Germinating cannabis seeds is a very easy and simple process. Cannabis plants naturally want to grow and survive, all you have to do to facilitate this process is the following:
Step 1- Soak your seeds in a glass of room temperature, distilled water for 12-24 hours, until you see the seed split and/or a little taproot emerges. Sometimes it can take longer, in which case you should change the water every 2-3 days. (ph. level of around 5.5 is best but not crucial)
NOTE: Be gentle with sprouted seeds and avoid touching the white taproot. Sprouted seeds are very sensitive and don’t like chemicals like tobacco so make sure your hands are clean at all times when handling seeds.
Step 2- Carefully place sprouted seed in soil/rockwool by creating a hole 1-2 cm deep, drop the seed in and gently close the hole. You can use a small pot, seedling tray or directly into the ground. (seedling soil, rockwool, and other neutral mediums work best.)
Step 3- Place the pot/seedling tray in a warm, airy space with moderate sunlight. Water daily and keep the soil moist at all times. Make sure that the temperature doesn’t drop and rise too much, i.e. too cold at night and too hot during the day (18-25 °C is best). Sprouted seeds need air, moisture and warmth to thrive.
Step 4- Within 3-10 days the seedling should emerge from the ground/soil/rockwool. Make sure the seedling gets moderate light and remains moist. Do not feed for the first week of development.
Step 5- When the first set of leaves appear it is time to pot up into a bigger pot if the initial pot was small or if using rockwool. It is also time to introduce more sunlight but be careful to ensure that the temperature remains moderate as high temp will cause the seedling to stretch.
Some seeds may take longer than others depending on factors such as age. Generally speaking, the older your seed is the longer and more difficult it is to germinate. Seeds can last for many years depending on how it was stored (Airtight, in a cool dark place, works best, too much moisture or too little can be detrimental to your seeds.) Seeds up to 4 years old should sprout easily however thereafter it becomes difficult.
NEVER LET YOUR YOUNG SPROUT DRY UP!
The main signal that tells a cannabis seed to start sprouting is the presence of moisture and heat. The combination of warm and wet sets the seed into motion, the seed will start burrowing its main root (called the taproot) through their shell. If the seed’s root breaks through its shell and the water around has dried up, your seedling will surely perish.
Seedlings are delicate at first. Once sprouted, the roots need to stay constantly moist, not drenched, to stay happy and healthy. It’s important to make sure the seeds have access to water the entire time during germination, no matter which cannabis germination method you end up using.
KEEP THEM WARM!
Seeds germinate best in warmer temperatures and young cannabis seedlings do better with higher relative humidity in the air. When seedlings are young, they grow faster and healthier when they can absorb moisture from the air through their leaves while their roots are still developing. Essentially, you want to make sure any seeds or sprouts are kept warm and moist at all times, that their roots are not exposed to light, and that they get planted right away.
Germinating seeds does not always go as planned. Some seeds will be slow and take longer to sprout. Others will pop quickly and grow rapidly. This is the beauty of seeds – you can often begin to tell which plants or genetics are thriving right from the get-go.