Germinate in soil.

[Carecrab]

Hello fellow tomato growers!

I'm new to this forum and I've been reading tons of information about autoflowers and growing in general.
But there's one thing I cant seem to wrap my head around when it comes to germinate straight into the final pot.
Some people advice you to pre flush the medium and put it in the tent a day before sowing the seed so the medium is moist and after a couple of days you just spray the soil if the top layer is drying out.
Some say that you sow the seed and just give it a wee bit of water and when it pops you gradually increase the watering and water in bigger and bigger circles around the stem.

This for me is a little bit confusing tbh and I have a hard time to pick what method I'm gonna go with. I want to keep things as simple as possible.

What method are you using?

Thanks guys and have a great day!

 

[Geordiejesus]

Hello fellow tomato growers!

I'm new to this forum and I've been reading tons of information about autoflowers and growing in general.
But there's one thing I cant seem to wrap my head around when it comes to germinate straight into the final pot.
Some people advice you to pre flush the medium and put it in the tent a day before sowing the seed so the medium is moist and after a couple of days you just spray the soil if the top layer is drying out.
Some say that you sow the seed and just give it a wee bit of water and when it pops you gradually increase the watering and water in bigger and bigger circles around the stem.

This for me is a little bit confusing tbh and I have a hard time to pick what method I'm gonna go with. I want to keep things as simple as possible.

What method are you using?

Thanks guys and have a great day!

Hi high dude. And welcome.... Both statements are correct... There is many ways of germinating a seeds.. To put it simple the idea of it all is to simply soften the seed shell to allow the tap root to find ground. I have tried paper towel method and natural method of planting a seed. Difference is the time it takes for the shell to break.... Paper towel method simply wet some tissue or paper towel and fold it with the seed inside, place the wet paper towel inside a food bag and seal this will cause a great deal of humidity store in a dark warm place and wait for the magic. Check a day later to see if your seed has popped..... Natural way would be simply planting a seed and keep the soil moist, placing a dome over the area helps to keap the humidity up. It takes longer this.

 

[Carecrab]

Hi high dude. And welcome.... Both statements are correct... There is many ways of germinating a seeds.. To put it simple the idea of it all is to simply soften the seed shell to allow the tap root to find ground. I have tried paper towel method and natural method of planting a seed. Difference is the time it takes for the shell to break.... Paper towel method simply wet some tissue or paper towel and fold it with the seed inside, place the wet paper towel inside a food bag and seal this will cause a great deal of humidity store in a dark warm place and wait for the magic. Check a day later to see if your seed has popped..... Natural way would be simply planting a seed and keep the soil moist, placing a dome over the area helps to keap the humidity up. It takes longer this.

Thanks for your answer! I'm familiar with the paper towel method and the shot glass method.
The most confusing part for me is the pre flush part. My initial thought is that it's easier to keep track on the watering if I don't pre flush my medium and just gradually increase the watering. Maybe I'm making it harder then it is.

 

[Not-a-cop]

I have germinated in soil on my latest grow, all I did was moisten the soil then press the seed into the surface so it was about 5mm deep, then covered it up and sprayed the surface lightly. I started them in plastic cups and put a glass jam jar over the top to stop the soil drying out. I had successful germination within 3 days.

I think it doesn’t matter what method you use, some people go for kitchen towels, some go for immersion in water. I chose direct in soil so I didn’t risk breaking any roots when transplanting.

 

[Geordiejesus]

Thanks for your answer! I'm familiar with the paper towel method and the shot glass method.
The most confusing part for me is the pre flush part. My initial thought is that it's easier to keep track on the watering if I don't pre flush my medium and just gradually increase the watering. Maybe I'm making it harder then it is.

All depends what sort of medium you using. Some soils needs to be watered till runoff then left for a day or two befor planting

 

[Carecrab]

I have germinated in soil on my latest grow, all I did was moisten the soil then press the seed into the surface so it was about 5mm deep, then covered it up and sprayed the surface lightly. I started them in plastic cups and put a glass jam jar over the top to stop the soil drying out. I had successful germination within 3 days.

I think it doesn’t matter what method you use, some people go for kitchen towels, some go for immersion in water. I chose direct in soil so I didn’t risk breaking any roots when transplanting.

Thanks for your answer! Yeah there's so many ways to do it and you'll never know what's gonna work best if you don't try right.
Is there any benefits at all to soak the medium one day before sowing? I've read that it prevents the medium to get airpockets and what not.

 

[Carecrab]

All depends what sort of medium you using. Some soils needs to be watered till runoff then left for a day or two befor planting

I'm gonna go with a brand called Gold Label Special Mix, it's a soil mix with peat, perlite and vermculite. :smoking:

 

[automan2]

If I were a new grower, Id be confused too. Promoting more seed handling simply gives more ways to lower the germ %. I germ all my beans direct in soil....biobizz light mix that's moistened .....1/2" deep, on heat mat, domed. I lightly mist the seed area maybe once a day but otherwise go load my bong and leave til it pops. My t5 germ lights are on 24/7....100% germ.
Putting the bean at the right depth will force the sprout to work its way toward the surface which in turn almost always drags the helmet off. A cheap moisture meter is essential for training YOU when to water. After 15 yrs, I still rely on one even in my small pots.
Guess I'm one of the lucky ones who learned about seeds in the '60s.

 

[Carecrab]

If I were a new grower, Id be confused too. Promoting more seed handling simply gives more ways to lower the germ %. I germ all my beans direct in soil....biobizz light mix that's moistened .....1/2" deep, on heat mat, domed. I lightly mist the seed area maybe once a day but otherwise go load my bong and leave til it pops. My t5 germ lights are on 24/7....100% germ.
Putting the bean at the right depth will force the sprout to work its way toward the surface which in turn almost always drags the helmet off. A cheap moisture meter is essential for training YOU when to water. After 15 yrs, I still rely on one even in my small pots.
Guess I'm one of the lucky ones who learned about seeds in the '60s.

Thanks man for sharing that information!
Imma go with germinate straight into the soil. When you moisten the soil, do you give it a nice water and then let it sit for a while in the tent in order to get the temp right in the soil?
I have a moisture meter that I'm gonna use combined with lifting the pot to get a feel for the wet/dry soil.

 

[tip]

I grow auto in big pots. When I started I was advised autos don't transplant well so I germinated directly in the big pot after 30 hours in a wet paper towel. I start with a cup of water spread in a small circle about 4 inches in diameter and place the seed into the moistened soil about 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep. Then I water gently with a suitable rose if the top if it gets dry. The seeds spout on the 3rd or 4th day. After they pop I continue with a cup for the next watering and sometime in the second week I move on to two cups increasing the diameter of the circle so as to always be bigger than the width of the plant. . By the time the plants are about six weeks old, I'm watering 6 litres every 4 or 5 days and getting runoff.