The best marijuana seeds are seeds that are viable, seeds that will germinate when placed in the right environment. You can count on the best seeds to sprout in just three to five days and this depends on the technique that you used to germinate your seeds.
There are a lot of ways to germinate cannabis seeds. Some growers use time-tested techniques while some use their own strategy to coax seeds to sprout. Cannabis seeds are quite adaptable and will grow almost anywhere, which is why it has developed a strong, thick and very resilient seed cover. But once this cover has become soft and has cracked, the seed will eventually germinate. The following are time-tested techniques that will make germination easy for first-time growers like you.
Sprout the best marijuana seeds with the paper towel technique
Possibly the most common way to sprout seeds is to use the paper towel technique. More growers use this because it is more efficient than other germination process and is also more effective. You will be able to use this on any kind of cannabis seed and you can also germinate even hard to sprout seeds or over-mature seeds. You will need a few pieces of paper towels, distilled water, two plates, and your seeds. Make sure that the seeds have been checked for viability before you proceed (this will be discussed at the end of this article).
- Wet a few pieces of paper towel and allow water to drip until the towels are damp. Use distilled water to wet your towels.
- Place the damp towel on a plate; arrange these in such a way that the towels are in the middle and are in three or more layers.
- Place the seeds in between the layers. Make sure that the paper towels are enveloping the seeds. Allow a few centimeters of space between two seeds. For a large dinner plate, you can possibly germinate only five to six seeds.
- Cover the plate with another plate. This will create a dark environment for your seeds to sprout in. Place the plates inside a cupboard or inside a cabinet to keep the seeds in a dark environment.
- Let the seeds stay in this dark environment for at least three to five days. Open the plates only once a day just to check the seeds and to place water on the towels.
- Your seeds will soon sprout in two to three days, the most five days. If the seeds have sprouted, remove the seeds from the paper towels and plant these on the growing medium you chose.
Germinate seeds using the glass of water technique
The glass of water technique is another way to germinate seeds. This is very easy to do and requires no special tools as well. The glass of water technique requires a glass half-way filled with distilled water and some seeds that you wish to germinate.
- First, take the glass with water and place it on a flat surface.
- Place the seeds in. Let these remain for a few minutes. Do not stir the seeds; let this remain without moving the glass.
- You will notice that the seeds will either sink or float. After about five minutes, check the seeds.
- Remove the seeds that are floating and just grow the seeds that have sunk.
What do all these mean? Seeds that have sunk are seeds that contain viable insides. These seeds have heavy viable material that keeps the seed-heavy. It won’t be long when these seeds will sprout. Meanwhile, seeds that float are light and empty seeds. You won’t be able to germinate these seeds because these do not contain any viable material. Discard these seeds and just let the sunken seeds remain inside the glass. These will eventually germinate because water will soften the seed coat. Don’t let your seeds remain under water for more than a day.
Germinate cannabis seeds by planting it in soil or in the ground
There are some users who simply plant their cannabis seeds in the ground; this is basically the easiest and the most natural way to sprout seeds. Just choose viable seeds and plant it in soil conducive to growing cannabis.
- Whether you are planting cannabis seeds in the ground or in a container or pot, you must make sure that the soil is in the best for cannabis. Soil that is best for cannabis is sandy-clayey soil; this is soil that can hold more water and nutrients and at the same time drain excess water and nutrients. Sandy clayey soil will also be able to let oxygen to the roots as well. These good cannabis soil properties will be able to help improve plant health and growth.
- Place soil inside the container. Use a container with enough holes at the bottom to let excess water and nutrients flow out. Fill the container about ¾ of soil.
- Water the soil until water is dripping out of the holes at the bottom. Let the water drip and dry the soil until it is damp.
- Dig a hole in the middle of the container and place the seed in. Place only one seed inside the pot. Place the seed about two inches into the soil. This would be enough space for the seedlings to sprout and for the taproot to dig in.
- Water the seed again until you see water running out of the pot. Place this in a cool, shaded area in your garden. The seed would be able to sprout in just a matter of five days.
If seeds just won’t sprout
There are some instances when cannabis seeds that you got from the mail will just not sprout. You have checked the seed and it looks okay but still, it will not germinate. There are physical techniques that will help the seeds sprout.
- Use a small knife to cut open the seed. Do not cut and open the seed but just let the knife open just a very small portion of the seed enough to see the viable plant matter. Afterwards, place the seed in a glass full of water and let this stay for at least a day.
- Use a file to file the outer shell of the seed. The tough shell should give way and the inner material will be exposed. Once this happens, place the seed inside the glass of water and let this stay for a day.
- Let the seed stay in the water for a day. Water will soften the seed coat and then allow the seed to open up and germinate. But never leave the seed inside the glass with water for more than a day because this could drown the viable seed.
Choosing the best marijuana seeds before germinating
The very first step in determining if the seeds are viable is to take a close look at its physical appearance. A viable marijuana seed will have a dark color, usually black, brown or dark brown. Never germinate seeds that are green, yellow or white because these are immature seeds.
Hold a seed in between your fingers and try to squeeze or compress it. The seed should be firm and resilient to pressure. If the seed starts to give way and becomes compressed, discard the seeds because this means that the seed is immature and will never germinate.
Cannabis seeds are also round and shiny. These seeds are usually round with a slight taper. Hold the seeds in between your fingers and try to feel the seeds for imperfections. Look for grooves, holes, cracks and peeling seed coats. Any imperfections could indicate that the seed will not germinate at all.
The glass of water technique is another way to find out if the seed is viable or not. Usually, the seeds that have sunk contain viable insides and will germinate. Those that float are seeds without any viable insides and will never germinate no matter what.
The best marijuana seeds are seeds that are fresh and newly harvested. Although cannabis seeds may be kept in a container for a decade and will still be viable, using fresh, newly harvested seeds are still the best way to go. Old seeds will sprout, but it could take a long time to do so.
Storing the best marijuana seeds is crucial to preserve its viability. As much as possible store seeds inside its original breeder’s packaging. Use a glass container with a tight lid to preserve the flavor and the natural effects of cannabis. Do not place seeds inside a plastic container or in plastic bags, these containers can leach dangerous chemicals to your seeds. You may place containers inside the freezer or refrigerator. If you wish to use only a few seeds from the frozen batch, place the frozen seeds inside the refrigeration compartment and let these acclimate. Once these have acclimated from this section of the fridge, place these on the counter. These will soon be ready for germination.
