How to Germinate Cannabis Seeds: An Overview
Germination is referred to the process where a new plant comes into existence right from a seed. Some may also call it as “popping”.
If you are planning on starting a cannabis garden, germination would be the beginning of it. You can acquire cannabis seeds from a plethora of sources. Many of these sources are available online. There are certain factors that you need to consider when buying cannabis seeds, especially because you need the best quality seeds to facilitate the germination process.
The seeds need to be matured, which you can understand by looking at the hard feel with light and dark brown accents of the seeds. Please don’t go for the seeds that look green and fresh because they haven’t undergone full maturity yet.
Once you have the right source and have gotten hold of the seeds, you need to ensure that you have enough space for allowing the plants to grow and remain healthy. If you aren’t sure about the space and time availability, you shouldn’t pop the seeds.
Therefore, we would recommend you do a thorough research before planning on growing cannabis plants by yourself.
Once everything is set, you can start with germinating the seeds. Let’s take a look at how you can do it the best way.
Germinating Cannabis Seeds
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There are three things that you will need for germinating cannabis seeds. They include air, heat, and water. You can provide all three of them using different methods. The simplest and most common method would include saturating paper towels in the water.
If you wish to try this method out, you will require –
• Seeds
• Paper towels
• Two clean plates
STEP 1 –
You will need four sheets of paper towels. Soak them using distilled water. Make sure that the sheets are soaked but don’t store excess water in it.
STEP 2 –
Start with two paper towels and keep them on a clean plate. Now, you have to keep the cannabis seeds one inch apart from one another and use the other two sheets for covering them up.
STEP 3 –
In the third step, you will have to form a dark and protected space for the seeds to germinate. You can use another plate and try flipping to cover up the seeds.
STEP 4 –
In order to allow the seeds to grow, you need a warm area. The ideal temperature for the seeds to grow would range from 70-90F.
After you are done with all the steps, you will have to wait. Once in a while, you may want to check the towels to check if they are still saturated. If they appear to be losing moisture, you could add some water for facilitating the process.
Some seeds are known to germinate rapidly, while the others might take some time. You will know that a seed has successfully germinated when it splits apart with a single sprout coming out of it.
The sprout is called taproot, while will be the plant’s main step. If you see it, it means that the germination process was a success.
It is essential for you to keep the entire area sterile. Therefore, you shouldn’t be touching the taproot or seed while it is beginning to split.
Transplanting the Cannabis Seeds
Once you get to see the taproot, you will have to transfer the germinated seeds inside a growing medium. You might want to start with 2-inch small pots.
Fill the pots with loose and air potting soil. You will also have to poke a hole using a pencil or pen about a quarter-inch down right in the middle of the pot. For transferring the seed, you will need a pair of tweezers. Use it to gently pick the seeds and place them in their individual holes while keeping the taproot facing downwards. Once it is done, you can cover up the hole with some soil.
Now, you will have to water the soil. You could use a spray bottle for providing adequate moisture without excessively saturating the soil. If you end up over-watering, you might kill the delicate sprouts. Hence, it is essential to water the seeds adequately.
You also have to place close attention to the temperature of the area along with the overall moisture level in order to keep the seeds healthy. If you do everything right, you will be able to see a seedling coming out of the soil.
Conclusion
Germinating seeds, especially cannabis seeds, may not always go the way you plan it. Some seeds might remain duds. Others might grow slowly and take significant might of time to sprout. On the other hand, some may pop pretty quickly and start growing rapidly.
It is, in fact, the beauty of seeds. Once you have enough experience, you will be able to tell which seeds or plants are going to thrive, while which ones you should let go. The ones that end up growing quickly and healthily could later be used for making clones with the help of cuttings for creating stronger plants and a better seed back of your own.