When you buy weed seeds for the first time, you may be wondering if you can touch the seeds with your bare hands. After all, they are very vulnerable, right? And there could be a risk of contamination in some way? So it's not a strange question to ask yourself whether you can grab those small, precious seeds with your bare hands. Opinions vary, but why would you want to take the risk?

It is always possible that a marijuana seed will not germinate, and the question rises what the reason is. The bad genetics of the seed are usually blamed. Most people will instantly say that the seed must be of very poor quality. But the gardener who lets the seed germinate and touches it without gloves or tweezers also has an influence. That is at least the opinion of many professional growers. Read on and learn more about this topic. What are the risks with germination? And what is the best way to handle your fragile cannabis seeds? Let's find out!

Germination power

Our hands and fingers are covered with oils and bacteria. Even if you wash your hands a hundred times a day, there will always be bacteria present again soon after every time you disinfect your hands. You don't see it, but if you touch a weed seed, you will leave your mark. Usually that is fine and the seed will germinate. But if you leave the seed for a long time, the bacteria and esoteric oils you have left on it can undermine the germinative power of the seed. Ultimately, that can result in a seed not sprouting. The chance of that is small, but it is present.

Touching seeds is a risk

There will be many growers who consider this nonsense. And most breeders will just touch seeds with their bare hands. But in addition to cannabis growers, there are many more people who are also professionally involved with seeds, such as botanists and biologists. These professionals are generally of the opinion that the traces you leave behind on a seed can indeed have an effect on the germination process and the growth cycle that follows.

See, there are many, many cases in which fortunately there is no problem. These are all situations in which a grower simply takes the seeds out of the bag with his bare hands, lets it germinate, and then puts it in the soil, or any other growing medium. All with bare hands. The seed simply germinates as if nothing is wrong. And the plant grows into a healthy shrub with beautiful flower tops. But on the other hand you have growers who prefer not to take the risk and also have a scientific basis for this.

There is indeed evidence that touching a seed with your bare hands carries a risk. So what should you do now? You will probably get away with it if you do not store the seed for long. If you let it germinate immediately, there is probably no problem. The risk, however, becomes greater the longer you store the seed before you let it germinate. The longer you keep it, the longer the esoteric oils have the chance to influence and reduce the quality of the seed. Many believe there is certainly a risk that the seed will not germinate, or that the plant appears to be weak. That would be too bad, wouldn't it? So why take the risk? 

Use tweezers

Although this whole story would be based on a myth, and none of it is true, it is still always better not to keep your seeds for too long, but to allow them to germinate within a shorter time. Opinions on this subject clearly differ. But since there are a lot of professionals who say there is a risk that you could harm the product in some way, why should you take that risk? A simple solution is to use tweezers when handling weed seeds. With tweezers, you can work neatly and precisely and you are sure that you will not leave any traces that can affect the quality of your seed.

Stick to our grow guides

Certainly, if you are just starting to grow weed, it is smart to keep a grow guide at hand. On the site of Amsterdam Marijuana Seeds you will find grow guides that you can consult for free. They are easy to follow guides that help you to get the best out of your plant in every growth phase. These grow guides are written by experienced, professional growers who know what they are talking about. If you follow the steps, the chance of errors is very small. Certainly, if you have just started breeding, there are a lot of pitfalls, and by sticking to the grow guides you can prevent these errors very easily. This keeps the cultivation your own cannabis plants fun and your whole growing adventure will certainly grow into a big success. And that's exactly why you started it in the first place, right?