How to Germinate Marijuana Seeds

Germination. Germinating Weed Seeds

Understanding how to germinate seeds from home is essential to start growing marijuana. Germination is simply the process of cultivating a new plant from an existing plant.

Marijuana seed is the best material to get if you wish to start a grow room; there are offline/online marts/stores selling different kinds of seeds according to their strains. It is best to buy seeds that will give quality sprouts and are rich in genetic variety.

Learn more: Best Strains to Grow Indoors

How to Grow Marijuana From Seed to Produce Seedlings

Marijuana requires heat, water, and air to thrive, especially at the primary stage. Below are the processes of how to grow marijuana from seed.

Soak the Seeds. You need to soak the seeds first whenever you want to germinate a pot seed. The seeds are hard most of the time; you need to soak them for 24 hours, at least while some require up to 32 hours to be absorbed but make sure you don’t over soak them. The seeds you have in your pot will begin sprouting as soon as water and heat touch them. Please note, ensure the seeds are damp even after growing.

Introduce Heat. Heat is non-negotiable when it comes to marijuana seed germination, though it is dynamic because it can come in a hot or warm form. While there is heat in the seed pot, you must ensure there is no humidity (little or too much water). You need incandescent light to balance moisture and temperature in marijuana growth.

Take Care of Seedling. Seeds do not necessarily need to be caressed; telling you to care for them does not mean you should touch it. It is inadvisable to touch seeds while sprouting; marijuana plant taproots are fragile, and once they break, you succumb to the plant. Show care for them by watering and applying necessary nutrients but don’t touch until they start growing.

How to Plant Marijuana Seed

Plant your taproot straight down, but it should not be exceeding one inch, or planting within a quarter of an inch is ideal.

The best way to develop quality seed

Most growers want to develop seeds without stress or anxiety; this is much easier once you have viable seed. Any viable seed that reaches the soil will sprout and develop taproots.

Using Paper Towel in marijuana seed germination

This method of using a paper towel in seed germination is stress-free and doesn’t require any particular skill. To get started, you need a few plates, a few paper towels, and the seeds you are using. Please ensure the seed is viable, and it is from the right strain. If you have not tried this method before, try to purchase cheap seeds that serve the same function as the expensive ones.

Get a paper towel that is not porous; this will prevent your seeds from getting stuck whenever seeds are laid on them.

To use this method, get distilled water and damp at least four towels in it, ensure these towels are damped but not drench (dripping) or flooded. The next step is to put two out of the four towels in the same place then put your viable seed on them with an inch (one inch) apart from one another. Then place the other two damp towels on each area to serve as a lid or cover.

Make sure you set the room temperature where they are placed within 75 to 90-degree Fahrenheit. If you have a seed pot, gently place each seeded towel in a separate seed pot. Then within 24 to 72 hours, they will begin germinating.

One of the drawbacks of using a paper towel to germinate seed is that the paper towel gets dried quickly, which can affect the taproot of your marijuana plant whenever you are transplanting.

Germinating Marijuana Seed Applying Started Plugs (Seedlings plugs)

This method is popular in some parts of South America, and most growers in that part of the world use this. Plugs are sold in marijuana stores. Visit one to purchase your plugs, then insert a seed.

Ensure the seeds enjoy the ambiance of room temperature; then, within 24 to 48 hours, your marijuana will start sprouting, depending on the strain used. It is as simple as that; the busiest marijuana growers use plugs.

Overnight Soaking is another traditional method

One of the easiest methods to help marijuana seeds germinate; all you need to do in this specific method is this.

Get warm water into a container/ pots, gently put your seeds into this container with warm water, and allow it to stay overnight, do it around 7 pm, and the preceding evening. This method is useful if you have old seeds, while some growers use it for hard seeds.

It is advisable to use a transparent container or glass, so you will know when exactly the taproot starts sprouting. The process usually takes less than three days after you have soaked your seed in warm water.

Using Germination Station

This method involves the use of machinery, just like other methods; this is also easy to implement. Put your seed(s) in a plastic dome then apply a heating pad underneath the plastic dome containing seed.

Make sure you set the temperature and humidity of the germination station right, and within minutes you will have your seeds sprouting. The germination station is sold for around $40 to $50.

Below is another way to germinate marijuana seed

Air, temperature, and grow light are factors that are essential during seed germination, but there is a method that also works alongside these factors.

The method is germinating marijuana seeds with water.

Though this method is entirely new for most growers, this method works. Get a glass of water with the temperature around 12-degree Celsius or around 54-degree Fahrenheit, place your seed into the glass of water for twelve hours, then transfer your seed to a germination ready pot with soil and within two to three days germination begins.

Best Ways to Plant Sprouted Seeds

If the taproots instantly appeared, you need to transplant it into another platform for proper growth immediately. Please note that you should transplant it into a pot with a suitable draining system, or you can perforate or drill holes beneath the pan if there is none. At this stage, the taproots need a bit of air and drained soil. The size of the pot you’re transplanting should be within two inches.

It is good to fill the pot with loose soil. Create a space in the middle soil by poking your finger then spray the soil with water. Spraying the water before inserting the seed will help prevent the pot from being waterlogged, gently place the sprouted seed in the tiny space created with your finger and cover the soil to ensure there is no space at the topsoil. Note, overwatering can hinder your plant from breathing, water it thoroughly.

Light is like a catalyst in most grow rooms; it helps speed up seeds germination. Place your seed pot under a grow light to create some heat and hasten germination. If you do everything correctly, within seven days, seedlings would have been developed.

If Your Marijuana Seeds do not germinate, Do This

1. Use a PH meter to check the PH level of your water. Very high or very low water ph affects seed sprouting. The best PH is the one from 5.5 to 6.5.

2. You need also to check the EC (E.coli) value of your water; it should be less than 0.8 before seeds can germinate.

3. Though the temperature of the water varies depending on the method you’re using, it should be above 72-degree Fahrenheit.

4. Ensure your seeds are not inserted upside down or seeds are placed too deep in the pot, the soil should not be waterlogged and avoid too much fertilizer application.

5. Preparation starts from the point of purchase; when a marijuana seed is exposed to high temperature during transportation, then it might not be viable.

In conclusion, starting marijuana plantation with the right tool is the key to gaining the best result. Use tongs or other safe tools and don’t transfer your seeds with bare hands. It is essential to use the best nutrient you can get, distill water when needed and apply the right soil.

Learn more: Pots and Soils Guide

It is wrong to make a bunch of orders of seed from a store that does not have a guaranteed return policy. Buy one or two seeds first, experiment whatever you want to do with it, then see if it is your desired strain before placing bulk orders.

Marijuana has different strains; be sure about the strain that you are getting. Once you can identify the seed and germinate the seeds yourself, you will soon be rewarded with high marijuana yield and potency.

Patience is key in all these stages, some seeds will take longer to sprout, but they will eventually be rewarded. While some seeds will grow quickly and not give you the proper yield you were aiming for, the experience is still the best teacher while trying marijuana seed germination. You will build on your knowledge to do it better next time.