It isn’t my favorite part. It’s my least. I do usually lose about 1 out of 7 seeds.
And I do appreciate all the advise I get here. I was just correcting my statement about the water heater. I know it sounded like I was cooking popcorn. LOL but it is only warm.
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I’ve tried it before and I would have to watch them close or it would dry paper towel out. i just took it wrong
What is wrong with starting 20 seeds ? Are you referring to the risk of managing 20 at once ? I accept constructive criticism.
I can’t understand why my method worked in the past but I only have 4 out of the 20 that are growing with the seeds I was sold. I bought around $400. worth of AF sativa seed and they won’t help me because it’s past 90 days.
So I started another 19 seed two different ways but all similar methods to my original method. I hope for better results.
I can’t trust buying seed from this co. again with these results and no help from them.
Disappointed over this loss and response.
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20 just sounds like a lot. I had 9 going in a raised bed and it didn’t go well. It was my first grow so I was learning. But hey, you know what you can handle.
As far as 90 days, do you consider your seeds expired by then? I keep my seeds in the fridge and they seem to last very long.
My last grow was with seeds about 9 months old to me. How old they were before I got them, I don’t know.
I only remember one true seed failure. One that just didn’t pop.
I don’t enjoy this phase of the grow. If course, can’t get to second base without running to first. I don’t stay feeling confident until pre-veg. Then it’s rock&roll.
Happy Growing
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@afid My last 2 orders of seeds were not up to standard, very tiny seeds that cracked open but never extended the root. I have decided not to go back to HGC for seeds since they seem to have a quality check problem. When I inquired about the problem, which seemed like an easy question it took several people involvement and the only response I got was send pictures of how I tried to germinate and they would decide if it was a problem on their end. When I asked about any standard for seed size they said NO…so there you have my experience.
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@afid @Daddy1971 @CurrDogg420 @Noddykitty @Cannaman22 @Northcountryguy @SlingShot well I just read where HGC bought 2 seed banks last year to put under their management. Those company’s did not have good customer reviews…I would bet that some of their seeds may have been put into HGC bank and that could explain why last year I received less than normal quality seeds. It is also possible my contact was a employee not happy with the acquisitions or just a bad employee… I will give them another chance when time to order again since I have been thru several mergers and know what happens that first year.
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So of course, as soon as I open my mouth……
Had a pair of seeds fail to launch. After plenty of waiting, I made a rake out of a plastic take out fork, and dug them up gently, one I found, a nice, empty shell that had popped open. The other I never did find, nor did it ever appear. So of course I started over, two seeds from a known good batch, and onward we go.
The seed biz in the US at least will never get better than it is until we get full federal legalization. Then I’d expect a seed industry as good as we have for veggies will emerge.
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update!!!
I reported above that I’d had two seeds fail to sprout. I eventually found an empty, popped open shell with no contents, and no evidence of the other lost seed whatsoever.
So I reluctantly soaked and planted two more, slightly disappointed, because I’d wanted to try the failed strain, and the second pair were backup, of the blueberry auto I’ve been growing.
So that was that. I planted the two new beans in their forever pots right off the start, and waited patiently.
When the two new blueberry sprouts first popped above the surface, I went to rake up debris for a photo. As I dragged the plastic fork/ rake through the surface, it snagged on what turned out to be a nearly two inch long horizontal vine, growing just a mm or so beneath the surface, without popping up. When I realized it was the long lost tangerine auto sprout. I rinsed it off and replanted it, just for giggles. It’s still alive, and since I’m fresh out of soil, it’s gonna share a five gallon pot with a blueberry, and we shall see how that works out…
Until and unless you oven bake your soil, never say never…
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I have ten AF seeds in perfect conditions but not sprouting it’s been weeks. I started another ten but nothing yet. I followed the homegrown technique. I check everything with lazer temp. conditions are excellent but the seeds are absolutely junk. I have never seen seeds this bad. I will never buy anything but the best seed available in the future.
I even tried to work with this seed co. when I purchased I tried to get exactly what I wanted for a perfect grow. I am so surprised how much I have been let down. Is there any management that can over ride the staff that’s upholding there policy ? They put on a big pro knowledge show but fail to help me recover my loss. So disappointing. I have had three large successful grows over the past years with AF seeds from other country’s. These seeds failed because there junk. Not from any other reason.
@afid Try contacting them again and when they say they can’t then tell them you want to speak to management because if you went by there germination recommendations they have to give you seeds back if it’s been in there time frame
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I’m glad to see your post @Northcountryguy; I’m also an advocate of the “when it sinks, plant it” method, and was beginning to wonder at the absence of like minds.
I avoid the paper towel thing because as soon as a taproot appears, it’s putting out microscopic root hairs, which immediately grab ahold of the paper, and these are all torn asunder as I gently transfer the baby to an appropriate hole in the…
I’m growing in 100% perlite, so I put the soggy seed about a generous inch under the surface, or it’ll toss that lightweight medium off before it can scrape off the seed hull, with attendant difficulties that are frequently fatal.
@afid your humidity was too high and drowned the seeds. You shouldn’t use rags and a cd case won’t let enough oxygen in either so you’ll have low oxygen and extremely high humidity which are horrible conditions for starting seeds.
Use a lighter towel like a paper towel or use unbleached coffee filters instead. After you wet them wring them out a bit so their just slightly damp and not dripping. Place your seeds in them and then place them between two plates or put them in a dark container that allows for airflow in a dark area that’s between 70-77f.
Check on the seeds daily and don’t let them dry out. Instead of pouring water in it is easier to mist with a spray bottle.
My personal preferred method is to use coco discs and a propagation dome with a heated propagation mat but if your seeds fail for any reason with this method you cannot get any replacements.
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Update.
I had one that struggled to shed its hull, and ran out of steam and died. My theory is it dried out on the stalk before it could shed it. The twin planted at the same time and watered heavily bc the soil was dry when planted, it came out fine.
My theory is I was chasing RH as well, bc I had another seedling fail to thrive around the same time. I ended up plumbing a humidifier into my tent inlet air. The survivor is reaaaaaallllly happy at 75f with 60 rh.
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I guess I’m pretty lucky I’m the germination phase. The only seeds I lost was when I let the paper towels dry out because I could not get home to wet them. Otherwise I’ve been 100%.
Now I’ve lost a couple during seedling phase. Always because I did something dumb. Lol
I’m following some Bannons now. When one of them popped, the shell was stuck on the little stem. I waited a day but it still would not come free. I thought for sure I was going to lose this one. I tried removing the shell with tweezers but it was stuck!
I finally pinched it with pliers and cracked the shell off!! She survived. She was a runt for about three weeks, trailing behind the other three but now I can’t tell which one had the issue.
All my seeds have come from Homegrown. I keep them in bubble wrap in the refrigerator. I do the simple float in water for a day and then the paper towels. This last time I didn’t put them in the dirt until they were about an inch long. Makes for determining which way is up, easier.
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