garden store and picked up some of those Jiffy Cubes #7 and some Miracle gro moisture control potting mix which they had to get outta the cold so I figure Im gonna let it warm up to room temp, then Im gonna put inside of 1.5quart pots..it has a slow release fert inside it.

so far

$5 for da weed w/bag seeds
$4 for a CFL
$2.50 for peat pellets
$4.50 for the soil
$.070/ea for the 3 pots

and Im using tap water..I think I might change to using some thawed out snow bcuz its cheaper than tap water. once I get a job I'll get some larger pots and a larger light..but right now my seeds are still germinating in the mini greenhouse that came with the peat pellets...so I got a good 2-3 weeks before I need to transplant from the 1.5 quarts pots.
I'll keep everyone posted