Help with SEED STARTING

[Gonzo]

Alright so need help with a new seed/seedling starting method. Here is my setup…

Plastic seedling dome, vents on top of dome set to closed. Tiny bit of water in very bottom of tray to keep humidity up.

Floraflex 40/40 (coco, peat, biochar) plugs.
These plugs have been wetted to where if squeezed hard, 1 drop of water will come out.

Seeds placed 1/3rd inch into hole, small sprinkle of great white myco in hole.

All of that is set on top of an Asus router which I use to keep it all around 80F.

FC-4800 (480w) Light at 14" from top of dome, at lowest light dim setting.

Ok now, what am I doing wrong & how can I improve my chances for healthy seedlings?

[Cbizzle]

Looking pretty good to me man you should be good! Maybe a scuff for those tough seeds??

[Heliosphear]

They are not poppin? It’s a great setup, did you drop the seeds in water for 24 hours before putting them in grow cubes?

[Foreigner]

It looks to me like you have a decent plan.

Personally, I do it quite a bit differently. 1L pots of Promix soaked through buried an inch deep and kept moist with a few spritz’s from a bottle as needed in the dark in a shower stall that’s probably a little too cold.

It works

Best of luck.

[Papalag]

I find it better to use a weaker light

•start in a shot glass with tap water for 24 hours
•then paper towel till I see tap root 1/4 inches long at least ( place in ziplock baggie and place in a dark worm place
•then into used or ,starter soil , pro mix ect ( no hot soil )
• spray bottle for watering and place under dome
•place under 100 watts or less
Just my 2cents
Paps
.FC-4800 (480w) Light at 14" from top of dome, at lowest light dim setting

That’s should work

[duo]

This Also sandpaper to score the seeds sometimes.

[seeds2weeds]

I usually just throw seeds in a wet paper towel, then i put the wet paper towel in a sandwhich sized zip lock bag and then into a drawer or on top of my fridge, i check every 24 hrs and usually in 2 days theyre ready for the dirt. One time i had a 0% germ rate but the seeds were 6 year old dutch seeds

[Gonzo]

No pre-soak or paper towel. I’ve killed like 10 seedlings in a row using the paper towel & then into soil method.

Guy up at the grow shop suggested this method, seed straight into cubes.

After they grow too tall for dome, I plan to put them into nursery bags full of this stuff for the rest of seedling stage. (Suggested by @Kasper0909 )

Then after that into a good super soil.

[Kasper0909]

I couldn’t imagine the seeds not sprouting with that set up. I usually try and sprout without direct light then when they surface I put them under light.

[Gonzo]

Yea I guess with the router underneath for warmth I could keep the light off for the first 24hrs. Should i keep the dome vents completely closed the whole time btw?

@Papalag thanks! Yea i think at the lowest setting it should be equivalent to 100w or less. Not 100% sure but it should be.

[Heliosphear]

I soak for 24 hours no paper towel, I’ve got the same starter dome unit and use seedling starter soil in it, I don’t put it under light until I see action happening. My best guess is the light is getting it to warm inside the humidity dome.

[Gonzo]

Ok cool i can turn off the light, should I not run the router underneath the dome to keep it warm either? @Heliosphear

[PatHealy]

Float the seeds in a glass of water until they shoot out a tail. Then throw them in whatever you grow in (coco, soil, rock wool, etc.) and you’re off. No domes or anything needed. Low light, light on the water (mist/spray the tops), and nothing but water in soil or light light feed for inert stuff.

[brampie]

take a koffie filter make it wet put youre seeds in the filter and put in in a plastic zip bag than wait two or tree days😁

[SonsOfAvery]

For what it’s worth, it use the soak in water for 24hrs, then into damp, not soaking wet paper towel, in a zip lock baggy. Stick the baggy in a dark cupboard for a day, or so until it shoots a tap root.
Then plant that into small soil pots, make sure its only 2/3rds full of soil, so if it stretches I can bury the stem with more soil.

Then transplant when it has 3 or 4 sets of leaves.

[seeds2weeds]

Nice way to catch the stretch im gonna use that method.

[SonsOfAvery]

Yeh, they’ll still put roots out from that stem once it buried as well.

[shade]

in my experience if the seeds have strong germ rates like probably every large scale breeder now soaking in water or using paper towels is going have them start to be ready in 10-12 hours either way. maybe it depends on the breeders methods? i dont know anything about that side. i use both methods because i enjoy variety and notice no difference when beans are horny.

i always plant them in plain org soil or pro-mix in 12oz dixie cups, pouring slowly and waiting, repeat til get a tiny bit of run off and put them under a dome in my garage under a tiny work lamp til they pop up. i dont use a heat map i just make sure they are above 70F if indoors, as my garage always is. always been making an indent halfway to my knuckle (at the sub-knuckle?) with my index finger and planting seed tail up, folding wet soil from sides on top lightly.
when the seed pops itll break a chunk of the medium so i just gently tap that into the ground without touching the stem.

should note i see some you guys with huge tails in those paper towels so dont plant those tail up, 1/4 inch sounds about right i dont wait long to plant once it comes out of the seed.

[cannabissequoia]

Too wet & too deep & too dark kills em
Too cold or too hot too

So aim for the middle

Be a scientist & try varying depths & moisture levels

As fun as the paper towel is for observing it’s not my favorite. Direct sow, pretend to be the rain,

[Gonzo]

Your advice is always appreciated @cannabissequoia