Cracking Seeds TO help Faster Germination?

Well I have some seeds which i put in soil and they have been there for a while like couple of days. So i check up on them and decided that since they are not germinating why not help them out and just crack open the shell very carefully and rip off one side. So I did this and placed the seeds back into the damp soil under a See-threw Plastic cover. One of the seeds i easly took off one side of the seed and in the inside the (whatever you call it ) seemed to be greenish and with no damage done to it. So I hope that this will speed up the process because i cannot get them to germinate >.<

Although inside it was greenish and whitish. The part where the leaves come out was white and where the stem grows it was green.

My question is, did anyone ever do this method ? And does it work? I really dont want to throw these seeds out because well they are unique genetics to me which i got about a year ago and would want to get them to grow so i can Sex them and save there genetics. Anyways i will see the results myself.

So Any info or comments on your experiences doing this will be much helpful and just interesting to talk about and find out what others had experienced.

If i have doomed my seeds well i will just have to get some New Ones xD

Well, its possible to remove though not a very good idea as the mortality rate of that type of procedure has to be quite high. One thing you can do to speed the germ process of these and any other hard seed coat is a process known in the seed processing industry as scarifying. All you need to do is to rub the seed lightly, and i stress lightly, on a piece of emery cloth or emery board just enough to scratch the seed coat. What this does is allow the moisture to embibe the seed without having to soften the seed coat first. As for what you have done, if any damage has been it is so you may as well let it be to see what happens just think about a diffrent approach such as scarifying next time... good luck with your grow.

First time grower... Iv got my germinated seeds in a cup of soil in my airing cupboard, will it be to hot in there and the seed rot or will it be ok for the seed to sprout out of the soil?? Any help will be great thanks

hi there im a first time grower myself. i used the wet paper towel method to germ. it takes about 2 days for the root to come through, about a day or 2 tops for it to push through the soil after planting. just take some TP rolled up get it damp and fold your seeds in between place it in a empty cd or dvd case and store it in a dark place. advantages i see doing it this way you can see your seed germinate...ive had seeds that just wont germinate and throw em out and plant the ones that do. if you havent tried this method it might be worth a shot? i think im going to try the method your using next time sounds like they would sprout faster since they germ. right in the soil. best of luck to you

Well, I'm with SS, what you've done, is done. They will live, or they won't. I wouldn't suggest doing this again, as SS already said, you will seriously increase your mortality rate.

In all the years I have been doing this, and after many trials and errors with just about any method you can think of, the paper towel method is the best and easiest. Hands down. 99.9% of the time I have 100% germination within 48 hrs max.
A paper towel, lightly moist (I get it wet then squeeze out most of the water so it's damp, but not too wet) folded several times until it will fit in a zip lock bag. After folding, put your seeds in the middle of the towel and put in the bag, squeeze all the air out and seal.
I use a seedling heating mat with a towel for heat, but you can use a variety of things to keep them warm. I have used my ballast, it actually works quite nice. Just don't let them get too hot, use a towel for a buffer if needed. Once cracked, with a very small tap root showing (I caution you here: Don't let the tap root get too long, they become more sensitive and easier to break when putting in the medium. Your success rate drops the longer you let the tap root grow. A lot of the time I catch them with the tap not coming out, but the seed is cracked and you can see the tap, this is the best scenario.) use tweezers to very lightly pick up the seed paying close attention to the tap and not damage it. Then I very gently put the seed, tap root down, into the soil or whatever. DO NOT push it down, it can seriously affect your success rate. Gently cover with soil and very VERY lightly pack the soil (if using soil). 2-4 days later they're popping the soil.

As I said, I have pretty much a 100% success rate using this method.
GS

And welcome to the jungle all you first time growers.. glad to have you and feel free to add me to your contacts..,

AS God slave said the heat is important but dont roast those seeds.. I use a heating pad from an old waterbed.. you can find em in junk stores sometimes for a couple bucks complete with conrol and sensor...

And with that just 1 more piece of advise, once you find your female, buy some cloning jel, and come back to the forum and read up on cloning.

Thanks for the replies guys, the thing is Iv germinated I couple fine using the paper towel method and as soon as Iv seen the tap root I put them in the soil. But it's from there that's the problem coz they don't seem to grow any more and don't pop above the soil?? Its in a propagator with a little cfl over it but doesn't seem to be doing anything!

Don't know if this is the case, but if you let your soil/medium dry out at any time during this critical period where the tap root is all the seed has, it dies.
FYI: You don't need any light until it breaks the surface. Also, make sure you are keeping the medium warm/in a warm place.
GS

GodSlave said:

Don't know if this is the case, but if you let your soil/medium dry out at any time during this critical period where the tap root is all the seed has, it dies.
FYI: You don't need any light until it breaks the surface. Also, make sure you are keeping the medium warm/in a warm place.
GS

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Well I spray it everyday so it's not trying out but I'm not making it too wet either. I did have it in my airing cupboard but I think it was to hot in there so it just in my front room at room temp.

