Does anyone remember me from Overgrow?

[Munchy]

several good vids are on this page:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... +OLD+SEEDS
such as, How I Germinate 20 Year Old Cannabis Seeds

[Butcher Bob]

Name's familiar...welcome back.

[Prawn Connery]

Research scarification.

I prefer H2O2 to scarification – same result, just a different way to soften and split the seed hull.


Prawn's (almost) failproof germination method!

STEP 1
Buy a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide

STEP 2
Drop seeds in a small glass of water and add a few drops of H2O2. This will do three things:
1. It will kill damp-off spores
2. It will soften the seed casings (especially important for older seeds)
3. It will supply a limited amount of oxygen to the germinated seeds if you forget to take them out of the water and leave them in too long (which will eventually drown the seeds).

Do not use too much H2O2! 1ml of 6% H2O2 (2ml of 3%) in a 30ml shot glass is plenty. Hydrogen peroxide is strong stuff, and too much will bleach your seedlings as soon as they emerge.

STEP 3
Wait until all the seeds have sunk to the bottom of the glass. Any seeds that don't sink are unviable. Once the seed has sunk, it has absorbed enough moisture to germinate. The older seeds are, the longer they will take to sink. The colder the water is, the longer it will take them to sink (warm water softens the seed casings which speeds up the absorption process).

STEP 4
This is really part of STEP 1, but every step of the way you need to keep your seeds warm without drying them out nor cooking them. The warmer it is (below 40C), the faster your seeds will germ, and the better chance of germinating older seeds. Warmth increases metabolic rate (the speeding up of organic chemical reactions). Warm water also helps soften the seed casings.

STEP 5
Once the seeds have sunk, transfer them to a moist paper towel. You can moisten the paper towel with water with a drop of H2O2 to disinfect it. Remember, fungal spores are airborne – and they're everywhere! Don't drown the paper towel: give it as much moisture as it will absorb, then drain off any excess by tipping the water out. Don't squeeze the towel.

STEP 6
Place the damp paper towel in a warm, dark place and let it slowly dry out (but not dry out completely). By the time you have allowed the paper towel to slowly dry out, the seedlings should have started to grow their tap roots. You can plant seedlings as the tap roots emerge, but I like my tap roots to be at least 1cm long before I transplant to ensure success.

STEP 7
Plant your seed in your medium of choice, but don't plant it too deep. Push a hole in the medium with a pencil etc and drop the seed tap-root first down the hole, but ensure the seed casing (head of the seed) is only just under the surface. If you do this in coco or soil, ensure the surface does not dry out too much – especially if you have your pots under a light for warmth.

STEP 8
If you are growing in an organic medium, ensure it is pest-free. Some options are to water lightly with an eco-oil or pyrethrum mixture. Natural pyrethrum for spraying on plants is ideal – just spray a little around the seed to ensure no bugs or larvae get to your precious genetics.

STEP 9
If your seedling does not emerge after a day or two, gently scrape away the surface to expose it – you may have planted it a bit too deep, or the seeds might be old and the seedling a bit weaker than normal.

Don't discard week seedlings. This may sound counter-intuitive, but sometimes good genetics (seeds) get old and weak and can take some nursing to get going but then surprise you by growing into big, healthy, strong plants. I have sprouted 20-year-old seeds before that took up to three weeks to get going, but once they did they turned into monsters! There was nothing wrong with the genetics, however the seeds were old and just needed a bit of TLC to get going and show their true colours.

STEP 10
Once sprouted, put them under a good – but not too strong – light source. The weaker the light, the more the seedling will want to stretch (especially if it is a sativa). If the light is too strong, you will burn the seedling before it gets a chance to aclimatise. You may also dry out the surface of the medium before the tap root has had a chance to establish itself and subsequently desiccate it.

All of these steps should ensure the best success with older or weaker genetics. It is worth noting that some genetics are naturally stronger than others, and some seeds may naturally be more mature than others. These seeds are the ones you really can drop in the ground and water and expect to emerge . . . but they are usually the exception, rather than the rule. The fact is, a lot of cannabis seeds may be stored for a long time before they reach you, and may need a bit of help to ensure successful germination.

A good, healthy seed can outgrow dampoff as well as most pests to emerge strong and ready to thrive. But you won't know that to begin with, so it is better not to take the chance. If you treat all seeds with a bit of TLC, and you can really improve your germination rates.

[Prawn Connery]

And if that fails, just send the seeds to me and I'll germ them

[Roots]

I can understand how hydrogen peroxide is a preferred method for simpletons and beginners, but give me sandpaper or even better toenail clippers and I’ll challenge anyone to a race on seeds that take two three years in the wild to germinate like memosa or redbuds, I’ll have them sprouting fresh off the tree in less than 48 hours, I doubt hydrogen peroxide would even weaken the hull.

[Prawn Connery]

I can understand how hydrogen peroxide is a preferred method for simpletons and beginners, but give me sandpaper or even better toenail clippers and I’ll challenge anyone to a race on seeds that take two three years in the wild to germinate like memosa or redbuds, I’ll have them sprouting fresh off the tree in less than 48 hours, I doubt hydrogen peroxide would even weaken the hull.

I dunno man, I've never scored or cracked seeds so can't compare. But last year alone I germed two lots of original DJ Short Blue Heaven x seeds given to me by Ain Sof back in 2005 and those seeds were already a few years old, which made them 20 years old, and I had 80% germination for both using the H2O2 method. I've used it over the years to reliably germ seeds 10-15 years old. Hydrogen peroxide definitely softens the hulls. If you leave seeds in it too long they will turn to mush. It oxidises any organic material.

Like I said, just another way to skin the same cat. Proper storage is the best insurance, but keeping your seeds warm while trying to germ also helps.

[Hippiechik]

And if that fails, just send the seeds to me and I'll germ them

If you’re serious, I would be happy to. I had a long winded response, but the black mamba came from Rezdog and the Bogglegum came from Bog. They made pretty babies, including a trifoliate phenotype that I was playing around with,

[Hippiechik]

Prawn, I’m going to try your method and give a few more seeds a shot. I know it isn’t truly scientific, but the new supermoon is on Saturday, so that’s when I plan on dropping these seeds.

They almost all sink during presoak, and the interior is green when they split open and swell up. Some even pop the tip of a radicle out- then nothing.

I will still buy that microclone kit (or go to a lab supply store and buy the murashige skoog formula directly), but I want to try it your way first. It can’t hurt, and it might even save me money lol

[Hippiechik]

I can understand how hydrogen peroxide is a preferred method for simpletons and beginners, but give me sandpaper or even better toenail clippers and I’ll challenge anyone to a race on seeds that take two three years in the wild to germinate like memosa or redbuds, I’ll have them sprouting fresh off the tree in less than 48 hours, I doubt hydrogen peroxide would even weaken the hull.

I believe both of you are right.

I always give them a couple of light quick strokes with my nail file right along the edges of the shell, at the seams. Then I use h2O2. Never had any problems with either method, and I generally do both anyway.

These seeds are just being stubborn. Either that, or I’m doing something wrong (obviously). I have tried gibberelic acid and that didn’t work either.

[Prawn Connery]

Stir a teaspoon of honey or sugar into half a cup of warm water and use this as a pre-soak (shot glass) and to wet the paper towel after the seeds sink to give them a bit of sugar to draw on when they crack open. If you can keep your temperatures around 25-30C at all stages, you'll have a better chance of getting those tails to emerge