anyone else here noticing a sad germination rate on there seeds, both cannabis and garden veg.

is it to do with breeding, people are not paying enough attention to the little things that matter during the breeding process. there just throwing pollen at plants to create a cross, but not focusing on the plants ability to produce viable seed and not focusing on things like its disease resistance
ive noticed this with my cannabis seeds and in the garden too with my veg seeds. has anyone else noticed this at all.
i will admit that ive not baught too many what i call proper seedbank seeds, ie well established seed banks, theres a serious lack of variaty in the CBD/CBG group ov seeds. ive got some seedsman CBG that ive just popped in to the pete pellets, my last CBD from them didnt germ and i had an unfortunate wrong seeds in a pack from them thats got me a tad worried, probably for no good reason, but worrying all the same.
but ive noticed almost half the seeds ive popped in havent germed. just wondering if its my own fault for trying unknown seedbanke which i suspect ,or is it more common with others.
any comments wellcomed

go go kid said:

is it to do with breeding, people are not paying enough attention to the little things that matter during the breeding process. there just throwing pollen at plants to create a cross, but not focusing on the plants ability to produce viable seed and not focusing on things like its disease resistance
ive noticed this with my cannabis seeds and in the garden too with my veg seeds. has anyone else noticed this at all.
i will admit that ive not baught too many what i call proper seedbank seeds, ie well established seed banks, theres a serious lack of variaty in the CBD/CBG group ov seeds. ive got some seedsman CBG that ive just popped in to the pete pellets, my last CBD from them didnt germ and i had an unfortunate wrong seeds in a pack from them thats got me a tad worried, probably for no good reason, but worrying all the same.
but ive noticed almost half the seeds ive popped in havent germed. just wondering if its my own fault for trying unknown seedbanke which i suspect ,or is it more common with others.
any comments wellcomed

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You should probably try the paper towel method. It works for me every time. I usually have taproots withing 36 hrs.

Dividedsky said:

You should probably try the paper towel method. It works for me every time. I usually have taproots withing 36 hrs.

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I'm in the opposite boat. I pop them in one gals directly. Have had great results just doing the old tried and true. Neither is the best I'm sure. But I can say I have had speedier germ using the sandpaper in a matchbox or pill bottle to scar them. Worth a try op. Are the seeds old? Old seeds are worth a few extra steps. I don't let roots come out before putting in soil myself. But a few hours soaking in some urb natural, recharge, or slf100 has done me well before in a pinch. Just some suggestions as I'm sure its harsh when pricey beans don't pop

I do the sandpaper in a small metal tin. shake the beans for a minute or two and then put in paper towel. Usually get 100% germination unless seeds are old or something.

Maybe a lot of old seeds since the pandemic , no restocks...

When did you pop these seeds. I botched a bunch of older seeds over winter bc it was cold smh. Once spring hit im in the high 90% range. I won't try to start seeds in cooler months anymore, just work from my clones

higher self said:

When did you pop these seeds. I botched a bunch of older seeds over winter bc it was cold smh. Once spring hit im in the high 90% range. I won't try to start seeds in cooler months anymore, just work from my clones

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If you do just grab one of those seedling mats with a controller the controller is worth the extra. Have one, rarely use it but it's there if I need it

I sprout a LOT of seeds, especially when you count ornamental flowers and tomatoes.
When it comes to cannabis, sprouting is like a box of chocolates -- and it doesn't matter how much you paid for them.

For example...

Right now I'm starting a pack of Iced Cherry Cookies by Mosca that retails for $120
It's not looking good so far. After 48 hours in a warm, wet paper towel only a few seeds had opened so I said screw it & just planted them in starter mix.
Now I've only got four *tiny* plants above ground after almost 2 weeks.
dammit

I'm also starting a freebie pack of 'Sin City Juice' by 3Thirteen and all 7 sprouted flawlessly using the exact same method.
One seedling had issues very early and got culled but the other six are looking stellar!

WTF?

This is one of many examples.

