From hobby to commercial gardens, the germination method for cannabis seeds is generally the same. In some form or another, the grower treats them less like the vegetable seed packs they get at the feed store and more like the delicate prized seed they are. An easy example of the difference is that when planting, it is unanimous across the diverse set of growers to only plant one cannabis seed per pot, whereas when I personalities sprout garden veggies, I typically plant 3 or more just because they’re cheap and less elegantly put, It’s fast and I don’t care that much. The most common and I believe to be the most effective way to sprout your cannabis seeds is the paper-towel method.
Breeders are the only ones that I know that go through a very large volume of germinating seeds in a very short timeframe. This gives them a lot of expertise and a lot of results to base their opinions on. I went to the breeders to get their opinion as well.
“Home cultivators can find success with an array of different germination methods.” Says Jessie Oxford of Kindway as she shared with me her preferred technique.
“Saturate two folded paper towels with water, removing any excess (while keeping the towels moist). Sporadically place seeds into the unfolded towels and refold 3-4 times, placing contents into a plastic zip bag. Store in a dark space at room temperature for 2-4 days. Upon sprouting, plant seedlings in your preferred growing medium.”
I’ll lay this method out in the steps below and am happy to say that it is the exact method I’ve had a lot of success with as a grower.
Step 1 Moisture
In this step you will want to prepare your paper towel by either running it under the faucet at lukewarm temperature or you will want to soak the paper towel in a bowl with lukewarm water. The water doesn’t need to be filtered, but if you have filtered water readily available there is no harm at all in using it. You will press the excess water out of the towel by folding the towel and pressing it in between your flattened palms. The towel should be wet, but not dripping when you are done.
Step 2 Seed Placement
If you have folded your towel to remove the excess water, then carefully unfold the towel. If your hands are wet, only touch the seeds that you are hoping to germinate. Getting seeds wet and then putting them back in storage for another day can cause them to mold. Place your seeds in a small cluster in the paper towel and make sure that they lay in the middle of your towel as you
fold the towel over the seeds. It’s not vitally important but it does help prevent any seeds from falling out when you unwrap them to check on their progress.
Step 3 Environment
Place your folded paper towel in a ziplock bag, one that presses or zips shut. The idea is to lock in the moisture and so any bag that doesn’t fully close will dry out the paper towel inside. Place in a dark place at room temperature (around 70 degrees F). A typical and easy place to store them during the germination process is a kitchen cabinet, etc. You can have roots as early as the next day depending on the breeder, the genetics, and how young your seeds are. Typically you will see roots between 1 and 3 days, sometimes longer (I’ve had a seed sprout in as long as 14 days). If you don’t have seeds after three or four days then you will want to place the seed onto a new wet paper towel inside of a new bag to help prevent molding. You will want to carefully open your bag and unfold your towel to check for roots, they don’t have to be large roots, you can transplant them into a medium with just a tip of root showing. The downsides of waiting until the roots are long (.5inch or more) is that they can break more easily upon relocating and transplanting, so use caution when working with them. The upside of a long root is that you have a head start on overall growth.
Step 4 Transplanting into Media
You can grow from seed in any Media. Deep water culture is the one that will need a buffer between seed and final media. If you run a DWC setup you will most likely want to use a rockwool cube to transition your seed into the clay pebbles, but any peat plug will work as well. The benefits of going from seed to plug is that you can keep the seed safe inside the soil/coco you are using. If you are going into a plug it will benefit you to have a smaller section of root showing, having a large root and going into a plug with a small opening can result in breakage. If you are going directly from seed to soil or coco then get your container full of soil wet beforehand and place your seed .25inches deep (pinky nail deep). It is recommended after this point to spray water on the top of the soil to add moisture as opposed to dumping or pouring water into it. The soil can become displaced when you pour water and the seed can sink down into the container far enough that it is unable to sprout to the surface.
Wetting the soil beforehand should prevent you from needing to add water after transplanting.
This is a topic that is hard to cut off, it could easily become a small book, if left to my own devices. I’ll write a follow up on the best and easiest ways to care for a seedling for anyone that wants to explore all the methods for all the growing styles. So as not to overcomplicate an easy process, ill save it for another time. There are so many things that can negatively impact your tiny sprouts, they are truly just babies and need love and attention until they can stand on their own, literally and figuratively. I know there’s a good chance that if you’ve done some reading and have tried growing from seed that you’ve probably heard or or already done this method, but I’m here for the novice and as a refresher for anyone and everyone that can benefit in any way.
Happy Growing Everyone!
Olivia Sobelman has been a cannabis grower for 10 years and was part of a team that won the US Cannabis Cup Awards three times. Sobelman and her husband, Tyler, own and operate The Grow Depot Hydroponics Store in Mid-Missouri. Fast becoming “The Plant Doctors,” the Sobelmans’ mission to educate and destigmatize cannabis is at the root of their business. Grow depot offers access to free consultations for patients and growers, both in-person and by phone, to diagnose and mend many issues in the garden. Visit Grow Depot for grower tutorials, past articles, and to learn more about the services they offer and their contributions to the cannabis community.
What do you think?