Remo Chemo - Operation Germination.

[Badbadger]

 

Hey 420,

 

Welcome to my new diary that's a little different this time round, the first part is a Remo Chemo germination tutorial done in my "use anything and everything in the house" style.

 

After some growers, myself included, had issues with germinating Remo's Chemo,due to its strong seed case, I decided to take a look into how I do things in the hope of putting together a standardised germination technique for myself initially.

 

 

My slight mistake was to post about it  and for that to be read by our good friend Mark, he of course had to then ask if I wanted to test it on some more Remo seeds. Now, being Male I took it as a challenge I could not say no to (damn you ego!!)

 

 

Once Remo fights out of its shell it's a great,relatively easy to grow,strong and flavoursome strain, so it'd be a shame for people to be put of growing it by something relatively simple to fix with a little extra attention,encouragement and time to help them fulfil their healthy genetic potential.

 

 

My method had to be easily replicable,cheap,simple and ultimately successful of course. I knew already but when researching this it quickly became apparent that there was no "right" way to do it, just everyones versions of similar techniques which introduces variables specific to each growers home and grow space making germination problems more likely.

 

 

So let's get down to basics, any seed, Cannabis or not, sown indoors simply requires the same things namely humidity, moisture and a solid temperature. Having those three things dialled in is all most seeds require to germinate well.

 

 

As a side issue some new growers dont realise that companies have a failure percentage they try to stick to and in the main they're usually accurate if not better than they state. If you have a sudden high failure rate on one batch after several without issue I'd say that's the time to make enquires about replacements and I'm sure help will be forthcoming, especially here at Dinafem.

 

 

As I mentioned above Remo's Chemo can have a slightly tougher casing that even if it germinates well the resulting sprout can have trouble forcing the casing away from its head enabling the Cotyledons to be exposed and first true leaves to follow for Photosynthesis to begin. The case can stay on and rot the tender Cotyledons away,or force you into manual intervention damaging and maybe killing the seedling.

 

 

So as part of this process I also had to figure out a way of encouraging that tough case to release itself easier if it's stuck ,ideally without any real physical intervention.

 

 

It may be a bit long winded and does have a few parts but it does help learn the basic process from start to finish and if your having issues its here to try. Ive used it on 45-50 now so its not just a one run thing.

 

 

So let me introduce you to...... (drum roll please)......(clapping might be nice)........(and projected loudly in the voice of the mighty Brian Blessed)........welcome to.....

 

"BADBADGERS BAKED BEANS"

 

The Remo Chemo seeds for me to bake here were offered by Mark, who should be winning certificates for his  customer service and sunny demeanour

 

 

 

 

 

We decided on doing a ten plant group followed by a 5 group shortly after.Doing two separate runs is just an extra test to make sure my Remo luck wasn't a one off.

 

 

To start with you'll need a lot of (very non) technical equipment that I've listed below, but here it is in picture form for our younger,senile or way,way to baked members...

 

 

 

All of it can be bought widely in pound shops which was why I went there first as those shops are everywhere, it's a bit of a scrappy list but its all cheap and other than the Seaweed/M’Fungi will come in under £15 maybe £10 if your lucky, most of it will last for a good few rounds of seeds other than the paper cake cases that get ruined each time. I just wash everything and its ready to go, here’s the list..

 

 

1 X Cupcake baking tray (mine has 12 spaces but you can use smaller, larger or more trays if needed,I have 3 (bit flash I know )

 

 

3 X Pack of white paper cupcake cases.

 

 

3 X Pack of tin foil cake cases.

 

 

2/3 x Large sealable plastic bags big enough to fit the cake tray in with space.

 

 

2 X Pack of Blue and White kitchen cloths.

 

 

1 X Permanent marker pen.

 

 

1 X Pair of sharp scissors.

 

 

1 X Roll of tin foil,buy cheap as you only need the cardboard tube inside.

 

 

2 x Lids from Robinsons squash bottles.

