The Germination Proclamation of 2022 - @GrofessorX
Its March 2022 in Beautiful Toronto Ontario Canada.
Which means its about that time to start Germinating your seeds for your Summer 2022 Garden. Cannabis, Vegetable, & Herb seeds alike are always more fruitful & resilient plants when started a bit early.
In Southern Ontario/(Greater Toronto Area), fully rooted seedlings can be planted outside in the ground, or in pots around the last week of May, to the first week of June. This is usually when there is little to no threat of overnight frost, heavy winds or rain for this time of the year. Pots & Containers should be used accordingly based on the size of the plants you are hoping to harvest.
When Germinating Regular Cannabis Seeds that can be either male, or female for outdoor grows, it is even more imperative that you start early and begin your grow indoors. Depending on your budget and resources, knowing the sex of your cannabis seedling could be done within a week of germination by drop off, or mail in lab testing. You can also cut clones from each plant 2-3 weeks after germination, and then flower them to determine the sex on your own. This method takes up more space and time but is obviously cheaper to accomplish. It all once again comes down to your budget, indoor grow space, and resources. (Germinate 12 weeks before planting)
Germinating Feminized Cannabis Seeds can be done a little later in the year, as you are generally guaranteed they will be female. Always best to start them in a small pot indoors near a window sill or low powered light, then transplant them to their final pot size, or in the ground once they have a healthy root system. (Germinate 8 Weeks before planting)
Germinating Auto Flower Cannabis Seeds like feminized, can be started earlier in May, but the Germinated seed should go in the Final Pot Size you are intending to use. These plants will flower much earlier than regular and feminized seeds, however because of this can still be started up until the first week of July if need be. (Germinate 4 weeks before planting)
Female Clones are Ultimately the quickest & easiest way to get your Cannabis Garden going n' growing. Most Clones you purchase in Shops or Online will already have a developed root system that will easily plant into many grow mediums quickly. Overall, in comparison to starting from a germinated seed, you can save between 3-4 weeks of growth by starting with a Clone. (Start in Pots indoors 3-4 weeks before planting outside)
Germinating or Starting Vegetable/Fruit Garden Seeds vary in germination and starting methods. Although most seeds generally Germinate the same, some vegetables like peas, corn and beans can be planted directly from the package directly into the growing medium. Always referring to the package instructions will yield you the best results.
My personal favorite Germination Method for Regular, Feminized, & Auto Flower Seeds is as follows:
What You Need:
- A small jar, glass or container (1 per strain, up to 20 seeds or based on size)
- Lukewarm bottled or clean tap water. (1-2oz per strain/container)
- Snack or Sandwich size Zip Lock bags (1 per strain you are germinating)
- Paper towel (1-2 Full sheets per strain)
- Empty/Clean Spray Bottle (Fill with bottled or clean tap water)
- Humidity Dome & Base Tray (Hydroponic or Box Store Garden Center)
- Strip Style Lighting (LED Strip, Sun Blaster T5, Desk Style Lamp)
Step 1: Soak Your Seeds
Fill you small, labeled containers with 1-2 ounces of water (depending on the size), then drop your seeds in the water. Store them in a warm and dark place. They will most likely float at the top at first. Check on them in a few hours after first dropping them in the water. Lightly tap the floating seeds on the surface downwards, to help them sink to the bottom of the container. Check on them every 12 hours as they can develop a Tap Root long enough to plant while soaking soaking alone. Should you develop 1/2" or longer Tap Roots in the container in less than 48 hours, Skip Step 2 and proceed to Step 3.
Step 2: Cloak Your Seeds
For the seeds that did not start or develop 1/4" tap root after a 48-hour soak (Step 1), Evenly Fold Over 1 Sheet of paper towel for the snack size, or 2 sheets for the sandwich size Zip Lock bags to a size that will fit the closed Zip Lock bag. Lightly Soak or Spray the folded Paper Towel with Bottled or Clean tap Water. The paper towel should be closer to Damp than Saturated or Dripping. Unfold the damp Paper Towel Once, then Place the seeds at least 1/2" apart on one half of the open Paper Towel. Flap over the other half of the Damp Paper Towel and slide into the labeled Zip lock bag. Close half of the Zip Lock bag and place it in a Dark & Warm area. Check on the bag every 12 hours or less to remove and plant any seeds that grow a 1/4" or longer Tap Root.
Step 3: Sow Your Seeds
Fill your 4" or smaller containers (With drain holes) with your soil or growing medium. Water them until you see droplets of water coming out of all drain holes. This will ensure your soil/growing medium is wet enough. Use the end of a standard pen or something similar, press lightly in the soil/medium creating a small hole as deep as the length of the Tap Root/Seed you are planting. Lightly place the seed with the Tap Root Downwards into the hole. Cover the head of the seed lightly with more medium. Lightly spray the surface of the soil with clean water from your spray bottle.
Step 4: Germination Incubation
Place you pots/containers in the base tray. Spray the inside of the humidity dome evenly with water and place it on the base tray. This will give the humidity needed at this stage an initial boost and help maintain it over the next 3-4 days. Your strip style lighting should be directly above the dome & as close as possible to it. Keeping your dome near a natural light source near a window or on a sill works as well, but you do not want the base & dome getting too cold. Keep the vents at the top of the dome 100% closed.
Step 5: Follow Up In 3 Days
After 3-4 days, the condensation on the dome will start to reduce, you should see most of your seedling poke through the surface of the soil/grow medium. At this point your seedlings will need a thorough spray with your bottle of clean water. You are trying to keep the new vegetation and the surface of the soil/medium saturated. Re-spray the inside of the dome again with clean water evenly and put the humidity dome back on the base tray. At this point you can open the vents on the top of the Humidity Dome 1/8th of the way. From this point on it is important you check on them at least 2 times a day to ensure they are properly hydrated and show signs of new growth. The bigger they get, the more you can slightly open the vents, and the more often you should spray the plants and the inside of the dome.
Step 6: Off with The Dome, Almost Home
Between 9-11 days of Incubation, most of the seedlings should be over 4" - 6" tall. At this point you plants should be close to rooted enough to transplant to a larger pot/container. Spray the tops of the seedlings lightly at this point, and water the seedings directly until you see water come out of the drip holes again. Now you should only water when you see the plant is lighter in weight with a dry soil surface.
Transplanting your well rooted seedlings into the next size up or its final home to harvest will increase your odds of a plant with more aggressive growth and resistance to harsh weather and conditions.
Message us on Instagram, or through www.growersworld.store for info on upcoming in-house Seminars on Growing Cannabis at All Stages.
Come back soon for our next News Blog on Planting/Transplanting Seedlings & Plants in Soil Style Grow Mediums.
@GrofessorX