Seed Germination
How to Germinate Cannabis Seeds with Success!
Start to Germinate your Cannabis Seeds
The method we rely on here at Ontario Clone is as follows:
Grab a glass and fill it with room temperature reverse osmosis water or Plain old filtered tap water.
Put your marijuana seeds into a glass of water.
Then place the glass in complete darkness we like to put the glass on a heat matt as we find it to speed up the process although not necessary
Within 24hrs the seeds should have sunken to the bottom if not a gentle tap will usually assist in the seeds sinking.
We leave the seeds in the water for up to 72Hrs or until the taproot is at least 1/4'’ long.
If seeds have not sprouted, we then move on to the paper towel method below.
If seeds have sprouted, we then transplant to jiffy or coco coir pellets info below.
Now they are ready for the next step transferring into a medium or paper towel.
Paper Towel Method
When germinating marijuana seeds in paper towel:
Fold your paper towel into a rectangle or square and soak with reverse osmosis water or distilled water of your choice.
Place your fresh waterlogged seeds from the beginning process into the paper towel evenly spaced out
Fold the paper towel and place inside a zip lock bag or between two plates.
Place the zip lock bag or on top of the fridge with a regular dish towel over it or in a warm dark area.
Wait for 24 hours or up to 36 hours and make sure to check the paper towel to make sure it has not dried up.
If dry use fresh water to dampen lightly
The seeds should have sprouted.
Use a pair of tweezers to gently grab the shell for transplant. Be carful not to damage the taproot as it is very delicate.
Jiffy or Coco Coir Pellet Method
This method is an easy and very effective way of germinating cannabis seeds and is strongly recommended for beginners’.
This method is one of the best ways to germinate your marijuana seeds. It has a great advantage over some other methods.
To germinate using Jiffy or Coco Coir Pellets:
Fill a container with reverse osmosis water or filtered tap water PH balanced water to about halfway. A big bowl works simply fine
Place the pellets into the water
Wait until they expand and full of water
Optional if you deem it necessary: Gently squeeze the jiffy pot to release some water. (DO NOT Squish) be gentle
Squeeze the pellet to halfway closed at the bottom.
There is usually a whole in the top of these pellets if not make a small indent with a sterilized instrument such as a chop stick whipped down with alcohol
If planting seed without taproot place directly in hole
If sprouted place cannabis seed into the hole with the taproot facing down on top of the Jiffy Pot
Brush over with the rest of the peat or coco coir on top do not push down hard
Place into a humidity dome
Lift humidity dome at least twice a day to let fresh air in
Temperatures should be at between 75-80-degree Fahrenheit and humidity 70%-80%
Let seedling grow to about 6 inches before transplant to grow medium
Soil Method
Use your container and fill it with soil to just below the top below are the steps to germinate using soil:
Fill container with soil just below the top
Slowly pour a small amount of PH water over the soil. You just want the soil to be damp to the touch and to spring back after squeezing if it is too moist add some more dry soil.
Mix with sanitized hands or use some disposable vinyl gloves to keep thing sanitary for these new seeds!
Add the mixed soil to the sanitized container
With a finger and in the middle make an indent or hole about 1/4'’
Take your seed that has sprouted by using a pair of tweezers. Gently grab the top to the seed do not touch the tap root at all.
Next place the seed into the hole taproot facing down and lightly cover with some soil
If using the seed that has just sunk to the bottom of the glass, place it into the hole and cover with soil
Gently drop some water on the new surface, not too much.
Take some plastic wrap and place over the top of the container with some gap between the soil and the top
Place under a light
Your cannabis seed should sprout in 2-7 days.
Rockwool Method
This method works very well when transplanting into hydroponics using soilless medium or coco coir.
We advise wearing gloves and a cheap mask when working with rockwool as it can irritate skin and lungs.
Here are the basic steps for germinating seeds in rockwool:
Use a sterilized chopstick to place a hole in the under side of the rock wool cubes
Soak rockwool cube in one pint of water that is PH’d down to 5.5. No extensive soaking is required, but make sure water gets fully absorbed. Include rooting stimulant to encourage root growth once the seed germinates.
Remove from water and shake gently to release excess water
Take a pair of scissors and place them in the hole of the top of the cube and slice a corner so it splits.
You should now be able to gently open it up
Take your seed that has sprouted by using a pair of micro tweezers. Gently grab the top to the seed and do not touch the tap root at all.
Place the seed into the hole taproot facing down and gently cover with some of the rock wool fiber.
Use an elastic band to close the cube and make sure it is a little tight to seal the seedling in place.
Put the cube in a humidity dome
Put under a gentle light
Once sprouted leave in dome opening twice a day
Temperatures should be between 75-80 Fahrenheit
Let seedling get 3-4” before transplant into grow medium
Rapid Rooter Method
Alternative to rockwool would be the Rapid Rooter. These little plugs can be used in soilless mediums the same way rockwool can.
Steps for germinating in Rapid Rooters:
Soak Rapid Rooter in Ph 5.5 water for 4-24hrs
Remove the “plugs” and let some of the water drain off
Place in humidity dome
If using a sprouted seed. Place it into the hole on the top of the plug grabbing the shell with tweezers pointing tap root down if seed is not sprouted place in hole with tweezers and move some of the fiber across the top
Fill tray with 1/4'’
Keep temperature between 75-80-degree Fahrenheit with 70%-80$ humidity
Remove dome twice a day until seedling is 3-4”
Transplant to medium
Lights
We recommend Fluorescent lights for the very first stages of your plant’s life. They are cheap and do not use a lot of electricity.
CFL bulbs can also be used and can find in any hardware store. These are great for small narrow areas.