There’s a special feeling that comes with receiving your very first package of marijuana seeds from our brand – The Seed Fair. Hearing the arrival of the mailman, you rush towards the door, and you see your discreetly and quickly delivered order waiting. Then you unveil the outer packaging which is unbranded to reveal the seeds. The seeds are contained inside a medical-grade vial to ensure freshness. A handy informative insert is provided to give you some information about the cannabis strain you ordered. The information can include genetics, effects, and yield.
Then, you follow the instructions for the germination method by soaking the seeds and then placing them onto wet paper towels. You put your plate in some warm, dark area, at least two or three of the seeds sprout, you know you’ve had a good germination period when you see the tiny white taproots. You proceed to plant the seeds while you wait a little bit more for the rest of the seeds to crack. When they do, you plant them too, gradually but surely you are on the right track to getting your very own premium natural medicine solely grown in your home.
But, let’s assume that the rest of the marijuana seeds fail to germinate, what happens then?
Why did your marijuana seed fail to sprout?
There are several reasons why your marijuana seed was unable to crack open like the rest and start growing the healthy taproot that indicates germination. However, we will start by looking at external issues outside of the very seed itself, which could have resulted in the failure to germinate.
Insufficient soaking time
A potent reason your seed may not be germinating is the possibility that it didn’t soak long enough in the glass water. Shell hardness and density can vary between seeds, while one seed may need up to 18 hours of soak time, others may need just 14.
Did all the seeds in the glass sink down to the very bottom before you moved them onto your paper towel? Seeds that remain floating could be a result of insufficient penetration of water into the shell.
Scuffing your seeds a little before soaking can help make the seeds much more absorbent. To do this, roll a small sandpaper strip with its rough side facing inward, then shake the cannabis seeds within your sandpaper tube.
Moisture
Have you ever forgotten about the seeds for an entire day or more, only to find the paper towel seriously dried out? This singular reason is why some seeds may not germinate with the rest of the seeds in the pack, because the paper towel’s moisture may have been pretty much absorbed or evaporated at varying rates across your plate. Keeping the towel damp at all times is super important – not so that the seeds float, but enough to allow the tiny seed shapes to be seen through the damp paper towel.
Also, water quality can be an issue. It is possible for the seeds to become poisoned against germinating if your water contains too much addictive-like, like way too much copper or chlorine. Although all the cannabis seeds are likely to be affected by this issue, a single seed may be the only one that is susceptible to the effects more than the rest.
Temperature
There is a possibility that the room where the seeds were placed became or was too cold or too warm. The recommended temperature for the room where the seeds are kept during germination is between 21 and 32 degrees Celsius, or 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything cooler than this can make the seeds take much longer to germinate. On the other hand, a warmer or higher temperature can result in the alteration of your seed’s chemistry, this will corrupt or interrupt the whole process.
Darkness
Generally, plant roots are always left in darkness – buried into the soil and guarded against the light by the surrounding pot. It isn’t a surprise that for successful germination to occur, darkness almost in its totality is needed. However, wavelengths can certainly inhibit germination rather than light generally. In many cases, a red wavelength is capable of promoting germination, on the other hand, blue wavelengths are known to terminate or interrupt germination.
Old seeds
If seeds were kept for a long time before germination, they may not sprout. Although newly bought seeds are very unlikely to have this issue, it is very possible for seeds that have been kept for over six months. When stored correctly, marijuana seeds can last for up to three years, however, viability cannot be guaranteed if kept for more than two months after purchase, because we do not know in what condition they’ve been kept in during such time.
Contamination
Although this is unlikely to happen, it is a worthy possibility. Handling your cannabis seeds with bare hands when they’re being prepared for germination may lead to the seeds being affected or damaged by oils or some other contaminants. To avoid this, only touch your cannabis seeds with sanitary gloves or tweezers. Alternatively, you can use non-toxic soap to wash your bare hands before starting.
What you can do if your marijuana seeds are not germinating?
Leaving the seed longer in the towel is the initial step to take if any of your marijuana seeds fail to germinate after seven days of being inside the paper towel. Ensure that the room remains dark, warm, and damp, and keep checking on the seeds daily. If there is no change in the result after ten days, then you can try another thing.
Carefully go over your germination method to ensure that no step was misinterpreted or skipped. If all the processes were done correctly, then we recommend this “last-ditch” option :
Final attempt on weed seed germination
Put your seed(s) back into a glass of pure water. Leave the weed seeds there until they crack open. Immediately they open, return them into a paper towel. This is important because leaving your seed inside the water will only cause the taproot to die or rot instead of growing since the search for water that is not readily available is partly what causes the root growth.
My cannabis seeds won’t germinate — nothing worked
After trying all these steps and your weed seed(s) fail to germinate, it is most likely a nonviable seed. It is not possible to know whether a seed will germinate or not by simply looking at the seed, this is why we cannot guarantee 100% germination, sadly.
However, so far as the number of cannabis seeds that didn’t germinate comes below the guaranteed 90% mark (that’s only one dud in a 5 or 3 pack, two or more for a 10 or 25 pack), we will replace them! You can reach us by phone or email, and let us know the issue. You will probably be asked few questions just to be sure that you complied with our instructions, if you did, we are more than delighted to deliver the replacement to you. We have great regard for customer satisfaction and quality, and we will do whatever we can do to make things right always.
We hope your questions on why your Cannabis Seeds Won’t Germinate have been answered. Please reach out to us anytime with any more questions you may have!