# Gibberellic acid for seed germination



## pineappleman420 (Jan 17, 2015)

I found this very old thread and i thought it was interesting.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/hormones-for-seed-germination.21081/
I would love to hear *Experienced* Knowledge on this subject. 

Happy Growing...


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## pineappleman420 (Jan 18, 2015)

Any input would help... I have decided that im going to get some and try it on some seeds i've been saving since i first started to smoke. I'll try some normal and try some with the gibberellic acid. I will make a new thread when i give this experiment a shoot. I just have to wait a month or so... I also heard about putting a banana peel in a bag with seeds for a week to increase germ rates. I think i might add this one to the experiment too. Seeds are at least 15 years old. Should be fun...


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## Dr.D81 (Jan 21, 2015)

pineapple20 said:


> Any input would help... I have decided that im going to get some and try it on some seeds i've been saving since i first started to smoke. I'll try some normal and try some with the gibberellic acid. I will make a new thread when i give this experiment a shoot. I just have to wait a month or so... I also heard about putting a banana peel in a bag with seeds for a week to increase germ rates. I think i might add this one to the experiment too. Seeds are at least 15 years old. Should be fun...


Just keep in mind a very, very little goes a long long way with it. I have it to reverse the sex of females As wel as for germinating old seed.


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## pineappleman420 (Jan 21, 2015)

Thanks Doc. I knew someone with knowlage would reply.


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## Guitar Man (Jan 21, 2015)

I grow from nothing but seeds. I'm not sure why you would want to use something to help with germination, because if you do it correctly the easy way, you will almost get a 100% success rate. I've done it 2 ways; paper towel method, or, in a glass of water.

Too me, the glass of water is the easiest. Take an 8 ounce glass of water, making sure the water is at room temperature. Place it on top of your water heater. Cover the glass with a larger cup to keep the seed(s) in darkness. Then cover your 2 containers with a towel to insulate the glass for warmth, and wait.

The tricky part is getting your popped seeds out of your glass of water without damaging the root. Just pour the glass into a paper towel while your holding it, using it like a filter. Works like a charm!

If seeds are not popping, they might be immature or dead. Cannabis seeds do die.


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## thenotsoesoteric (Jan 21, 2015)

Guitar Man said:


> I grow from nothing but seeds. I'm not sure why you would want to use something to help with germination, because if you do it correctly the easy way, you will almost get a 100% success rate. I've done it 2 ways; paper towel method, or, in a glass of water.
> 
> Too me, the glass of water is the easiest. Take an 8 ounce glass of water, making sure the water is at room temperature. Place it on top of your water heater. Cover the glass with a larger cup to keep the seed(s) in darkness. Then cover your 2 containers with a towel to insulate the glass for warmth, and wait.
> 
> ...


Did you even read the linked article. This technic is meant for old ass seeds that have lost the outer coating of gibberellic acid that triggers germination. The author of the linked thread stated using it on 17-20 year old beans.


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## Guitar Man (Jan 21, 2015)

thenotsoesoteric said:


> Did you even read the linked article. This technic is meant for old ass seeds that have lost the outer coating of gibberellic acid that triggers germination. The author of the linked thread stated using it on 17-20 year old beans.


Now that does change the subject...if what you just said wasn't bullshit. I did read the link and here are the first couple of paragraphs:

_"This is a repeat post but I believe it is valuable in this new forum:_

I noticed that most people have been having trouble with seeds not germinating, I hope this helps:

I have personally had issues in the past with germination of seeds ordered online, some orders simply having no success whatsoever... I have found that the use of Gibberellic Acid (GA-3) can force nearly all troublesome seeds to germinate."

All troublesome seeds to germinate? Yes, he does talk about old seeds, but not just old ass seeds. Did you read the linked article?


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## thenotsoesoteric (Jan 21, 2015)

Guitar Man said:


> Now that does change the subject...if what you just said wasn't bullshit. I did read the link and here are the first couple of paragraphs:
> 
> 
> I have personally had issues in the past with germination of seeds ordered online, some orders simply having no success whatsoever... I have found that the use of Gibberellic Acid (GA-3)* can force nearly all troublesome seeds to germinate*."


Naw, didn't read it. Everyone here is talking about troublesome beans. Meaning if the napkin and soak didn't work, which is usually due to being _old ass seeds_, then people could try this. What was so hard about grasping that concept. Then you comment about germinating being easy, duh. No one was asking or mentioning anything about germinating fresh beans, not rocket science. Even the OP stated he wanted to use it on 15 year old beans.


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## pineappleman420 (Jan 22, 2015)

My Definite attempt was to educate and or learn something from this method for *old* seeds. I myself have started to collect old seeds from some of the old timers i know in hopes of finding something interesting and or different. I was just gifted a coffee can full of seeds he said that the last seeds went in there in the mid 70's.


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## thenotsoesoteric (Jan 22, 2015)

pineappleman420 said:


> My Definite attempt was to educate and or learn something from this method for *old* seeds. I myself have started to collect old seeds from some of the old timers i know in hopes of finding something interesting and or different. I was just gifted a coffee can full of seeds he said that the last seeds went in there in the mid 70's.


Nice. Good luck with those beans. Kind of like opening a time capsule.


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## Guitar Man (Jan 22, 2015)

thenotsoesoteric said:


> Naw, didn't read it. Everyone here is talking about troublesome beans. Meaning if the napkin and soak didn't work, which is usually due to being _old ass seeds_, then people could try this. What was so hard about grasping that concept. Then you comment about germinating being easy, duh. No one was asking or mentioning anything about germinating fresh beans, not rocket science. Even the OP stated he wanted to use it on 15 year old beans.


