# Starting seedlings



## grodude (Mar 22, 2015)

I'm hopefully going to start a grow in the next week or so, so I want to make sure my understanding of starting the seedlings is correct.I have a rapid rooter tray and plan on putting the seeds in there and watering it? Does anyone recommend I put the seeds in a cup of water first? I was thinking of pHing the water to 5.5 and watering it with about 350ppm. I would just keep an eye on it and water it lightly when it looks dry. I would then transfer it to my hydro system in about 14 days or when ready. They would be under a t8 fixture.

Anything else I should know?


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## HighBrixMMJ (Mar 23, 2015)

You don't feed a seedling anything but water until the cotyledons ( the little round first leaves) otherwise known as the food leaves, yellow off, as they supply all nutrients essential to life.  Yes putting the seed in a glass of water til it cracks is fine, but don't leave it in there too long, and drown it! Start off slow with nutes when you do finally reach that stage. 350 ppm is a good start then slowly ramp up as growth progresses! Green mojo!


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## yooper420 (Mar 23, 2015)

My seeds go directly into Sunshine Mix #4 in 3 inch coco coir pots. 18 for 18 in my new journal, check it out.


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## DankColas (Mar 23, 2015)

Everyone I know is different. This is my usual. I put the seeds in a cup of room temp water. Then I put the cup in a cabinet so it is in the dark. Wait 30 minutes. Any floaters I beat down with my fingers. All down then I leave it till tomorrow. Then tomorrow at about the time I sunk then I take them out of the cabinet. I get 2 plates. Rinse off with hot water so there isn't a chance of soap residue left on the plates. I then get a paper towel. I dampen it. Then I carefully put the seeds on it. Seperate them so roots can't touch. Cover the seeds with the rest of the towel. Then hold towel to plate and raise over sink with plate facing you to let the extra water drip off. When dripping stops put in a warm place. I have a Bunn coffee maker that has heat coming out of it all day. Now that stays there for 24 hours. At the end of that 2 days would have passed. Then you seperate the plates. Very gentle pull back the paper towel. Very gentle pick up seeds with white tails. Make a small hole in your grow medium. Stick seed in with white root down top of seed. Just level with top of serfice. Lightly water. In a few days or even tomorow you will have life. It works as long as the paper towel doesn't dry out. It must always be in contact with the seeds. Remember the seeds spent 2 days in a water atmosphere. They are fragile. You can't come back from a break at this point.

I hope I have helped


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## yooper420 (Mar 23, 2015)

Used to use the paper towel method, but got tired of killing seeds by over handling them. Here`s my method. Scarify the seeds first. Then they are planted about 1/4 inch deep in Sunshine Mix #4 in 3" coco coir pots. When they out grow the 3" pots, they get put into 6" coco coir pots (3" pot and all). After that they get planted into 5 gallon plastic pots. This is my method that eliminates transplant shock.


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## grodude (Mar 23, 2015)

yooper420 said:


> Used to use the paper towel method, but got tired of killing seeds by over handling them. Here`s my method. Scarify the seeds first. Then they are planted about 1/4 inch deep in Sunshine Mix #4 in 3" coco coir pots. When they out grow the 3" pots, they get put into 6" coco coir pots (3" pot and all). After that they get planted into 5 gallon plastic pots. This is my method that eliminates transplant shock.



I'm doing DWC


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## Rosebud (Mar 23, 2015)

Please read this. http://mandalaseeds.com/Guides/Germination-Guide  I believe in the old fashioned way that mother nature sows seeds... Love this guide. Always have 100 % germination.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Mar 23, 2015)

I do not soak in water unless the seeds are old.  Old seeds can dry out and may need to be hydrated, but this is not necessary with fresh seeds.  Every time you handle the seed you risk the chance of damaging it or passing pathogens to it.  There really are no advantages to presoaking and several downsides.  I like Mandala's Germination Guide, except, I have great luck with rapid rooters--better than rockwool.

I also do DWC.  I would recommend sowing the seeds directly into the rapid rooters, no presoaking.  Do not fertilize--this can fry a seedling in a matter of hours.  If your water is around 7, then the water does not need to be pH'd at this point.  PH'ing is for nutrient uptake.  The small round leaves called the cotyledons store enough food to get the plant started.  When the cotyledons start to yellow, you can start a mild nutrient solution.  I do plant into the hydro unit when I have good root growth coming from the rr.


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## grodude (Mar 23, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I do not soak in water unless the seeds are old.  Old seeds can dry out and may need to be hydrated, but this is not necessary with fresh seeds.  Every time you handle the seed you risk the chance of damaging it or passing pathogens to it.  There really are no advantages to presoaking and several downsides.  I like Mandala's Germination Guide, except, I have great luck with rapid rooters--better than rockwool.
> 
> I also do DWC.  I would recommend sowing the seeds directly into the rapid rooters, no presoaking.  Do not fertilize--this can fry a seedling in a matter of hours.  If your water is around 7, then the water does not need to be pH'd at this point.  PH'ing is for nutrient uptake.  The small round leaves called the cotyledons store enough food to get the plant started.  When the cotyledons start to yellow, you can start a mild nutrient solution.  I do plant into the hydro unit when I have good root growth coming from the rr.



I highly value your words. This is what I heard from another reputable grower on a different forum (This was an older post, not in a thread I posted).

"Cotyledons provide mostly starch.. They do not provide "Everything" a plant needs. Seedings are still expected to pull minerals out of the ground, especially immobile ones that can not be relocated through the phloem.

Sure, the seedlings will live for 2 weeks, but growth is always stronger with a good nutrient solution or soil."

Do you have thoughts on this?


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## Bongofury (Mar 23, 2015)

Can't you just put the seeds in the soil, water and watch them grow? :confused2:


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## The Hemp Goddess (Mar 23, 2015)

Bongofury said:


> Can't you just put the seeds in the soil, water and watch them grow? :confused2:


 
He is growing hydro and needs to start the seeds in something other than soil--rapid rooters, rockwool, oasis cubes, something like that.

Grodude--I have seen nutrients kill more seedlings than I like to count.  While hydro plants will need nutrients sooner than soil plants, nutrients too early will kill the plants.  I, personally, have never seen feeding right off the bat to be helpful.


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## Bongofury (Mar 24, 2015)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> He is growing hydro and needs to start the seeds in something other than soil--rapid rooters, rockwool, oasis cubes, something like that.
> 
> Grodude--I have seen nutrients kill more seedlings than I like to count.  While hydro plants will need nutrients sooner than soil plants, nutrients too early will kill the plants.  I, personally, have never seen feeding right off the bat to be helpful.



DUH, I should read more closely. :bolt:


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