Can anyone plzz tell me how long do you need to leave developing tap roots before planting them? I keep having the same problem- I soak seed for a day, pour water on paper towel and place seeds, put them in a warm ( can temps be to hot?) dark place. Question is - how long do I need to wait to open and plant. seeds keep opening then doing nothing. have had the same problem for the last 10 seeds I tried to get to germinate. all seeds form different sources. 
HELP PLZZZZZ
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@twoheadedjoe I use the same basic technique as you and have found good seeds will put out a tap root in the paper towel within 24 hrs and after 2 days should be out 1/8inch enough to point it into your grow medium. after the 3rd day in the paper towel if the tap is not out it pretty much never will in my experience. you mention temp for the paper towel, what is your temp?
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not sure of temp ā¦ I put them in a tent no lights with a seedling heat mat.
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try to germinate at room temps ā¦maybe the seedling mat is hot???
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Thats what I was thinking. Iām running out of seeds and hope I can work it out soon. I watch vids and the tap roots in them are like an inch or bigger. is that what your look like also? how long did it take to get that big??
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is there a specific size you need to wait ti plant???
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tap typically out 1/8 to 1/4 inch in 24-48hrs
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Iām 55 and have never had so much trouble getting a seed to take,lol. had to talk to some one , thought I was going crazy. I have other stains and keep cloning never have trouble . I bought seeds and canāt get them to pop . I know itās me lol , and I know itās more then one thing just wanted an outside opinion . Thank you for your help . If its cool Iāll shoot you some messages with other concerns and questions I know Iāll have.
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totally understand ā¦ here to help if I can
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Iām usually in the soil within 48h. 1/4ā-maybe 1/2ā tap root - any more is risky in my opinion.
If youāve never had success with this method, Iād try something else - maybe plant it in a jiffy pod or right in the soil. On the other hand, if itās worked in the past for you, whatās the difference between then and now?
What are you transplanting in to?
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Thank you very appreciated.
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the difference I think is the seeds I have planted before werenāt to old , mostly from weed I bought. these are bought seeds from 3 different people and I keep having the same problem . thatās why I know itās me. I had them in a bag and they popped so I planted them . nothing happened. I think I might have soaked them to much.the next time same situation , they popped and I left them in the bag waiting for them to grow. I think the handling of them to open the bag may of had an bad affect on the because they never grew. the last time I put in a couple of my gorilla glue seeds I know are new and they had the same problems
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So in my mind there are 2 possible things going wrong. Either your handling is damaging them and theyāre dead when they hit the soil, or, theyāre dying shortly after transplant because you soil is too, something: wet, dry, fertilized, dead, etc. Or you planted them too deep. You could dig them up and try to make a post- mortem assessment.
I handle them so gently when theyāre in the paper towel and during the transplant. One trick Iāve heard but yet to try is to use an inner layer of unbleached coffee filters, this keeps the tap root from sticking to the towel which is one way they can get killed. You could also cut around the germinated seedling and plant the whole lot, paper towel bits and all.
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Bounty the quicker picker upper lol no all jokeās aside Iāve used different kinds of paper towels and the bounty it doesnāt do that as bad the cheaper paper towels its like the tap roots dig in @CurrDogg420 is write you have to be easy with them when I put my seedlings in soil i use my pinky to the frist joint and put a pinch of soil over them the tap roots dig dig dig deeper
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Temperature on top of the fridge is generally about right. Too cold or hot isnāt great.
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I know 2 things I did wrong at this point. 1- I planted them to deep. 2- I soaked them to much and I probably handled them a little rough. Iām using bio 365 for substrate. What do you use?
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well I use palmolive to cut grease and it keeps my hands softā¦ 
How big are your tap roots before you plant? and how long until that point ? I am using cheep paper towels also. will fix that one asap. thanks
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Yes I think I was rolling to hot . Everyone seem like really cool people, very happy I joined today. Thanks for the good advice.
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When I plant them, I like the seed casing to end up basically right at the surface of the soil. And I donāt pack the soil down around it. Just a little pinch to close up the hole like @Daddy1971 said. Thereās only so much energy stored in the seed.
I make my own living soil blend, I wrote about it in the Soil Building topic. Iāve also started raising composting worms in my old root balls to ārecycleā them, and now Iām using them in my grow as well.
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Let tails grow to at least 1/2 inch before potting
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