Germinating cannabis seeds is a critical first step towards a successful cultivation journey. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into various methods and best practices to effectively germinate your cannabis seeds. Whether you’re a seasoned grower or a beginner, this article will provide you with expert tips and tricks to maximize the potential of your cannabis crop.
There are different methods for germinating cannabis seeds. The most commonly used ones are to use a few damp paper towels or a pair of plates, and then wait for the seeds to sprout and deliver the first taproot. However, there are other ways to germinate seeds.
Among these ways is a very classic method that is hardly used today due to its high risk. This method involves germinating the seeds directly in the substrate or soil where they are grown.
Another way to germinate seeds is by placing them directly in the coconut coir in which they are being cultivated and waiting for the weed seed to germinate and deliver the small seedling with its cotyledons after a few days. Now, we will begin this guide to see these methods of cannabis seed germination.
The Importance of Germinating Cannabis Seeds
The vegetative and flowering stages of cannabis growth are commonly considered the most crucial parts of the plant’s life cycle, while the germination stage is often overlooked. However, improper planning during germination can significantly impact the success of your cannabis grow, as it is a critical stage in the plant’s development.
Ensuring your cannabis seeds have the best start possible is essential for promoting a healthy and robust plant, as they are small, delicate, and require assistance.
Germination of Purple Star Killer from Blimburn Seeds
There are various methods to germinate cannabis seeds, each with different levels of success and their own advantages and disadvantages. It’s worth noting that even experienced growers with top-tier equipment may still experience a few failed seeds, as this is a natural occurrence when dealing with living organisms.
At Blimburn Seeds, we offer a wide range of high-quality regular and feminized cannabis seeds, with clear genetic labeling to avoid any unwanted surprises.
How to germinate cannabis seeds in soil?
One of the top techniques for germinating cannabis seeds is soil germination. This method is relatively low risk and straightforward, providing step-by-step guidance on how to germinate your seeds using soil. The length of germination time can vary from 3-10 days based on the environmental conditions and strain.
However, it’s important to note that using soil from your backyard should be avoided as it may contain harmful pests and molds that could damage or even destroy your seeds, seedlings, or plants.
Blackberry Auto of Blimburn growing from germination in coco coir
Step 1: Get your pots ready by filling them with fresh, clean soil. Small pots are often suitable for this purpose, and you can always move them to a larger container at a later stage.
Step 2: Ensure that your soil is moist, but not excessively wet. It’s crucial that the soil remains damp and not soaked, as this can cause the seeds to rot. In many countries, regular tap water is sufficient for this purpose, and there is no need to add any additional substances to the water.
Step 3: Create a shallow indentation in the soil and plant the seed approximately 3-5mm deep into the soil. Be careful not to bury the seed too deeply, as this may cause it to have difficulty reaching the surface and increase the likelihood of dying before it emerges.
Step 4: After placing the seed in the soil indentation, cover it with additional soil and lightly press it down.
Step 5: To create a greenhouse-like environment that keeps the soil warm and moist during germination, you can cover your pot(s) with kitchen foil or microwave foil with small holes.
Step 6: It’s important to poke holes in the foil when using regular kitchen foil to avoid overheating and to allow for proper airflow. Find a room with a stable temperature, ideally between 20-25 degrees Celsius, such as your living room, to set up your germination area.
Step 7: Now, you simply need to wait for your seeds to germinate. Based on our experience, it typically takes around 4-5 days for seedlings to emerge, but it’s best to account for variations in conditions and seed types, so a safe estimate would be between 3-10 days. Once your seedling has sprouted and its first leaves have reached the surface, you can remove the foil.
Step 8: All five seeds have successfully germinated within a four-day period and with a 24-hour difference between each other. You can now move them to a suitable location for growth, such as under a grow light, behind a window, or outside (during the spring/summer months, of course).
Extra tips for germinate cannabis seeds in coco or soil
After adding soil or coco to your plant pots, ensure that you water them and allow any excess water to drain out from the bottom. The purpose of this step is to achieve a uniformly moist growing medium before planting seeds. It’s best not to add too much water when the seedlings are young and fragile since they can be easily washed away.
By watering the soil or coco at this point, you can avoid having to water the seedlings for several days.
Make sure to identify each cannabis strain that you are planting in each pot by adding labels. You can purchase pre-made plant labels, or alternatively, use some tape and write the name of the strain with a permanent marker. Failing to label your pots may cause confusion and make it difficult to differentiate between each seed and its respective strain.
Ensure that your seedlings receive the necessary warmth for fast and successful germination by setting up a heat source. It is crucial to create a warm and sunny environment, as this is optimal for seed sprouting. The most straightforward method to provide heat to the seedlings is by placing your plant pots under the grow lights in your grow space.
As you have previously tested your setup with everything on for 24 hours, you can be confident that your seedlings won’t overheat. To avoid damaging the fragile seedlings, keep the grow lights at a distance of 2-3 times further away than recommended for live plants. It is essential to monitor the soil closely to prevent it from drying out, as the grow lights tend to dry out the topsoil quickly.
Before introducing the seeds, perform a final moisture check by waiting for 24 hours. This is essential to ensure that the moisture in the growing medium is distributed evenly. If you have followed the previous steps, the growing medium should already be nicely and uniformly moist.
