{"id":5708,"date":"2016-03-17T08:42:37","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T08:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/?p=47825"},"modified":"2016-03-17T08:42:37","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T08:42:37","slug":"how-to-germinate-cannabis-seeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/how-to-germinate-cannabis-seeds\/","title":{"rendered":"How-To: Germinate Cannabis Seeds"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/how-to-germinate-cannabis-seeds\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you\u2019re a cannabis enthusiast there is nothing more satisfying than growing your own stash of the magical herb. Worried you don\u2019t have a green-thumb? Don\u2019t fret! We, at Marijuana.com, are here to walk alongside you during this journey. If you are starting fresh, check out our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/blog\/news\/2016\/03\/guide-to-starting-your-own-grow\/\">Guide to Starting Your Own Grow<\/a> to see what equipment you will need. If you have all your equipment and are ready to pop your seeds, read on to learn the best methods for cannabis seed germination.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47864\" src=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0247-1024x683.jpg?a8203f\" alt=\"germination_0247\" width=\"702\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0247-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0247-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0247-1024x683.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0247.jpg 1544w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0247-300x200@2x.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0247-768x512@2x.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Photo Courtesy of Allie Beckett<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/germinate\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Merriam-Webster<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">defines germinate as, \u201cto cause a seed to begin to grow.\u201d \u00a0What we\u2019ll be doing is tricking the seed into believing it\u2019s been planted, which will trigger the opening of the seed casing. A tiny tap-root will start to work its way out of the seeds during this process, and that will be our signal to plant them in a more permanent home. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Successful seed germination is reliant on environmental factors such as temperature, water, oxygen, and darkness. The seeds will absorb water until they swell and break open. Oxygen then provides their main source of energy until the seedlings grow leaves. All seeds germinate differently, but cannabis seeds prefer a dark, warm environment around room temperature (60-70 F).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Soaking Method<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Soaking your seeds in water is the easiest and most low-maintenance way\u00a0to germinate.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47866\" src=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0275-1024x683.jpg?a8203f\" alt=\"germination_0275\" width=\"702\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0275-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0275-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0275-1024x683.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0275.jpg 1544w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0275-300x200@2x.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0275-768x512@2x.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Photo Courtesy of Allie Beckett<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supplies<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Glass Container<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Water<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seeds<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gather a glass container\u00a0&#8211; <span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> if you are germinating less than 10 seeds, a shot glass will work perfectly.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>If you\u2019re germinating more than 10, I recommend using a container with a larger surface area.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fill your glass container with water.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pour your seeds into the water.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Place container with seeds into a warm, dark cabinet.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s it! Leave your seeds in the cabinet for a couple of days, trying not to disturb them. Some genetics germinate very rigorously and will begin rooting within hours. Most seeds won\u2019t pop <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">this<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> fast but it won\u2019t take longer than 3 days. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you are planning on growing hydroponically, this is the method I recommend for you. As long as you change the water, you can keep the seedlings growing until their taproots are a couple inches long. From here, you would very gently place the seedling in an aeroponic cloner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47862\" src=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/seed-germination-8099-1024x683.jpg?a8203f\" alt=\"seed-germination-8099\" width=\"702\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/seed-germination-8099-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/seed-germination-8099-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/seed-germination-8099-1024x683.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/seed-germination-8099.jpg 1500w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/seed-germination-8099-300x200@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">This is an example of some seeds that I\u00a0left soaking in water for about a week.<\/p>\n<p><b>Starter Cube Method<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The starter cube method requires more equipment than the soaking method, so it is more expensive without necessarily having a higher germination rate. However, using starter cubes does make transplanting into soil or coco coir very easy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47877\" src=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/shutterstock_351335474.jpg?a8203f\" alt=\"shutterstock_351335474\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/shutterstock_351335474-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/shutterstock_351335474-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/shutterstock_351335474.jpg 1000w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/shutterstock_351335474-300x200@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Photo courtesy of\u00a0Kira Volkov\u00a0\/ ShutterStock.com<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supplies<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bag of Starter Cubes (<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/General-Hydroponics-Rapid-Rooter-Replacement\/dp\/B0002IU8K2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rapid Rooter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seedling Starter tray (Entire Germination Station available for purchase <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Hydrofarm-CK64050-Germination-Station-Heat\/dp\/B000HHO1RO\/ref=pd_bxgy_86_2?