Pre-Sprout (Light or No Light?)

Hi everyone, I've checked the site (and other sites) and there seems to be differing opinions on this, but I seem to be having trouble with it.

I got 2 seeds to crack a week or so ago and put them in soil pellets, covered them and put them under light. One sprouted within 2 days, the other still hasn't.

I tried 2 other seeds of a different strain, they both cracked, so I did the same to them about 2 1/2 days ago and don't see anything coming up yet.

Am I better off putting these in the dark and checking them a couple times per day, or are they better under the light? The light is on 19 hours per day, so there is "some" dark time.

Obviously, I'm new as hell at this whole thing... but I only ask because I had the one sprout so well and now others that seem to be dormant.

By the way, the one that sprouted is looking great--still only a couple inches tall, but 3rd set of leaves, not droopy, nice and green... I hope it ends up being female!

Thanks,

Pac

I hear ya man, i had 12 seeds germinate and planted all of them and today is day #4 and still only 2 have come up and they came up the next day....

Do you have them in total darkness or under lights?

PacoDegato said:

Do you have them in total darkness or under lights?

Click to expand...

Under lights because the 2 came up first thing in the AM after i planted them the night before and its been 3 days since then and no more have come up

if you're germing on a plate or similar, you can keep them in the dark, or exposed to light. once you plant them, put them under lights so they don't stretch once they sprout.

i germ. under a 400wt mh. just put the seed 1/4" in the soil and keep damp, 4 to 7 days if they are good seeds will pop. not all seeds you buy willpop. good luck

here is the pics of the gear i use.
one shows the cheap plastic prop with the clear lid(humidity dome).
one shows a dry jiffys and shows how they fit in the prop nicely(room for 20 jiffys).
the pic of the swollen jiffy shows you how i prep them soak them in warm water untill fully soaked then just squeeze the excess water out and shape it how it looks in the pic.
and one pic just shows what kind of weight you want the jiffy to be once prepped.
if i am planting maybe 10 seeds then i will weigh each jiffy to 38g to give consistency with the moisture level you can give them a light misting of water after 12 hrs and that will do untill they sprout.
once this is done just make a small 5mm deep hole in the top of your prepped jiffys and just simply drop the seeds in there holes straight out the packet cover them slightly with some peat from the jiffy put them in the prop put the lid on and keep in a drawer in TOTAL DARKNESS make sure the temps are 21-23* and you are most definately going to get 100% germ rate within 70-85 hrs.
i have done over 60+ seeds for various people just to get their sprouts started and never had one not sprout.as soon as you see the peat cracking at the top of the pellet and life coming(any whiteness from the embrio/seed)then remove them from the dark and start your 18/6. NO LIGHT UNTILL THEN ONLY A QUICK CHECK ON PROGRESS.
i may do 6 seeds shortly for a friend and when i do i will show you the sprout as it cracks the jiffy surface.
[EDIT]
(this info is from and earlier thread were i was explaining to someone how i germinate my seeds in to sprouts).
Attached Thumbnails

They will germinate much better in a dark, warm, high humidity area. I set mine on top of my modem inside a plastic bag blown up like a pillow with a moist paper towel inside and a dark cloth over top. You'll get tap roots up to an inch long overnight sometimes.

Then plant them in your grow medium and place them under medium lights until they break the surface. Then drop the light lower or add more lumens to keep them warm and from stretching.

Good luck.

Go Green...Grow

Thanks everyone--good info. I guess I'll give these ones a bit more time, but I'll try one of your methods next time to see if I have better luck.

One last question--how long do you think I should wait before throwing these away as lost causes?

PacoDegato said:

Thanks everyone--good info. I guess I'll give these ones a bit more time, but I'll try one of your methods next time to see if I have better luck.

One last question--how long do you think I should wait before throwing these away as lost causes?

Click to expand...

old and unfresh seeds can take up to 3 weeks to sprout.
if the seeds are viable they should sprout in time just let them be as see what prevails you have nothing to loose by holding on to them to wait and see what happens.

Okay Luda--thanks. I'll let the others sit where they are for a couple more weeks since I've got nothing to lose by doing so.

Also, I soaked a pod and dropped a seed in it to try your method as well. I've got it somewhere warm and dark, so I'll see how that one goes. It seems like most people wait to put them into the pod until they've got them to crack either in a cup of water or between some damp paper towels though, but since I'm having trouble I'll try it all--guess I'll just have to buy some more seeds.

Pac

PacoDegato said:

Okay Luda--thanks. I'll let the others sit where they are for a couple more weeks since I've got nothing to lose by doing so.

