Modified on: 26/08/2022
Everything you need to know about autoflowering cannabis seeds germination
Do you want to know the details about auto flowering cannabis seeds germination times? You should understand that autoflowering cannabis seeds are like regular seeds and exclusively feminized seeds, so they grow in the same way.
The differences lie solely in the fact that the growth of self-flowering cannabis plants, and their flowering, are much faster than other types, and that the flowers grow and ripen spontaneously regardless of the amount of light/darkness received by the plant.
The germination process is the same for feminized or regular plants. Growers only treat them a different way after the shoots are starting to grow.
So how long does it take for auto flower seeds to grow?
Temperatures and germination time of self-flowering seeds
As with other types of marijuana seeds, self-flowering feminized seeds begin to germinate after 2 to 4 days, from the time the grower plants them. For the germination process to be successful, it is necessary to keep the seeds in the dark and to maintain the right temperature in the growing environment.
In general, cannabis seeds grow at different temperatures, but the optimum temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius for air, and about 25 degrees Celsius for soil, cotton and/or water. Growers rarely worry about minimal variations in temperature, also because self-flowering plants adapt well to more or less all weather conditions.
In any case, different methods can be adapted to lower or increase the temperature. For example, LED lamps can be used for the first phase of seedling development (including germination). If the environment is excessively hot, there are fans/air conditioners if it is too hot in the room or greenhouse.
Not only the temperature, but the water on which the seeds feed is also essential for high quality and fast germination.
Read also: Autoflowering cannabis seeds: is it possible to germinate them in just 60 days?
Germination of self-flowering seeds in water
Well, yes. One of the most common methods used by cannabis growers is the germination of cannabis seeds in water. It is a straightforward method, and it is difficult to find problems with seed germination after following it.
Here are the main steps of this procedure:
- Hemp seeds are immersed in a glass or container filled with water (strictly sterilized to prevent bacterial proliferation). The water temperature must remain about 20-25oC.
- At this point, the producers grow the seeds below the surface and then let them float. The seeds should flow after a time ranging from 2 to 4 hours. If during this time, they do not fall to the bottom of the container, the producer pushes them with his fingers to do so.
- The seeds then develop small roots in about 1 to 2 days. At this point, they are positioned between two layers of cotton (you can use cotton discs, much less porous than tampons), or previously moistened paper towels.
- After a few days, the rootlet of each marijuana seed should be 2 or 3 centimetres.
- Growers can finally plant cannabis seeds in the soil.
Cannabis seeds germination in water: how to move from cotton to the soil?
After germination in water, and once the phase is completed in cotton; growers can plant weed seeds in pots or soil. They can also use other growing methods such as aeroponics and hydroponics, which do not use land.
You make a hole in the ground with a finger, take the seed and place it in the soil with its rootlet down. You cover the marijuana seed with the earth and wet it carefully, without “drowning” the seed.
Growers carefully check the soil to make sure it is moist enough. When seedlings germinate from the ground and begin to grow, this means that it is in the vegetative phase, during which the optimal hours of light are 18 hours (some growers, however, subject the cannabis plants to 24 hours of sun per day instead of an 18/6 cycle).
Read also: 3 reasons to prefer female marijuana seeds to male ones
Problems germination of self-flowering seeds? Here are the possible causes
Several stressors could prevent autoflowering (but also feminized or regular) cannabis seeds from sprouting.
Here are the main reasons:
- Cannabis seeds are not perfectly ripe. Marijuana seeds should be mature for germination. The ripening is visible thanks to the colour: usually, the immature seeds are green, the ones ready to be planted are brown or dark grey.
- Inappropriate germination temperatures: Perfect temperatures range from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius and must be constant.
- Environment little or too wet. An excessively dry germination environment does not promote the birth of rootlets and seedlings, while an environment that is too wet (except for the first 24/48 hours in water) causes the seeds to rot.
Now you know all about the germination of autoflowering hemp seeds, but these procedures can also be applied to feminized and regular seeds.
However, you should remember that in the UK, you cannot germinate marijuana seeds. You can only harvest them if you live in a country where personal use and cultivation is allowed … then, in that case, you have the green light!
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