How to germinate seeds

There a lot of methods for seed germination (in a glass cup filled with water, small pot filled with substrate etc..). In this article we will check the most common method and that is the wet towel germination method.

STEPS

1.- Take a dish or any flat container and some paper napkins.

2.- Place your seeds between two paper napkins.
 

3.- Wet the napkins and keep them humid for the next 3/4 days. You can use a mixture of 100ml of tap water with 1ml of hydrogen peroxide.

4.- After 3-4 days, you can see that your seeds have sprouted. If they haven’t, replace the napkins for new ones, also humid.
 

5.- Soak some jiffys (peat pellets) in tap water to hydrate them. This process takes a few minutes. You can add some root stimulator to the water (follow manufacturer’s instructions).
 

6.- Once your peat pellets are hydrated, make a small hole on each of them and gently place the germinated seeds in the holes, always with the small root downwards (see picture). Cover the seeds with a thin layer of substrate (about 5mm).
 

7.- With a little bit of patience, after 3-4 days we will se the first plants sprouting.
 

8.- After a few days, your seedlings will be ready for planting, either in pots/containers or in-ground.Notice that you can improve your germination ratios by using gibberellic acid – mostly used for germinating old seeds – auxins and cytokinins or several products like B.A.C. X-seeds , which will improve the germination capacity of your seeds while keeping fungus and other unwanted infections away.If you keep your seeds warm while germinating them, the process will be faster, but remember that the napkins will also dry faster, so you will have to carefully check their humidity level to keep you seeds always humid, but not soaked. It is better to germinate your seeds keeping them in a warm, ventilated and dark place. Many people use small propagators for a better controlled enviroment, improving their germination results.

The periods mentioned in this post are merely orientative; some seeds may germinate in 48 hours, while others may take 10 days or more. Be patient and renew your wet napkins every 3-4 days.

For more useful information, check out our other BLOG articles. The GrowshopMania team wishes you successful cultivation!