Also, I soaked a pod and dropped a seed in it to try your method as well. I've got it somewhere warm and dark, so I'll see how that one goes. It seems like most people wait to put them into the pod until they've got them to crack either in a cup of water or between some damp paper towels though, but since I'm having trouble I'll try it all--guess I'll just have to buy some more seeds.

Pac

Click to expand...

no dont germinate them first just drop the seed/s straight out the pack 5-6mm deep into the moist jiffy and gently cover over this way the taproot will always emerge from the seed and grow downwards(works every time).
keep moist and dark and they will sprout in 3-4 days max(good seeds).
give light only when the seed sprouts from the jiffy at about 3-5mm tall.

Okay, will do. --Crossing my fingers--

Pretty much the same way i've been doing it except using root riot type cubes instead of the pellets you soak.
Every seed of any type of plant i've grown has always germinated ok like this as it pretty much mimics natures own way and that has evolved to its present form with a lot more trial and error than we could ever throw at it

LUDACRIS said:

no dont germinate them first just drop the seed/s straight out the pack 5-6mm deep into the moist jiffy and gently cover over this way the taproot will always emerge from the seed and grow downwards(works every time).
keep moist and dark and they will sprout in 3-4 days max(good seeds).
give light only when the seed sprouts from the jiffy at about 3-5mm tall.

Click to expand...

PacoDegato said:

Okay, will do. --Crossing my fingers--

Click to expand...

this method is 100% foolproof if you have done what i said.

Okay--apparently I'm a true f'ing anti-green thumb moron!

I'm another 0 for 2 so far, so let me ask some more specifics:

Does it matter that much what kind of water I soak the pods in? I've used tap, so maybe that is a problem (but I did get that one to sprout a while back...but maybe that is super strong seed or something. I hope its female).

Once I drop the seed in and make sure it is covered up a bit, what should I store the pod in? Should it be something air tight? Should it be mostly covered but with some airholes poked in it?

How long after dropping the seed should I give it a spray, and should I just spray it with plain water like I soak the pod in? Just spray it enough to make the top look damp?

Should it be put somewhere merely room temperature and dark, or should it be somewhere warmer, like on top or near a heating vent? If it is too warm will that cause it not to sprout? Too cold?

I'm getting tired of wasting my seeds... with only half of the seedlings likely to end up being female, I'm quickly narrowing down my odds of getting ANY workable plants out of this pack of seeds.

When my first one sprouted it seemed like it was going to be so easy....no idea why nothing is sprouting now.

It does make sense to me NOT to germ the seeds in paper towels or a cup of water though and instead just drop them in the pod. It seems like the less touching them the better, so eliminating the step of having to handle the cracked seed seems to be wise.

Thanks,

Pac

LUDACRIS said:

this method is 100% foolproof if you have done what i said.

Click to expand...

PacoDegato said:

Okay--apparently I'm a true f'ing anti-green thumb moron!

I'm another 0 for 2 so far, so let me ask some more specifics:

Does it matter that much what kind of water I soak the pods in? I've used tap, so maybe that is a problem (but I did get that one to sprout a while back...but maybe that is super strong seed or something. I hope its female).

Once I drop the seed in and make sure it is covered up a bit, what should I store the pod in? Should it be something air tight? Should it be mostly covered but with some airholes poked in it?

How long after dropping the seed should I give it a spray, and should I just spray it with plain water like I soak the pod in? Just spray it enough to make the top look damp?

Should it be put somewhere merely room temperature and dark, or should it be somewhere warmer, like on top or near a heating vent? If it is too warm will that cause it not to sprout? Too cold?

I'm getting tired of wasting my seeds... with only half of the seedlings likely to end up being female, I'm quickly narrowing down my odds of getting ANY workable plants out of this pack of seeds.

When my first one sprouted it seemed like it was going to be so easy....no idea why nothing is sprouting now.

It does make sense to me NOT to germ the seeds in paper towels or a cup of water though and instead just drop them in the pod. It seems like the less touching them the better, so eliminating the step of having to handle the cracked seed seems to be wise.

