New Grower What gives? Seeds should have a longer tail right?

[mclovin478910]

So I am currently on my third grow and have only recently had trouble germinating seeds. The pic below is from this morning about 3 days since it cracked. The seed in back of the picture looks like it has a brown tip to it and neither has really grown in the last 36 hours, normally seeds that crack open and shoot out a tail.

Any ideas as why it has a brown tip or why they havent grown much? could they be duds? if so that makes 10 out of my last 14 seeds i tried to germ where duds also...doesnt seem right

 

[lazylathe]

Where are you germinating the seeds?

They should be in a sealed container with moist paper towels on the bottom and on top of the seeds.
Also a warm, dark environment will help them germinate better.
I leave mine on a shelf above a hot air duct in the basement and it works really well!!

If you are not having much luck you can always try freezing a few seeds for a day and then try germinating them.
I have heard this works really well for some people.

Let us know how you make out!
There will be others joining soon to give you more advice and tips!

 

[mclovin478910]

:check:Thats exactly what ive been doing unfortunately, well without the freeezing. It stays about 85 degrees in there, a door closes in on this so no light or anything.

 

[Eekman]

Firstly, Everyone who grows, can feel your pain. Hopefully things will go good for you from here on.

Can the brown piece be light burn? If I see a tail, that baby goes in the ground, no waiting. Also, someoone told me to not use the flash when seed shooting.

my two cents is all?

Eek

 

[namvet25]

They are just starting to pop open.Keep them moist and cover them,keep them warm and in the dark and they should be ok in a few days.

 

[The Squid]

IMO the germ container shouldn't be completely air tight. Seeds still need oxygen. I used to do the same deal but popped a few air holes in the top. And 85F is pushing it I believe. Could be slightly cooking them.
I don't bother with the paper towels anymore. I soak for 24-36 hours an plant. I have about 80-90% germ rates.

 

[Mr Piggy]

Have you been constantly checking them and fussing with them? Seeds are finicky and don't really like to be bothered much. Only other thing I can think of is how wet is your towel? It should be moist, not wet or soaked. I also wouldn't panic if they take their time sprouting, that's what they do. I agree with Eek, soon as they crack I stick them in their medium.

 

[Son of Hobbes]

You can germinate seeds a variety of ways; don't let anyone tell you that you HAVE to use the paper towel method. Find a method that consistently works for YOU and stick with it.

I used the paper towel method on my first two grows and had very mediocre results personally. Then you'll find other guys on here that use the same method and they love it. It's personal choice.

On my 3rd grow, I put all my seeds in shot glasses filled with 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide and 2 parts distilled water. I put the seeds in the shot glasses in the bottom of a cardboard box, closed the lid on the box so light wouldn't penetrate (plenty of airflow) and set them about 6-8 feet from my furnace. I germinated 27 out of 27 seeds within 5 days total. I literally without exaggeration had some seeds crack open in 12-24 hours. Others took almost 5 days.

I wouldn't worry about "too much water" until the seed actually cracks; submerging my seeds had zero detrimental effects. Water is one of the things that helps soften up the seed shell (it also helps to soften up that thin layer that binds the cotyledons together (the two big round looking "leaves" that pop out.) It's once you see that tail sticking out you are opening yourself up to waterlogging, drowning, etc. As soon as they crack open, throw 'em in a pot and let nature take over.

And sometimes you just have a crappy seed. Doesn't matter how good quality assurance is, the genetics, the breeder, etc; sometimes things just don't work like they are supposed to. Ever buy computer parts or a tv or a laptop and it didn't work out the box? There's also a margin of error or a percentage that, no matter what you do, just can't be avoided.

Give it some time before you start getting too worried; if growing has taught me anything it's to be patient. 3 days might seem like a long time now, wait until it's day 70 and your trichs are still clear with those big fat stinky dense buds and you know you have another 20 days at least before it's worth a damn to chop Good luck brother!

 

[mclovin478910]

Thanks for all the kind words and good info I decided to place them into their soil homes for the next 50-90 days :cough: ADD makes me want to check them often so im guilty of fussing around with them but im low on meds and working on growing more the paper towel also might have been a bit to wet, but you live and you learn. Check out my thread to keep up on when they pop