Germination of marijuana seeds indoors can be accomplished several different ways. Simply follow our expert advice to take your plant from baby to a full-fledged adult.
Effective methods for germinating your cannabis seeds can vary from simple approaches to advanced and complex operations. Whether you’re planting a small at-home grow, or you’re operating a large cultivation facility, germinating weed seeds will use similar processes. In short, the seed germination process boils down to the type of seed, seed viability, water, darkness, temperature, humidity, and the medium you’re germinating the seeds in.
Today, we’ll explore a wide variety of strategies for germinating cannabis seeds for use in both large and small-scale practices.
Explore the Comprehensive Cultivation Services that we offer to learn more about our specialized strategies for optimizing your grow facility.
What Are The Basic Steps Of Germinating Cannabis Seeds?
One of the most common and basic steps for germinating your top shelf weed seeds involves a paper towel, an air-tight container (zip lock baggy), room temperature water, a dark place to put them, and simply waiting for a day or two.
Learn more: The Science Behind Watering Cannabis and How Not to Mess It Up
Germinating seeds doesn’t need to be too complex. However, there are several methods you can experiment with to help boost the rate of germination.
Before you germinate your seeds, you’ll want to quickly verify that they are viable and will be able to grow.
How Do You Know If Seeds Are Viable For Germinating?
Chances are that if you’re purchasing marijuana seeds from a reputable company with stellar reviews, you can feel confident that they will germinate and produce dank fat buds.
Most quality cannabis seed companies will guarantee their seeds. Meaning, that if your seeds don’t germinate or if your feminized seeds happen to actually be male, the company will do what they can to make things right.
But, if you’re using bag seeds or weed seeds that are 20 years old, you can perform a quick water test to get a sense of whether or not they’ll germinate.
To perform the water test, all you’ll need is a glass of water.
Take a few seeds and set them in the water and wait for roughly 15 minutes.
Seeds that sink are viable, while floating seeds tend to have a much lower probability of germinating and sprouting into full, healthy adults.
What Are The Best Methods Of Seed Germination?
Mother Nature has a way of germinating seeds in deep rich soil regardless of their hectic and crazy environment!
However, with modern technology and innovative techniques, cannabis seed experts keep raising the bar for speeding up germination, as well as increasing the number of seeds that will germinate.
Common weed seed germination methods include.
- Paper Towel Technique
- Rock Wool Method
- Compost Method
- Dirt Plugs
Paper Towel Technique
To perform the paper towel method, you’ll need: something to put the seeds on (plates, zip lock baggie, tupperware, etc), paper towels, seeds, and water (recommended distilled).
Place the cannabis seeds on a slightly moistened paper towel and give each seed at least one inch of room.
Once you’ve placed enough seeds on your paper towel, you’ll want to cover the seeds with either the same dampened paper towel or another one on top.
Now you’ll simply need to store your seeds in a dark temperate (70-85°F) area and wait up to 10 days for full germination. Your seed genetics will determine the average time it will take before you can move them to the next phase of growth.
Learn More: A Guide To Main Weed Plant Stages
During this time you’ll want to check your seeds at least once per day to make sure the paper towel is still slightly wet. If it needs more moisture, you can gently saturate the paper towel as opposed to pouring water on.
Rock Wool Cube Method
This method is relatively straightforward and requires you to simply soak the Rock wool for several hours. Then poke a hole in the middle of the cube large enough for your seed, place seed inside, and wait.
This method is preferred for hydroponic setups and larger-scale operations.
Compost Method
Germinating your seeds with compost involves filling your seedling container with compost and quality potting mix.
Depending on your seed requirements, you may only need to place the seed a quarter of an inch under the compost mix. Then add a small amount of water.
Dirt Plugs
Dirt plugs are similar to Rock wool cubes, except that you’re using a soil mixture.
Typically, dirt plugs come in small hockey puck-shaped, compressed containers that need soaking with water to expand before you add the seed.
Once the dirt plug has expanded fully, you’ll drop a single seed inside the pre-made hole in the middle, cover with a little dirt, and wait.
This method doesn’t require you to add water or put it in a dark place because the seeds will have plenty of water from the soaked plug and will be covered in darkness by dirt.
How To Buy The Best Cannabis Seeds For Maximum Germination?
Several online seed banks provide a wide range of marijuana seeds for sale, directly on their website.
While there are several seed banks available with countless seed genetic varieties, it can be a tad confusing to navigate the best options for your situation.
To avoid this challenge, please contact us for a brief consultation to identify your specific needs.