been germinating for a long time, but i’ve been having trouble since relying on seed banks. always had good outcomes with bagseed. my first purchase was great (8/8), but every one since i am getting less than 50%. I just planted 8 last Monday. 3 came up. i need to get 8 going each time and they don’t sprout after 5 days in the soil. i don’t know if i should plant more or wait a bit more, but now i am having a week difference in growth between ‘batches’ of sprouts. this also makes the seeds a lot more expensive. the only breeder i have used that i have had 100% across multiple strains in barney’s farm, at least so far.
methods are fine. store at 68 in breeder packs. germ at 82f, wet, bag over cup, etc. natures way. do you really need to do weird stuff to make it work on breeder seeds?
Could be they are selling you older seeds…especially if you are buying sale items…that’s how they get rid of old stock…drop the price or have a BOGO sale etc… THAT SAID we’ve rarely had issues with seeds from seedbanks… try some bag seed at the same time as comparison…maybe something has changed environmentally and the timing is coincidental? I know our water changes several times a year-so we really have to watch it…
I’ve had some bad germ rates! Seed company will not replace the seeds or pack. They will tell you to contact the breeder, and it is up to the breeder if they want to replace it or not. Sin city seeds are A-holes I would never buy from them ever again. 707 replaced a pack I bought and I will vouche for them. Those are the only 2 I’ve contacted and those are the results of it.
i buy a bunch of small packs and pop one per pack. so, i end up having like 2 seeds of each type after and no story on a whole pack. is that a problem?
Could very well be the seeds you purchased. If they’re not stored well at the seed bank or if the seeds are either old or immature it doesn’t really matter how well you store them after getting them—they’re just very viable seeds.
Also, some seeds have thicker shells or are just more resistant to popping. There are lots of threads here that discuss various methods of popping seeds. The only thing in common is they’re cannabis seeds. Seed sources and results vary.
But trying to lump together all “breeder” seeds purchased at a seed bank vs “bag” seeds in terms of ease of germination doesn’t work. Correlation doesn’t imply causation.
I think it is that there are so may seed breeders today that sometimes inventory sits longer at the seed banks making them less viable overall. Not sure which banks use cold storage on their inventory.
I think if you make a few adjustments you should be able to get better results in most cases.
First make a matchbox or pill bottle lined with fine sandpaper. Gently shake the seeds in this box for 3-4 min before germinating. They call this scarification. By roughing up the outside of the seed it makes it easier to germinate.
Next, I would switch to germinating in a moist napkin in a baggie. This allows you to watch and monitor what is happening. If don’t see a tap root in 3-4 days I usually will manually crack the seed gently between my fingernails. Sometimes the seed casings are just too hard. Align the seam under your nails and gently squeeze until you feel a crack and then put back in a fresh moist napkin.
Finally you might germinate 3-5 seeds at a time. If you have a pack where you are getting low rates. Sometimes soaking the seeds, after scarification, in a a solution of Maxicrop Seaweed solution will help to soften the shells, and provide some growth hormones and nutrients.
I would also start storing your seeds in the refrigerator in an air tight container if you will be storing them longer than 3 months. Viability goes down pretty fast at room temp and I would say after 2 years at room temp you might only get 30-50% germination with it declining more each year.
Ever since I switched to three parts Bottle water one part 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Bean soak in my crystal Skull shot glass in a dark cabinet for usually 1 to 2 days I see little white tips popping out then straight to one inch in plain no nute soil almost 100% germ rate with every thing I’ve been popping lately.That’s from fresh made seeds to things I’ve gotten from other overgrow members god knows how old or how some of them were kept all popped up perfect healthy plants.The only exception with some 93 Mexican cartel brick those guys were tough I only had 2 come up out of 7 those beans were pretty beat up though it’s brick so god knows how that shit sat in a bunker or fuel tank somewhere and was smashed to fuck.Peroxide cleans the old funky seeds up really nicely
thanks. before seeing this i already loaded another 5 into wet paper towels in a baggie like you are are suggesting. i used to do wet paper towel for years. good success until a bad run, 8/21. i went back to in the soil which was giving me a bout 75% in recent years. ya, i like to see the root pop out. i did a little investigation on the seeds that didn’t pop. 2 have started to show the root tip, but maybe they stalled. i get quite a few that pop and stall out in the paper towel too.
What is the temp of the baggie?
You need to keep it somewhere warm-- like a seed mat or on top of a cable-tv box or fridge if your room temp is 70F or less…
If you aren’t seeing condensation on the bag, it isn’t warm/damp enough…
I put my napkins on a clean glass/stoneware plate, wrap with plastic wrap or a large ziplock bag then foil…the foil keeps in the heat and blocks the light…and you can remove it to see if there is condensation-- the plates /plastic wrap make it easier to check on the seeds without handling the paper towels as much.
We have had a near 100% germ rate this way for over 20 years (except SUPER old seeds that weren’t stored properly)
Good luck on your grow!!!
Skip the breeders and keep an eye out for OG’s giving seeds away. 100% germination from everyone I’ve gotten seeds from! All I’ve grown for the last year and found a few gems …Unless you’re looking for something very specific but even then OG probably has you covered.
I got free Ice Cream Cake #5 fems for you if you want them, there’s lots of pics around the forums of others growing them if you use the search feature up top, 90%+ germ rates all day brother. Shoot me a message if you’re interested
@splinter7 - i’m like you perfer female seeds (easier ?) But to get some “true"landrance, heirloom” strain regulars are the way to grow which takes a bit more time and space, ect — as for seeds many variables : breeder, age of, ect Will PM you
You’re limiting yourself sticking to fems only… in my opinion. You need to look around there are multiple threads for free seed giveaways always going. Not to mention the countless OGs giving them away in their own threads.
…Unless you’re looking for something very specific but even then OG probably has you covered.