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Germinating seed
All plants start, originally, from seed. Choose a variety that is advertised to grow in the conditions that you have planned. Good seeds will be firm to the touch and not 'pop' when squeezed between thumb and forefinger. Avoid those which look undersize or very pale in colour.
Some books advise soaking the seeds between sheets of blotting paper and then transferring to a growing medium when they have sprouted; this is not strictly necessary, just poke the seeds, individually, into small plant pots containing a commercially produced seed compost to a depth of about 1cm. Water the compost, until it is damp - not sodden, with a solution of traditional copper fungicide or Cheshunt Compound. Place in a warm (15C to 25C), light place out of direct sunlight, keep moist and they should show their first true set of leaves within three weeks. At this stage, transfer the seedlings with as much of the seed compost as possible to individual containers, being careful to handle them by the leaves (not the stem) and avoid as much root damage as possible.
If you use small, biodegradable peat pots for sowing then the entire pot can be planted into the bigger container. Some growers transplant several times using progressively bigger pots but I find it better to transplant to the final growing container as soon as possible. Anyone not familiar with germination techniques should practice on bird seed or fish bait hemp before attempting to grow their very expensive 'Sensi' seeds!
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