So usually when I don’t see a seed pop up out of my starter cubes with soil after about a week I’ll go looking for it to see if i can even find it, if it’s a dud or just lost in there and can’t find it’s way to the surface or just slow to pop a tail. Well every now and again I’ll come across this and makes me wonder a few things. Is there ways to avoid burying itself? What would stop it from naturally growing upward? Is it a sign of jenky genetics or just a physical constraint causing it? Since it’s an auto flower is the “timer” been started for veg from time the seed popped or from the time it starts feeding on light and green? My guess it’s been trying to find light for a couple days with all the roots already on it so wondering if I’ve already wasted those valuable days to get big?
What kind of soil is that? Perhaps too much water? How deep do you bury them? Someone shared here a good germination process, I follow just the way they put them in soil, easier to follow its progress … 
How to germ.pdf (1.9 MB)
Custom blend of coir, perlite, compost, worm castings,humus and manure, etc
Water intial and once every 2-3 days or sooner if soil looks like it’s getting dry, usually water before looking as it darkens soil to make a white tail more visible.
I go about a fingernail deep
I’ve never been a fan of the paper towel or cup of water methods, I have excellent germ rates propogating seeds(90-95% grow and those that don’t are just typically cuz the seeds are no longer viable, had that happen to my pineapple cookies seeds that finally stopped germ after 8 years old) and rather start it straight in soil so it takes hold of what it’s gonna be growing in right away. Seems like germinating about every 40-50 seeds I see something like this happen though so got me wondering why or what may cause that
That soil is too hot and coarse for a seedling, maybe a lighter soil would be better. Until the first complete set of leaves they need just water, their intake is in the cotyledons. A fingernail deep is perhaps too much.
I plunge them in a shot glass with some drops of peroxide and then follow the PDF instructions when I see the root, don’t fill with soil to the top of the starting pot in case the seedling stretches and I can cover the stem with more soil.
There’s a ton of options and methods, you just have to find what works for you and stick with it …
The soil has been ran for several grows, hot soil I don’t think is a factor here, that would just flat out kill it from toxicity, this one appears to just lost its direction. I have 40 other seedlings(31 photoperiods and 9 autos) in the same soil with everything taking off just fine and all been propogated the same way. Don’t start feeding with compost teas till 3 weeks very minimum. Depth of seed might be a factor here though, didn’t think a fingernail would be too deep though cuz that intial watering it seems to sink a lil but can’t rule that one out. There really is a lot of ways! And with as many as I have growing I wouldn’t be at a loss if it didn’t make it, just trying to learn about what may be causing it and if genetics had any play in it as a “retarded seedling”
Didn’t put it as a factor, just a remark, perhaps you should spray some water in the surface instead of watering, that would avoid seed burying and soil being too dump, overwatering is a risk in this stage …
Def worth a shot for that one, maybe the rush of water is dragging it to the bottom and flipping it around, thats very likely. Agree a spray bottle would prob be better to moist the soil and def something to try. I’m no beginner making the " let’s water it everyday mentality" when it comes to growing, already learned my lessons over watering yeeears ago, but those signs of over watering are usually different drowning the roots and seeing a plant get weak and die off or waterlog the seed that it rots instead of germinating. I’m pretty good about letting my soil dry up 80% between waterings and usually keeps my plants stretching at a healthy rate looking for water in the rest of it’s potted soil. Spent about 350 blowing through seeds from a seedbank learning the overwatering lesson same with staying away from the jiffy peat pellet seed starting kits.
Oh well, wasn’t judging you 
, just giving some info, hope this spray bottle will come handy for you …
Oh absolutely! And by all means don’t think I’m getting offended, I think the spray bottle idea is great advice, just for the other stuff it’s more the mentality of already learned the elementary stuff, no sense sitting back in first grade when I’ve moved on to Jr high at the very least. School still in session and trying to learn but find myself now asking the more advanced questions. Easy fix resituating the seed in soil and back on track but brought those other questions to mind especially if it’s possible it’s a retard seed with unstable genetics in play or something physically done by the grower to cause it, the good ole nature over nurture? Also if being an auto when the timer actually starts still is a curious question that comes to mind as well
Don’t think they were bad genetics, root is strong and healthy, maybe seed was buried too deep and soil above too thick and heavy while being dumped with water. It is a good thing to put horizontally the seed and slightly cover it, it’s a delicate stage and every help you can give it is worth.
