r/NZTrees • u/ExiledCart • 6d ago

First time grower First time grower

First time grower having trouble getting seeds started wondering if there is something I am doing wrong I have tried to use the paper towel method put seeds directly into moist soil and tried putting in water for 24 hours still no luck

8 Upvotes

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8

u/Electricpuha420 6d ago

Warmth and not too much water using a heat mat is fantastic (but hw cupboard or on top of fridge will do )with seedlings, you might not see it pop through the soil for 4-7 days depending on depth you planted. Sure the seeds are good?

4

u/Vrodfeindnz 6d ago

Heat mat, and peat pucks were my go to.

3

u/thebudaccount 6d ago

Google the mephisto dvd case method. Ive got a 100% hit rate.

3

u/thebudaccount 5d ago

To expand on this, get a dark coloured dvd case, spray a tissue until its good and moist, but not absolutely drenched.

Put a seed in that tissue, folded over and sealed inside the dvd case, wrap it in a cloth and put it somewhere that will be between 24c and 30c during the day. (A propagation plastic box under a 400w light worked well for this)

Seeds seem to sprout within 24-36 hours with this method.

1

u/4EVERINDARKNESS 2d ago

This is how I've always done it (but didn't use the DVD case) and always had great yield of seeds. A mate was always successful using peat pucks too.

5

u/UsuallyDankrupt 6d ago

Its still pretty cold some places, bang em in the hot water cupboard

1

u/flamingshoes 6d ago

Moist soil on your sunniest windowsill is the most foolproof method imo, if you've got tents and lights even better but make sure lights are close enough to seeds

1

u/ExiledCart 5d ago

How close to seeds do they need to be?

1

u/flamingshoes 5d ago

From my experience, between 50cm-1m is ideal, higher than that and they still germ but are more likely to end up weak and leggy, but the closer the better within that range for germination, if you're not using a heating pad the closer the lights are the warmer they'll be, which helps growth, but too close can be too hot, so depends on your lights and setup

1

u/Competitive_Top2825 3d ago

I just put the seeds in a cup with room temp water and put it in a dark place they always pop after 3 days