17 Mar

Germination of Medical Marijuana Seeds

Posted March 17, 2012 by Mary Jane in Grow Medium, Humidity, Hydroponics, Lights, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Soil, Temperature, Water. Tagged: Cannabis, Germination, How to Grow Marijuana, marijuana, Marijuana Seeds, Medical cannabis, Medical Marijuana. Leave a Comment

Haven’t you really just been dying to know about germinating your marijuana seeds? Sure, I know you have. It’s like I’m reading your mind. Here ya go… It’s pretty simple.

Germinating Marijuana Seeds

The seeds should have nice striations on them. Squeeze the seed slightly between your fingers. If they don’t crush, they’re good.

It is questionable as to how much environmental factors effect the sex of the marijuana plants. For those of the opinion that it does, the following is their advice. For germination, low temperatures and high humidity favors females. Warm temperatures and low humidity favors males.

You can really use different methods for germination. An easy method is to put the seeds in a cup of water. Put an air pump in the cup. The seeds will pop in 2-4 days. Once they do, it’s time to plant. Oxygen is important in all the methods of growing. You’ll be able to tell which plants are going to be weaker, even at this early stage. It really is best to cull the weak seeds early. I know, it might kill you to throw out any marijuana. However, the sooner you get rid of the weaklings, the better. You will waste resources, such as electricity, nutrients and water, on these marijuana plants that won’t produce much bud for you, in the end.

The root hairs are very delicate. This is the reason mycorrhizal fungi are important. They increase the root area even more.

Plants can be permanently damaged at the germination stage. Carefully, place the sprouts into your medium. Use rubber gloves and tweezers, at this stage. You want to sterilize anything you use with isopropyl alcohol. Place the sprout and lightly backfill.

At this early stage, your medical cannabis will enjoy higher humidity. Use a humidity dome (as used with cloning). Keep the humidity at 90-95%. Open the vents for about 5 minutes per day and pop the top. Slightly open the vents for a long time or all the way for the 5 minutes. You’ll want them open longer, as you get further on in the grow.

Eventually, the seed shell falls off as it grows. Use low lights, at this stage. If it’s really bright, they’ll try to get to the light. This will cause tall, spindly marijuana plants. Don’t forget, you want these girls to be bushy.

The first structures to appear are the cotyledons. Once the roots are sticking out, you should repot them. You need to have a good amount of established roots to do this.

Never allow your roots to sit in the light.

The first true leaves are the three typical cannabis-looking leaves. The seedling stage lasts for 3-6 weeks. To delay growth, you can place them in a smaller pot.

If you are going the soil route, you can place a rockwell cube in soil. Keep the soil evenly moist, during this time. During the seedling stage, keep the temperature between 72-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Your humidity should be around 48-58%. Inspect the roots through the container. Once the roots start curling, it’s time to transplant.

During the early vegetative stage, root growth is rapid. Use at least a 5 gallons container with drainage holes. Transplant to a larger container before flowering, not after it starts.