Can a seed that has germinated still be bad and not sprout?

I germinated 6 seeds (bagseed...no clue what the shit is). They all popped and one had a nice 1/4" long tail and a few were popped w/the tails just starting to show out of the seed case...others were in various stages between these two. I numbered them to keep track of how they grow. So I put them in my dixie cups (FFOF + perlite), CFL rubbermaid grow (I've got 9-23watt 6500k CFLs on 18/6 right now) lots of airflow, 72 at night 86 during day, humidity 30%-50% and I water a little 2x a week only when soil feels totally dry. I placed the seeds about 1/2" into the soil. Shouldn't they be sprouting above dirt by now or am I just being impatient? It's been 7 days. Tnx

Plants "don't sprout" all the time.
I suggest you read up on "growing from seed", there are several threads on the theme. I don't think you're supposed to let a seed totally dry out.

Good luck and have fun.

Thats why i always plant seeds about 5 mm below the surface of the soil,i would wait a few more days.If the seeds sprouted a tail then more than likely they will come through you are better of letting the tail get a little longer before adding to soil.....................tyke

With seeds you want to keep them moist always but not drenched, cut the bottom of a bottle off and put it over where the seed is, it acts like a dome and helps keep the humidity up and moisture in. Also don't plant so deep next time, maybe half a centimetre form the top. Most important thing is to keep it moist, get a spray bottle and give it a light misting every couple hours. Good luck for next time

Ok thanks everyone. I just went and "dug up" my 6 seeds. As suspected, 2 had no tail (but the seeds had cracked), 2 barely did, and the other 2 were in good shape but buried too deeply and the soil was too dry. I've replanted the 2 good ones w/their tails going down and tops just barely under the soil and watered them (I'll make sure I mist until I see they are going ok). I'm germinating the other 2 longer that started to grow tails to see if I can salvage them. The other two I'm throwing back in my bag of shit seeds. This is what learning is all about...I've got my "good seeds" stored for my next grow if I get through the growing pains this time w/any success. It's fun to make these mistakes and not be stressed a/b losing your good shit.

check this out, every time I put in something in the search engine something else come up. The only way that I can do a legit search is use google and go to rollitup for the results. I dont know what I am doing wrong but I can ask a question and people answer with "search for it". wtf? Like for example: I type in the search engine " how to germinate" and I dont see no forums on "how to germinate" but if I google it, then the question come up.

I've been having tons of problems w/searching as well for about a week. I put in my username and it comes back w/"error" It's a little better now, but I've resorted w/google as well. you're not alone man!

thoro4star said:

check this out, every time I put in something in the search engine something else come up. The only way that I can do a legit search is use google and go to rollitup for the results. I dont know what I am doing wrong but I can ask a question and people answer with "search for it". wtf? Like for example: I type in the search engine " how to germinate" and I dont see no forums on "how to germinate" but if I google it, then the question come up.

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ok. I thought that it was just me.

so have any broke the suface yet???

Well, the way I "buried" the 2 that had good tails....yes they have broken the surface so we'll see how this turns out. I feel optimistic.

drive said:

so have any broke the suface yet???

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Im a noob at growing but had no prob getting plants going. Germinated in paper towel in a baggie and put in a dvd case. layed it on a heating pad in my drawer. 3 days later the had pretty nice tails on them.Filled my pots with soil that I moistened right down. planted them tail down with tweezers (heard to try and not touch it to much with fingers) and just covered the head abit.Sprayed the top to moisten some more and 2 days later they where thru the dirt. I dont think you need that many lights going yet either. And also youd like to bring your temps down too. Ya want to be in the range of 70-80F. How big is your grow area??

zat said:

Well, the way I "buried" the 2 that had good tails....yes they have broken the surface so we'll see how this turns out. I feel optimistic.

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don't be optimistic; don't be pessimistic. the middle road is the path to enlightenment. this has been a Buddhist public service announcement

Flares said:

Im a noob at growing but had no prob getting plants going. Germinated in paper towel in a baggie and put in a dvd case. layed it on a heating pad in my drawer. 3 days later the had pretty nice tails on them.Filled my pots with soil that I moistened right down. planted them tail down with tweezers (heard to try and not touch it to much with fingers) and just covered the head abit.Sprayed the top to moisten some more and 2 days later they where thru the dirt. I dont think you need that many lights going yet either. And also youd like to bring your temps down too. Ya want to be in the range of 70-80F. How big is your grow area??

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I was a dumbass and didn't allow them to germinate long enough and then buried them too deeply and didn't water enough all at first so probably shocked the shit out of them. I'm in a 27 gallon Rubbermaid (2 stacked on top of each other). The other two that are "back" germinating are doing well...tails are growing, so once they're more stable I'll transplant and try this again. In the meantime the two that are in soil now...1 looks good, the other I'm thinking may not make it as the tiny part sticking through the soil looks dead. We'll see. I'd rather make dumb mistakes now rather than w/my good seeds.

Cool man. Keep us updated to how they're doing.

Update:

No success w/my "redo" of germination or replant. The two I replanted looked like they had fucking erectile dysfunction as they were all hunched over, droopy and brown for days and days...no new growth/changes. I gave them a funeral. The two I re-germinated...they got too wet this time, so I think b/c they had started/popped open they just rotted w/the sudden influx of water again (paper towel). It's all good....I'm starting from scratch w/a bit different germination method w/2 seeds I know are good and know where they come from/type. Started germination today. God...how dumb must I be not to be able to even germinate! LOL In my defense, they were shit seeds so who knows if a "stronger" strain would have taken w/my first attempt. I don't even know how old those seeds were.

Try this on your next run...

Buy a bag of Miracle-Gro "Seed Starting Mix"
Get containers with holes for drainage.
Soak the Seed Starting Mix and allow to drain for a few minutes
Soak your seeds for 10-15 minutes, then sow 1/2 inch deep or less.

Whether the seeds sink or float doesn't matter. Sow one seed per container and mist the top layer at least once a day. Place under CFL lighting for warmth. Wait 5 days. If they haven't popped by then, most likely it's because a small heavy piece of medium is right on top of the seedling, so it can't push through. Just carefully pull away the half inch of soil that's covering the seedling, cover up only the tap root, but leave the "seed" part exposed. Mist again and give it a few more days.

yep happened to me, had a germed seed but didnt sprout