Soaking seeds - why do you guys do it

Basic Growing Info
#32

@SpeesCees
My thought is, people do things how they were taught. I soak them for 12 to 24 hours and then put in paper towel because a buddy of mines, brother, who was “closet growing” here in CA 40 years ago, before it was legal, did it that way and it’s how he taught me. Cannabis doesn’t grow in paper towels, either. Is everyone who starts them in that an idiot too?

There are many Vegetable and fruit seeds, THAT AREN’T SWAMP PLANTS, that you are told to soak, by experts, to facilitate or speed up germination. Hell, I had one of the top growers of Okra tell me to freeze the seed and soak it in milk for 2 days. Last time I checked, Okra doesn’t grow in freezing temps (it actually is a HOT weather plant - I cant even think of growing it here until the temp gets to high 80’s) nor do you feed it milk to grow. But Damned if it doesn’t get them to crack in 3-4 days instead of 2 weeks.

I will fully admit that I am a Noob when it come to growing weed (kinda a journeyman at veggies, though - have had gardens most of my 52 years) and the reason I came here is to get advise from folks who have grown a lot longer than me, not EXPERTS (I can pay a few grand and take classes if I wanted to do that). People have learned what works for them and if others want to try it and see if it works for them too, I thought that is why we were all here.

I don’t know… I guess I’m just another idiot and I guess you don’t want me to talk to you, either. NO PROB!

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#33

I’ve noticed this effect helping to germinate difficult seeds :+1:

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#34

On a side note, completely contrary to the study I just cited— I used to germinate 100+ seeds at a time in a glass jar with a ~liter of water and a capful of h2o2, and literally leave them for DAYS before taking little seedlings out of the water.

They literally don’t care what we do, as long as we litfa. Lmfao

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#35

I’ve seen this w/ direct-seed too. I water and then let them sit for 3-4 days before watering again, often until the top surface of soil becomes a crust (it’s still moist down below).

Then I water again & repeat, sometimes letting the soil get somewhat dry & watering again makes another round of seeds pop out. It makes sense, you’re simulating nature.

no one should feel bad for soaking seeds! :smile: Gardening is like art, it’s a form of self-expression, you gotta do it your own unique way IMO. I mainly posted to let people know that it seems to work just as well to direct-seed and it’s easier for me :+1:

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#36

If that’s how you act towards less experienced growers then you’re in the wrong place to be peddling. We all have to start somewhere and this community has a lot of new growers who need help and want to learn.

Knowledge needs to be shared freely with everyone. Lest we forget, we’re here to Overgrow the world, not have a d**k measuring contest to shame the losers.

It’s a shame because I read many of your threads and find lots of your posts insightful, but as it stands I don’t like all the negativity.

I am becoming a hippie

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#37

As much as I’m trying to stay out of this bs. . .here read @SpeesCees answers to his question contest


I especially like #8 answer. . .SMH

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#38

I’ve had the most consistent success with direct sowing around 1cm deep. It helps the seedling shed the shell to push through the soil.

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#39

There is an entire industry around malting grains for brewing beer. The first step in malting is germinating. The above procedure is taken from that process. So I prefer a short (8 hour or so) soak and into rapid rooters.

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#40

Hey do you have a link to that study brother?

#41

I looked but didn’t find it. I can try again in the morning.

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#42

Thanks my bro, much appreciated

#43

The right or the wrong way ???
What about the best way ?
It starts with good seed.
Good seed is seed that after harvesting did become at least 3 weeks to dry.
After that they need to be in a temperature of around 0 degrees Celsius for at least 2-3 weeks.
First then you have seed that will germinate easy.
Take some cotton ( the best this zig-zag cotton used by medicinal purpus )
Hold the cotton under just tabwater.
Then you push with one hand the water out.
Not wringing but with some push. ( just a little wet will do )
Then open the cotton and use halve of the space to put your seed.
So… then close the cotton.
After that you pack it direct into kitchen folie. ( the thin sticky one )
Over the kitchen folie you wrap it in 1 or 2 layers alluminium folie.
Give them a place at 23 degrees celsius for exact 31 hour.
By 20 degrees you need 33-34 hours.
THEN it’s time to move them on because 70-80% will be open already.
All seeds that become a longer root then just the little point in the beginning…will not be happy by spending that energy for nothing.
The little placenta in the seed only can “give” the plant untill there’s synthese.
So… from sprouting to a little plant with leaves who will take care for the synthese… should take as less possible time.

SpeesCees

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#44

After germinating successfully for many years of quality seeds from reputable breeders directly into my medium of choice (coco), I find germination environmental conditions to be the # 1 factor in having success with direct sowing of seeds into your grow medium. I use plastic ice cube trays with a single hole drilled in each section and filled with coco that I charge beforehand so I can add just water the first couple watering’s.

Once they are above the surface, 24hrs light, 80* temp, 65 to 70% humidity until a couple inch’s high and then into 4" square pots. From that point on depending on the strain they get what they need in my standard veg regime.

