Planting directly in soil

BelugaJones

Member
Hi, I'm a noob grower and this is my first set of plants.

I have put about 8 seeds in a glass of water because I'm not 100% sure about age and have put 4 seeds directly into soil and have covered it up (about a 1cm deep hole)

Questions:

I have a little seedling tray I put the 4 seeds into - it has a glass lid I could put over it so should I at this stage?

After placing the seed in the soil should I cover it up straight away?

How long does it usually take to come up out of the ground from directly planting a seed in soil (estimate)?

What's the average time it takes for seeds to crack in water? (I've been told to keep mine in for just 24 hours and have set a timer)

Any help/answers much appreciated cheers!
 

moondance

Well-Known Member
Hi how are you today? Yes put the cover on the tray or plastic wrap it for a greenhouse effect. Yes cover the seed with soil about an inch down, and keep it moist, but not wet, it will take a week or two for them to pop up. I leave my seeds in water for 48 hrs, if they have not cracked yet I transfer them to warm moist paper towel and place that in a bag and set it in a warm and dark place for 24hrs then check for a tail, if no tail return to the bag in the dark for 24 hrs, should be good to plant after that. Peace, be safe MD.20160425_160413.jpg 20160831_233401.jpg
 

dubois.f

Well-Known Member
I follow the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle.
I planted all my seeds in plastic cups with soil and after around 2 weeks I cut the cup and transplant them into bigger pots.
Never had any problem with this method.
It usually takes 2-3 days to sprout in soil with 24/0 light.

I'm by no means an expert having only grown 5 plants (2 indoor and 3 outdoor)
 

BelugaJones

Member
Hi how are you today? Yes put the cover on the tray or plastic wrap it for a greenhouse effect. Yes cover the seed with soil about an inch down, and keep it moist, but not wet, it will take a week or two for them to pop up. I leave my seeds in water for 48 hrs, if they have not cracked yet I transfer them to warm moist paper towel and place that in a bag and set it in a warm and dark place for 24hrs then check for a tail, if no tail return to the bag in the dark for 24 hrs, should be good to plant after that. Peace, be safe MD.View attachment 3797397 View attachment 3797398
Thank you very much for your answer, I'll leave the seeds in water for another 24 hours and see what happens and if not I will try the paper towel thing :)

I follow the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle.
I planted all my seeds in plastic cups with soil and after around 2 weeks I cut the cup and transplant them into bigger pots.
Never had any problem with this method.
It usually takes 2-3 days to sprout in soil with 24/0 light.

I'm by no means an expert having only grown 5 plants (2 indoor and 3 outdoor)
Cheers, I'll throw a few in a paper cup and let you know how it goes!
 

Final Phase

Well-Known Member
Do yourself a favor and get some seedling starter soil. Most of the soil on the market is too hard on some strains and will mess up the plant or wipe it out all together...

Seedling starter type soils will have little to none nutrients. Go light on the nutrients - None for about 10 days. ⅓ of the recommended amount for days 10 - 20 or so...
Go easy so they don't get burned...
 

BelugaJones

Member
Do yourself a favor and get some seedling starter soil. Most of the soil on the market is too hard on some strains and will mess up the plant or wipe it out all together...

Seedling starter type soils will have little to none nutrients. Go light on the nutrients - None for about 10 days. ⅓ of the recommended amount for days 10 - 20 or so...
Go easy so they don't get burned...
Yeah I've done that, thanks for the advice though I'll try definitely not put in any nutrients for a little bit. Thanks!
 

dubois.f

Well-Known Member
Do yourself a favor and get some seedling starter soil. Most of the soil on the market is too hard on some strains and will mess up the plant or wipe it out all together...

Seedling starter type soils will have little to none nutrients. Go light on the nutrients - None for about 10 days. ⅓ of the recommended amount for days 10 - 20 or so...
Go easy so they don't get burned...
Well my I take my soil directly from a nearby forest maybe that's why I did not have any problems with the seedlings.
 

BelugaJones

Member
Nothing seems to have come up in the soil yet, I put 4 seeds in a paper towel in a dark place but it seems there has been no root yet (about 48 hours) and my seeds in the water look like they are just starting to crack as it looks like that root thingy is about to come out of them. :)

May have just mistyped, but I would def use PLASTIC and not a PAPER cup.

I always have gone from paper towel--> plastic cup. Usually from 24-72 hours would be my guess when I see them make their way through the soil. Its a fun process! Good luck!
It is definitely a fun process!

No reason to cover seedling trays with dome or anything else. This promotes damping off on seedlings.
Yeah thanks, does look like there is a lot of moisture in there at the moment..
 
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