I think timer begins when the seed sprouts, that’s why I don’t like autos, you cannot recover them and you lose yield if you fail in some way, time is running out … 
Ya that’s what I’m concerned about, lost 2 valuable days, luckily Bruce banner is a really vigorous growing strain but 2 days on 3 weeks for an auto makes a huge difference I’ve noticed lol had some in the past I stunted and may have well just left in a solo cup, barely got a gram off each if that haha
Spray bottle for sure. Personally I like a lighter seed starting mix to start, then transplant to castings / manure / more substantial soil.
Also. many people put the tap root down when planting, but concentrate on which direction the seed is heading. Even if it means the tap root points up when you put it in soil (because the seed head and tap root are in a U for example), it takes more energy to change the direction of the future leaves than to redirect the tap root.
I also try to have the helmet just on the surface when I transplant the sprout
I don’t presprout them, just plop em in the soil and water em, guess it would make things easier with a tail on it though to put it a direction to grow
I love this method for pre-sprouting:
Germinating some seeds - How I do it - Overgrow.com
Then, when the tail is 3/4" long or so, I gently move into a light seed starting mix in small cups. I literally water with a turkey baster around the outer edges (force the roots to look for water). Sometimes the 3/4" sprout is straight, and tail goes down, helmet up. If its sprouted in a U, I put them so the taproot and helmet face up. 10 days to two weeks and then I pot up to 1, 3 or 5g pot…
Works well for me 
and I used to presprout with the soak in water / paper towel method with good success, but @JohnnyPotseed s method even taught this old dawg some new tricks
That’s a pretty bitchin unique way! I dig it!!
Its different from everything I was always taught…
But one thing I learned… When an old-timer shows you a different way, you pay attention. They usually got one thing you dont have, and thats experience. LOL.
I tried his way and wouldn’t ya know it, tails sprouting in no time, easy to see if the seed is a dud or not. I had tails in 24 hours, and pretty much all had tails within 36 hours. No pre-soak (like ALL the seed sites recommend), but as Johnny said to me, what does a seed need to germinate? moisture, soil, dark, warmth. Where do they sprout in nature? after a pre-soak and in paper towels, or laying in the soil? Just made sense to me…
And it works… it works well!
I was doing the starter cubes, then a 1 gallon then a 3 till they show sex but realized the 1 gallon was kinda pointless and go straight to a 3 now, once they show sex I’ll go to a 10 and leave em there for about another 6 weeks and up to a 20 gallon, leave for a couple weeks to recover, top em then 2-3 weeks later put em in flower
Never had much luck with them, for cannabis or my veggies… Lots of damping off, easy to overwater…
I get the tails, into starter mix / solo cup size cups for the beginning, then their final home. My ladies outside went into 20g fabrics, and inside my moms will stay in 5’s. clones will go into 1’s for sog / scrog style. Autos and unsexed I’ll put in 3’s. My first batch of autos didn’t use nearly enough of the 5 to justify the space, I think the 3 might be perfect. I prefer to transplant / pot up as few times as possible really… Once they are big enough to move from the solo cups, they can hold their own and appreciate a richer soil…
He’s got some good points and kinda why I’ve always gone with straight in soil, seeds don’t end up in a plastic bag wrapped in a paper towel in nature to sprout, the soil should provide everything it needs if we’re properly imitating nature. That’s one thing we all need to accept, even the pros! No matter how good we think we are at something, there is always gonna be someone out there doing it better than you. If someone has a tip or trick, never knock it until you rock it cuz it could be the simplest thing that’s an absolute game changer
Well when I say starter cubes ur prob thinking the peat pellet crap, I’m talking the 3" plastic cubes that u fill with your own soil, I’ve found watering them intially and again in a few days if something doesn’t pop up by then is all it takes and leave the tray underneath it empty dumping out excess after that initial watering. That’s the beginner problem I usually see with those is the lazy Gardener will usually fill the undertray up thinking it will keep the starters watered till they pop but they just have the seed drowning and rotting and eventually become unviable. Didn’t have enough cubes this last round germinating and used a pack of styrofoam cups punching a hole in the bottoms and filling with soil, pretty much the same concept for me of just a small container for soil to pop a seed, as soon as it comes up and leaves turn green I put it in it’s next