Sometimes there is one or two in a full pack that never make it out, but the way I look at that is, I never really want those plants anyhow and consider them inferior because they never saw the light of day!

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#45

Well… I understand and see some points that I do take you serious.
The difference in your way and my way is that I’m sure about the germinating time from the beginning.
So I’m sure that they’re all growing up the same.
That’s giving a nice feeld where the plants all are growing in the same hight.
On day 30-35 we still are “pushing” some headtops down by giving them a fracture to let them hang on the same hight then the rest.
You may buy some cannabis seed for the birds in a pet shop and try what I wrote above here.
That may cost like 2 or 3 $ for a kilo.
I guess it may surprise you.
Stay cool,

SpeesCees

#46

I totally agree that the roots shouldn’t be allowed to get too long. I actually started seeds friday and didn’t take my own advice to start directly because I didn’t have the growspace in order to start in pots. So I started in tissue paper and unfortunately didn’t get around to planting them in soil before monday. By then a couple of seeds had tails that were a little too long - the “bend” on the neck of the seed that normally lifts the cotyledons, shedding the shells in the dirt, was almost straightened out.
Although I had 18/18 seeds germ 2 are struggling to break dirt now because of my mistake, and it’s definitely a possibility that they’ll run out of energy.

Now these kind of worries are only when starting with expensive seeds. If starting with seeds you’ve made yourself the best thing you can do is just chuck them in soil and ruthlessly kill off any seedling that won’t grow strong without help.

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#47

i had this happen 2/3 times with the WiFi i just popped lol … i always go straight to soil (well normally coco… but i used soil this time cause i was being cheap)… i think maybe i didn’t plant it deep enough??? about 1/4 inch i went and lightly covered… i reburied the first one and it hasn’t really grown any more in 4 days… i think the root is re-establishing itself (hopefully)

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#48

I’ve been pollen chucking for a couple decades so always have lots of seeds I can play with so have tried almost every method of sprouting seeds and getting sprouts going fast that you can imagine.

The best by far is straight into media with a few tweaks. I first scarify my seeds in a pill jar lined with 150grit sandpaper. Shake them gently holding the jar horizontally for a full 2 minutes. If you still like to soak them add a few drops of 3% peroxide to a 30ml shot glass to break up any surface oils on the seeds that may prevent water from getting in easily. A very small dab of dish soap will help as well. Handling seeds with your fingers can coat them with oils so don’t do that. I use a pair of long tweezers that I put little rubber booties on with small pieces of shrink fit tubing. Bare metal tweezers can send those seeds off to where you will never find them. :slight_smile:

I used to use those 9-hole seed starter pots filled with ProMix HP screened thru a 1mm mesh screen. Same mesh as window screens so can buy it at a hardware store. Doing a round now of 18 seeds in 3" square pots filled with a 50:50 mix of the HP and ProMix Veg&Herb that has organic nutes in it. In each pot I’ll scoop out a spoonful of the mix and replace that with the screened stuff so the seed is coddled in fine particles for maximum contact about a half inch deep.

IMO it really doesn’t matter which direction the seed gets planted. Base side down or pointy end it’s a bit of a crap shoot. Sometimes the root comes out in a straight line and other times it circles around the seed before heading down. It knows which way to go. Even ones that come out of the soil root first can be flipped over and grow fine.

Sprouting and immediately feeding on normal soil nutes gets them off to the best start. Even light hydro nutes in rockwool is better than no nutes at all for 2 weeks like I see some people say to do. That’s nuts to me. The food stores in the seed are just enough to get it up into the light and it’s needs food to grow with right away.

If you’re happy with what you’re doing keep doing it. There are lots of ways to skin this cat. :wink:

OMFG! Get some decent smilies! Come on over to CC and rip off some of ours. :smiley:

:peace:

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#49

Gotta get on a bit of a rant here sorry in advance.
(Not related to any of the above posts)
Ok here’s the deal IMHO.
If you are growing for production and smoke then by all means do whatever it takes to get that seed to poke through.
BUT!!! If you are breeding this plant then it needs to be straight to soil or plug, and here’s why.
A week seedling is immediately disqualified from breeding and a poor germinating plant is also.
If it’s an effort to save a landrace or rare cultivar then MAYBE it’s acceptable due to seed age.
We need to let nature cull the bad ones or eventually seeds will simply stop germinating in general.
A few examples
We do not breed cattle that have issues with birthing.
We do not breed dogs for the same issue as it’s inhumane to the mom.
We do not breed wheat or tomatoes or anything else that requires extraordinary measures to grow because we favor ease of production.
By taking extraordinary measures to get these babies to sprout we are doing the plant a great disservice, and creating a life form that may one day lose it’s ability to germinate all together.

Thanks for your patience.
Good hunting!

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#50

We should apply the same principles to the human race. If we are exempt from this, I’d love an explanation why.

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#51

Because we are in an age of child worship, as George Carlin so eloquently coined it. Anything else I have to say on this topic probably belongs in the shark tank.

It’s always been wet paper towel for me to assess viability, then straight into medium after they crack. Tap root whichever way it ends up being :slight_smile:

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