soak method

i was reading up on the soak method but not quite sure on the detaills. My first grow i used thepaper towel method but had a couple that didnt crack so im try this soak method.
warm water or cold?
anything need to be placed over the cup? so the water dont evaporate?
purified water correct?
do they need to be in a warm dark place while in the water?
will the crack and germenate in the water?
how have down do u plant them when they r in there 4 24 hrs.

sry about the # of questions just tryin to get it right?
thanks

 

Okay this one is going to be a freebie. Drop the seeds in a cup of water. Room temperature. I usually insert a plastic bag in the cup to hold the seeds down. Some will float. Keep them in a dark place. Let them soak for 12 hours. Then take them out and use the paper towel method. Keep the towel moist. I put the towel in a sandwich bag to keep the moister in. I then cover the bag with a dark sock or something dark. What I did after that I placed the dark sock over my cable box to keep it warm. After a day or two they germinated. Once the root tips come out place them in the medium of choice. Put them in about 1/4 in. deep. Use fluorescents for lighting.

 

i do it with less fuss than that.


put seed in shot glass 3/4 filled with distilled H2O. label glass so you know what's what.


put on top of water heater in closet for 24-48 hrs. seed should be cracked or showing signs of cracking (fuzziness around it) by then.


if not, let go a few more days until at least a 1/4" root is coming out.


pick it up with clean tweezers and insert about 1/4" down inside your growing medium. try not to touch the root with the tweezers.


pour the rest of the water in the glass over it, and put it under flos.


always works for me!

 

The soak method i was referring to was just soaking your seeds in a glass of room temperature water overnight and then plant them directly into the soil. There is no need to wait for a tap root to show as long as all the seeds are viable.


This way you don't handle the tap root.


Plant it down about 1/4" like mary said and keep te medium moist, and turn the lights on to warm the soil...They should start popping the soil within the next day or so.

 

alright, i got a couple different variation to work with.


I tryed the paper towel last time and got 1 for sure, mayb 2 i cant remember that didnt make it.


I think what im gunna try and do is the soak method then the paper towel method.


Another question: The first time i did it i placed my germinated seeds under my HPS 600W lamp. Now since i got on this site i hear ppl put them under fluorescents, then switch to the HPS. Does that increase yeild, cuz didnt get as much as i expected the first time?

 

It doesnt' increase yeild but when the seedlings are small they are tender and can't take direct intense light right off the bat...so you have to work them up to it with a week or two under some flourescents or a lower intensity HID than the 600 you have...


And there is NO reason to take the seeds outta the glass of water and then put them into a wet paper towel..you are adding in an un neccessary step..just put them into the medium after a 24 hour soak man...the paper towels are really useless after the seeds have been soaking for a day...trust me.

 

Diito Ditto Ditto, why does everyone have the need to finger their seeds? I truly don't get it. It's as if in nature a seed would never sprout unless someone wandered out in the woods and poked at all the seeds for 3 days. Look out your window, how many things out there growing do you think started off in a paper towel?

 

I guess its just preference cause i've done both methods and the paper towel method inside a rubermaid container is the way to go 90%+ germination right every doesn't matter if your doing 5 seeds or 50. also, if you do it right you will get those results in 24-36 hours. The soaking method only advantages i saw were that it really helped weaken the seeds outter coat though it always took my seeds longer and never had any better outcome.


Also, if you do the soak method please remember and don't be fooled by morons there is no difference in the seeds that sink or float you will have equally successful sprouts from both, trust me tried it with over 50 seeds a year or so ago just to settle a dispute about the differences between the two.

 

The jar method


This method has alway worked for me when germinating seeds.


Take a small jar with a lid. Jelly jars or instant coffe jars-anything with a twist on lid. place seeds so they are not touching in a paper tissue (not a paper towl) tissue should also be free of perfumes or dyes. Use a spray bottle to wet the tissue (wet not soaked). crumple up the tissue pop in the jar close the lid, and put in a dark place. Check it in 24hours if it is dry spray again wet not soaked. Within a few days youll have big taproots. the humidity in the closed jar really makes them pop out big and quick, If the seeds are any good.