Seed Germination Problems

Howdy RUI folks! Been lurking for awhile now and finally decided to get off my ass and join the fun. Its been over 10 years since the last time I grew anything and it seems there is some rust to knock off haha. I popped a pack of Bohdi's Sunshine Daydream because I heard alot of positive thing about him and this strain. I used the paper towel method and was happy as hell when I had 11/11 of the seeds pop. I thought the hard part was behind me lol. I transferred them into Rapid Rooter plugs and set then in a propagation tray for a few days and thats when things started heading south. Its been about 4 days and only 5 of the seeds have broken through and those are really moving slowly. I figured it might be that my basement is too cold for them to do their thing? The temps are 70 degrees with 37% humidity. I added a heat mat to the mix a couple of days ago but not sure its helping. Plus the Rapid Rooter plugs keep drying out so I have had to put a layer of water in the propagation tray to keep things wet. Things are just all fucked right now =P. Since this was a learning experience I have a couple of questions.

#1 Was my environment too cold to get things going? I have read that seedlings like it 75 -80 degrees but not sure of the proper humidity. Would a humidity dome be needed?

#2 Are Rapid Rooters more trouble then they are worth? I Intend on growing in Subcools Super Soil when the plants are big enough, so should I just go straight from the paper towel into a very light soil mix like light warrior until they are ready to be transplanted into the super soil? I am not too happy with my results with my first experience with the rapid rooter lol. But I am sure its me being a newbie at this point.

Thanks again for any guidance and I look forward to what the future holds.

How far down did you plant the seedlings? I drop em in a 1 in. hole with the seed head at the top of the soil and cover with a leaf.

Don't give up on those seeds. You could check out what they are doing by carefully digging and finding the seed. Seeds should be moist, not dried let to be in dry soil or "wet" soil.

I would say they were about 1 inch down. I took some time and poked around on the ones that weren't doing anything and they were mostly dead. Just had the taproot like they did when I put them in the RR plug.

Should I move these out of the basement into my spare bedroom where temps are closer to 74 degrees?

YOU CAN NOT LET THEM DRY OUT AT ALL. There's no room for error at that stage. Did you see the size of the tap root when you put them in soil? That tap root needs to be treated with care when transplanting. After that it MUST stay moist. 37% humidity is low ESPECIALLY for seedlings. Temps should be around 78. Higher humidity allows transpiration to take place easier. It also slows down the soil from drying out. I've never used and I'm not sure what all this rapid root crap is but seedlings need nothing other than proper temps PLAIN soil with drainage and I suggest 60% humidity minimum for the first 2 weeks. Water with nothing other than proper plain water. I use RO WATER. City water might be a problem. There's chlorine in there amongst other things. If not using RO water I'd check the PH also. I treat my seedlings pretty much like clones. BTW I only sink my seeds 1/2 inch from the top of the soil. That doesn't include the tap root that would be as deep as needed. I just make sure the top of it is no more than a 1/2 from breaking through.

MojoRizing said:

Howdy RUI folks! Been lurking for awhile now and finally decided to get off my ass and join the fun. Its been over 10 years since the last time I grew anything and it seems there is some rust to knock off haha. I popped a pack of Bohdi's Sunshine Daydream because I heard alot of positive thing about him and this strain. I used the paper towel method and was happy as hell when I had 11/11 of the seeds pop. I thought the hard part was behind me lol. I transferred them into Rapid Rooter plugs and set then in a propagation tray for a few days and thats when things started heading south. Its been about 4 days and only 5 of the seeds have broken through and those are really moving slowly. I figured it might be that my basement is too cold for them to do their thing? The temps are 70 degrees with 37% humidity. I added a heat mat to the mix a couple of days ago but not sure its helping. Plus the Rapid Rooter plugs keep drying out so I have had to put a layer of water in the propagation tray to keep things wet. Things are just all fucked right now =P. Since this was a learning experience I have a couple of questions.

#1 Was my environment too cold to get things going? I have read that seedlings like it 75 -80 degrees but not sure of the proper humidity. Would a humidity dome be needed?

#2 Are Rapid Rooters more trouble then they are worth? I Intend on growing in Subcools Super Soil when the plants are big enough, so should I just go straight from the paper towel into a very light soil mix like light warrior until they are ready to be transplanted into the super soil? I am not too happy with my results with my first experience with the rapid rooter lol. But I am sure its me being a newbie at this point.

Thanks again for any guidance and I look forward to what the future holds.

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#1. Yes, a bit too cold. Humidity domes are mainly for clones. If you really feel that you need one make sure you keep it vented. A number of pathogens that cause damping off prefer when it is cool and too wet.

#2. Yes, Rapid Rooters/planting plugs are more trouble than they are worth for Cannabis seeds. Great for cuttings though. IMO those things are too small to even germinate Cannabis seeds in.

If you are growing in soil, start them in good soil/potting mix. Use containers at least 4" deep. Pre-moisten, plant seed about half inch deep, water thoroughly. Put under lighting immediately (even T5's are good here).

Thanks for the replies folks. I appreciate the guidance. Yeah I think I am going to get rid of the Rapid Rooters (at least for seeds) and just go straight into soil after the wet paper towel has gotten the seeds to pop.

Whats the best soil for the seedlings? Fox Farm Ocean Floor, Light Warrior or a mix of both?

So I ended up transplanting the Rapid Rooter plugs into a soil mix of 80% Light Warrior and 20% Fox Farms Ocean Floor in plastic solo cups and the seedlings seems MUCH happier. Thanks again for the help and with 6 surviving seedlings of Sunshine Daydream that means this journey continues.

I put seedlings straight into dirt when the taproot is more than one inch long. Young seedlings are particularly sensitive so I skip using the plugs so I have to handle them less. Most people have problems when the seedlings first go into dirt, so, here is my secret --

I use the paper towel method and put the whole shebang into a large sealable baggie. Make sure the entire mess of towels is well soaked. Seal the bag and put on a closet top shelf where it is dark. Wait 48 hours before first check and 95+% of the time I will see a small, less than 1/2 inch, root. Give a quick spray with the spray bottle and reseal baggie. Wait 24 hours after first check and by then 90% of the s'lings have a root an inch or so. Ready for dirt. Here's the tricky part I developed after years of experimenting. Do not bury the seedcap. Drill a hole in the dirt deep enough to bury the root but you want the seedcap to rest on the top of the dirt. Burying the seedcap makes for a ton of problems. By leaving the cap visible with the root buried I have the best luck in bringing them to term.

Good luck, BigSteve.