I have consistently had poor germination rates. Visually the seeds look ok but nothing happens.
As a control I have also grown some hemp seeds under the same conditions and these work.
This has happened with different batches of seeds. The commonality between them is they were mostly freebies with the one exception being an unopened pack of AK49 a former grower was clearing out. I paid for these though I have no idea of their age, etc.
My germination method is soak in a glass of water with 1% H202 until the seed sinks. Then transfer it to (in order I have tried them) paper towel, cotton wool, direct to plant in coco.
I initially started at around 26C but on advice lowered this to 17-20C.
I now have a surplus of hemp plants and no herb this year. I also have success with other plants. Only the herb is having trouble. How on earth could something called “weed” be this hard to grow?
I am starting to wonder if my issues may be connected with rumoured poor quality seeds/genetics. I am considering importing some seeds to get something supposedly certain, but no idea what to get. My hard requirements are its photo-fem because I am growing inside under lights.
I started with gorilla glue
Loved it.
Watch the choises pour in.
Just find a seed bank and scroll.
Could it be the temperature
Nar you mentioned that.
Im not to sure about the soaking in the water til they sink.
Sounds like you got it dialed in otherwise
I had 10 godfather og seeds refused to germinate or germinate then live.
Thats it get some godfather og seeds
Good luck
Cheers
Sorry i cant be more help
Sorry in advance about the rumors. This doesn’t help: I think I noticed it’s hugely popular strains. Maybe it’s just a numbers thing. Package a million seeds with no mistakes. Not a job for me.
I have failures in groups too. A whole pack of this, or all I started like that, or on this day.
I would guess from this that the seeds may have been old. Since ILGM does not give “Freebies” then the seeds were from elsewhere. I like free seeds as well as anyone, but I have had less success with them.
This is a myth in sprouting seeds. Perfectly viable seeds will float as most of mine float before I plant them and they nearly all sprout. The addition of H2O2 will cause tiny micro bubbles and float a seed too. So what I do is soak the seed 18 to 24 hours and then plant it directly in the soil, or coco and in 3 to 5 days I see babies. Longer soaking leads to the seed rotting and dying.
I do like @Spiney_norman does…with one exception…If I don’t see a crack in the seed after 24 hrs of soaking I don’t go any further with that seed…it may grow but in my experience it never really delivers on a good product…just my experience …
By “freebies” I mean seeds which were privately given to me by others.
With the soaking and sinking its what I “learned” from Youtube. Its an odd procedure because I don’t soak any of the other seeds I grow. But then Youtube has so much bad information I am trying to work through whats fact and whats fiction. But I don’t think this is the root cause of my problems because I have used the same process with the hemp seeds and they mostly worked.
I agree and think its probably just bad/old seeds.
I have found that anything longer than a 24 hour soak is pointless. If the seed is viable its going to start the germination process once its been in the water long enough to absorb some. Your hemp seeds may just have been fresher than the cannabis seeds.
One thing I do to help is shake the seed in a rolled up square of 180 sandpaper for 30 seconds. Scuffing the hull of the seed helps it absorb water and gets past and oils from peoples fingers that may repel water getting in. This step is not done by everyone but I have had good success with it.
Like other people said I have runs of seeds that do not grow. The entire pack of banna auto did not start. But prior to that every seed started. I feel because it was the one I wanted to grow the most.
