As an emerging enthusiastic cannabis grower, you need to excel in the steps involved in the first stage of this exciting journey – cannabis seed germination!
How germination done right can lead to successful harvests?
Several stages and steps are involved in growing cannabis. But the baby steps come in the germination stage. Get to know everything about this stage, and you will enjoy a smooth cannabis growing journey for best results with high-yielding plants.
Germinating cannabis seeds is sprouting seeds and waiting for the results until a white tendril bud comes out of the seedling. This first sprout is the first root, better known as the taproot of your cannabis plant.
This taproot will be the source of other roots to sprout. Offshoots will rise from the taproot to push the seed up and break its surface. This will introduce you to the very first leaves of the cannabis plant from its seedling.
Well, folks! It’s not that easy as it sounds! Yes, I know nothing is impossible, but you need to know something really well to make sure you get the best out of it! Are you ready to show them how it’s done? Yes? Yeah, I thought that too! So, let’s go.
Cannabis Seed Germination – Elements That You Need
Apart from clones, a cannabis plant begins its growth as a seed. Yes, these little tykes are the first step to your dream harvest! They are like little babies and require care and attention during germination until they bud.
Okay, time to focus! The delicate process of germinating your cannabis seeds needs the following elements:
- Warm And Quiet Place: Your cannabis seed germination rate will reach its full potential at warm temperatures. However, don’t make it too warm. You can germinate them in cooler places, but it takes longer than usual. Your choice! Also, don’t move your seeds until the taproot comes up. Be careful about that!
- Moisture: Keep The Seeds Moist! Not Soaking Wet! Yes, there’s an exception where you can soak the hard seeds for a day, but usually, you must avoid the soaking for normal seeds.
- Be Careful And Plant The Seeds With Root Facing Down: You have to treat the seeds with extra caution whoever you check or move them. If you want to avoid snapping up the white root, avoid touching it as it’s too fragile. While planting the seeds, ensure to keep the white root facing down to the growing medium.
- Knuckle Deep Planting: Placing the seeds too deep into the growing medium for germination is a bad idea. Never do it, guys! You must ensure that the seed is around an inch or half an inch deep down the growing medium surface.
While germinating cannabis seeds, you need to make sure you get them from one of the best cannabis seed suppliers like i49. So, relax about the best possible strains and higher yields!
Cannabis Seeds Germination – Best Proven Ways To Do It
First, you must know that seeds with good genetics germinate faster than others. The seed will pop up and grow above the surface within 5-7 days. Don’t get excited to start and let nature take its run!
Your cannabis seeds will need an extremely stable environment to germinate. So, practice patience! Some best-proven ways can make germination easier for you. Check them all.
- Kitchen Paper Method
First, gather up the things you will need here. Keep paper towels, seeds, water, an old glass canister lid, and a pH measuring device for getting started.
Open the paper towel and keep it in the lid of an old glass canister. Split some water on it. Then, put the seeds in the middle, fold the towel back, and keep the lid in a warm and dark place with a temperature range between 25-28 degrees celsius. The lid will keep your paper towel moist and wet. However, no excess wetting! Remember?
As a newbie, you will enjoy more control over the germination process. You can sort out the seeds and discard the ones unable to germinate.
- Rapid Rooter Method
In this method, get started with some pouring. You have to pour water into the container that holds the rapid rooter plugs. Remember! Use Reverse Osmosis pH Balanced Water for best results! Drain off the water to get the plugs. If working with soaked cannabis seed, put it in the hole on the top of the plug. Then, move your fingers to place it into the humidity dome. Later, use tweezers to take your sprouted seeds.
Now, grab the seed’s topmost part and place it into the hole taproot upside down. Then, cover the seeds with a few rapid rooter finers. Keep it on the humidity dome again. With the start of sprouting, take the lid off to allow them to breathe at least twice a day. Here, keep the humidity level at 70%-80% and temperature ranges between 23-27 degrees celsius.
- Coco Pair/Jiffy Method
Welcome to something unique! In this method, the various pots are made up of small pellets soaked with pH-regulated water. Just when it reaches a large size, have your cannabis seeds on it and let them grow.
Are you interested to know about another awesome method of germinating seeds? Then try out the coco pair method. In such cases, you will see diff pots made of small pellets. They have pH-optimized water.
As soon as it reaches a large size, put the seed in it. The seed gets an optical environment of wholesome nourishment needed for its proper growth.
Just one thing is needed at this stage. Keep the pot moist at regular intervals. You need to do this step till the seed finally sprouts.
The pot allows further root penetration. With new roots coming out of the sides, place the seeds on a larger container. You can also use jiffy later on several grow media. Both soil and hydro go ideal for this purpose.
- Soil Method
Here, take your composite and mix it with some high-quality potting mix. Are you feeling it to be useless? Well, several growers got success for their seeds! Check the guideline to determine if the soil needs to stay moist or water after the seed pops out.
Start by mixing ⅔ quality potting soil and ⅓ parts of compost. Put the seeds on top, cover them with a soil layer, and pat them to ensure the seed’s stability. Water it, only if necessary! Now, wait until the seed pops out with sprouts.
Cannabis Seeds Germination – Crucial Gear You Need
Some of the essential gears that you need to germinate cannabis seeds are:
- Mediums:
There are three available options for growing mediums to germinate cannabis seeds. These are soil or compost, hydroponics, and soilless mixes.
A good quality soil medium consists of the nutrients that provide nourishment for the seeds and plants to grow. The soilless medium like rock wool, perlite, coco coir, and vermiculite can be the ideal choice for growing cannabis. With a hydroponic medium, the cannabis grows with its roots sitting over the water.
- Lights:
Light is crucial for growing cannabis in all growing stages. For germination, you can use some regular light bulb or direct sunlight. There are plenty of grow lights available, including CFL, HID, LED, and fluorescent.
- Additional Tools And Gears
You will need humidity domes as additional tools to promote the best growth of your plants with the right set of humidity levels. Also, you will need either distilled or reverse osmosis water.
Enjoy Your Germinated Seeds
Now that you have finally come to this point, I want you to pat your back. Bravo! Mate! You did it so well this far, and the following stages will be much easier for you due to an excellent kick start.
Do you want to add your opinion on smart germination methods or tricks? Do share it with us at i49.