Do you have poor germination rates? Read this!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratification_(botany)

http://cannabisseedsnow.com/cannabis-sativa-info/cannabis-seeds-physiology/

I came across these interesting articles/web pages about "stratification" and physiological seed dormancy. I'm sure the topic has been brought up before, but it involves refrigerating seeds in moistened medium for some time before attempting germination. I know everyone has their own way of germination, and I've tried almost all of them. I thought it would be helpful to revisit the topic and open a discussion for anyone who has tried the most popular methods and failed:

1.Strait to soil method
2. Paper towel and plastic bag method
3. Soaking in glass of water method
4. Scarification method

I still consider myself a newbie and I am by no means an expert. In fact, I'm just now preparing for my 3rd grow. My first two grows were completed in soil. For my 3rd grow, I just finished building a 10 bucket RDWC system to see which I like better. But if there has been one step that I had to choose that I thought was the hardest step, I would definitely pick germination lol. I know, I know....some of you will be reading this and be rolling on the floor laughing your ass off. But I struggle with this because I have a really strong background in science and it's been hard for me to let that go and "let nature do her thing". My first grow my germ rates were 2/22. That's less than 10%. My second grow I was 20/25. Much better second time around but still not perfect. I didn't do this by letting nature do her thing because there are almost an infinite number of "variables" that play a role that many people don't realize. Examples: climates/temperature, soil/water pH, humidity, genetics/breeder, seed age/handling, geographic location, etc...

When ever I read a post with someone complaining about problems with germination, the advice I usually see is:
Check your water pH. Check the temperatures. Use a heating mat. Check humidity. Try strait to soil. Try soaking them in water. Try the paper towel method. It's your fault because your a newbie. It's the breeders fault, they sent you duds. And so on and so forth. Assuming there will always be some seeds that just will never crack even if touched by God himself....I rarely see people discussing physiological seed dormancy and "stratification". Sorry I told you I can't let go of my science background). In nature, this is usually the first step....after the mother plant dies and seeds fall to the ground, most plants go through a cold spell (except tropical strains/species. This is before pH, moisture, humidity, nutrients, light, etc play any role. So in short, if you are like me and have tried everything else (pH, RO water, heating mats, yada yada yada and the whole 9 yards), why not try cold exposure before you try to germinate? Maybe this is one of the many factors/variables you have over looked despite otherwise perfect germination conditions. And again, I'm acknowledging that most people won't have to do this and that I AM NOT and expert. I'll end this long drawn out thread by saying thanks to mods and everyone here on RIU, the ideas and wealth of knowledge here has been so helpful and I am super appreciative for it all. I hope those web pages help somebody out.

Nice post will have to experiment with this one. My germ rates are fine but interesting nonetheless. THANKS!

Sorry I rambled on...I'm note sure if my final point was clear.

According to expert horticulturist, in most seeds, certain requirements must be met PRE-GERMINATION in order for germination to occur. Examples: Sativas are are MOSTLY found in tropical/high temperature area; Indicas are MOSTLY found in climates that experience all 4 seasons. Assuming sativas seeds in warmer climates experience severe tropical storms and heavy rains, it explains why soaking seeds would benifit germination.
By mimicking these heavy moisture conditions (penetrating the thick waxy seed coat) As for indicas, they usually experience some sort of cold spell or snow fall before they have a chance to germinate, which is why refrigeration might help. Some seeds pass through an animals digestive tract and have their seed coat thinned out by the acids and digestive enzymes, which is why scarification helps other strains. So don't be discourages if you have bad germ rates. Thanks again guys.

My germ rates have also been near 100%. I use a combination of the methods you listed. Scarification, shaking the seed in a tube of sand paper for 1-2 minutes. Soaking in a glass of water for 6-24 hours, until the seed sinks but not less than 6 hours. Then planting into a light soil mix about 1/4 " deep with a heating mat under the pot. Usually pop within 48-72 hours. I think the cold treatment is a great idea especially for more immature seeds or those that are a bit old (2 years +).

Cascadian said:

My germ rates have also been near 100%. I use a combination of the methods you listed. Scarification, shaking the seed in a tube of sand paper for 1-2 minutes. Soaking in a glass of water for 6-24 hours, until the seed sinks but not less than 6 hours. Then planting into a light soil mix about 1/4 " deep with a heating mat under the pot. Usually pop within 48-72 hours. I think the cold treatment is a great idea especially for more immature seeds or those that are a bit old (2 years +).

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Another awesome point Casc! Most seeds today are HYBRIDS! Meaning that seeds from the same hybrid mother plant will produce diverse seeds. Some may express sativa dominant genetics and require soaking before germ. Some may express indica dominant genetics and require exposure to cold before germ. While others may express true hybrid genetics and require a combination of multiple factors to germ. So combing different methods seems to be the best way to guarantee the fulfillment of PRE-GERMINATION requirements.

I am having good germinating rates with my method. 2 popped and now in organic soil in less than 24 hours with good size tail. 2 others hopefully sometime tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the info though.

Much the same as above, I prefer to soak my seeds overnight in a glass of water with a half teaspoon of bleach to kill any bugs and fungi spores then in the morn, to a plate with damp kitchen towels for the next 24 hours or until the white tails are half an inch long then to 4 inch pot with seedling mix ...used that method for over 25 years with great success ..lol

Hi Rasta and guys,
I have some 11 year old seeds undergoing cold stratification right now. Sitting in my fridge in a mix of worm castings, leonardite (for humic and fulvic acids), and a bit of coco for aeration. Scarified them a bit and plan on leaving them in for a month total which hopefully will break dormancy. Just a little experiment with some throwaway freebie seeds.
JD

JohnDee said:

Hi Rasta and guys,
I have some 11 year old seeds undergoing cold stratification right now. Sitting in my fridge in a mix of worm castings, leonardite (for humic and fulvic acids), and a bit of coco for aeration. Scarified them a bit and plan on leaving them in for a month total which hopefully will break dormancy. Just a little experiment with some throwaway freebie seeds.
JD

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That's pretty old. I would love to know the results. Have they been refrigerated the entire 11 years? I would be pretty impressed if 11 year old seeds germinate. Even if it was just one. Please keep me up to date with your future results. Good luck to you.

Rasta,
Indeed I will post the results. I'm an old timer just returning to growing after a layoff. I have a whole collection of old seeds that I have tried to take care of. Meaning stored in an airtight container in the crisper of my fridge. I'm somewhat of a nomad and move a lot...often large distances. So the seeds have been exposed to a variety of conditions over the years. So this cold stratification run is an experiment before I try it on my choice seeds. Some are crosses I made and some are purchased seed packs. About 15 seed packs altogether so I really hope this method works!
JD

Pretty interesting, I only had about 1/3 pop on my ~8 year old seeds. Will keep this in mind for next time, thanks.

That's awesome 11 year old seeds....damn.