Germinating Cannabis Seeds
The first step of growing marijuana plants is finding and germinating seeds. It can take anywhere between 2 and 10 days for seeds to show taproots, after which they can be moved to their first container. It's always good to germinate more cannabis seeds than you actually need, just in case some of them don't succeed.
Where Can You Find Cannabis Seeds?
Marijuana seeds are available for purchase online, at dispensaries, or you can supply them from other growers. Seeds classify as cannabis products, just like edibles, tinctures or flower. If you are coming from a state where recreational marijuana is legal, you can purchase, produce and trade seeds within the state's borders; you can acquire seeds supplies at a dispensary or via e-commerce companies and seed banks. If coming from a state where only medical cannabis is clear, you can legally purchase seeds given that you have a MMJ card.
What Seeds to Pick If You're Novice Grower?
If you're just starting your cannabis growing journey, it's best to pick easy strains to grow, preferably autoflower seeds. Autoflower marijuana seeds produce plants that flower on their own after about 2-4 weeks of grow. Typically, the process would take around 2 months if you are growing with feminized photoperiod cannabis. With autoflowers, you don't need to worry about regulating a light schedule and maintaining the plants during their flowering cycle. Therefore, they are much more convenient choice for new growers.
Northern Lights autoflower is the easiest autoflower strain; this is a popular strain both among recreational and medical users. Blue Dream autoflower is one of the easiest Sativa strains. For easiest indoor growing, you can check out Gorilla Glue; for outdoor growing, Green Crack feminized. Other easy-to-grow autoflowers include Girl Scout Cookies, Blue Cheese, White Widow and Super Skunk.
How Should the Seeds Look Like?
When purchasing and supplying marijuana seeds, pay attention that they look mature. Seeds that appear brownish dark with lighter accents and that feel hard on the touch are indications that the seed is mature, thus ready for germination. Cannabis seeds should not look lush green. If you are not going to immediately germinate and grow your marijuana seeds, it's recommended to seal them dry in a dark container in a cool room or inside your refrigerator. Storing seeds properly is important to preserve genetics. Seeds will start to decline if they are left in humid conditions.
How to Germinate Your Weed?
There are several ways how to germinate seeds. The best way, and also the easiest, is to use paper towels drenched in water. All you need to do is take a clean plate, some paper towel and the seeds. Take a piece of paper towel and soak it with water. The towel should be wetted with just enough water, so make sure that any extra water drips from the paper before you fold the seed in it.
Place the first layer of paper towel on a clean plate and then put the seeds on the wet paper. Next, enclose the seed with another layer of wet paper towel. You can do this separately for each seed you want to germinate or you can have them all on the same piece of paper, in a single container. If you're germinating everything on the same plate, ensure that the seeds are distanced at least an inch from each other.
It's important to keep your germinating marijuana seeds somewhere dark, warm and humid. The room temperature should be around 80 °F (about 25 °C). When you see that the paper is dry, you can spray it with warm water and cover it with a lid or a plate to maintain the desired conditions.
It may take anywhere between 2 days and 10 days before the seeds show signs of sprouting.
How to Proceed After Seeds Have Germinated?
The tiny sprouts will show taproots, which is the part that will develop into the primary stem of the marijuana plant. Once the taproot is there, that would be a convenient time to place the germinated seed in the medium where you plan to grow your plant.
You can transplant the seeds into small pots in the beginning, before you transplant them again in their final pots a couple of weeks later (when the growths become stronger). Fill the pots with airy soil and make small holes in the middle. Then, place the seeds with the taproot facing toward the hole, cover the hole with little soil, and use a spray bottle to ensure the area remains moist. The seedlings should protrude from the ground in a matter of days.
Finally, it's important to handle the young growths gently and careful. Always work with clean hands and instruments as it's easy to pass a bacterial infection or fungi on the seeds and the young seedlings.
More articles on Soft Secrets about this:
- A Beginner's Guide to Germinating Cannabis Seeds
S
Soft Secrets
