My germinated seed's taproot has stopped growing

Hello guys, i need yalls help. I germinated a seed i'd been saving from a good batch i bought. I used the wet cotton technique we used in elementary school. anyway, i popped open and it was showing a nice healthy white taproot poking out so i waited one more day to put it in soil. I filled a small cup sized pot with some regular medium i bought at my local garden shop to allow it to sprout before transplanting to a bigger pot. So I proceeded to put the germinated seed in the soil taproot down and about 1/4' deep, textbook. and then I soaked the soil entirely,(maybe this was my mistake) and so its been 3 days and i was expecting to see the first signs of a seedling by now but nothing. So i thought maybe I overwhelmed the baby taproot by soaking the entire medium and dug out the tap root to check it out. I noticed it had gotten just a bit longer and straightened itself downward a little. It still has a very whiteish color so I think its still alive and healthy, so i figured id put it back into some soil (bigger pot this time though) in a 2L pot with the same medium, only I added way less water than I did 3 days ago. Its my first time growing indoor. Ive grown before and never had a hard time with the germination process, but its been a while. maybe I overwatered the taproot? maybe its just a bad seed? should I give the little taproot one more chance and wait? because I only have space and set-up to grow one plant at the time and i have a time frame to harvest. id appreciate helpfull advice and comments..thank you all and hope yall had a mellow 4/20 and happy earthday tomorow! - Vibes
 

hotshotisdashit

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure if your seed is damaged or not. The problem is you didn't utilize patience. I've had a few seeds that too a week or so to pop ground. Leave it alone and let it do its thing. Good luck.
 
Ive always used the wet cotton balls method to germinate, its just as efficient as wet paper towels. i dont think that is what went wrong but youre right shouldnt have dug it out. oh well, im just gonna leave it be, its my first indoor grow, guess im just being impatient..thank you
 

xSwimToTheMoon

Well-Known Member
I plant them at first sign of taproot. Leaving them in wet cotton after they've cracked Isn't usually good for them.

I saturate the soil before sowing the seeds. Then dribble some extra water on top of the planted bean. No more water until they come up.

Heat seems to speed germination up for me.
 

gardengardian7

Well-Known Member
So I proceeded to put the germinated seed in the soil taproot down and about 1/4' deep, textbook. and then I soaked the soil entirely,(maybe this was my mistake) and so its been 3 days and i was expecting to see the first signs of a seedling by now but nothing.



No problem at all. It's all too familiar... What you did is what I teach to be mindful of not doing. Of course GOD showed me after letting me make a few mistakes :) . What you did was planted the seed first then watered it which sent it deeper and put pressure around it which causes the no show. Then I begin to wisen up. Now before I plant my seeds, I do the very first run off not heavy, but enough to see water drainage. Then I plant them a nickels hight deep. From the top of a nickel to the bottom is how deep i insert the seed. Also directly in the middle for a good strength lst. But thats what you did, the same thing I was doing and blew about 10 seeds before I figured it out. :) I hope this is helpful.
 

green_machine_two9er

Well-Known Member
Are there advantages for the plant?

I usually don't know if my time has been wasted until I smoke them! An unpopped seed would not really waste much of my time, all things considered.
I agree bugeye. I'm always trying to help people get away from the age old dogma of how to pop beans.
I have never In 4 years of caregiving lost a seed. That may sound strange but it just doesn't happen if we humans get the fuck out the way. Plant directly into any root riot type cube. 1/4 inch down. Moisten( not wet) medium. Heat pad under humidity dome. Easy. Seed will pop out I cube in 12-24 hours. Tap water until out into soil. Or If on filtered water a cpple drops calmg will really make things pop once your have roots.

Don't duck with nature guys. The seed needs to know which way is up by gravity and it's nature desire to go against. Watch videos on YouTube if seeds sprouting under normal conditions. You will see that paper towel methods are inferior. Sorry if I affended anyone but. Truth can hurt
 

Mad_Prophessor

Well-Known Member
Are there advantages for the plant?

I usually don't know if my time has been wasted until I smoke them! An unpopped seed would not really waste much of my time, all things considered.
When you are growing on a large scale, floor space is a premium. I don't have the time/space to waste on waiting. I can understand if you have a few plants that it would not be a problem, but not for something like my grow.

I have been doing it the same way for 20 years and have not lost one yet. There is nothing inferior about my method, it is just different than the way you choose to start seeds. My crops are awesome and I would hardly be offended by somebody telling me what they "think". You have zero proof that your technique is any better than mine (nor has anybody else been able to in the growing world) because it doesn't exist. One video, one post, blah, blah, blah. The norms are what we deal in, not the anomaly. Germing in paper towels is a time tested and proven method for starting seeds.
 

Bugeye

Well-Known Member
When you are growing on a large scale, floor space is a premium. I don't have the time/space to waste on waiting. I can understand if you have a few plants that it would not be a problem, but not for something like my grow.

I have been doing it the same way for 20 years and have not lost one yet. There is nothing inferior about my method, it is just different than the way you choose to start seeds. My crops are awesome and I would hardly be offended by somebody telling me what they "think". You have zero proof that your technique is any better than mine (nor has anybody else been able to in the growing world) because it doesn't exist. One video, one post, blah, blah, blah. The norms are what we deal in, not the anomaly. Germing in paper towels is a time tested and proven method for starting seeds.
But why do you let your tap root grow for a day before planting? That is what I'm trying to figure out because the OP said that is what he did. I would think that might greatly increase the risk of the taproot getting damaged during transplant. What would be the benefit?

Also, is it common with your technique for the seedling to take 3 days or more to break the surface?
 

Mad_Prophessor

Well-Known Member
But why do you let your tap root grow for a day before planting? That is what I'm trying to figure out because the OP said that is what he did. I would think that might greatly increase the risk of the taproot getting damaged during transplant. What would be the benefit?

Also, is it common with your technique for the seedling to take 3 days or more to break the surface?
I don't leave them to grow for any duration. Once they have popped their root and it is a decent length, they go into solo cups. I have never had them take more than 24 hours to pop up out of the dirt. The benefit of this technique is knowing the seed is not a dud.
 

Bugeye

Well-Known Member
I don't leave them to grow for any duration. Once they have popped their root and it is a decent length, they go into solo cups. I have never had them take more than 24 hours to pop up out of the dirt. The benefit of this technique is knowing the seed is not a dud.
So why do you believe he killed it by digging it up after 3 days if all of yours make it up in a day?
 

Mad_Prophessor

Well-Known Member
So why do you believe he killed it by digging it up after 3 days if all of yours make it up in a day?
The digging process is why. I am sure the little gentle roots coming off the tap were damaged, but you just can't see it.

I use a wooden chopstick to make a small hole in the soil and tweezers to set them in. Then, I just cover the top of the seed. The next day, I usually have a little plant. I have always done it this way.
 

Merlot

Well-Known Member
I germed and popped 9 out of 10 successfully (I lost a seed due to clumsiness) using wet paper towel method. It's a pretty idiot proof way of germing. 8 germed within 2 days. The 9th didn't but I planted it anyway. 24 hours later 8 had popped. The 9th followed the next day. I can't see any reason why germing them out of soil does any harm.
 

zeddd

Well-Known Member
my focus is the taproot having and undisturbed start, I germ in the 11 litre pots I flower in and don't transplant, zero root stress the whole grow
I have had 100% success doing it this way. That is better than a 95% success rate.
man I lost one recently so was being modest lol
 
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