Doing this with a friend and the seeds we ordered come with SUPER specific instructions on how to first handle the seeds. Even says if not followed no guarantee or replacements.
So my question is, should I follow the Grobo way or follow the soak in a cup of spring water, use wet paper towels and all that the seed place says?
Never heard to use spring water, but I ALWAYS soak in a cup of water for 24+ hours before placing in the medium.
Thanks, here is what it says in the email right before saying about no guarantee if doing it different.
GERMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
USE ONLY spring bottled water
To germinate seeds always do the following and you will get 80%+.
-Place in a cup of room temperature bottled spring water for 14 to 18 hours. Sink them to the bottom with your finger. (if they don’t’ sink it is fine)
-After 18 hours (cracked or not cracked), remove and put them between folded paper towel on a dinner plate. Add water but do not drown the seeds. They should be touching moisture, air and warmth at the same time. Put into a warm and dark room.
-Apply water when the paper towel starts drying out. Wait 2 to 7 days and plant directly the 3/4 inch or 2cm tap root directly into soil.
DO NOT: Cover plate with another plate, use a zip lock bag, put in a closet or drawer as this traps in cold air and does not allow seeds to breathe.
DO NOT: Use peat pellets, heating pads, domes or rock wool as our breeders and our company tests our seeds daily using the above method.
EMERGENCY GERMINATION: If your seeds fail to germinate, it is most likely that they didn’t get enough water. As a last effort, drop them into a cup of distilled water and leave them there until you notice a tap root appearing. When it appears, start over with the paper towel method until the tap root is 1/2 inch long
So you can soak for up to 48hrs and should see the seed cracked and a tap root emerge. I use distilled water and have a little less than 100% germ rate. If where seeds were bought say 80%+ that’s a little iffy. Most bean sites guarantee 100% germ which means they stand behind what they’re selling.
I used to do the paper towel method but that usually leads to a really long tap root that can be damaged when placing in the pod to get it deep enough.
I think it was Crop King Seeds we used. They do guarantee, just you need to do what it says in my other post or they won’t. I heard they also send you a couple more than you ordered, not really sure yet as this is the first time.
I wouldn’t recommend Crop King Seeds.
Please see this ongoing thread for some good recommendations.