don’t use these methods.
Have your seeds germinate in their final pot, which growth of the very sensitive seedling.
GERMINATION
TROUBLESHOOTING
This germination troubleshooting guide highlights some of the most
common problems and mistakes made with germination. Know that
problems with germination can often appear not because of the quality
of your seeds, but because of mistakes somewhere in the setup or with
the steps in the germination process. If you know the cause why the
germination of your seeds has failed, this guide can help you prevent this
from happening again.
Don’t think that poor germination is always your “fault”. There can be many
factors that can make germination difficult or impossible. Maybe the soil you
just bought is infected with fungus or your garden store simply
recommended the wrong soil. These can be situations where poor
germination is pretty much inevitable. Sometimes even things like a broken
or incorrectly calibrated EC meter than lead to poor germination results. In
some very rare circumstances, you may do everything right, but your seed
happens to contain twins, that is two embryos in one single seed. It may
also happen that your seedlings turn out to be triploids that grow three
sets of leaves instead of two. These occurrences however are so rarely
happening that we won’t go over them here in this troubleshooting guide.
SHOULD YOU PRE-GERMINATE YOUR CANNABIS SEEDS?
Many cannabis growers are still pre-germinating seeds in a glass of water
or with the “paper towel method”. In the first case they would pre-soak the
seeds in water for some days and in the second they put seeds between wet
paper towel sheets and have them germinate there.
The drawback with these pre-germination methods is that they are very error-
prone. The potential problems from these methods like fungus growth or
damage to the sensitive tap roots when
moving the seed to a new medium are
normally outweighing their supposed
benefits. Good quality seeds don’t
normally require pre-soaking, whether
it’s in water or with wet paper towels
so that it is recommended that you
helps keep your risk down for a higher chance of germination success.
PROBLEM: SEEDS NOT GERMINATING
If your seeds won’t germinate, the first thing that you should do to find the
cause is to look at the seeds. Seeds that won’t germinate can have changed
their colour, most of the time they may have gotten noticeably darker. There
can also be a white coating at the rounded end of the seed. When you crack
open the seed you can sometimes notice that the embryo has become soft.
The other possibility is that seeds started out alright at first, the seeds
cracked open and the tap root appeared but growth stopped.
A common cause for failed germination is when the substrate became too dry
at some point. You can check whether this was the case when you crack open
the seeds. An indication that the seed needed more water is if the embryo
looks healthy, white and firm. If you tried to germinate outside, you should
also consider whether frost may possibly have stopped germination.
CAUSE: FUNGUS INFECTION
If you spot a white, fluffy looking
substance on one end of a seed that
turned dark it is very likely fungus,
one of the most common reasons
for failed germination. Fungus can
appear under wet and cold conditions
and in an environment where oxygen is lacking. There can be many reasons
for a fungal infection like poor soil quality, incorrect pH, overwatering, high
humidity, poor air circulation or cold temperatures. When you open a seed
that has been infected by fungus, the seed will have rotted and has turned
into a soft, yellowish liquid.
AVOID MINI GREENHOUSES AND HUMIDITY DOMES FOR GERMINATION
If you look around in seed and garden stores you will see that many of them
are carrying mini greenhouses “for germination”. These mini greenhouses
normally come with humidity domes and some vendors even recommended
them for this purpose. The problem is that germinating seeds under a
humidity dome is a sure way to invite a fungus infection! Seeds and seedlings
don’t require high ambient humidity. A closed mini greenhouse makes only
sense if you want to root clones and cuttings.
Seeds and young seedlings want good air circulation and a well aerated
growing medium. The only thing that needs to be kept moist is the soil or
growing medium. Ambient air humidity is best kept at 50%. A humidity dome
will do exactly the wrong thing. If you want to cover up the seed tray for
whatever reason, then make sure that the lid is at least half-open for adequate
air circulation and humidity levels. If you can, avoid using a lid altogether.
In those cases where the seed started out normal and developed a tap root,
but then stopped growing, fungus can also be a reason for this. But it is also
possible that the seed was killed by high temperatures, such as when you
used a heat mat and you set it at a too high temperature. One other reason
why an emerging seedling could’ve been killed prematurely could be if the
EC is too high, something which at times can happen when you germinate
in rockwool. If you suspect the EC, you should check your substrate’s EC and
also your EC meter and calibrate it.
CAUSE: WATER QUALITY
Tap water with its often high levels of chlorine, fluoride and salts can be
another reason for a failed germination. The minerals and salts can stunt the
If you really need to use tap water, fill
a bucket with hot water and have it sit
outside for a day so the chlorine can
evaporate. Even better, use bottled
water for germination.
Either way, the correct pH for your water is very important. If you germinate
in soil, you may have to adjust the water pH to 6.5 and if you germinate in
rockwool even lower, to about 5.6-5.8 pH. When you water your substrate for
germination, use pure pH adjusted water only. Don’t give any nutrients or
teas. Seeds or young seedlings won’t require them and giving pure water is
the best for promoting healthy root growth.
AVOID JIFFYS AND PEAT PELLETS
In contrast to what advertisements may say, Jiffys and peat pellets are not
optimal for seed germination. Many times, those have an alkaline pH that
would hinder germination rather than help it. If you have poor results with a
particular product, don’t use it next time and switch to another germination
method.
PROBLEMS WITH SEEDLINGS
PROBLEM: SEEDLINGS GROW WEAK AND STRETCHED
When your seedlings grow leggy and appear weak, the most common reason
for this is a lack of light. Low light levels mean that the seedling will stretch.
Give them more light. You can just adjust your grow light so it is closer to
the seedling. If you can’t do this for whatever reason, place the pot with the
seedling higher on a stand or a second pot to move it closer toward your light
source. When your seedling has already grown long and leggy because of not
enough light you want to support it with a stick so it can regain its strength
once you moved it closer to the light.
PROBLEM: “DAMPING OFF” - SEEDLINGS FALL OVER AND DIE
This is another problem caused by a fungal infection. In this case, the reason
for the fungus can be infected soil, high humidity or a waterlogged substrate.
The fungus infiltrated and damaged the stem of the seedling, causing it to
wither and ultimately to collapse. The correct way of watering is important
to avoid “damping off” of seedlings. On one hand, a seedling cannot retain
much water since they only have very small roots and few leaves, which
means they can quickly dry out. On the other hand, too much water can
cause waterlogging and fungus growth. Make sure the substrate or growing
medium is always moist so that the seedling can grow, but don’t overdo it
with watering.