 

 

1 X Sheet Sandpaper 60grit.

 

 

1 X litre of well aired/bubbled/ro'd h2o and a desert spoon.

 

 

Seaweed extract.

 

 

Mycorrhizal Fungi/Rooting powder.

 

 

Thermometer.

 

 

Duct tape.

 

 

At home you need....

 

 

An airing cupboard or space with 24hr relatively stable temperatures +/- 2c if possible. It could be a lidded plastic storage box placed in a warm part of the house or tucked in a cupboard.

 

 

To begin.....

 

 

Step 1 - If you don't store your seeds in the fridge already package them up in an airtight tub and put them in the fridge at least three days before starting this technique.

 

 

Step 2 - Build your seed sanding tool.

 

 

 

Take the cardboard tube from the tin foil.(you can save the foil but we don't need it here)

Cut the tube down to half.

 

 

Cut a piece of your sandpaper to roll up and insert into the tube making sure it reaches both ends and goes around inside adequately.Put one of the squash bottle tops on one end making sure it's a good fit before duct taping it on securely…..

 

 

Put the other top on making sure it's snug and you've built your seed sander.

 

 

Step 3 - Prepare your tray/s.

 

 

Take one of your tin foil cake cases, place it on one of the blue and white cloths and draw around it with the marker and repeat until each cloth is full of circles, then cut them all out.With good scissors you can cut them unfolded giving you multiples of each piece you cut to save time.I cut enough to give 5-6 discs per case.Put all of them into a bowl and cover with aired H2O……

 

 

Place one tin foil cup in each cake space,its there to give  stronger shape than the paper cases for you to move it safely,put 2 paper cases in that.....

 

 

 

Add a couple of the wet cloth discs into each one...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put 1 teaspoon of your aired water in each. On top of that put 2 more of the paper cases and another tin one on top to finish…..

 

 

 

note - If doing a multi strain grow you simply use a marker pen on the cake/foil cases.

 

 

Place your prepared tray into the sealable bag,I have a couple of bubble wrap bags that work a treat further insulating it and making the internal temperature and humidity a little more stable……

 

 

 

Put your tray in the airing cupboard or the space you decided to use.You'll find the paper cases will absorb some of the moisture and expand a bit but that's fine as they can be tapped down once seeded.

 

 

Step 4 - Prepare your seeds.

 

 

Remove your refrigerated seeds and allow them to fully come up to room temperature over 24hrs,waking them up from a deep sleep as they would in Spring.

 

 

Step 5 - Sand yer' beans!

 

 

Take the seed sander tube you made earlier and open it up, carefully place your seeds into it, replace the lid and start to gently rattle and roll.Not vigorously though as you only want to lightly scratch the surface allowing easier moisture penetration.Your seeds should not visually look any different unless you get some magnification on it.

 

 

**WARNING **Do not hand rattle your beans when sat on a kitchen chair with your back to people,it can look somewhat suggestive.(yes I did make my wife chuckle )

 

 

** It shouldn't take more than a few minutes and you should only see a slight lightening of the case at most,any further is too much so be careful and don't think more sanding will work better **

 

 

Some say it's not worth doing but I disagree, if your having issues, it's not hard to do and if it only increases your chances by 1% it's still making a difference and is basically free and as I'm sure we all agree these days free is good.

 

 

Step 6 - 24 hr Seed soak.

 

 

Place your sanded seeds into a cup/jar/pot etc with an inch or two of aired H2O in and leave them to soak at room temperature for 24hrs. Meet my “cup of life” that was free with this years Easter eggs (many kids = many crap mugs) ……

 

 

 

Step 7 - The Germination Operation itself.

 

 

Remove the now warmed cake tray,lift the top foil case and the two paper cases.

 

 

Using a teaspoon, fish out a seed and place it centrally in each space like this.…..

 

 

 

Check there is enough water in each space,it should be as wet as possible without to much pooling water,replace the top cloth disc, the paper cases and foil case on top,it's there to strengthen but also radiate a bit of warmth down onto the seed.

