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seeds Germinating Seeds - my method. What's yours?

mrgrowguy

mrgrowguy

I know this is not a new method and there are a thousand different ways to do this, I just wanted to share how I do it in case someone is new to the forum and could use as much information as possible.
 
This is just for new farmers' information, not meant for seasoned growers, unless you do it differently and just want to try this out.
 
This is how I do it:
 
1)      Use clean materials! Get a paper towel, one sheet per bag. Get a sandwich bag.
2)      Fill a sprayer with clean non-chlorinated water. Add 1 tsp H2O2 (antiseptic).
3)      Fold towel so it fits in the sandwich bag as best as possible.
4)      Place seeds on TOP of the towel in the bag.
5)      Spray just a few sprays, enough to dampen the towel. How damp is damp? I like to have JUST enough water that after the seed has been in the bag for a little bit there is a little condensation on the bag around the seed. When I put the seeds in the bag only one side is touching the paper towel, the other side of the seed is against the plastic bag. I do not sandwich the seed in the towel.
6)      Find a consistently warm place; top of fridge, top of a light that is always on, top of a computer, etc.
7)      Fold a beach towel or something maybe a little smaller and place the folded towel on the heat source. Fold as many times as needed to obtain the right temp.
8)      Put a thermometer in the top fold of the towel and see if the temp is around 78 degrees. If too high, add more towel between the bag and the heat source. If too low, place the seeds in a lower fold in the towel, closer to the heat source. Give it at least 2 hours before checking temp as it will rise steadily for a while with the insulation of the towel.
9)      Check seeds daily.
 
 
I like to make sure that the seed bag is covered to block out light. And once I get sprouts, I move the viable seeds to a rooting plug or nute free medium.
 
****The main difference in my method is adding the H2O2 to the spray and using the condensation as an indicator for correct dampness.****
 
 
GL to all,
 
MrGG
 
I have done something similar but not exactly the way you are germinating above. I have tried (so far) two different mediums for transplanting after germination. One is the standard Jiffy Pellet and one is just potting soil in a pot. The Jiffy Pellets do not work as good for me. I guess because the root is exposed. Perhaps that is wrong. I make sure the Jiffy Pellet is soaked for an evening and then just drop the "hooked" seedling in the hole in the Jiffy Pellet. Some survive, some don't. Now, when I actually put the seed in a small pot and cover lightly with potting soil, it grows fine.

Am I just being dumb with the Jiffy Pellet? Obviously, I have better luck with the soil, so I guess I should leave the pellets behind.... What other medium do you use when transplanting?
 
I let seeds set in a good drench of peroxide for 30 min
Then place in paper towels and soaked with degassed water
Slip them in a vented bag and wait,seldom do I re'water unless they havent popped after 2 weeks
 
I started out using the paper towel (coffee filter actually) method, but in the end it was too much work checking every day and making sure the filter was moist. Also my germ rates were not very good. If it works for you though, kudos!
 
These days I just soak for a few hours in water+h2o2, then direct plant into little starter pots and cover that with a bag or dome.
 
bpiela said:
Am I just being dumb with the Jiffy Pellet? Obviously, I have better luck with the soil, so I guess I should leave the pellets behind.... What other medium do you use when transplanting?
Click to expand...
 
I don't think you are being dumb, but you definitely aren't using the jiffy pellets for what they were designed for. I now use jiffy pellets for all my germination and I won't go back to anything else...
 
I personally don't like the paper towel germination method. It's way too labour intensive and i don't like to handle the fragile sprouts. I have near perfect germination rates with the pellets:
 
- Soak seeds for a few hours in warm water
 
- Lay out dry pellets in a germination tray, then add warm water to the tray until the pellets are fully expanded and can't soak up any more water. It only takes 20 minutes or so for them to soak up, no need to go overnight.
 
-Drop the soaked seed into the hole and lightly push some of the wet peat over the hole to close it off. Sometimes I will plant 3 seeds per pellet (spaced evenly), but it takes more time than just popping in one per hole.
 
-Place the germination tray in a dome with a heated germination mat.
 
-Drink beer and stare at the dome until they sprout
 
As soon as the hooks come up and the coty's spread, I take that pellet out (before the dome cooks the seedling) and plant it directly into solo cup with soil. Helmet heads get an extra day in the dome where it's moist. That's about as much handling as i'm willing to do...
 
