Need help wiith germination

[Genuine]

ive got my seeds germinating in the paper towel method and shot glass of water method. its been about 24 hours and all three seeds have just slightly begun to crack. is this normal timing? is it supposed to take more than 24 hours? whats the maximum time it should take?

also, when do i take them out and plant them? Im using a bubbleponic system, so my pot is a net pot with some river stones and rock wool cubes.

How do i care for the seeds once they sprout in a bubbleponic system? for example lets say the seed itself germinates until requiired characteristics are met (im not sure what those are exactly though, so could someone please paint the pcture for me please?), then what? do i just transplant them into the rock wool? should i have light? should i have the water running, or just maintain the a dampness in the rockweool? should i add any nutrients or wait a week? i remember reading that the bottom of the net pot should be touching the res water initially so that the bubbles splash water into the pot and wet the rockwool, helping keep it damp and also guidng the roots down to the res.

i could really use some help at this stage. im afraid i jumped into germinating too soon and kind of asked this stuff at the wrong time...shouldve asked before germinating. thanks though for any and all help

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

You need to put them in rockwool or something like rapid rooters if you are doing hydro. I would not use river rock. You are going to need something that will hold the right amount of water like hydrotron.

 

[Genuine]

yeah i have rockwool cubes, but at the moment the seeds have only cracked. is that good enough of a sign to transplant them into the rock wool or should I have a little more growth?

Also, am I right to just keep the the rockwool damp and the pot near the res until the roots reach the water, or should i keep the water flowing? ANd should there be any lights involved? thanks for the help. I went to the local nursery and they only had rockwool in packets of 24 for 12$ which put cut into my budget 6 dollars more than I expected, making t impossible to buy the hydroton for another 13$... ill go back soon and get it though.

 

[AlkaloidContent]

We need a list of what you have so far. Pictures of your grow setup would help too.

Lights? I really am not sure how to take this...You do know that you have to give them light dont you?

 

[Genuine]

We need a list of what you have so far. Pictures of your grow setup would help too.

Lights? I really am not sure how to take this...You do know that you have to give them light dont you?

Yeah i know pics would help alot but i have no camera. The best i can describe them right now is that all three have cracked and there is just a little tiny bit of white sticking out like half a millimeter. Should transfer them into the rockwool now or keep them in the water a little longer? I thought light was only supposed to be introduced once the seed has sprouted a little longer?

ill definitely try to get some pics up soon. Are iphone pics ok? cause thats all ive got atm. or computer pics, but that wouldnt be too clear.

 

[Hushpuppy]

Especially Iphone pics. These things are security breaches for YOU not MP because of the easy ability to intercept cellphone stuff and the ability to track it. At this point yu don't need to take any pics of the beans, we are concerned for your growspace setup because of the vagueness of what yu were describing...Most people who have the small rockwool cubes (2-4") just germinate their seeds in the cubes rather than transplanting. I would suggest that yu go ahead and set the seeds in the cubes now since they are cracking rather than trying to set seedlings into rockwool. That could prove difficult for a beginner.:doh: If the opening in the RW cubes is too big to conceal the seed then pinch off enough of the material from another cube and crumble it into the opening to cover the seed then set the cube in place and water it to keep the seed damp until the sprout grows up out of it. Go ahead and set it in place beneath yer light (low lumen like a CFL or other floro, not MH or HPS, and never incandescent)...Don't use river stone in yer grow. If yu have to right now just set the RW cube in the net pot over the water just close enough to keep it wet until yu can get some Hydroton. regular rocks don't work for what we do with hydro,:doh: they must be water absorbant. If yer cubes are bigger than 1-2" then yu have about a week to 10 days before the tap roots come out of the cube looking for the water, longer if the cube is bigger. Get that hydroton ASAP...

Yu are correct about having the water right up to the net pots so that the bubbles keep the bottom of the cube wet. As soon as yu can, get that hydroton and just fill in over and around the RWcube with it to bury the cube in the netpot. Be very gentle setting hydroton on top of the cube if the sprout is standing up out of the cube at that point (don't want to damage the sprout)... don't add any nutes at this point, give it about a week after yu see the sprout break the top of the cube, then only add a very small amount of nutrient to yer rez (maybe 1/8th of the normal grow dose on the nute regimen, then double that after a week if it is growing good). If yu are using commercial hydro nutes then there should be a feeding schedule either on the bottles or online at the manufacturer's website. Use that schedule but cut it back. I start out with mine at 1/4 dose of manufacturer's recommendations 2 weeks after germination (or right after transplanting clones which is about 2 weeks from cutting). I give them a week to 10 days with that and if I see vigorous growth then I up the dose to 1/2 for another week, and so on until I am up to full dosage of nutes (that does not cause nute burn)...If yu don't have a ph meter, GET ONE, or yu will be wizzing in the wind. Also get a EC/TDS meter if yu don't have one. Yu can get away without the TDS meter if yer careful but it is like guessing constantly and that will caus yu problems sooner or later... Maintaining yer numbers (ph, TDS) are vital to the life of yer plant in hydro. The great thing about hydro is that everything happens fast, the bad thing about hydro is that everything happens fast.....Anymore Qs just ask. Good grow mojo to ya

 

[Genuine]

Thanks a ton for the info. I will get the hydroton very soon. Right now I have them in the wet rockwool with some proper ph'd water. well, kind of proper since im using strips. i just use 46 watts of CFL right now. should that be enough until the sprouts appear? how wet should the rockwool be? The bottom is constantly wet since its touching the res and i sprinkled about 1 1/2 tablespoons of water on the top of the rockwool as well.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I would just put them in the rockwool, but not in the hydro unit yet. I would let the roots come out the bottom of the rockwool before I put them in the hydro unit.

 

[WoodyPheonix]

As ever, HP & THG speak the truth!
At this stage, I keep my seeds in the plastic tray they came in until a whole bunch of roots are poking out, not just 1 or 2.
Just keep an eye on the roots (they will "air prune" and give you a strong starting root mass) to make sure they dont get too big.
Once you have a mass of roots and maybe an inch or so of green at the top end, then you can look to place them in your setup, until then, no nutes and just make sure the rockwool is "damp" but not sodden with water. If the cube feels "heavy" flick it rather than squash it to get rid of the access. The seeds need moisture and air just now.

Green mojo and good luck with them. W