Like many people who have ever purchased a little bit of weed in their day, you may have found a seed in your sack...
Were you mad?
Some people do get angry at that, I understand, the headaches are sheeesh!
Some like to collect seeds as novelties, while majority of them just throw them out with the stems. As a medical marijuana card holder... why would you do that? In today's post I'll show you some techniques that will help you learn the process of germinating cannabis seeds and growing your own medical marijuana.
What is seed germination
Just like an egg, or hell us as people, the life of a plant starts from a seed. This seed has three major parts which is the outer layer that protects the plant while they grow and develop in the soil inside the seed there is the baby plant or embryo and the rest of it is called the cotyledons which contain the plant food.
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How to germinate a cannabis seed
OK so once you have your location and your light source setup, I think you are ready to begin the process of germinating. Germinating, basically, is planting the cannabis seed and inducing it to sprout. If you don't provide the seed with the right environment it'll probably just remain dormant(it won’t grow).
There are several techniques you can use to germinate your cannabis seed and there is no right way. In my experience, just about every grower would probably recommend something different but for the most part I'm just going to keep it basic for you and show you the techniques of using the easiest ways to get the job done.
The fact is the easiest way for beginners is just to use soil that way transplanting will not be all that necessary and it is really the most natural way to get your seeds to germinate properly. When transplanting your little one at such an early stage you can run the risk of putting your plants in shock, this will either stunt their growth or kill them all together. As a beginner it only makes sense to just stick with using soil until you can comfortably use something different.
The Germination method
1. Soak your seeds in water until they sprout a little tail this should happened between 24 to 48 hours.
2. Put your seeds in a 1/2-inch hole in the soil then gently cover it back up with soil.
3. Place pots under a 40-watt CFL tube at 3 inches away from the top of the plants.
4. Keep the soil moist and spray with water with a spray bottle at least twice a day.
5. After two to three weeks, the roots may grow out of the bottom of the pots that means it’s time to transplant your cannabis plant into a bigger pot.
6. Once the plants are about 8 to 12 inches high, they are ready to either move outdoor or stay indoor under a HPS(high-pressure sodium) lights or LED grow lights.
Germinating Cannabis Seeds In Soil
We're going to start off with probably the most basic method to germinate a seed. This by far is the most natural way to germinate seeds… just put it in soil.
What you would do is, simply place the seed about three to four millimeters deep into the soil and keep the soil moist for about five to six days. Doing it this way usually has around a 70% to 80% success rate in terms of getting the seed to germinate and produce a leaf. It also depends on the quality of the seed.
Wet paper towel method
The wet paper towel technique is another technique that is simple and one you probably heard of already. For this one, you would just place the seeds on a damp paper towel and fold the towel over.
I use this method a lot, because it pops seeds more times than just putting it in the soil, I will give this method about a 75% to 90% chance of germination. Using the wet paper towel method maybe good for germinating success rate but it is also known for easy breakage whenever you're transplanting because the seeds are so delicate, and you have to be very careful when transplanting them into their new home.
For germinating cannabis seeds you may also find different grow kits or propagation kits that come with rockwool cubes or other fancy grow mediums and have a similar success rate to the paper towel method. You can find these grow kits at many online retailers, local supercenters or garden stores.
What kind of soil should I use to grow cannabis plants?
At many garden stores like Walmart or Home Depot you will find bags of soil that say they are specially for germination, but nothing really is different between these soils other than the certain amount of nutrients in them. When looking for the right soil you should try to find ones that have an N-P-K (Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium) ratio of around 5-1-1 or 8-4-4. Basically, any soil that has more nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium will be perfect for germinating a cannabis seed.
The kind of pots that you use to grow your plants are important as well. It is common for expert growers to use pots or buckets that can hold between two and five gallons because the root system in cannabis plants can become quite chaotic.
Small containers will work for geminating or handling the seedling, but the plant will need to be transplanted into a bigger pot later. It only makes sense because the plant will be in a 2 to 5 gallon bucket for the majority of their lives anyway. This also gives the roots more room to grow and thrive while also providing a perfect environment for all the nutrients and good drainage. Also leaving them in buckets may make them easier to move around.
Conclusion
Depending on how much light wattage you're using. The plant will need about 25 to 35 watts per square foot. The thing is seeds don't need light to kick-off germination from the beginning but it's real common for growers to turn their lights on, after sowing the seed to warm the soil up and to promote the germination process. It's a real good idea to keep the lights on and ready for whenever the first sprouts do appear out of the soil.
A few more important things to keep in mind with your germinated seed is the pH balance. You can easily use the same soil throughout the life of the plant if you ensured the water can be drained properly and the soil maintains a good pH balance between 5.8 and 7.8 the texture is particularly important because your soil should neither be too dry nor too moist. Most soils have just about a muddy consistency to reduce the amount of oxygen that can reach the roots. If the roots can breathe and still maintain water it should be fine.
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