Note: The germination of cannabis seeds may be illegal in your country/region, please be informed of your local/regional laws regarding the germination of cannabis seeds before proceeding to do so.
Most people talk about the high, a lot will talk about the strain, some about the plant, but few will mention the seeds. Yet the seeds are where it all begins, keepers of the secrets to all of our euphoric buzzes and medicinal relaxations. The key to a healthy plant is a healthy seed, a seed that’ll need to be germinated: most growers will already have their germination techniques laid out, sticking with what works for them, whereas for new growers, germinating a seed may not even come to mind. In this article, you’ll find a couple different ways of germinating cannabis seeds to help you get your crops going and to get onto the path of being a master grower.
The key to germinating any seed is delicacy; for the seed to sprout it’ll need three things: warmth, moisture, and darkness – all three things it would normally find in the soils of its natural environment after a hot summer downpour. These germination techniques all consist of providing the plant with these three basic necessities; allowing the seed to feel comfortable and safe to start growing.
For sure, putting the seeds directly in the soil will be a great time saver, no making a germination kit or then replanting it into the soil – but practically no growers will do this for the sole reason that you can’t be sure that the seeds have actually germinated without foraging around in the soil looking for the seed, and potentially damaging it.
You’re going to need a Tupperware (or something sealable of a small size e.g. CD case, small cardboard box), paper towels (kitchen towel seems to work best) and some water.
Start by dampening the pieces of paper (ideally with a spray bottle to control the dampness) to the point where they’re completely moist but without excess water running off them.
After that, grab whatever it is you’ll be using to contain the seeds in (it can be anything from a plastic container to two plates placed on top of each other – as long as the seeds aren’t squashed and stay warm), place one of the moist pieces of paper along the bottom of your germination space, then carefully rest the seeds on top, giving them some space in between and avoiding mixing up varieties.
After you’ve placed out your seeds you can now place the other moist paper on top making sure to seal the sides as to not lose any seeds. You may want to give it another light spray of water, just to ensure that the seed is properly enwrapped in the dampness of the paper.
Once your cannabis seeds have been covered, place the lid or whatever you may using to cover them, and place the container in a dark area. Seeds germinated like this may take anywhere between 24 hours and 1 week to germinate.
Another germination process is by using a glass of water, less known but equally as efficient as the paper towel method:
Firstly, you’ll need to fill a glass with water at room temperature (75-80°F / 23-27°C). Tap water will do just fine, just make sure that the pH level is relatively neutral (approx. 7pH is the preferred level).
Afterwards, place the seed carefully on the surface of the water using tweezers (again to keep the environment as sterile as possible), and leave it there to float on the surface of the water. Place the cup in a dark area (cupboard or something of the sort) to keep it dark and warm.
This technique is particularly efficient for seeds that’ve been in storage for a while, helping the seeds to “wake up” or to start the germination process for seeds with more resilient shells.
After placing the containing cup in a dark area, leave it for 2 to 3 days until you can see the seeds starting to germinate.
If after 3 days there’s still no sign of germination, you can add a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide to the water and wait another day or two.
Most cannabis seeds will take a mere 24 hours to germinate, that said don’t be afraid if after day 1 the seed still hasn’t sprouted, sometimes they can take up to 1 week to get going. In any case, the seeds like us, are natural organisms that vary in our biological composition despite our strong resemblances, some seeds may germinate quickly, others slower, some may not germinate at all, this is the beauty of seeds and of Cannabis growing itself.
Once the seed has germinated it will have a little tail sticking out of one side, this is called the “tap root”, it’s preferable to not touch the seed nor the tap root as to keep its environment as sterile as possible.
Using tweezers, place the seed in a pot of airy soil with its tap root facing downwards, leaving the seed nearer the surface, lightly cover the seed with soil and moisten it, make sure to keep the pot in a warm area and leave it for a week or so, keeping the soil damp by adding light touches of water every other day if needed.
In a week’s time or so, you should see your sprout pop, when you do you can throw it under the sun, give it love, water and maybe some tasty nutes and that's all there is to it!
