Homegrowing from Seeds Part 1:

Germination

Hey folks! As the weather starts to slowly segue into something vaguely resembling Spring, a lot of people are looking forward to getting their hands dirty with some gardening and growing of plants of all varieties. Here at Circa 1818, we’re very excited (like many of our customers) about the cannabis growing season, especially since we now carry seeds and everything you need to turn those seeds into sweet, sweet cannabis. With that in mind, we’re going to be discussing growing methods for those who are just getting into the cannabis growing game, starting with one of the most important steps in the whole process: Germination of the seed.

What does that mean?

Germination is the process by which the plant grows inside the seed. This is what turns the seed into a seedling, which is a seed with a little tail like shoot. This is how you know it’s ready to be planted into your grow medium. All plants and even fungi go through a germination process to develop, however what they require for efficient germination varies plant to plant. For our purposes, we’re going to be focusing specifically on a simple method for germinating seeds for cannabis plants.

How to Germinate Cannabis

There are a few factors that influence cannabis seed germination: Temperature, oxygen, and water. Most cannabis seeds germinate under conditions of warm temperatures, darkness, and a damp environment. There are more germination methods that have been developed for seeds than there are grains of sand on the Cobourg beach, so we’re going to focus on what is probably the simplest method: The wet towel.

The Method

You’re going to need two wet towels, your seeds and a ziplock bag; you can use paper towels but the cloth ones most people have in their kitchens are ideal. Once you have your towels, you’re going to want to dampen one of them and lay it out on a flat surface. Remember your towel doesn’t need to be dripping wet, we want it to be moist, not soaked. Once the first towel is laid out, place your seeds on the towel a few centimeters apart from each other so that they have a bit of breathing room. Next, you’re going to want to take your second damp towel and lay it on top of the seeds. Now, take a ziplock bag, and place the wet paper towel draped seeds into the bag carefully. At this point, some growing experts suggest blowing some oxygen into the bag before sealing it, providing the seeds with what they describe as an ideal environment for germination. Either way, you’re going to want to seal it up and then store the seeds in a dark, warm place to begin the germination process. The ideal temperature for germination would be somewhere between 21 to 25 degrees Celsius and some people even use heating pads set at precise temperatures.

Now we wait! You’re going to have to give the seeds at least 12 hours to begin the germination process, although it generally is going to take about a day or two for the germination process to reach fruition. The amount of time it takes depends on a few factors, like the freshness of the seed. You’ll know you’re ready to plant the seeds when you see little shoots come out of the seeds and extend out a few millimeters. Remember that cannabis seeds are super fragile and sensitive; so slow, careful, and gentle are the way to go.

If it takes a little longer for your seeds to start germinating, don’t get discouraged, just give the seeds the time they need and continue to check in on them. I cannot stress enough that this just one of the many methods and techniques that exist for the germination process. There are tons of additional resources available to help with the germination process, so don’t be afraid to experiment and find what method works best for you.

If you’ve followed these steps, there’s a good chance you’ve got some freshly germinated seedlings ready to be planted! Check out our post about planting cannabis seeds for the next step in your plant growing adventure!

Prefer someone else grows your weed? Check out our online menu for some great products grown by some true experts. Check our craft menu for the absolute cream of the crop!

Part two coming next week!

 

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