best way to start seed

so Im new to all of this and need a little direction on the best way to start seed and when to move it under light.. Please help

Welcome to RIU! the simplest way to start a seed is directly into soil, pointy end down, about twice the length of the seed deep (about 1/2"). you can also place them in a moist paper towel inside a plastic bag once they crack ant have about 1/4" root plant them so the white root is down and the top of the seed is about 1/2" deep. best method I've found is to place a piece of heavy grit sand paper or emery board in a match box. place your seeds inside and shake it a bit, but not too hard. after about 15 sec or so, look in the box. you should see little brown flecks or dust in the box. this is called scarification, it nicks the seed hull to allow water to penetrate. next take a new clean sponge (without antibacterial stuff) and moisten it with warm water, place it in a Tupperware with a small amount of warm water in the bottom. moisten a paper towel, fold it, and place it over the sponge so two edges are touching the water. arrange your seeds between the folds of the paper towel and tamp it around them. the sponge keeps the towel out of the water but it wicks enough up to stay moist. put the lid on your container and put in a warm dark place with in 12 to 24 hours your seeds should have cracked. when you transplant into containers be sure to watter your seedling in with room temperature water, cold water will shock it. place the pots under the light as soon as they are planted. the light will keep the soil warm and your baby wont have to search for light when it pushes through the soil.

thanks for the info... now I am running DWC so if i do you idea of putting them in the tupperware once they crack put them in rockwool. and then what?

when you move them under HID for the first time put them around the edge for a day so they get used to the light

NorthernLights#5 said:

so Im new to all of this and need a little direction on the best way to start seed and when to move it under light.. Please help

Click to expand...

lay them in a bed with a dome under some flourecents. heat pad is helpful if cold

just put them in the rockwool and water...make sure to cover the hole you made to put the bean in with a small piece of rockwool....put them under the light and keep the rockwool moist...they pop up in a few days. No need to go through all the paper towel or other "fancy" complicated methods. KISS

ok well right now i have a 2' x 4' box with 4 2' T5's in it, with a heat pad. so I get the seeds to crack place them in rockwool cubes and just put them in there, or do i wait for them to grow out of the rockwool before they go under that light?

put them under the light after you plant them. id just plant them directly into the rock wool and skip the towel, its better for soil. you dont need to scarify but it really helps with germination rates.