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=12EHAHN0D803Z0CXKWED\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">) <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Humidity Dome<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Heat Mat *optional<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Water<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Small Watering Can<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seeds<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Open the bag of starter cubes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Place cubes in the tray, one per opening. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gently place your seeds into the starter cubes, one seed per cube. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pour some water into the tray.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Place humidity dome on top of your tray.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have a heating mat, find a dark spot to plug it in and station your tray. If not, you can place your tray in any dark, warm location. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You&#8217;ll want to check on the seeds daily to make sure the cubes aren&#8217;t too wet or too dry. The moisture level should be right in the middle, which means you&#8217;ll probably be giving them water every other day. When you see the seedling sprouting through the top of the cube, you can directly transfer the starter cubes into soil or coconut coir.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Paper Towel Method<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-47868\" src=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0643-1024x683.jpg?a8203f\" alt=\"germination_0643\" width=\"702\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0643-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0643-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0643-1024x683.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0643-300x200@2x.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0643-768x512@2x.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/germination_0643-1024x683@2x.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Photo Courtesy of Allie Beckett<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supplies<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Paper towels or tissue<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2 Plates<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Water<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seeds<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spray Bottle<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Paper Towel method requires a daily check-in and can be more high-maintenance.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wet a paper towel and gently wring it out so that the entire towel is damp but not dripping water. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Place the damp paper towel on one of your plates. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pour your seeds out onto the damp paper towel. Space them a couple centimeters apart.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wet another paper towel and gently wring it out to get rid of any excess water.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Place the second paper towel directly on top of the first paper towel, covering the seeds like a blanket.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gently set your second plate upside-down on top of the seeds, forming a dark environment for the seeds to germinate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Place the plates in a warm (room temperature) area away from direct light and potential disruption. But not in a place where you will forget to check on them daily! <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You want to check on the seeds daily because the towel can easily dry out and kill your seeds, depending on the stage of germination. To keep the humidity up, you use a spray bottle to keep the paper towels damp. In several days you should see a fuzzy white root popping out of each of your seeds!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Time to Plant!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No matter what method you use, when you see a short (1+ inch) white root shooting out of your seed, it is time to transplant it into a new home.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47879\" src=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/plantingseedling.jpg?a8203f\" alt=\"plantingseedling\" width=\"654\" height=\"986\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/plantingseedling-199x300.jpg 199w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/plantingseedling.jpg 654w, http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/plantingseedling-199x300@2x.jpg 398w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 654px) 100vw, 654px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Photo Courtesy of Allie Beckett<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pick your grow medium: soil, coconut coir, rock wool, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Place your germinated seed, root first, a couple centimeters beneath the surface of your chosen grow medium. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Place the pot(s) with your newly transplanted seedlings inside under artificial grow light(s).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After a day or two you should see your seedlings breaking the surface of the grow medium.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Now, it&#8217;s time to wait and watch your babies grow! Plants love listening to music and love being talked to, so don&#8217;t forget to shower your seedlings\u00a0with attention and love on the daily. Most importantly, have fun!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text\/html' width='702' height='425' src='http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f8ITBkGzvQQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen='true'><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cover Photo Courtesy of wk1003mike \/ ShutterStock.com<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re a cannabis enthusiast there is nothing more satisfying than growing your own stash of the magical herb. Worried you don\u2019t have a green-thumb? Don\u2019t fret! We, at Marijuana.com, are here to walk alongside you during this journey. If you are starting fresh, check out our Guide to Starting Your Own Grow to see [&#8230;] <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5183,52,5074,5179,2205,5285,5286,5287,5288,5289,2556,2530,5290,9,1,3,5291],"tags":[5191,2632,5076,5181,4773,5292,5293,5294,5295,5296,2558,2534,5297,5298],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5708"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5708\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}