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"The Baggie Method"

C

charlesNYC

so, i see a lot of amazing seed starting set ups, but i was wondering; has anyone tried this?

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seed/2003044315027348.html

while i can see it as being relatively labor intensive (having to transport each and every single sprouting seed individually into its pot), and i can see the draw backs if you're starting 100 pepper plants, are there any other reasons why this method isn't as prevalent around here as it is on gardenweb?
 
I have seen posts here about people using the coffee filter method. I did this with some green bean seeds that were two years old to make sure they were spouting before I planted. Works great, just a little more labor intensive is all. By all means you can do this, make sure you check them a couple times a day and get them in the soil when they start to send the root trailer out. One note with peppers, they like warmth when sprouting, 80-85 deg. is ideal. Top of fridge works if you dont have a heating pad LINKY for sprouting seeds.
 
Thats how I sprout all my seeds only fold coffee filter in half to be able to see through for roots, tryed paper towels roots grew into the paper a real pain in the butt
 
Works wonderfully and is not that labor intensive. I did the greenhouse thing (no heating pad) and while it works, I couldn't keep a good consistant temperature. Potawie mentioned in a thread on here about placing the bags on top of your fluoros in you have them, making sure to keep them off of the ballast(?) I think....a small 6-8" section that is really hot. I did that and got good cosistant germination.

I had tons of sprouts and germinating seeds scattered throughout a couple different greenhouse cells and whatnot. I found out the easiest thing to do was to get a 72 cell tray (if you have that many or close to that many) and go ahead and fill it with whatever growing medium you're going to use for the seedlings (not growing plants, but SEEDLINGS) and fill all the cells up that you think you will need. Once a day (after I got home from work, got the kids fed and in bed, etc) I hold the bags with the coffee filters to the light and if there are seeds that have their little tails growing out, Id take out of the baggy and used a decking screw with 3/8" marked on it, and poked a hole to the mark, dropped the seed in tail down, gently filled/covered the hole and marked it. Within a day or two it would be popped out of the grow medium.

For the most part, since I've went to putting the baggies on the lights, I get atleast 95% germination, 100% on some seeds. I had some that weren't always a consistant temperature before I read Potawie's post about placing on the top of the fluoro lights that molded and rotted, but havent had that problem since placing on a consistant heat source.

Probably how I will start all of my seed next year.

METHOD: Coffee filter, dipped in warm water, wring it out, but still plenty wet, just enough so it doesn't drip, spring seeds on one half of it, fold in half, then fold in half again, place in baggy, press air out of baggy and seal, place on consistant heat source and check daily.
 
I have tried every way from Sunday to get a consistant proven solution for germination to work but for me, this year it has been hit and miss. all I want is 90% germination with the 50 fatalii seeds I purchased, I have tried every technique except having the pope or dali lama blessing the seeds and this year I have had very spottie results. of the several in baggies only two produced, one died after I tried to remove the seed that was stuck to the sprout(to be fair I had a couple of shots of brandy before hand). I tried the coir and out of 7 seeds, 2 sprouted. None produced in peat pellets. I tried several bishops crowns in baggies, 2 produced and one had the seed stuck to the first leaves.....yep..... did the brandy thing and 1 died..... note to myself, don't let booze give you the confidence to be daring(one of the fatalii in coir had a seed on the first leaves and this time I convinced myself not to touch it under any circumstances - put a sign on it to remind me, seed feel off plant is looking good. Then, I planted 2 bishops crowns in peat pellets, like I tried twice before with no results and voila one popped the other didn't.

I am guessing the quality of seeds will prove to be the real true germination factor and if you have a good quality seed started premix that it would be just as good of a germination technique.
 
Burning Colon said:
note to myself, don't let booze give you the confidence to be daring(one of the fatalii in coir had a seed on the first leaves and this time I convinced myself not to touch it under any circumstances - put a sign on it to remind me, seed feel off plant is looking good.
Click to expand...

Where were you two kids ago, buddy?!

G'luck in the future, and I suggest a much more expensive brandy.
 
I've tried it myself, Since I live in a tropical country and it's hot season now (it's either hot or wet here). I would leave a some kitchen paper towels in a baggy with some seeds and have had pretty bad germination this way. It's probably because I don't moisten them, I think I might have drowned them.

Now I'm trying a different approach. I'll be soaking my seeds in water overnight and sow the seeds into a growing medium right after.

It would be really cool to see seeds just have their little tails come out and just stick them in the ground and know that there's something that's gonna come up after a few days.

I suck at this method.
 
I found that with the baggies, if it starts to dry up around the seed, the seed is soaking the water up and moisten a bit more and BOOM, next day you have germination. Not sure what's going on, I suppose the seed is soaking up the water to get ready and start to germinate, but I noticed on more than one baggie, the coffee filter would dry up around the seeds, Id dampen it a little bit then all of a sudden, the next day they'd look like spermletts.

I will note, Fatali, Chocolate Hab and Big Jims have been giving me fits with this method....but all three of those also molded in the first go round and am getting better results with the second batch. First go around the temperature was not stable.
 
Not sure i would have the time and more important the pateince to do the baggie/coffee filter method although as stated above it would be cool to actually see the germination starting. I only soaked in warm water overnight got great germination rates, probably will go with the tea method next year.
 
Four days taped to a window.
One of the days we had temps to up to 95.

Anyways, these are my back-up Grushkova Tomatoes. Just in case I succeed in killing my Early Wonders.

4648022130_baa3149546_b.jpg
 
Have used the coffee filter in the bag for years, works for me. May not work for everyone. I fold coffee filter in half place in bag, place seeds in filter, wet with two eye droppers full of water peroxide mix, place into tray on top of heater at 86 degrees. Two to four days have sprouts. plant in coco and grow.
 
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