Thanks,

Pac

Click to expand...

tap water or mineral/spring water with a p.h. of 6.5-7.2 is good for soaking the jiffys first.
and soak it then squeeze out the excess water untill it shows the wet jiffy at the weight shown in my pics(then they will only take a light misting of water after 48hrs later and this will be plenty untill the seed sprouts(70-85hrs).
and the propogator should not be air tight the clear plastic lid is just a humidity dome that lifts of and on easily and is not air tight as it requires some humidity to escape and some fresh air to get in.
the temps are not to criticall(21*-23*). i dont measure the temp inside my drawer where my prop is kept i just make sure my room temp is 21*-23* and my prop sits nicely in the drawer lined with some towels just as a precaution.

here is the pics of the gear i use.
one shows the cheap plastic prop with the clear lid(humidity dome).
one shows a dry jiffys and shows how they fit in the prop nicely(room for 20 jiffys).
the pic of the swollen jiffy shows you how i prep them soak them in warm water untill fully soaked then just squeeze the excess water out and shape it how it looks in the pic.
and one pic just shows what kind of weight you want the jiffy to be once prepped.
if i am planting maybe 10 seeds then i will weigh each jiffy to 38g to give consistency with the moisture level you can give them a light misting of water after 12 hrs and that will do untill they sprout.
once this is done just make a small 5mm deep hole in the top of your prepped jiffys and just simply drop the seeds in there holes straight out the packet cover them slightly with some peat from the jiffy put them in the prop put the lid on and keep in a drawer in TOTAL DARKNESS make sure the temps are 21-23* and you are most definately going to get 100% germ rate within 70-85 hrs.
i have done over 60+ seeds for various people just to get their sprouts started and never had one not sprout.as soon as you see the peat cracking at the top of the pellet and life coming(any whiteness from the embrio/seed)then remove them from the dark and start your 18/6. NO LIGHT UNTILL THEN ONLY A QUICK CHECK ON PROGRESS.
i may do 6 seeds shortly for a friend and when i do i will show you the sprout as it cracks the jiffy surface.
[EDIT]
(this info is from and earlier thread were i was explaining to someone how i germinate my seeds in to sprouts).
Attached Thumbnails

NewGrow60sToker
Marijuana Toker
Marijuana Toker




permalink
Luda's right.
Don't go with the paper towel method. Taproots have microscopic roots (which are generally invisible to the naked eye) that get hitched to the paper towel. When you take it out, you can tear away some of the microscopic roots. plant in the soil as Luda does.



if you have any other questions or are still not sure just send me a personall message and i will help you along.
CRIS.

Okay...nothing showing from my first two seeds that I did via the Luda method (been 4 days I think?) but for whatever reason I'm going to just consider them a lost cause and let them sit for a while.

Anyway, I was more careful with the ones tonight. I aged my water for a couple of days out of the tap, I used the pod container/dome thing I got with the pods like in Luda's pictures, and I soaked the pods. Then I drained the water, dropped in the seeds (my last 2 freebies and 3 white rhinos) and made sure the seeds were covered with a little bit of the pod medium. Finally, I poured just a tad of the aged water on top to moisten it a bit more, then I put the lid on it and stuck it in my drawer under some t-shirts and shit which should keep them at a nice temperature.

So, the journey began late in the evening on 03/36/2009. We'll see what happens... I'll maybe moisten them a bit in a couple days, but then I'm not going to mess with them again... out of 5 more seeds surely I ought to see something!

Pac

PacoDegato said:

Okay...nothing showing from my first two seeds that I did via the Luda method (been 4 days I think?) but for whatever reason I'm going to just consider them a lost cause and let them sit for a while.

Anyway, I was more careful with the ones tonight. I aged my water for a couple of days out of the tap, I used the pod container/dome thing I got with the pods like in Luda's pictures, and I soaked the pods. Then I drained the water, dropped in the seeds (my last 2 freebies and 3 white rhinos) and made sure the seeds were covered with a little bit of the pod medium. Finally, I poured just a tad of the aged water on top to moisten it a bit more, then I put the lid on it and stuck it in my drawer under some t-shirts and shit which should keep them at a nice temperature.

So, the journey began late in the evening on 03/36/2009. We'll see what happens... I'll maybe moisten them a bit in a couple days, but then I'm not going to mess with them again... out of 5 more seeds surely I ought to see something!

Pac

Click to expand...

dont stress too much.
all will come good.
good luck and let us know how you get on.
(some info i found lastnight).
LUDA.
https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/176359-starting-your-seeds.html

Soak them in a small glass of water (tap water is fine) overnight in a dark place. The next day put them between moist paper towels on a small plate. Invert another plate of the same size over the top as a lid. Then put the whole thing in a large freezer storage bag and blow it up and seal it to make it look like a pillow. Put the storage bag in a warm dark place. Check it in 2 - 3 days. If the seeds are viable, you will have roots.

Yes, there are very fine, microscopic fingers on the roots that can get tangled in the paper towel fabric, if you let the roots get too long. However, transplanting from the paper towel doesn't tear them up enough to hurt them. At this stage they are vulnerable, but also very adaptive and will easily recover.

I even soak my peas, tomato, squash and zuchinni seeds the same way before I plant them in the Jiffy peat pellets.

You need to keep the peat pellets, warm, moist and dark to get good germination.

Good luck.