Hemp Growing Guide (Part 3: Germinating)
Sorry for the delay in publishing part 3 of the Hemp Growing Guide covering the germination phase. I guess those free seeds I planted originally were free for a reason–they never germinated! I waited over a week before giving up and planting some Cherry Wine hemp seeds that I know are viable.
Sometimes you just get old or poorly-stored seed and in cases like that it’s best just to move on and try some different seed. I used to blame myself for doing something wrong but don’t fall into that temptation–if you followed the procedure outlined in Part 2: Planting and your seeds didn’t germinate, try some different seeds! Fortunately this shouldn’t happen too often.
Be Patient
How did your seeds do? My second round germinated in about 3 days. Sometimes it takes a little longer, especially if the temperature is cooler, so be patient. Don’t give up for at least a week. Keep the soil lightly damp and if you can keep it warm that will help move things along.
Let There be Light
You have to admit, seeing that first little sprout poke its head up out of the soil is pretty magical. This always seems to happen overnight and you’ll notice it in the morning. Once the seedlings emerge they’re on a mission to find light which they need to grow. If it’s warm enough outside you can put them there but be careful, seedlings at this stage are fragile and easily damaged. You can use a window sill that gets direct sun but more than likely your seedlings will grow tall and “leggy” because they’re searching for more light.
That’s where a little LED grow light can help. Adjust the distance between the light and the seedlings so they get strong light but not so close that they overheat or get burned. With the Feit LEDs I use, this means about 6-8 inches above the plants. Check the instructions for the particular light product you’re using, they should offer some guidance on how high the light should be. Keep the light on for 14-16 hours but no longer than that. An automatic timer is handy for this.
Water but Not Too Much
So now that you’ve germinated your seeds and have young seedlings to tend, you’ll want to watch a couple things closely. In addition to light they need water–but not too much at this stage. In fact overwatering is probably the biggest mistake beginners make. Keep the soil lightly moist but not saturated. A young seedling doesn’t need much water at this stage. Use the appearance of the soil and the weight of the seedling tray to guide you. At this stage I might water lightly every other day or so, depending on how things look. In my experience less water is better than too much–I’ve learned that the hard way!
Notice that the seedling emerges with a pair of round leaves already formed–that’s the cotelydon, or seed leaves that gather light for the young seedling while it grows its first true leaves. Within days of germination you should start to see the first pair of “true leaves” form. Usually a second set of true leaves will begin growing during week 2.
The seedlings have all the nutrients they need for the first couple of weeks so don’t try to add fertilizer. Just keep the soil lightly moist, make sure they have plenty of light, and let them do their thing.
Congratulations, you’ve germinated your seeds and are now raising some young seedlings. I’ll check back in after a week and half to discuss “up-potting” or transplanting your young seedlings into a bigger nursery pot after they outgrow the seedling tray.
Until then, happy growing!
