Once the lights are up, you can begin the process of germination. Germination essentially entails planting the marijuana seed and coercing it to sprout. If you don’t provide it with the right environment, the seed will just remain a seed for the foreseeable future.
There are several methods that you can use to germinate your marijuana seeds, and every grower recommends something different. For the most part, the options are limited to either using soil (or another growing medium) or a wet paper towel.
1. Soil Just by looking at these options, soil seems like it would be the most natural way of germinating a seed and, indeed, that is the case. Simply place the seed about 3 mm deep into the soil and keep the soil moist for about 7 days. This usually has around a 75% to 80% success rate in terms of getting seeds to germinate. This also depends on the seed quality
2. Wet Paper Towel method The wet paper towel method is another method that is relatively simple. For this, you place the seed on a damp paper towel and fold the towel over it. In theory, the success rate with this method is around 80% to 90%, but it is more common for breakages to occur while transplanting. The seedling clearly won’t be able to thrive in a paper towel, so”transplanting is necessary, and it must be performed with great care.
Other options for germination include “propagation kits,” which is just a fancy and more economical way to say “growing media for seeds.” These include Rockwool cubes and have a similar success rate when compared to the paper towel trick. You can find these kits at many garden centers.
Still, the easiest method for any beginner is just to use soil. Transplanting will not be necessary, and it really is the most natural way to get your seeds to germinate adequately. When transplanting the seedlings at such an early age, you run the risk of “shocking” the plants. This will either stunt their growth or kill them altogether, so it makes sense to just stick with using soil until you get comfortable enough as a grower to use something else.
3. Soaking in water I advise to use this method because it has the highest success rate in my experience.
- Soak your seeds in water. They will sprout a tail between 24 to 72 hours
- Put your seeds in a 1/2 inch hole in soil in little pots, gently cover with soil
- Place pots under a 36 watts CFL tube at 2 inch distance from plants
- Keep the soil moist and spray water with a plant sprayer twice a day
- After 2 to 3 weeks, roots may grow out of the bottom, time to transplant to bigger pots.
- Once the plants are 8 or under HPS/LED lights. ready to move outdoors or under HPS/LED lights
With many growers over the years, and everybody has their own way of germinating seeds. Some prefer soil, others rockwool or peat pots. What is your favorite way of germinating seeds? Read my article about germinating marijuana seeds and leave a comment.