I've had success with cracking seeds and removing the seedling before germination. I only tried cracking two seeds like that and both grew fine.

The only thing I suggest is to work very carefully.

Angrybeaver said:

Well I spray it everyday so it's not trying out but I'm not making it too wet either. I did have it in my airing cupboard but I think it was to hot in there so it just in my front room at room temp.

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If you're only spraying it, and not actually watering, down where the seed is, it very well could be dry.
I left out an important part on my post about germination...
After they have cracked and I go to soil, I use a plastic disposable cup, but you could use anything. Get the soil nice and damp, but not too wet, just like you do during a normal watering for plants. Plant the seed, and cover with plastic saran wrap. Put them in a semi warm place, and the saran wrap keeps the moisture in with no worries about drying.
If you follow my instructions, you should have worry free germination. Not saying my way is the only way, just saying it works for me nearly 100% of the time. The warm environment throughout the process is important.
GS

GodSlave said:

If you're only spraying it, and not actually watering, down where the seed is, it very well could be dry.
I left out an important part on my post about germination...
After they have cracked and I go to soil, I use a plastic disposable cup, but you could use anything. Get the soil nice and damp, but not too wet, just like you do during a normal watering for plants. Plant the seed, and cover with plastic saran wrap. Put them in a semi warm place, and the saran wrap keeps the moisture in with no worries about drying.
If you follow my instructions, you should have worry free germination. Not saying my way is the only way, just saying it works for me nearly 100% of the time. The warm environment throughout the process is important.
GS

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Cheers for the help mate I will give it a try, hopefully in a weeks time I can show a pic of a sprouted plant lol

Angrybeaver said:

Cheers for the help mate I will give it a try, hopefully in a weeks time I can show a pic of a sprouted plant lol

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Np, glad to help.
GS

dude you need more patience. Not all seeds will crack open in 2 days. I once had one for a week in wet tissues which wouldnt show a single sign of germing. I later forgot about it; discovered it 2 weeks later and it had still germinated and grown a root about 15cm long.

JP1 said:

dude you need more patience. Not all seeds will crack open in 2 days. I once had one for a week in wet tissues which wouldnt show a single sign of germing. I later forgot about it; discovered it 2 weeks later and it had still germinated and grown a root about 15cm long.

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Really that's crazy lol, I do need to be more patient I just see alot of post saying within like 10 days the seed is above the soil and in my attempts that hadn't happened... But maybe this try fingers crossed.

Well i currently Cracked my seed open and it seems to be alive and sprouting. I was using the papertowel method for over a week with no sign of life. as soon as I crack it up it started to open up a little.

I will post pics shortly. Also what is the ideal temps for germination. I had some seeds in 80 degree temps and they sprouted now i put them on my heater and the temps are about 95 to 103 and i dunno if that is to high

Please note my seeds where about 1 year old and some of them start to rot which i will show you as well when i upload the pics, Using the soil/ plastic cover method it does not seem to sprout but just rot. But im getting new seeds so that should not be a problem with healthy fresh seeds.

Sorry for double post. But here are some pics of the cracked seeds one seems to be opening up, i did not bend or move it in any way, all i did was just remove the shell



And here is what i get when i place the seeds into soil directly and cover it with plastic, they seem to make the soil rot or get strange spider like webs. Could be moisture as it looks like it is a build of moisture with spider like web shape ;\



Any help with explaining wth this is would be of great service to me xD

mwowner15 said:

Well i currently Cracked my seed open and it seems to be alive and sprouting. I was using the papertowel method for over a week with no sign of life. as soon as I crack it up it started to open up a little.

I will post pics shortly. Also what is the ideal temps for germination. I had some seeds in 80 degree temps and they sprouted now i put them on my heater and the temps are about 95 to 103 and i dunno if that is to high

Please note my seeds where about 1 year old and some of them start to rot which i will show you as well when i upload the pics, Using the soil/ plastic cover method it does not seem to sprout but just rot. But im getting new seeds so that should not be a problem with healthy fresh seeds.

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80 is ok, 95-103 is prolly too hot. I frequently germinate seeds 5+ years old with 100% sucess, so the one year old things really has nothing to do with it most likely. Keep your seeds in a air tight container in the freezer, and who knows how long they will last. My current grow are seeds from '02, got 100% germ.
GS

I kept my seeds in the fridge.

Can you explain to me what the white stuff is in on top of the soil?

i use a folded paper towel with water in a little dish with another dish on top of that,set it on top of the 360, a couple nights playing Black Ops and BAM! new sprout city! i dont ever "crack" them or remove anything untill i see growth, ill take the seed casing off once theyve successfully broke it themselves. i wouldnt want to risk or hurt the lil ones..thats just me tho.

Can you explain to me what the white stuff is in on top of the soil?

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THAT, looks to be mold.