Do I need distilled water to germinate seeds

whelk said:
Yeah maybe I'll just do it that way then... Not had much experience of seeds
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When you're new, starting new seeds can be intimidating to a degree and a lot of people forget that as they grow for a number of years. Having the seed in a towel let's you see that there's something going on and it makes you feel better I think. Getting Solo cups full of moist soil and just poking holes in the bottom should be as much as work as it takes for fresh seeds.
I do a 12 hour peroxide soak on my old seeds that have been in the freezer for years with a recipe I got from Rurumo on here and it seems to help but I haven't done any real testing on it. I use 30 ml of hydrogen peroxide and 500 ml of water and soak for 12 hours at most. Then I just plant about 1/4" deep and keep the soil moist and warm. Usually they pop in 2-3 days and if it's longer than 5, I'm going digging. I don't have the patience to wait for weak plants, I'd rather just plant another seed.
 
Occasionally I sprout them in medium other times space is a premium so i sprout them in a jug water + H202 it's horses for courses or each to their own, whatever floats Yer boat!
:-)
 
Yeah I think I will use paper towel... It just strikes me as easier for someone who hasn't had much experience. Not really sure why but Ive got a feeling that if I plant them into soil from the beginning that I will mess it up
 
whelk said:
Yeah I think I will use paper towel... It just strikes me as easier for someone who hasn't had much experience. Not really sure why but Ive got a feeling that if I plant them into soil from the beginning that I will mess it up
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How is more steps easier than this?

germ4.jpg
 
place seed in plug/rockwool
add water
place under low light, warm temps
keep plug/rockwool wet until roots pop, then transplant
 
lusidghost said:
I don't know why anyone uses the paper towel method. It's too easy to damage, even when it's just a little tap root. Pop that sucker in a Root Riot plug and wait until it's nice and rooty, then transplant.
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I've done three grows using Pete Pellets, and they do seem to work well, I've had 100% success germinating in them. But this grow, I will be trying the paper towel method instead. I'm not sure why, but many say not to use the Pete Pellets as they can stunt growth. (yes I know, these may be a little different than your root riot plugs but I'm betting they are similar? I'll read up on what you're using.)

I like the fact that I can place the root exactly where I want it into the soil. I've also had quite a few of the seeds sticking and preventing the starter leaves from opening, which has me handling the delicate seedling anyway. I just don't see a real advantage to using them and who knows what problems they might cause.
 
singlecoiled said:
I've done three grows using Pete Pellets, and they do seem to work well, I've had 100% success germinating in them. But this grow, I will be trying the paper towel method instead. I'm not sure why, but many say not to use the Pete Pellets as they can stunt growth. (yes I know, these may be a little different than your root riot plugs but I'm betting they are similar? I'll read up on what you're using.)

I like the fact that I can place the root exactly where I want it into the soil. I've also had quite a few of the seeds sticking and preventing the starter leaves from opening, which has me handling the delicate seedling anyway. I just don't see a real advantage to using them and who knows what problems they might cause.
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Those things suck. Root Riot plugs are spongy.
4029EC1D-3E30-4762-9843-58A4081EAA4A.jpeg
 
lusidghost said:
I don't know why anyone uses the paper towel method. It's too easy to damage, even when it's just a little tap root. Pop that sucker in a Root Riot plug and wait until it's nice and rooty, then transplant.
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I still use the paper towel method and can say that I only screwed it up once. It was the very first time and I damaged it a week after it was transplanted in soil. So, it wasn't the transplanting, it was me being clumsy and knocking it over. Hasn't failed me yet.
 
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