A new study recently discovered how to speed up the usually slow germination process. It’s a lot easier than you think, and thanks to a dedicated team of three researchers from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, we should be seeing some healthy sprouts in no time. 

Whether you’re a home grower or work at a cannabis farm, these tips to help speed up the germination process are straightforward. Since cannabis has been federally legal in Canada for just over three years, the country is using its ever-evolving multi-billion-dollar cannabis industry to explore each and every possible way to grow the healthiest cannabis with ease. 

The study conducted by researchers at the University of Guelph found that cutting off the tips of cannabis seeds could reduce the germination time period while also boosting germination rates as cultivators attempt to disinfect seeds and keep them healthy. This process of cutting the tips of seeds is also known as scarification.

In order to come to these helpful conclusions, the trio of researchers from Ontario, Canada, explored how this process would work with different cannabis genotypes. The researchers also examined the effects and outcomes of using different types of disinfectants on in-vitro seed germination specifically.

In terms of contamination and the efficiency of disinfectants, the study found that soaking the materials in 4.6% sodium hypochlorite and 0.008% hydrogen peroxide for roughly 17 minutes had the best outcome for achieving zero contamination.

Interestingly, the study also noted that in vitro seed germination along with scarification of cannabis and the disinfectant method noted above could improve the efficiency of discovering new cultivars and hunting for healthier and better genetics. In vitro seed germination is a technique to germinate seeds inside a lab condition, which offers crucial, precise, and manufactured growing conditions outside of its original living body.

One of the authors from the study wrote that the protocols they discovered could be implemented by growers to “reduce contamination and increase the germination rate” within large-scale pheno-hunting and breeding programs for the plant that’s helped Canada’s economy thrive once again.

The researchers concluded that they used a scalpel to remove and slice off the tip of the cannabis seed in a precise and careful manner. Finally, in terms of scarification, the researchers suggested that not only is their mixture noted above reasonably sufficient for zero contamination, but using sulfuric acid for this process could be just as, if not more sufficient.