What it is
The best-known way to germinate: the seed goes between two damp (not soaked) paper towels, inside a covered plate or tupperware, in the dark and somewhere warm.
How it works
A seed is a sleeping plant with its food inside. Moisture and warmth wake it up: it absorbs water, swells, the shell opens and the main root (the radicle) comes out, a tiny white thread. That is germinating.
With good conditions it takes 1 to 3 days; old or very hard seeds can take up to a week.
How to do it
- Wet two paper towels and wring them out: they should be damp, not dripping.
- Put the seeds apart between the two and cover the plate with another plate (so they don't dry out and stay in the dark).
- Keep them between 22 and 26 °C. On top of a fridge or near a router is usually warm.
- Check them twice a day: if the paper towel dries out, mist it.
- When the root is 0,5 to 2 cm long, move it to the soil: a little hole 1 cm deep, root pointing down, and cover it without pressing.
Common mistakes
- Letting it dry out: a seed that has already opened and runs out of water dies.
- Soaking it: with too much water it rots or lacks air.
- Touching the root with your fingers or letting it grow too long: it snaps or bends when transplanted. Use tweezers or the tip of a toothpick.
Pros and cons
It is very safe and you can see the root, so you know which ones sprouted. The downside: you have to move it twice (to the paper towel and to the soil) and every transplant is a risk for the root.
▲ Pros
- Germinates very reliably
- You see the root and know if it sprouted
▼ Cons
- Must be transplanted: you can damage the root
- Mist it often: if it dries out it stalls, and if left dry too long it dies
🎮 Practice it in UnderGrow
It sprouts in ~2 days (~2 real h) and germinates 95 % of the time. You have to mist it roughly every 45 real minutes (tap the plant › water): every time it dries out it loses a bit of strength, and if it stays dry for a whole day (1 real h) it dies. When you move it to the pot, 1 in 10 times the root gets damaged. At this stage the wick is useless: you have to be there.
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