A two-step growth method for growing high quality long n-GaN:Si nanowires (NWs) on Si(111) substrates using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was developed. In the primary step mu-GaN seeds were grown at 710 C by pulsed growth method using MOCVD and in the secondary stage, we suitably increased the growth temperature to 950 C in order to grow the high quality long n-GaN:Si NWs by continuous flow mode. We grew n-GaN:Si NWs at various pairs of mu-GaN seed so as to examine its effect on the growth rate. The density and length of n-GaN:SiNWs were improved with the increase of seeds up to 10 pairs. The number of seed pairs determines the density and length of n-GaN:Si NWs, but they did not affect its diameter directly. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the specimens. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.