• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

seeds Best Germination Method

An old heating pad from the 60's. Still working after all these years.
Some time I should take some pics of my antique gardening stuff...lol-including myself
 
Agree - it's more about temperature and moisture than method. However, each of us has preferred approaches. I've used a variety of approaches over the years but the one I like best so far is the one I used for the first time this year. I mostly like it because it satisfies my curiosity as I can see exactly what's happening. I take little plastic bathroom cups and put seeds of each variety into each. First I soak for a while in H2O2, then I switch that out with water. Every couple of days I change out the water until the root peeks out. After that, I move it/them to starter soil. This way I know with certainty that the seed has sprouted, then it's just a matter of waiting for the plant to come up from however deep I buried it in the starter soil. 
 
Keeping the temperature in an ideal range depends on where you're at and what your weather is like. In the past I've put seeds in a plastic bag on top of the refrigerator. I've used a heating pad, but note that you may need to get a thermostat to regulate the pad as some of them get too hot. We've had many sunny days lately this year, though, and I've just got them in the front window catching rays.
 
robbyjoe01 said:
An old heating pad from the 60's. Still working after all these years.
Some time I should take some pics of my antique gardening stuff...lol-including myself
Click to expand...
Where do you get the heating pads? 
 
geeme said:
Agree - it's more about temperature and moisture than method. However, each of us has preferred approaches. I've used a variety of approaches over the years but the one I like best so far is the one I used for the first time this year. I mostly like it because it satisfies my curiosity as I can see exactly what's happening. I take little plastic bathroom cups and put seeds of each variety into each. First I soak for a while in H2O2, then I switch that out with water. Every couple of days I change out the water until the root peeks out. After that, I move it/them to starter soil. This way I know with certainty that the seed has sprouted, then it's just a matter of waiting for the plant to come up from however deep I buried it in the starter soil. 
 
Keeping the temperature in an ideal range depends on where you're at and what your weather is like. In the past I've put seeds in a plastic bag on top of the refrigerator. I've used a heating pad, but note that you may need to get a thermostat to regulate the pad as some of them get too hot. We've had many sunny days lately this year, though, and I've just got them in the front window catching rays.
Click to expand...
Also how long should i soak them in hydrogen peroxide?
 
My mama......now a days your local feed and seed store has heating pads built just for germination. At my house for a location doesn't help peg it any closer
 
pso900-a1_zpsedff35bc.jpg




10841136_10203158090021685_1218952101_n_zps0c5e2715.jpg


Dixie cup sized solo cups with holes in the bottom. (Water from bottom by flooding tin)

10846732_10203158246185589_754533959_n_zpsb7da3368.jpg


Heat mat (nersury seedling mat)


10872410_10203214954523262_1612472103_n_zpsf0572ff2.jpg


Off the mat and under lights when hook shows.
 
A ghetto alternative to a heating pad is to place the cups in a big beer/food cooler (styrofoam box) along with containers (plastic soda bottles?) full of warm water.
Microwave the water once or twice a day as needed.
Use a thermometer to maintain 80~85f.
 
Of the few germination media types I've tried, a coir/soil mix does the best job of maintaining the moisture level right about where I want it, without drying or getting too soggy. 
 
Many ways work. If done right no one way is quicker than the other. Also depends on the seeds used as well
 
Myself: Soak seeds in half strength chamomile overnight
 
Plant in 72 cell starter tray filled with Pro Mix BX. I used this because I have plenty of it around since it's what I use for my container plants. This was my first year so I over sowed not knowing what to expect germination wise. I put 4-5 seeds in each cell but you don't need that many. I had a lot of culling to do. Put dome on.
 
Put tray on 4 foot germination mat. Bought this off of Amazon. You can find the single tray size ones there as well. A radiator also works very well. When I started my first seeds at the end of January I just put the seed tray on the radiator since it was running all the time. Worked great. Radiator might not be a good option this time of year unless it's still very cold where you are.
 
Check trays daily. Keep soil moist at all times DO NOT let it dry out. Water from the bottom if necessary. I would remove the lid for a few hours every other day just to prevent mold.
 
As soon as you see hooks remove the lid and put under lights just a few inches away. You can remove the heat if you want but I just left mine on the heat mat.
 
I had some seeds popping in as little a 3-4 days. Only a few took over two weeks and they were all from the same company
 
I soak my seeds overnight in a weak peroxide solution. (1 1/2 tsp per cup of water. 2Tbl to a quart of water) Then plant in 606 seedling trays of soil. Trays are set on a germination (heating) mat controlled by a thermostat set at 78-80 deg.
 
+1 to overnight soak in peroxide. I've found that the seed casing is usually solid enough that you can use straight-up peroxide. However, if you think the seed casing has been compromised at all, definitely use a weak solution. Generally a 1:10 ratio works. 
 
Here's the thing to keep in mind about using potting soil early on (rather than seed starter): potting soil usually has fertilizer of one sort or another built into it. Sometimes soil companies get a little heavy-handed with the fertilizer, which can burn the babies. I prefer to err on the side of caution because of this, and only use seed starter until the plants are ready to be transplanted into pots. For my grow conditions, it's really a matter of when the weather is cooperating and my schedule rather than when the plants are really ready for it. Meaning it could be earlier if I lived in a warmer climate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top