I’m preparing to plant my 2022 cannabis garden tomorrow! It’s such a thrilling time of year for the gardener. Planting seeds is an act of hope. It can also be a fraught time for gardeners, especially if your seeds cost $10 each – the going rate for good quality, feminized seeds at dispensaries. There is a lot of conflicting information available about how to sprout seeds – some of it helpful, some of it confusing. Just remember: If you give the seed what it needs to grow, then you’re going to do well. Here are a few pointers:

1. Optional first step: Soak the seeds in lukewarm water in small, clean glass containers for a few hours. This will hydrate the seeds and encourage quick sprouting. 
2. Prepare your sprouting pots. Fill small pots with moistened seedling mix. Be sure these little pots have drainage holes.
3. Plant one seed in each soil-filled pot, about ¼ inch deep.  Cover with soil, label, and place in a warm spot: 75 degrees F is great, but anything from 60 degrees to 80 degrees is good. Direct sunlight can be a bit too warm for the small amount of soil, so warm shade is best until they sprout.
4. Wait and watch – keep the soil evenly moist, but never soggy. Germination can be within a couple days to a week or more. It all depends on the age of your seeds, temperature, and variety. 
5. When the tiny plant emerges from the soil you will see two little rounded seed leaves. At this stage they need light. Make sure your baby plants get plenty of light – 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Natural sunlight is ideal, but very bright artificial light is an acceptable alternative.
6. After the first set of true leaves emerges, you’ll need to transplant into a larger pot to promote best growth for the next couple of weeks. Use a high quality soil mix for this stage — I recommend EB Stone’s 420 Blend.

Remember that cannabis is a hardy, easy to grow, annual plant. Do not be intimidated by the opinionated, conflicting voices on the internet. Sprouting cannabis seeds is simple, straightforward gardening.  All of your seeds might not sprout, and that’s to be expected when dealing with living beings, which is what seeds are. All you’re doing is approximating what nature would give these seeds – a bit of moisture, warmth, light, and soil. They will do the rest.