by Greg Green
Dangers when propagating seeds
Drafts are a killer and will stunt germination. Always make sure that you keep your germinating seeds away from any open windows or fans. Also make sure that the room is kept warm. A cold room can inhibit your germination rates. The other thing to look out for when using germination fertilizers is to make sure that your mixture is correct. Do not use high doses of fertilizers with seedlings. In fact water is all seedlings should need. You do not need to add anything. Some people do use germination solutions though, but make sure that you keep these solution strengths down low. An incorrect mixture can burn your seedlings and cause them to fail. Another thing to do is to leave your seeds alone to grow. Do not go fiddling with them, hence the term ‘digging up your seeds’. Some people tend to disturb the soil to see how their seeds are doing. This is a bad move and can break or even damage the seed and root.
The other thing to keep in mind is that some strains produce seedlings that have weak stems. This means that the seedling may tend to lean, sometime more than 90 degrees, to the left or right. If you find that your seedlings need support then use a small stick to hold your seedling up. Tie the stem to the stick using a piece of thread. Never tie the thread above a growing shoot or the seedling will push up against the thread and tear itself. You may continue to use a stick to support your plant as it grows. If your plant still has a weak stem during vegetative growth it is recommended that you give the base of the stem a little shake. This will help the plant to develop a more solid stem. Outdoors the wind shakes a plant and causes it to develop this solid stem. You can fake the wind by doing this mildly every morning for two or three seconds. However if you read on you will find that indoor fans help do this. (Note: Never bring a stick from outdoors indoors for support as the stick may have some bugs on it. Some bugs such as spider mites can go undetected in their incubation nests inside the wood.)
Seeds must also be viable if they are going to germinate. Never use white seeds. These are immature. Find seeds that have white and grey markings or another color apart from white. Crushed seeds will also not germinate. Old seeds may have trouble germinating. Always try to use the best seeds you can find.