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seeds Germination FAQ

NorthernJeff

NorthernJeff

Hi,
 
I have a few questions about germination.
 
 
1. Is there a common understanding of best practice between germinating seeds in a ziploc with moist paper towel VS. germinating seeds in seed starter mix?  I've had mixed results, and a bunch of seeds not germinate.  I bought more and am looking for method with highest probability so I don't keep wasting $ on seeds. I have heating mats, domes, seed trays, seed starter mix (not jiffy pellets).
 
2. Is 80-85 degrees fahrenheit the best range for temp?  My first batch of seeds were germinating slowly at 83 degrees, and seemed to do better at 88-89.
 
 
*** BTW, if there a popular thread somewhere on here for germination tips, please direct me there.
 
 
Thanks!
 
moruga welder said:
are you pre soaking ?
 
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Yes, I'm presoaking the seeds that go into the seed starter mix and trays, for 24 hours in clean bottled water (not tap water).
 
BUT - I haven't soaked the seeds going into the ziploc bags with moist paper towels, because I figured the moisture inside the baggies would soften them up.
 
 
Your going to get lots of different ideas opinions for this one :)
 
iv been doing this a few years now and this is my take on the common methods...all have pros and cons IMO, depends how much effort you want to put in. 
 
- Plastic bag / paper towel method. the highest germ rate but you are left trying to plant very fragile "hooks", which takes time, effort and delicacy.
 
- Pellets - good germ rate & they hold water well. Time consuming to label them all. Can be expensive / not that greater return for your efforts as you end up either planting one seed per pellet and having some not sprout (wasted pellets, space & time), or you can plant multiple per pellet and be left trying to decide if you want to either cull some, attempt to separate, or just leave them together. Im also not a fan of planting the whole pellet in dirt either. Removing soil/netting from the pellet before planting is yet more effort. Have had bad experiences with plants not wanting to extend their roots out past the pellet and into real soil.
 
- Straight into dirt. The easiest method and the one I use now. If you didnt notice im all about the minimising effort nowadays lol. Messing round with 50+ pellets sucks. You only need to label 1 pot when germinating each type which = less mucking around. Just make sure you separate them early enough. You dont even need to be very careful..some ripped roots never hurt no one. 
Maybe 10 or so seeds per pot, evenly spaced apart. Probably lowest germ rate of the methods but IMO much of this comes down to the seed quality & how warm you can keep it.(smaller things are easier to warm).
I planted some (fresh) seeds the other week and so far have 12 of 13 sprouted and doing well. 
 
I generally have heaps of seeds nowadays though as I save my own and plant those. If i was planting seeds from a vendor I may be inclined to be more careful and use one of the other methods. I soak seeds in tap water for a day or 2 before planting. (depends how lazy I am/when I get to planting them). Straight in pots is my fav but thats obviously going to take up lots of room which may or may not be feasible depending on the growers circumstances.
 
 
 
1.
- make a small bag using sand paper
- put the seeds in the bag
- shake it real hard, shake it, ...
 
2. 
- boil the water
- put the seeds in the strainer
- place it on top of boiling water (about 50cm from boiling water)
 
 
 
 
lek said:
1.
- make a small bag using sand paper
- put the seeds in the bag
- shake it real hard, shake it, ...
 
2. 
- boil the water
- put the seeds in the strainer
- place it on top of boiling water (about 50cm from boiling water)
 
 
 
Click to expand...
 
the part about putting it on top of the boiling water is especially important imo!
 
 
I have used a bunch of different methods. I don't like pellets (they're either waterlogged or bone-dry) and although the plastic bag/paper towel method has been successful, I don't like handling germinated seeds that way. Fat fingers. My preferred method for several years now is making 2" soil blocks with damp starter soil, gently boring a hole in the middle, dropping the seed in, not covering. I put the blocks in a rectangular, plastic takeout  tray - have a million of them - then put the lid on. Then I put the trays on heat mats just a few inches from fluorescent shop lights. The germination rate has been great. As soon as they sprout, I up-pot the 2" blocks into standard 4" plastic starter pots and, again, keep the light no more than a few inches away. As the plants grow, I need to continually adjust the distance, but I like the results.
 
I just germinated some Jamaican Hot seeds in 10 days. They soaked in 50/50 hydrogen peroxide/water for 10-15 minutes. Then got put on a folded coffee filter and placed in a zip lock bag with a paper towel in it. Placed in my half-assed "grow room" with part of a desk lamp pointing at them.
46c3ae853b8a731bc351b867c5192887.jpg


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I've had a much easier time not putting them in a zip lock where they're squished between paper towels or a filter, but just using a shallow tupperware container with some paper in the bottom. Seeds are then just placed on top of the wet paper, and the container can either be closed by its own lid or (since I lose those lids all the time) place the whole container in a fitting zip lock bag. 
This has a couple of advantages :
- mark one corner of the container, and you can germinate many varieties in the same container in a very small space, utilizing even smaller heaters. Just draw out a map of your container so you know which is which (I usually take a photo with phone or tablet then edit it in some software that allows adding text to images, so literally write the variety name on each bunch of seeds)
- it's much easier to check for germination without disturbing the whole package. in zip locks you have to get your hands in, introducing fungi, then futz around with wet paper (a bit easier if it's a filter but still), often the roots will catch on both sides if germinated and since you can't see you'll break one side off etc etc. In a container with a clear lid or even easier if it's in a ziplock, you just tap the top so the condensation clears and you see what's going on with your seeds. You don't even have to open it.
- it greatly reduces the occurrence of helmet head. as they germinate they are still in a very moist environment. they will lift off the bottom but the shell won't dry out so they get rid of it without problem.
- once they germinate they can easily stay in there for days,even longer than a week if you don't have time to pot them. just don't put them in a very light spot. they will open up cotyledons then just kinda stay at a certain height and wait. since they straighten out it's very easy to pot them on, provided you take care not to break the roots. you can avoid roots catching on paper if you put a layer of baking paper on it and then seeds on top. baking paper actually gets wet easily. not butcher paper, the whitish baking kind.
- the general and biggest advantage of both of these paper methods is that you don't waste space with pots and seeds that are dead. that and the fact that most varieties will take around a week to germinate. often less, very rarely 10 days or more. 
 
