Modified on: 26/08/2022
Here’s what to do if your seeds don’t germinate
Cannabis seeds are real living organisms and as such are susceptible to many environmental factors, such as light, humidity and temperature. If you’re wondering what to do if the seeds don’t germinate, maybe you need to freshen up on what European law says about it.
The sale and possession of seeds are legal in our country, as they do not contain any trace of THC. However, if the weed seeds germinate, they would give birth to a plant capable of producing inflorescences with a high rate of tetrahydrocannabinol, turning your culture into an administrative offence.
The marijuana seeds that you can buy online in shops like Sensory Seeds are purely collector’s items and can be used for purposes that do not involve germination, such as collecting. However, in other countries, the cultivation of hemp seeds is legal for personal use, such as in some cities in Spain.
Here are 3 practical tips to protect the health of the seeds to be germinated (where cannabis home cultivation is allowed).
1) Which seeds do not germinate? Here is how you can recognise them before it is too late
There are many reasons why marijuana seeds do not germinate, and it is not always easy to recognise the cause. However, there are signs that you may be able to identify those specimens that are likely to cause problems. Improper storage is one of them and can be the cause of your seeds not germinating because they are already dead.
It can happen if you have bought your cannabis seeds from unreliable sites that sell off old items as discounted products. Seeds that do not germinate may have changed colour and become significantly darker or have a white patina on the rounded end; moreover, if you open the seed, you will notice that the embryo has become soft.
For this reason, we recommend that you always check the health of the seeds as soon as they come into your hands, mainly if you are used to buying your weed seeds online. In this case, you should only turn to reliable shops like Sensory Seeds, which guarantee the health of the products in your shop window.
Read also: Indica VS Sativa marijuana seeds: main characteristics and differences you need to know
2) Do you want to try to germinate an old seed? Here’s what you can do
If you have an old marijuana seed in your hands or you have tried to plant it, and nothing at all has happened, you can try to make a desperate attempt to resolve the situation. There are 4 ways you could proceed, and they are as follows:
- Soak the seeds with enhanced water
- Seed shell rubbing (scarification)
- Cut the joint that closes the seed
- Dissect the seed
The first attempt to do among these is undoubtedly to soak the unsprouted cannabis seeds in a container with sparkling water or, better still, enriched with fulvic acid or growing booster. Keep the solution at a temperature of 20°-22° and away from light for 12 hours: in this way you may be able to get moisture into the dehydrated shell and give the embryo the starting input, but be careful not to exceed 24 hours of soaking.
If after this attempt the seed does not show signs of life, you can move on to scarifying the shell, i.e. its abrasion to create grooves that facilitate the passage of moisture to the embryo. Insert sandpaper into a container, tape it up and put the cannabis seeds in it: after closing the lid, shake the container for a minute or two and then try again to soak the seeds in water for a few hours.
Still nothing? Take a knife with a smooth, sharp blade and slide it along the kerb of the two halves of the seed shell until it is removed: a very thick shell can make it difficult to open the seed to get the rootlet out. If the first 3 attempts are unsuccessful, dry the seed, cut the shell with a sterile scalpel along the groove under the shell and try to germinate it.
If you haven’t managed to win the battle in this way either, you will, unfortunately, have to feed the seeds to your budgies…
3) All you have to do not cause the cannabis seeds to fail to germinate yourself
There are many causes for a hemp seed not to germinate, including fungal infection. This type of mould can attack your seeds in the following cases:
- Poor quality soil
- Excess humidity
- Too much watering
- PH inappropriate
- Poor ventilation
- Temperatures too low
The guidelines for storing seeds before planting are stringent:
- The temperature of 6°- 8° C
- Humidity between 20% and 30%
- Keeping in the dark
- Avoid oxygenation
- Maintain the stability of the previous parameters
If you clumsily follow these directions, you might run into the problem we’ve been talking about. Besides, if the extreme methods of achieving germination have not been successful, you may find that the embryo is infected with liquid-looking, yellowish fungi.
Other problems can arise from using chlorine-laden tap water (it is best to let it evaporate 24 hours before use) or from breaking the semen shell due to pressure, which you should always be very careful of.
Read also: Feminised Auto-flower seeds: here’s what you need to know to choose the right ones for you
Final considerations on unsprouted marijuana seeds
Poor germination is not always your fault, as there may be external factors that make it difficult or sometimes impossible. In some cases, the soil used may have been a fungus carrier or its type was not the right one; other times the fault is due to a malfunctioning or poorly calibrated conductivity meter.
Falling into a failure to germinate is sometimes almost inevitable: in some unlikely circumstances, you may have done nothing wrong, but your seeds will still not germinate.
To make a summary, cannabis seeds that do not germinate may be defective due to external causes or inadequate storage. If the seeds do not germinate immediately, you can try using the techniques we have mentioned in this article and hope that they work.
Click here to buy high-quality marijuana seeds online and enter Sensory Seeds now. You will receive auto flower seeds, feminized seeds and fast flowering weed seeds BSF in vacuum capsules, perfectly preserved and protected from any external agent!
