Easy Seed Germination

Getting your seeds to pop...

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Germinating seeds with the soak and paper towel method.

Step 1:  The soak.

 

• We use filtered water and disposable cups. On the cups we use a marker to write the what strains are in each cup.

• Fill the cups up about halfway with filtered water and drop the seeds into them according to the labels.

• Come back and check the seeds every couple of hours to see which ones sink to the bottom (sometimes giving them a little swirl seems to help the sinking process).

• You may need to wait for about 48 hours for all the seeds to fall to the bottom (*It's been my experience that the seeds that sink to the bottom germinate the fastest. Not to say I haven't had a floater germinate for me as well. They just seem to take longer - if they do eventually germinate at all.

• Once the seeds sink to the bottom of the cup and you see a little nub sticking out of them, the germination process has begun. The seed has received the correct amount of moisture to activate its natural process to want to grow.  

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Now you are ready for step 2...

 

Step 2:  The paper towel.

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• Optimal temperature and humidity for seed germination is 70 to 80 degrees and humidity between 65% and 80%.

• Now that all your seeds that are going to sink have sunk, you are ready to transfer the seeds over to a saturated paper towel in a warm place. There are many items you can use to hold your paper towel. You are looking for something that will allow you to keep the paper towel moist and safely put it in a warm environment.

• One good way is to use two glass plates labeled with blue painter's tape and a  marker (Use a separate paper towel for each strain you are germinating).

• Take the paper towel and keep folding it in half until it's about 3 inches square.

• Then unfold the last fold and pour the seeds into their paper towel bed.

• Separate them a little bit to make it easier to pick them up later on when you transplant them.

• Fold the paper towel back over the seeds to cover them completely. The entire paper towel should be saturated top and bottom from the water in the cup but it should not be flooded.  If it is, drain some water out gently.

• Put your plates onto something that will stay a constant warm temperature (I use a heat mat for some seeds but have had great success setting them on the top of my refrigerator. 

• Add another plate upside down on top of the plate with the seeds in the paper towel, slightly off-kilter so you do not form a seal. You do this to trap some humidity in between the plates to create a warm, humid environment for your seeds to germinate in.

• Come back and check on them in 12 and 24 hours.

*I've had seeds pop after soaking for a few hours and I have had some that have taken days to pop open.  So just keep checking on them and be patient.  

• If the seeds have not popped after 48 hours, thoroughly re-evaluate the environment you made for them.  As long as the environment is warm, humid, and the paper towel is moist, keep the process going for another 24 to 48 hours before you think about starting over with a new batch.

• You'll know the seed is ready to transplant from the paper towel when the little nub has reached 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length.  

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Step 3:  Transplanting your seeds.

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To transplant your seeds, you will need a set of tweezers to pick up the seed and gently place it in the medium you chose.

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For Soil:

• Fill your pot (or whatever you are using) loosely packed with soil.  Fill it to about 2 inches below the rim and do not pat it down too densely / firmly.  

• Poke a small hole in the soil in the center of the pot deep enough for your seedling to be covered by about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of dirt.  

• Using the tweezers, place your seedling finger/nub (this is your root beginnings see picture to the right) facing down into the soil.  

• Cover your seedling loosely (don't pat it down).    

• Saturate the area with water (not to the point where the soil is flooding or dislodging the seedling but enough that the soil feels wet to the touch).  

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For Hydro:  

• Choose the material you will use to grow your plant in which could be:  rock wool cubes or coco, etc. 

• Using your tweezers, make a small indent in the coco or rock wool and gently place your seed inside the indent with finger/nub (which is your root) facing down towards the ground.  

• Make sure the medium is well moistened.

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Your next step is to go to the page that will teach you to start your indoor grow (click here) or outdoor grow (click here).

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