Starting the Seed

VIVOSUN My seed germination process is really simple. I don't pre-soak or otherwise prepare the seed. I use EZ-Gro plugs (like rapid rooters but not pre-moistened). I soak the plug for a couple of hours in plain tap water to make sure it has absorbed as much moisture as possible. Then I stick the seed about 1/2-3/4 inch into the plug, pointy ends up. I've found that the combination of putting the seed a little further down and pointy end up gives me the best chance of getting the seed to pop without a helmet. Pointy ends up because I want the root to come out of the top, then turn down. I want it to be far enough down so that the seed head is scraped off as it comes up. Then I use a toothpick to scrape some of the plug into the hole, covering it. I put the plug in a humidity dome with a little bit of water in the bottom of the tray, but not enough so that the plug is sitting in water. If the plug sits in water it wicks moisture and gets too wet. The plug needs to be able to drain. I put another plug in the dome, but this is used for the temperature probe for the heat mat. I want to control the temperature inside the plug, if possible. I have a dome with a notch I use for the probe cord. I set the dome on my Vivosun heat mat with the controller set to 76f. With the dome on and vents closed, the heat mat warms the little bit of water in the bottom of the tray and creates lots of humidity under the dome, usually above 98%. Almost as good as sitting in a glass of water, but the seed can still breathe. I usually get a seedling on the third or fourth day, so I have the Vivosun Smart Grow System set to come on in SEEDLING mode on the third day. The AeroLight A200SE will come on at 40% power in the seedling spectrum, about 10 DLI for starters.