Cannabis Seed Cracking Without a Cracker Tool

19 September 2020

Sometimes, marijuana seeds are too weak or too old to sprout quickly, so you need to use some techniques to help them germinate. In this post, I will describe just one method – cannabis seed cracking.

The idea is that cracking requires some energy from an embryo and not all of them are strong enough for that. If you do this job for them, you help your seeds save energy and germinate faster. Besides, the process of germination requires some water to penetrate the shell, and if the seeds are old or haven’t been stored properly, their shell can get too dry to let water inside. The downside to this method is that you can damage the embryo if you squeeze the seed too hard.

Cannabis Seed Cracker: Is It Really Necessary?

I’ve come across a forum thread where people discuss buying a special cannabis seed cracker tool. I even watched a video where a weed grower uses it for seed cracking. You may google this gadget and spend a couple of dozens of dollars on it. But in my opinion there’s nothing special about a seed cracker. It’s just a simple contraption to hold a seed in place and gently apply pressure on it until the shell gives way with an audible crack. The cracking is done one seed at a time.

The good news is that you can do the same with your teeth just as easily!

Just firmly hold the seed with your finger tips, with the ridge positioned vertically and the pointy end facing outward. Gently bite on it with your teeth until you hear it crack. Then use your favorite germination method.

weed seeds cracking for better germination

Cracked vs Uncracked

In my little experiment, I used 4 seeds of my OG Kush Auto that I’ve created myself. For some reason or other (because these feminized seeds were made by self-pollination maybe?), these beans are not very quick, especially if the room temperature is low, like it is now – 65-68 °F (18-20 °C). Let’s see if cracking makes any difference.

marijuana seeds cracked 0 hours — I’ve just placed 4 pot seeds between wet cotton disks.

pot seeds cracking — After 36 hours, 2/2 of the cracked seeds and 1/2 of the uncracked (the one on the left) have shown tap roots.

cannabis seeds germination after cracking 60 hours — After 60 hours, the situation has changed in favor of unckracked seeds. A least, the one in the bottom-right corner seems to be the winner.

is it a good idea to crack seeds — 72 hours (3 days) have passed, and the last seed to crack is also the strongest. The seeds that were cracked have crooked and somehow yellowish tap roots.

What Has My Cracking Experiment Demonstrated?

It is true that when you crack your marijuana seeds before germinating them, they may show tap roots earlier. However, the first one out of the gate isn’t necessarily the winner. Out of four seeds that I germinated I would definetely choose the one that was the last to crack. So, if you have a good fresh batch of seeds, don’t risk damaging them by cracking their shells. If the seeds are too old or haven’t been stored properly and wouldn’t germinate in a regular way, cracking may help.