 

Do that for each seed and carefully place the loaded tray back into your sealable bag and back into the airing cupboard to bake.You can pop a 2p coin into each case to hold it down snug if you want to.

 

 

As usual the fun really begins now as you can do nothing but wait,oh man I hate the waiting.

 

 

Wait twenty four hours before taking a quick look in each spot to see if you have any that have cracked already.

My first eight Remo seeds of this run were cracked in 36 hrs but needed to develop a better taproot so I checked again at 48hrs and all eight had a nice taproot of a centimetre or so at least….

 

 

 

The two central seeds, numbered 9 and 10 as they were last, showed no interest in cracking, so they went back in on a higher,slightly warmer shelf. Number 9 finally popped after 4 days and number 10 took exactly 10 days.

 

 

I can't deny I thought 10 was a dud for a bit but it definitely goes to prove that some seeds simply need more time to spark into life and you shouldn't give up for at least 20 days in my opinion but longer if you have patience.

 

 

POTTING UP YOUR SEEDLINGS.

 

 

This whole process requires some pre-planning to gain a few advantages over the seeds and some preparation is also needed for potting up your sprouts.

 

 

Since I've been using my method I've used Goodwins Multi Purpose Compost each time and I have to say for a cheap mix it has a beautiful texture,very airy and light with barely a left over twig in sight and doesnt over compact as soon as soon as you water it giving a concrete crust.Stay away from John Innes nos1 as its gone downhill of late and goes so hard its unbelieveable anything does well in it.This is the one and its £1.95 at my hardware store....

 

 

 

 

Once you've put your seeds to soak for 24hrs you can prepare your pots for the young sprouts, I use 4 inch pots and fill them loosely, tapping the pot down a couple of times to settle it without removing to much air.

 

 

I then lightly water with a fine rose (old bottle with tiny pin holes in the lid) and place them all on a tray, before carefully putting the tray into a large bag,if you have enough space you can put the tray of pots in the airing cupboard near your germination tray so they're at equal temps, If you don't have space there you can sit your pots near (not touching) a radiator or in your tent, our bathrooms always toasty so perhaps yours is to.

 

 

Step 8 - Potting your germinated seeds.

 

 

Germinating in cake cases means you can pick up and move each bean individually without disturbing the others, take it to the pot, line it up with its hole, before carefully rolling it into making sure it's deep enough for the taproot to be happy in......

 

 

 

 

 

Then cover with 10mm of loose compost.

 

Then take the foil case it was under and place it over the sprout,like this..........

 

 

 

I use a 45w Philips CFL for seedlings, this gives a nice light level and just enough heat to keep things toasty.

The foil case radiates a little of that heat down into the compost,raising and holding humidity under it encouraging the sprout to reach up.The higher humidity also helps keep the seed case and it's membrane moist so it'll split easier when the Cotyledons plump out.

 

 

Once the foil case is in place I give them about 50 ml of aired H20 with .5 ml of fishmix and 3ml Organic pressed Seaweed per litre. With the tin case over the sprout like a hat you can water directly on to it,the case spreads it out to the edges of the pot making sure the sprout isn't washed deeper down into the compost when you do.

 

 

Carefully lift the foil every 6-12 hrs to check where they're at,usually they will break ground within 24hrs but some will take longer and is what it is. Just keep checking and you should be good in a few days but it can take a little longer sometimes,just remember to keep checking and have some patience,you should end up with these little sprouts.....

 

 

 

STUCK SEED CASES.

 

 

The situation above can happen with any strain, obviously, but Remo's Chemo seed cases can be persistent in that they don't want to come away no matter how much you try, but the answer is relatively simple and that's to keep it as moist as is safe to do so,or you can end up with this,a stem that's barely alive…

 

 

 

I was lucky and got that damaged Remo through to flower well but it was delayed by nearly 3 weeks.To deal with a stuck seed case now, I cut a damp piece of the blue and white cloth used earlier, I then line up the sprout carefully with its white plant label and gently place the cloth over both and check it every 6 hrs or so.If the cloth dries out simply put a good few drops of water on the top and it will hydrate it again,like this......