I used to bitch about it and sometimes they'd cough up a free pack to compensate.
And sometimes they say "not my problem, fuck off".

I've decided that it's not worth the hassle, so I just avoid brands that have left a bad taste in my mouth.

Personally, I think the plants that produced problem seeds had some type of deficiency or lockout -- probably potassium.
Just a guess...

Freshbakd said:

If you do just grab one of those seedling mats with a controller the controller is worth the extra. Have one, rarely use it but it's there if I need it

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Yeah they run a bit hot for canna seeds, good thinking with the controller & could use that for my clones since I root in plain water. Still I just don't like dealing with seedlings in cool weather when humidity is low.

No

For cannabis in the past year: I've had 100% germ on stuff I got from Sannie's, SeedSupreme, my own crosses and friends crosses. I've had about 75% germ with stuff from Seedsman, and 50% germ with stuff from AMS.

For other stuff in the past year: I had good germ on my cover stuff like peas, red clover, hairy vetch, etc. Good germ on poppies, four o'clocks, mixed butterfly attracting seeds. Bad germ on dichondra ground cover, tomatoes, bok choy, onions, carrots, and basil. I ended up getting starts to populate my veggie gardens.

I think the bad germs come from old stock seeds or seeds that were not stored properly.

I've read of seed makers that do germination tests on their beans before making them available for sale. Seems like a good idea.

Poor storage IMO.

This week I cracked a freebie pack of Lockjaw 91 by Cryptic Labs and had 100% germination (12/12).
It's my second pack from Cryptic Labs that germinated flawlessly w/healthy seedlings.

Since they're on sale at Great Lakes Genetics, I bought more!
BOGO @$40 so final cost is only $20/pack!

thenotsoesoteric said:

I do the sandpaper in a small metal tin. shake the beans for a minute or two and then put in paper towel. Usually get 100% germination unless seeds are old or something.

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In all my years growing have to say I never used sand paper to rough up the seed shell, what grit do you use? Only trick I sometimes use(,not really a trick) is scuffing or cut clean slits in the stalk of my clones with a clean razor blade> they seem to root faster when I remeber to do it.

Dividedsky said:

In all my years growing have to say I never used sand paper to rough up the seed shell, what grit do you use? Only trick I sometimes use(,not really a trick) is scuffing or cut clean slits in the stalk of my clones with a clean razor blade> they seem to root faster when I remeber to do it.

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Im not sure what grit it is, just grabbed some from work. Around 80-110 grit I think. I used to not scuff seeds but started a couple years ago and just kept doing it.

I do scuff and cut clones too most of the time. Does seem to help.

thenotsoesoteric said:

Im not sure what grit it is, just grabbed some from work. Around 80-110 grit I think. I used to not scuff seeds but started a couple years ago and just kept doing it.

I do scuff and cut clones too most of the time. Does seem to help.

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Scuffing helps for seeds that are difficult, and ya never know which ones will be problematic.
It's like insurance...

popped 4 dinachem x blue kush cross i made 1,5 years ago. they were in air tight tubes in the fridge and all popped. my other crosses and s1s have pretty good germination rate also and some are 2-3 years old. i’m soaking them for 24 hours then the paper towel method.

These are from a recent chuck of mine, 100% popped fresh healthy hybrid babies

I germinate 1000’s of seeds of all types each year for my cut flower garden, veggie garden and pot plants etc. I have battled dampening off for many years without knowing what it was and blaming it on bad seeds, storage, sellers etc. once I realized it was me that was the issue and that I was fighting fungal infestation it has been near 100% on all seedling trays. I’m talking 128 cell plug trays with 125-128 seedlings popping. When planting this many seeds , pre soaking and paper towel method just isn’t a reality. I plant direct into lamberts seedling mix which is just peat, lime, fine perlite and a wetting agent. The big change that fixed the issues I was having was using serenade when I do the initial soak of the trays(after they’ve been sown). Since then it’s been like night and day. Also warmth is a major factor , anything under 70 degrees and your germ rates are going to drop. Keep em warm and clean and they’ll do there thing.