To set up your plant pots, add soil or coco and water them heavily. It is best to allow any excess water to drain and for moisture to distribute evenly throughout the pots by waiting for 24 hours, if possible.
To differentiate between the cannabis seedlings and their respective strains, add labels to the pots. Plant labels can be used for this purpose. Before adding the seeds, check the pots to ensure that the growing medium is evenly moist, especially in the top-middle where the seeds will be placed.
It is crucial to avoid having to water the seedlings again until a few days after they have germinated. Hence, the growing medium must be moist before adding the seeds. To provide warmth to the seedlings, turn on the grow light, but keep it at a distance of 2-3 times further than the recommended difference.
Although some light is essential, it is best to avoid too much light getting to the fragile seedlings.
Care for your weed seeds first day
To ensure the growth and development of seedlings, certain measures must be taken. First, it is essential to keep the grow light at a distance of 2 times the recommended distance by the manufacturer. While young seedlings cannot handle too much light, they need some amount of light to grow.
Light is necessary for plants as it serves as “food” and also helps them grow in the right direction. In case the seedlings appear to be stretching, i.e., growing longer without new leaves, it is a sign that the light levels need to be increased, and the grow light should be moved closer.
While young seedlings do not require an excessive amount of nutrients, they do require some. If you’re growing in soil, there should be sufficient nutrients in the soil for the first week. On the other hand, if you’re growing in coco, you should introduce nutrients in the water at 1/4 strength as soon as you see signs of life.
The first set of leaves, also known as “cotyledon” leaves, are round and already fully formed inside the shell. However, the second set of leaves has serrated edges and is the first “real” leaves. If you observe the second set of leaves, it means your plant has grown them on its own with the nutrients and light provided. Once the next set of leaves open up, you have entered the vegetative stage, and you can gradually increase light levels and nutrient strength to normal levels. Finally, it is crucial to watch the seedlings for signs of stress.
3 Amazing cannabis strain for germinate in soil or coco coir
We know that all cannabis seeds can be germinated directly in soil or in coco coir. However, we bring you 3 different genetics that you can buy here at Blimburn Seeds and that provide great results to gardeners who are encouraged to grow them. In addition, they are weed varieties that are extremely popular in the USA and Canada.
Wedding Cake Auto
One of the cannabis strain revelations in the world of marijuana has been Weeding Cake Auto which can also be germinated directly in the substrate or in the coconut fiber, gardeners achieving great results, if it is cultivated with a lot of love. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that Weeding Cake Auto is a super fast genetic since it only needs 49 to 56 days in its cultivation cycle, time in which it manages to produce yields of up to 1.97 oz/ft2 indoors and outdoors you get up to 4 oz/plant with compact plant size and stout colas.
The Weeding Cake Auto in the photo was grown in a period of 15 weeks, from germination to harvest. In addition, during cultivation, techniques such as topping were applied during the growth stage, in weeks 4 and 5, to then do a LST in weeks 5 and 6 of the crop, that is, starting flowering.
But that’s not all, because also in weeks 7 and 9 of flowering this Weeding Cake Auto was deflowered to boost flowering and thus optimize the crop, obtaining more abundant harvests. As you can see in the image, the results are visible for the same reason, take now, these Weeding Cake Auto seeds for your next crop, which will surely make you smile more than once.
Grandaddy Purple Strain
This is a beautiful feminized Grandaddy Purple that has been cultivated, since its germination in the substrate. This plant shows a large size and colas with a great production of buds since the gardener has applied cultivation techniques such as LST to stretch its lateral arms and promote better light penetration. Also, the breeder has applied apical pruning to promote more lateral growth and defoliation, which stimulates the upper arms and buds to be stronger and more forceful.
As good genetics mostly indicates, Grandaddy Purple is characterized by its hard and compact buds and by producing heavy colas, which need supports such as mesh or stakes when grown outdoors, since the weight can cause them to fall.
In addition, this variety is characterized by its heavy yields that are between 1.47-1.64 oz/ft2 in indoor cultivation and from 21 to 24 oz/plant if grown outdoors in a short flowering time that only takes 60 to 65 days. and where it manages to produce buds that concentrate THC levels of up to 25%, To all this, we must add that the flavors of the Grandaddy Purple flowers are sweet with intense fruity notes and also terpenes such as linalool and camphene stand out, promoting relaxed effects that can even induce states that leave you sedated.
Blue Dream Strain
Another of our star genetics is Blue Dream, a mostly sativa weed variety that is very popular in the USA and Canada and that can also be germinated without major problems directly from the substrate or coconut fiber, as is the case with this plant that we reports a gardener friend.
Now, it is good to point out that this Blue Dream has been cultivated with a SCROG system with which the gardener has obtained a more uniform plant, with more robust colas and many more buds. Undoubtedly, the THC levels of this variety are very attractive because they are between 17%-24%, generating relaxing effects that some users describe as devastating.
Among other techniques that were applied to this Blue Dream, there is the defoliation that was done between weeks 7 and 9 in the middle of the flowering phase, with which the buds grow more abundantly because the light can penetrate better. shape and also, it should be added that by reducing the amount of plant mass in the lower and middle parts of the plant, the buds in the upper part can develop better because the plant has more energy and distributes the nutrients it consumes to those areas.