 

 

 

I find this will,in most cases, help release the seed case and it's tough membrane in good time. Please be careful though as any actual manipulation can damage the delicate sprout affecting it's potential virility, but done with a gentle hand you'll be fine like this.If after a couple of days it still hasn't released,remove the cloth and let it sit under the light again for a day or two before re-applying the cloth.

 

 

Once you have your seedling breaking ground and its free of its seed case,the Remos genetics will kick on with life and you'll be on your Remo Chemo journey.

 

 

I think the tutorial part of this diary may be posted on its own, but here it's the start of a new Remo diary so your more than welcome to follow on and see how this round of Remo's Chemo does with me second time around

 

 

I should have learnt some lessons from my first Remo run, the question is have I actually learnt anything or have I smoked so much Remo now I can't remember a thing about it,it's a beauty of a smoke though just look at this pretty Remo popcorn bud…..

 

Here are all the seedlings today……

 

Don't worry about the leggy ones they’ll get potted up a bit deeper covering most of the stem,and all are doing well. Next update will be in 7 days so call by then if you want guys,I've done no plant training at all for 3 grows while I was getting used to my set up but for this group there will be some LST coming back in that should make me happy as it's a nice strain,look at this pretty little popcorn bud......

 

 

The bigger nugs further up the branch are more impressive but I loved the sparkle on this little fluffy bud.

 

As of today we're at grow day 15 and I will be updating as much as possible before they hit the flower tent with a few other surprises along the way.

 

Until next time take care,stay dry and happy smokes to all.

 

is this alright @Dinafem-Mark? it needed more editing than I thought from what I sent you.Think it's ok though.

 

Cheers mate.

[Dinafem-Mark]

This is fantastic brother. When I initially brought this project to you now I know why I asked

 

So much detail but such an easy process with the emphasis on "patience" and keeping that humidity up

 

I'm going to get this thread pinned as so many growers have been having germination issues with Remo and we and more plants grown not failed

 

This has turned out way better than I expected and thank you so much for the dedication to detail and for saying yes to this project

 

Great read, well illustrated and it work's!

 

Thanks again brother

 

All the best 

 

Mark..

[Badbadger]

Thanks @Dinafem-Mark I did best I could but as always after reading through again I found 2 bad edits so apologies but it's all there in essence and I'm happy to be 10/0.

 

I wont deny I was nervous and had images of me sat watching 2 surviving sprouts struggle for life as the failed seeds etch themselves into my mind for ever.

 

I'm far from a quality wordsmith and grammatical mistakes are my actual strength  so I hope it's understandable and workable.

 

BTW It really is a great smoke,the wife and I both love it and pain wise for me it's pretty damn good even though its barely cured.It will be a stonking hit after a few weeks,the smoke report will be a good one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dinafem-Mark]

@Badbadger glad you and your good lady wife are liking the Remo and finding some pain relief 

 

Will be looking out for your smoke report once fully dry and cured 

 

Until then thank you again for doing this

 

Maybe a couple of other members in the new year could also test there germination skills on this strain just to add some different technique to the thread

 

All the best 

 

Mark..

[samhigh]

@Badbadger great tutorial brother, I have three seedlings and they all germed fine but all three were helmet heads and I had one that was like your pic above she made it just got to give them a little more recovery time. this is my second time germing the remos both times they threw tails fine but both times they had helmet heads that don't want to come off. thanks for the pointers brother.

 

sam

[highlo]

@Badbadger thank you for that detailed post mate it looks like an easy method for everyone to copy, I had 4 out of 6 germinate with remo chemo but hopefully that's a thing of the past now, I'm looking forward to see how this batch turns out , happy growing

[Aurora Ruderalis]

Well.......

*poor spelling

*awful grammar 

*badly edited

*riddled with inaccuracies 

*terrible pictures

*unnecessary hyperbole 

*hard to follow

*lack of continuity 

*uneducated verging on childish

 

 

 

 

But enough about my posts and diary!