i use this method for germinating most stuff i grow, except tomatoes and tiny seeds like petunias. 
This (paper zip lock) is actually called the Deno germination method, after the late dr. Norman Deno who dedicated his scientific career to testing out thousands of plant species and finding optimal germination conditions.
Since his death his work went into public domain and can be found here:
book:  https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/catalog/41278
first supplement: https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/catalog/41279
second supplement: https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/catalog/41277
 
 
Here's an update. On January 6th, I started a batch of Jamaican Hot Chocolate Habaneros. 50% in ziplocs, and 50% directly in seed starting mix (in a 72 space hexagon tray, covered with dome). Both got same temps, same light, same treatment.
 
Nearly a month later, the results are in, and they're very obvious.  The larger plants were directly sown in seed starting mix, and the smaller plants are the ziploc germination method.  Both methods germinated in the same time frame, and were transferred to the larger cups upon first germination.
 
IMG_3561RED.jpg
 
I get my best results with 78-80 degrees, varieties will vary, of course.
 
 
 
mrgrowguy said:
 
... I have a temp regulator connected to my heating pads and keep the temps between 78 and 80 degrees. For a good while now, I have been enjoying 95-100% success.
...
I have been known to let the pepper seeds go up to 82 degrees sometimes.
 
If you google germination rates in regards to temperature, there are some VERY comprehensive charts out there that show drastic drops in germination when the temps stray even a little bit from the sweet spot, hotter or colder.
 
 
-mrgg*
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i have just really started growing peppers, but after having a pretty low success rate with the paper towel method.  i started using a 1020 72 cell flat with a heat mat and thermostat set to 85F.  the cells are filled with straight perlite.
 
  so far i am having a 90 percent germination rate.  when i see a sprout, i gently pull it out and with the roots comes a few chunks of perlite.  i take this and plant it into a solo cup under the light it goes.  every week or so i replace the water in the tray with fresh chlorinated tap water. a turkey baster helps remove the old water.   I think the chlorine actually helps to reduce the risk of root rot or other pathogens.  at first I used non chlorinated water, and the seeds mostly developed mold and didn't germinate.
 
i try to keep the water level to where 1/4 to 1/2 of the cells are submerged.  and this is covered with a vented humidity dome.  so far i have used this set up for peppers, tomatoes, and a few other things. 
 
Hi guys i let my seeds dry last night in the papper towels for about 4 5 hours they did had some action before and then they went dry.. some of the new stuff (root?) Became a bit brown. You think that they will be ok ? Sorry for the newbe question..
 
BillyTheHeat2 said:
Hi guys i let my seeds dry last night in the papper towels for about 4 5 hours they did had some action before and then they went dry.. some of the new stuff (root?) Became a bit brown. You think that they will be ok ? Sorry for the newbe question..
Click to expand...
 
Typically, if they dry out once they've started germinating, they're gone. Sorry for the bad news =(
 
ako1974 said:
I have used a bunch of different methods. I don't like pellets (they're either waterlogged or bone-dry) and although the plastic bag/paper towel method has been successful, I don't like handling germinated seeds that way. Fat fingers. My preferred method for several years now is making 2" soil blocks with damp starter soil, gently boring a hole in the middle, dropping the seed in, not covering. I put the blocks in a rectangular, plastic takeout  tray - have a million of them - then put the lid on. Then I put the trays on heat mats just a few inches from fluorescent shop lights. The germination rate has been great. As soon as they sprout, I up-pot the 2" blocks into standard 4" plastic starter pots and, again, keep the light no more than a few inches away. As the plants grow, I need to continually adjust the distance, but I like the results.
Click to expand...
This is my first year growing and I tried the pellets and have to agree about them being either waterlogged or bone dry. I didn't soak my seeds before planting and my germination rate has been 70% at best using a dome and heat matt.

I'm not thrilled with my results so my next attempt will involve soaking, and planting the seeds in the soil mix I have and using a dome and heat matt.

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NorthernJeff said:
 
Typically, if they dry out once they've started germinating, they're gone. Sorry for the bad news =(
Click to expand...
ive discovered that to be pretty much true EXCEPT for this one time when i was away for 2 days and one of my paper towel in bottom of tray with a 20 or 30 cherry red hots seeds dried out completely. i figured it was over for them so i just tossed them in a junk dirt container to dispose of later and in the course of what i was working on they got more dirt added on top. 2 days later i had at leasts 20 cotyledons bursting up through the top layer of dirt. i replanted like a dozen of em and still have most of them actually.  but yeah, dont let them dry out, it almost always ends bad
 
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