How To Germinate Marijuana Seeds [Complete Guide]

How To Germinate Marijuana Seeds: Now that you know what to look for in a marijuana seed and how to select the best seeds, let us now take the next step – towards germination of the marijuana seed.

Germination is basically the first step in the journey of a seed towards becoming a plant. Germination begins with the sprouting of root from the seed. It is this process of growing up where a lot of care needs to be taken to ensure that the plant is growing in an intended manner.

Before you begin with germinating your seeds, you must know that the success rate isn’t that high. If you are using mixed seeds, consider the success rate to be 20 to 30% as there are chances that some seeds might end up getting spoilt while others might end up growing into a male plant. However, the success rate will be higher if you would rather go for a feminized set of seeds rather than going for a mixed set of seeds. The aim here is to finally grow a plant which bears marijuana and only female plants can do so.

How To Germinate Marijuana Seeds

Let us now take a look at some of the methods used for germinating the seed:

Methods to Germinate The Marijuana Seeds

There are various approaches that you can take when it comes to germinating your marijuana seeds. However, here’s a look at some of the most effective and popular methods –

Pre Soaking

One of the most common methods when it comes to germinating marijuana seeds is that of pre-soaking them. Pre-soaking a seed means having it soaked in warm water till they sink to the bottom. Pre-soaking is a procedure which helps the process of germination – as it allows the seeds to sprout roots faster. It basically ensures that your seed is fully wet and moist before you plant it. Pre-soaking softens the outer shell which is usually hard.

Different people prefer pre-soaking in different ways – you can either have your seeds soaked for up to seven days or till the root begins to appear. However, when it comes to pre-soaking, sometimes it can damage the seeds too. Pre-soaking, if done in excess, can cause the seeds to rot and mould even before they begin growing.

The best practice here is to have your seeds soak for 24 to 48 hours – and not more than that because that might result in rot. This is particularly useful when it comes to older seeds (which are over a year old). Once the marijuana seeds begin growing a root, you can then transport them to the soil.

Paper Towels

Another popular way to germinate marijuana seeds is with the help of the paper towel method. This method of germination involves the use of paper towels. Usually, it takes a little longer time to germinate the marijuana seeds when compared to the pre-soaking method. However, compared to pre-soaking this is a safer method as the seeds are not at risk of rotting as much as they are in pre-soaking.

The paper towel method of germinating marijuana seeds involves moistening a paper towel in warm water and folding it while keeping the seeds inside the towel. Once you’re done with this, put the entire thing inside a plastic bag and zip it. Make sure you keep this bag in a warm and dark place. Keep monitoring it every 24 hours and make sure there’s no mould. The seeds will begin to germinate in about 4 to 5 days. Once the root appears, you can transfer the seeds to soil.

Planting Seeds into Soil

Another common method of germination which has been in use for centuries is the direct planting of seeds into the soil. In this method, it does not matter if your seeds are pre-soaked or not, or even if they are wet or not. Simply put the seeds that you have in a piece of soil. However, this too needs to be done strategically and not randomly.

Place soil in a container and, make ½ inched holes in the soil. For those users who have already pre-soaked their seeds, simply put them in the soil with the root facing downwards. However, if you are using a dry seed with no root, make sure you place the pointy end of the root pointed in a downwards direction. Once you place the seed in the holes, put some soil on top of them and cover the holes.

After you put the soil back on top of the seeds, spray some water on top of it, but not too much. Use a sprayer and spray water a couple of times. If you are using dry seeds, cover the container of soil with a plastic which will create a greenhouse-like effect on the growth. After you’re done planting the seeds in the soil (and optionally covering the container), place the container in a warm and dark place (warm, not hot).

Check your container after about 4 to 5 days, you’ll notice the seeds have sprouted and the growth has begun. Once the growth begins, keep the container in an open, ventilated space with sunlight and keep growing your plant there till it is big enough to be transplanted.

Check our recent post on,

• Indoor Cultivation of Marijuana
• Legality of Marijuana
• Introduction to Growing Marijuana
• What do you Need to Grow Marijuana
• How to Consume Marijuana
• Effects of Marijuana
• Outdoor Cultivation of Marijuana
• The Ultimate Guide to Growing Marijuana Indoors
• Understanding the Difference Between Cannabis and Hemp
• The Complete Guide on How To Harvest Your Marijuana Buds
• A Complete Guide To Grow Lights For Marijuana Plants
• How to Choose the Best Seeds for Growing Marijuana?