Excellent piece of work @Badbadger,

Well done for taking the time to do this.

Brilliant guide for any stubborn beans.

Or older beans for that matter.  A real asset to the site.  Fair play bud.

Couldn't resist the jest!

[Dinafem-Mark]

@Phoenix Great post

 

All the best 

 

Mark.. 

[Crentz]

Great info mate

 

have you tried just roughing up the seeds with some fine grit sand paper before soaking in hot not boiling water and skipping all the other steps?

 

This nearly wants me to get my hands on a pack of seeds and try it out.

 

 

 

[Dinafem-Mark]

@Crentz What about in the new year? The more tried and tested methods the better

 

Let me know and I'll arrange this for you in the new year 

 

All the best 

 

Mark.. 

[Crentz]

@Dinafem-Mark I would be more than happy to test out a few different methods if it helps out

 

Thanks

[Badbadger]

Hey 420,

Another year has come and gone,  and for me the new year couldn't come quick enough, I've had some personal battles over the last 12 months and I'm completely worn out, but, I have plenty of growing to do and few projects to work on so am looking forward rather than back.

 

Happily, Im going to start this year with a Remo Chemo bang.

The ten lovely Remo I started here are well on the way to spending 8 - 10 weeks under something that only came into my possession through a few of life's twists and turns.

The ten Remo ladies will have the honour of being the first plants vegged and flowered under this little beauty -

 

 

 

It's a Black Dog Led Phytomax  2 - 200, and theyre sold with the 200 being the actual draw, unlike some Led brands who still falsely pump up the power ratings.

The second it arrived I could feel the difference in it's weight and build quality, that for lights is quite frankly outstanding, and reminds me of the beautiful Cannondale bike I rode downhill back in the day.

Black Dogs Phytomax 2 technology was extensively tested against the usual suspects of MH/HPS/CMH and ,importantly ,other LED units to.

As we all know by now, some of the spectrums provided by HID are not fully usable to the plant but still build heat keeping leaf surface temps at adequate levels. Those spectrums are not produced by LED's, requiring the raising of temps in return to achieve optimal leaf surface temperatures.

So Black Dog recommend raising the temps by 2-3c for they're units, but that really goes for all LED growers which is why I'm bringing it up here.

 

This does mean that higher summer temps may not be such a big deal for LED only growers and it offers a few options cooling wise that are definitely helpful.

If you'd like to read more, and theres plenty, just browser search 'Black Dog Led/Effects of Different Artificial Grow Lighting Technologies on Leaf Surface Temperature ' and read away.

BACK TO THE REMO!

Theyre still under a single Philips Tornado 45w CFL and other than poor number 10, who had a long snooze before popping, they were all potted up into 5 inch pots with Plant Magic compost on the 28th December. Here they are shortly after potting up... 

 

 

 

Cut to today and look how they've gained in a few days, all of them looking perfectly healthy...

 

 

 

and tiny Tim number 10....

 

I spent a few grows trying to understand how my set up works using minimal training, I think it showed looking back! but I loved seeing 5ft monsters sitting in my tent every day.

This time round though, it's back into topping and LST as I did with good success for my first few runs during my return to growing.

Having grown with cheap LED before I know what to expect from the plants, namely shorter,more compact plants and Trichome smothered buds. It's going to be interesting to see what the BDog unit will add to that even at a relatively low wattage.

 

They state it covers 110cm x 110cm for veg and 90cm x 90cm for flowering. My tents 120cm x 120cm hence the need for added Mars Hydro's to ensure I can fill right out the edges when flowering.

That's it for now guys, I hope life treats you all well this year and you have a great year of growing ahead of you.

Respect to you all.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Badbadger

[Crentz]

That is one nice light man but at €825 it's a little out of my price range

 

good luck with it

[Fragg]

Christ that is silly money for a one plant light, glad you came across it through twists and turns and not buying it

 

Best of luck with the new Remo run though mate, I'm guessing you like them then? 

[botanics]

Atb with these Badger...new fancy lights too eh   looks good