Welcome.
:Sharing One:

I have been asked by a few members what my germination method is.
So I have decided to post my process so it will be available to all to reference.
Let's get to it..

My method is using the following:
Root Riot cubes ( or Rapid Rooters)
Glad container
Wifi router ( cable or satellite box will work too)

I prefer to use Root Riot cubes or Rapid Rooters.
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When seeds cost $5-15 I like to make them germ on the first shot.
A bag like this cost me an average $25us.

Next,
Choose your seeds.
For this demonstration I'll be using my Little Richard beans.
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Now place a seed into the hole at the top of the rooter cube.
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Once the seed is in, push it down approximately 1/2" (12mm)
It should be far enough in the cube as to not be seen.

Now take the cube and soak under some water.
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Squeeze the cube so it soaks up the water.

You can tell it is soaked by the color of the cube.
When saturated it will be a very dark brown.
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Now take the soaked cube and pace it into the container.
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Make sure to label your beans!

Now seal the container.
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Now it's off to the wifi germination station!
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Now that your beans are on the wifi let them sit here in the sealed container for 12 hrs.

At the 12hr mark, open the container and squeeze the excess water from the cube.
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Discard this extra fluid.
Now take the freshly squeezed cube and place back into the container and place back on the wifi.
(Note: Don't squeeze all the water out. Keep the cube moist, just not soaked. )
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From here I will open the container once a day to allow fresh air in.
As well, I use this opening to make sure the cubes are still moist.

Each day open the container and re-moisten the cubes if necessary.
They will "sweat" out some of the moisture within the container.
Not a problem, I generally drip all the sweated water back onto the cubes.

Within a few days you should have sprouts.
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Once the bean has sprouted I take it out of the container and place it into a tray filled with a bit of water.
Now that the cube is no longer in a sealed environment, you must prevent it from drying out.
That is where the tray or dish of water is essential.
I now take the tray and place it under a CFL desk lamp. (blue 6500k spectrum is what I use)
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I leave the sprout under the light(light remains on 24 hours a day) until it has started to show it's first true leaves.
( I change the water out every day.)
Approximately 1-2 days.
IMG_8067.jpg(note: these girls sprouted within 8 hours of each other.)
Once the sprout has stabilized and shown true leaves, I then pot it up.
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The rest is up to nature! And us growers!

I have been using this process for years and have stellar germination rates.
Hopefully this will help someone to get a good and stress free start.

Thanks for checking out my germination guide.
Happy growing!
 
Provides the perfect temp. Perfect temp provides high Humidity, which germinates your seeds better, with better success rates! I was awful at germination of seeds. I got about 3-4 in 10 seeds to come up, with just going to final container. With Ronin's guide and advise, I now get 100% germination rate on the last 10 beans I popped. You are looking at a cost savings, being you are paying minimal 10 US dollars or more per seed. If you wanted to spit hairs and say the cubes cost money too, you would still be money ahead if all your seeds popped and took off. :check:

day before yesterday, 10 beans in and 10 beans up! 100% success! Yesterday, 18 beans in and tomorrow, should be 18 beans up! I prefer to call it the idiot proof method, because if I can do it( I'm the idiot here) anyone can! Wish I would have had this tutorial years ago!

Bottom line, it's more of a controlled environment.
 
Ah to basically to be used as a free heat mat. It's a neat idea as my seeds are on a 60w bed heat mat. Such an inefficient way to do it but my router isn't big enough for my two plates. I thought it had to do with the EM radiation which was somehow beneficial.
 
I bought the tray of Riot Cubes first specifically to have those...had to cut up the
tray with scissors to make singles....
 
MacGyver's got nothin on you, man! :Cheers:

Scissors...I'll be damned.
 
Oh, and what wattage CFL, and how close?
 
I too had trouble germinating seeds. I had 1 that didn't germ at all and the 2nd died of damp off so ordered Flora Root Plugs on Amazon and hadn't lost a seed since. I also germ on a heating source too. :peace:
 
You have already saved me money, and I haven't even started yet!

AHA...this will work: http://www.amazon.com/Seedling-Star..._sim_lg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DPDA0RG296V9K2C8S15

Oh, and what wattage CFL, and how close?

Glad your off to a good start FreeinAK.:Sharing One:
Those trays should work fine.
I use a 32w equivalent cfl. Keep it far enough away to keep it warm but not too warm.
If you can place your hand at the same distance and it's comfortable, then your ok.
Usually 4-5"/10-12cm it what I usually have mine at.


Thanks for adding to the guide Trap and Briman:tiphat:
 
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