So, I’m having difficulty getting these ILGM Blue Dream Auto seeds to germinate.
Originally I started 6, all 6 cracked, but 2 failed after growing a taproot. Gave 2 to my cousin. And out of the 2 I had left, 1 looks great, and the other came out yellow and, I believe, is stalling. Started 3 more. All 3 failed after sending out a taproot. Can’t tell if it’s the seeds or the medium, although the medium I’ve planted them in is in the proper ph and ppm range, after adjustments.
Since then, I’ve started 4 more. My plan is to plant them in straight vermiculite, fine grade. After all the adjustments I made to my organic soil, and still having complications germinating these seeds, I really don’t trust the soil. Does anyone think this might be a good plan? @MattyBear @dbrn32 @PurpNGold74 @Mr_Wormwood
Could be having an effect. Do you have anything more seedling safe around?
That vermiculite idea sounds good. Its like a peat type of substance no? Ive never heard of it being used but aside from being inert (kinda the point) i foresee no issues.
It’s a volcanic mineral that expands when heated. The fact that the medium is sterile is what compels me to use it, lessening the worries of “damping off”.
I’ve looked for other seed starting mixes, but my town has only 1 organic option around, and that’s the soil I’ve already used lol
I would mix my own, but the only brand of peat moss and perlite around here is Miraclegro. So, that’s a no go.
Solid call. Well plus 1 on the vermiculite here
Hey… ive seen someone start weed seedlings in pure perlite. Shouldnt be much diff id imagine…. Any idea if its pH safe?
I’m not sure if the perlite affects ph, since it’s a volcanic mineral just like vermiculite, but perlite doesn’t retain water nearly as well as vermiculite. I feel like it might dry out too fast?
I’ve mixed vermiculite in with stuff, but never used it straight. I would expect one would have to be extremely cautious using it straight due to the amount of moisture it holds. In my experience too much water is probably biggest concern with tap roots.
True. I’ll just make sure I start them off with the right amount. I usually don’t water seedlings after planting until the pot feels light. I think that was the issue with the last 3, because I had just flushed the soil.
Freshly germinated seed you can and probably should only be misting with a spray bottle. They don’t take much at all to keep going. And the lack of water will encourage the roots to spread out quickly in search of water. If you have too much water the roots won’t expand as fast and won’t get necessary oxygen. Once plants get some true leaves you can water a small ring around it regularly and should be in good shape.
If you can get Promix or coco, I would be inclined to start them in that and add in some perlite or vermiculite to it.
Yeah the soil was definitely too moist last time. I’ve only added a small amount of water to the vermiculite and plan on putting clear cups, that I can mist the insides of, over them when I plant.
I could, but I would have to order it and it wouldn’t arrive before I need it.
But now that you mention it, coco sounds like the better option for seed starting. I just can’t get it locally. I’ll know for next time though!
You have Amazon? I usually order a condensed brick and then rehydrate it with ph 6 water with added calmag. It’s super cheap that way and arrives within a couple days most of the time. Future reference at least 
I do, but I’ll probably have to plant these tomorrow lol
But I do plan on getting a brick before I start my 2nd set of autos in July.
Cool, let me know if you need anything 
So, this yellow seedling still hasn’t grown any. How long do you think I should wait before I cut my loses with this one?
I personally would give up but that’s just me. I’d drop a new bean
I’ve already dropped more a couple days ago. I was just seeing if this one would do anything.
Yeah it seems like a lost cause but then I’m a noob. It could pull through but I’d just pull the plug if it were me