You accuse me of not reading the damn article, and then you admit you didn't read it. WTF?? As you can SEE, the guy who wrote that piece never said one word about old ass seeds in his initial statement; "I noticed that most people have been having trouble with seeds not germinating, I hope this helps: I have personally had issues in the past with germination of seeds ordered online, some orders simply having no success whatsoever... I have found that the use of Gibberellic Acid (GA-3) can force nearly all troublesome seeds to germinate."

_Most people having trouble with seeds germinating. I have personally had issues in the past with germination of seeds ordered online. Some orders having no success whatsoever. Can force nearly all troublesome seeds to germinate. 
_
Now, I have no problem with this subject dealing with old seeds, but I read the fucking article and answered the question with the above information I saw.


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## thenotsoesoteric (Jan 22, 2015)

Guitar Man said:


> You accuse me of not reading the damn article, and then you admit you didn't read it. WTF??.


That was sarcasm dude!

And I quote: "Also, MORE IS LESS! This is a very powerful hormone, it has been used to germinate 1000 year old seeds from extinct species!"


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## pineappleman420 (Jan 22, 2015)

Like a lot of things about growing... less is more...


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## guitarzan (Oct 26, 2021)

I just bought 7 grams of 90% Gibberelic Acid from Power Grower for about $12. I have some seeds I bought that never popped. I recall throwing seeds away by the handful back in the days when seedless bud was almost magical, now, everybody and their dog knows how to trick a plant into flowering and kiling all the male plants on sight. Seeds being $10 each or more, you have to have high germination rates. I tried a bunch of seeds with hydrogen peroxide and water to no avail. I'll try this gibberelic acid powder and hope for the best. If it works for me, I'll keep ya'll posted.


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## guitarzan (Oct 26, 2021)

I just bought some 90% gibberelic acid powder for some old stubborn seeds...how much powder in how much water. How do I apply it?


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## xtsho (Oct 26, 2021)

guitarzan said:


> I just bought some 90% gibberelic acid powder for some old stubborn seeds...how much powder in how much water. How do I apply it?


You can't dissolve it in straight water it needs to be dissolved in alcohol first. 

You shouldn't use it except for germinating old seeds. If you have new seeds and are having trouble germinating them Ga3 probably won't help if your doing something else wrong.


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## farangar (Oct 26, 2021)

I just rub seeds with sandpaper and then put the seeds in warm water for 24 hours and then pop them into soil.

This works great for old seeds.


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## vostok (Nov 7, 2021)

guitarzan said:


> I just bought 7 grams of 90% Gibberelic Acid from Power Grower for about $12. I have some seeds I bought that never popped. I recall throwing seeds away by the handful back in the days when seedless bud was almost magical, now, everybody and their dog knows how to trick a plant into flowering and kiling all the male plants on sight. Seeds being $10 each or more, you have to have high germination rates. I tried a bunch of seeds with hydrogen peroxide and water to no avail. I'll try this gibberelic acid powder and hope for the best. If it works for me, I'll keep ya'll posted.


at least give yaself the opportunity to read up the wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibberellic_acid and follow any serious health concerns
to many this is hot shit, I tried to self with GA3 and was fucking stunned out with the results gross is another word and ran back to CS anyday
be warned a sandpaper lined jar and a tsp of aloe vera are far better


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## Rurumo (Nov 7, 2021)

I'd skip it. Regular old h202, diluted with water, is the best and only soak most people will ever need. It chemically scarifies the seed coat and kills off any pathogenic bacteria picked up during the average seed's long journey. I use 30 ml h202 to 500 ml water, soak for 12 hours, that's it.


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## guitarzan (Nov 12, 2021)

Bud, I tried all of those ways...hydrogen peroxide + water, damp cotton cloth (paper towel), hugs & kisses and tucking them into bed too...none would pop. I've never had such bad luck germinating seeds for all my life...been growing a few plants every year now for decades and rarely had germination issues until seeds became over $10 a piece. It can't be me, because two of three Skunk #1 seeds popped are are growing like weeds...the seeds were way too old.


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## guitarzan (Nov 12, 2021)

Yep, I dissolved it in a few drops of rubbing alcohol first, then mixed in some distilled water...not sure I did it right...looks like I didn't, because no good results as of yet.


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## guitarzan (Nov 12, 2021)

Thanks so much for this data table xtsho...much obliged. You know, maybe the reason it didn't work was I used only 50% rubbing alcohol and too much water. This is really going to help me...thanks again bud.


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## detgreenthumb (Dec 3, 2021)

Mild hydrogen peroxide soak, followed by a gibberellic acid soak followed by germination in agar dishes are the only way to go to maximize the viability of old/valuable seed germination. I’ve run all kinds of methods on all kinds of extremely expensive and rare packs and will never do it any other way


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## CWF (Dec 13, 2021)

detgreenthumb said:


> Mild hydrogen peroxide soak, followed by a gibberellic acid soak followed by germination in agar dishes are the only way to go to maximize the viability of old/valuable seed germination. I’ve run all kinds of methods on all kinds of extremely expensive and rare packs and will never do it any other way


Can you detail your method? I have many kinds of way old seeds that won't germ the regular ways. Mexican, Columbian, SSSC, Sensi Star (Paradise), bunch of rez' stuff, etc. Just got some GA3 to use.


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## Hobbes (Dec 14, 2021)

guitarzan said:


> Bud, I tried all of those ways...hydrogen peroxide + water, damp cotton cloth (paper towel), hugs & kisses and tucking them into bed too...none would pop. I've never had such bad luck germinating seeds for all my life...been growing a few plants every year now for decades and rarely had germination issues until seeds became over $10 a piece. It can't be me, because two of three Skunk #1 seeds popped are are growing like weeds...the seeds were way too old.


.

Guitarzan have you tried heat? I have a heat mat that I set to 85F, it makes all the difference in the world.

.


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