I love all these methods, I am thinking about starting to playing around with different ways (I have tried a good many methods, but there are some inspirational thoughts here), or integrate some ideas into my current method. Will use my less-precious seeds for testers of course :)
 
Hopefully new farmers will get some good ideas from this thread.

Keep the ideas coming if you got em

I edited the title of the thread to include: What's yours?  to get as much compiled info as we can :)

Personally, I think I am going to try putting the just germinated seeds into a 4" with starter mix instead of the plugs. Might as well take a step out if its not needed.

I have been getting consistent 100% germination for a while with my method, but if I can take out a step without losing anything, awesome!
 
I never have much luck with the paper towel method  :cry:  I always use seed trays, fill them with soil and place in a large ziploc bag and soak the tray until the top is moist. Then I set it on my heat pad. This gives me luck.
 
Small plastic cups filled with seed starting mix then bottom watered then cover with plastic wrap and put in container on heat map...never had success with the paper towel method
 
I found the two biggest factors with success with the paper towel method are the dampness and molding.
 
The H2O2 takes care of the molding, but the dampness is an art to find out the right amount (thus why I gave my personal indicator in the OP - condensation around the seed). I have seen a lot of people's posts where the towel is straight saturated. I know some seeds will germ in that, but they can't be getting close to my percentages with it as far as I can logic.
 
I also like the towel method (non-sandwiched) because I can easily see which seeds are taking and won't waste time/space/money on a plug that doesn't germinate. But I may try just going straight into seedling mix instead of the plugs to save that money also. Of course I will still be using the towel method just so I don't waste the effort on a non-viable seed.
 
Yah, I normally sow 3x of each type per starter pot and just cull or separate later. Germ. % has taken a back seat for me lol. This I think I only had like 63% germination over an avg. of 9 days. Which was fine for me, I only needed one plant of each type and would have culled down to one anyway. I only have 10 varieties going right now.
 
Ive tried multiple methods. My preferred is starter trays with potting soil. 2 seeds per cell, keep moist. Germ rates are 90-95%. Nature spreads thru dropped fruits on the ground. We had multiple tomato plants outside of the garden last year from chickens eating seeds and pooping them elsewhere. You really need nothing fancy. Seed+dirt+water=plant. But as with anything in life, you gotta do what works for you. Good luck with your grows
 
I intentionally made a point to experiment with various methods this season. Both indoors and outdoors. 
 
After which I decided seedling tray, heating mat, and MG seed starting mix indoors was going to be my preferred approach. Not even pre-soaking the seeds. Simple and unoriginal but my germination rates are high and I enjoy it more than other methods. I'd highly recommend getting one of these for misting. It rocks!
 
5952.jpg
 
Spicy Mushroom said:
After which I decided seedling tray, heating mat, and MG seed starting mix indoors was going to be my preferred approach.
Click to expand...
 
I like that approach also. When I ran out of peat pellets, that approach got me 100% germ rate on my carolina reaper seed. When do you transplant the seedling from the tray? I transplanted mine too early and there wasn't nearly enough root mass to hold the soil ball together.
 
Two years ago I sewed sowed straight into warm expanded Jiffy pods and got germination rates in the high 80% range. Last year switched to Promix HP in red plastic cups covered with plastic wrap to trap moisture and got in the low 70s. This year used "seed starting mix" in red plastic cups with plastic wrap and got somewhere around 50%. Back to basics it is!
 
^One of my trials was red plastic cups, plastic wrap, potting mix, outdoors. I had 0% germination rate @ 3+ weeks. That was with 20+ varieties and 2-4 seeds per cup!
 
I'm wondering if I had used seed starting mix instead of potting mix in that setup if I would have gotten germination.
 
These were the exact same seeds I was getting around 85% germination indoors with the heating mat and seed starting mix.
 
While it might take a bit longer and it is only suited for those closer to year-round growing climates, I've had the best germination rates with just putting potting soil in a germination tray and letting it stay outside with the cover on once night temps are consistently in the 50s.... Might mean a bit more micromanaging in moving the tray inside or to a more shaded spot if daytime temps rise a lot and checking moisture levels daily, but I'd be checking on the tray just as much if I had it inside on a heat mat....

To mean, simpler and closer to natural is best, but it dictates the harvest since it reduces the ability to get a head start on the season....

I read an article a few years ago suggesting a seed will germinate dependent upon the conditions at the time the pod reached maturity. It seemed to be getting at seeds from a late-season pod being easier to germinate than mid-season pods. Depending on the location/climate it makes sense, but it suggests seeds have some sort of sensing ability or the ability to go dormant....
 
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