Seed Sprouting

[F420]

The seeds needed to be IN the cubes to pop. I havent done it your way before but normally it takes about 3-4 days. :thumbsup

 

Also ripping the cubes apart isnt good for them mate.

[porkchop]

yer i know but it's taking to long for it to rise and i feel i might have cooked them on the heat mat when poping and looking at the tap root exposed is a light brown colour and i belive it shoud be white? :scratchin

[F420]

Yeah it should be whitish.

If the heat mat is designed for germinating then it shouldnt cook them. 25deg c. approx it should be.

Even a home brew heater should be ok.

[porkchop]

my heat mat

[Luke Skywalker]

Get a thermometer/hygrometer.

 

You shouldn't need a heat mat of any kind in oz in summer IMHO, it's about the right temps naturally.

 

And yeah, you can pop seeds using the towelling method and plant out into rockwool cubes, but it's generally easier to just drop the seed into a soaked and drained cube, cover the top with a thin piece of growool, or my personal method, a piece of perlite or vermiculite, just a tiny one, so that the seed is not exposed to light. It's pretty strong, but don't plug the perlite or vermiculite piece right into the hole, just rest it on the surface.

 

Another tip is to not fool with them when they're germinating. The more you fiddle, poke and move a developing sprout, the more damage you cause. Ideally, we'd all be sowing out direct into the media of our choice, never transplanting at all. The advantage of growool is that if you use it correctly, transplanting as soon as roots are seen on the bottom of the cube, (plants don't keep particularly well for long periods in the small prop cubes) you can minimise transplant shock and have plants ready and ripping to go into whatever system you desire, even organic cultivation methods!

 

But yeah, the less you poke it, or disturb it, the quicker it will establish.

 

It can take anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks for a seed to germinate, and it changes with temps, humidity, conditions generally. Ideally, aim for about 25 degrees in the cube and ambient, and don't let them sit in water, they must be perfectly drained. Once they sprout remove them immediately from the humidicrib, (if that's what you're germinating in) as high humidity will cause stem elongation in the young seedling, and also makes it susceptible to stem wilts.

 

Hope that helps.

[Shivan]

Hiya, in my current grow i used RW cubes to germinate i also used seedling and clone started solution mixed with water. I put RW cubed in a heat 'N' Grow dome with vents closed i did not use a heat mat i put a towl over it to keep dark. I had 6 of 21 pop over night and at 2 days i had 13 of 21 pop end result 11 seedlings

Note: my seed types are not known also some seeds are really old so might be reason didnt pop. This was ththe first time i have grown this way but found it really successful.

 

Shivan :thumbsup

[porkchop]

thanks guys , i sowed 10 more. this time i won't fuck with them. I'm just used to a faster sprout rate. I'll post more pics of my grow box when it's got something in it. I've been slack and let my mothers die just before xmas. but redesign was on the cards.

[veg]

I tried the soak seeds method and it works great. Got a pack from serious seeds thru xpat, soaked 8 overnight like Luke said and 6 opened, put straight into rockwool. Next day other 2 opened and into rockwool also. Next day first 6 are out of the cube!!! I guess that means tomorrow the other 2 should follow :fingers crossed:

Never tried it like this before and it was very quick and easy. Now just the 2-3 month grow to get my girls sorted.

Thanks all for the forum, its a great read for info.

 

Veg

[Luke Skywalker]

Wow, something I said helped someone....

 

I feel all warm and fuzzy. Thanks man.

 

One thing to note with sprouting seedlings in rockwool cubes is that they're not large, and the root system of MJ will grow very, very quickly. So transplanting the seedlings, very soon after they pop, is important for the least stress on the plant. Seedlings don't "hold" well in small cubes, but do much better in the next size up.

 

Hope that helps some.

[veg]

your not wrong there Luke, the other 2 came out of the cubes today

checked the first 6 and they each have a tap root out the bottom, theyre really moving. I will pot them in the morning.