My very 1st Grow- Northern Lights

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PrincessPot

New Member
Hi :) its my very first grow and I WASN'T going to do a journal but then I realized my level of paranoia is through the roof and I'd probably panic through every change so here it is. Im hoping for enough views to help through this grow. It's one plant. Sooo here goes!

What strain is it? Northern Lights
Is it Indica, Sativa or Hybrid? Hybrid
Is it in Veg or Flower stage? seedling. 7 days old
Indoor or outdoor? Indoor
Soil or Hydro? Soil
If soil... what is in your mix? Black gold seedling mix
If soil... What size pot? currently 16 oz cup
Size of light? I think its a 20watt fluorescent
Any Pests ? Nope
How often are you watering? So far once when first planted
Type and strength of ferts used? None yet

I'll post pictures later :) Since she's sprouted she's done a lot of stretching. Im not sure if thats normal for a seedling or if it's bad. So pictures to come!
 
Hey Princess,

Welcome aboard!

You should try not to let your seedling stretch too much. Place it very close to the light, no more that 3" (2" is probably better). You want to shine as much light on her as you can without overheating the top of the plant.

CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) give off very little heat so you can place the bulb fairly close to your baby.

This stage is critical as seedlings are very fragile at this time. That's why it's important to minimize stretch so you don't get a spindly plant that is falling over. After the seedling is about two weeks old the stem begins to stiffen (like bark forming) and the seedling should be able to stand on its own.

If it's splindly and a bit wobbly (which I think it would be if it's stretching), use a splint to support it like this:

Support21.jpg


Support11.jpg

Not sure if the picture is clear, but basically it's a twist tie that's been taped to a plastic fork. All you have to do is place the seedling through the loop to keep it upright. The idea is to prop up the seedling without squeezing the stem.

Since then, I've realized that the wooden stir sticks you get at coffee shops are even better!

So run, don't walk to your nearest Blahbucks and grab a handful of coffee stir sticks!

P. S. Looking forward to some pictures! Is this a feminized seed?
 
Things look good so far for you. Things will get stressful for you, i remember my first problem i came straight here and asked "whats wrong with my plant" best advice to take in is dont panic. Its sounds so clique but its true. Ive panicked over everything that happened but plants recover fast! And i mean fast. Ive seen plants go from sickly to perfect looking health in 2-3 days.

Just take pics when problems occur and post detailed information that well need to help you with. You tempatures, ppm, ph, humidity, last feeding schedule and how much nutes you used. Details will make things easier. Lookin good so far P.P
 
OK, Princess,

I was worried that it might be 4 or 5 inches tall and ready to keel over. Two grows ago, I use one 25W CFL to germinate 5 seeds. They were packed so close together that I couldn't get them very close to the light.

They were all super spindly which is why I invented the device I posted before. It wasn't until I could get the babies into some seriously strong light (400W MH bulb) that their stems thickened and that they started developing normally.

Your baby looks very healthy and is showing typical growth for a seedling that age. If you have a small fan available, let it play over the top of the cup you're using or when you transplant into a larger pot. The gentle swaying action causes the stems to thicken and toughen up.

One final recommendation. There are lots of journals on this site and several of them feature Northern Lights genetics. You might want to browse through them to get an idea of what to expect.
 
Were on the same page ggrant. I've been reading journals nonstop since before i got any of the supplies. So many journals start with after their already seedlings and growing into veg. I've yet to see any journals that start from seed to the first 7 days of life and thats why i was so.... unsure about my plant.

One day im popping her in the soil, the next she's stretching up and closer to the light and i wasn't sure what to expect until she's older and about to go into veg. Thanks for replying! :thanks:
 
Thank you so much! Ive been DESPERATELY looking trying to figure out "What the hell is going on?!" "When will her leaves grow!!"

Haha alright panic mode: off.

So the soil im using is very aerated and very light but its still retaining a lot of moisture. (picture a sponge after you wring it out) its been damp since last week(the first watering). Its drying out but barely. Should i only water once a week because of my soil?
 
its been damp since last week(the first watering). Its drying out but barely. Should i only water once a week because of my soil?
Click to expand...

This is a really long time for the soil to dry out. Have you punched a lot holes in the bottom of the cup? And the sides as well? I would think the soil would start to dry out in 3 days, 4 tops!

I checked out Black gold seedling mix:

Ingredients:
Regionally formulated: contains Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, perlite and dolomite lime.
Click to expand...

From the description and the pictures you posted, it looks light and airy.

You want the soil to nearly dry out before you water it each time, and then not too much water. The soil needs to be a bit dry in order for oxygen to reach the roots. No oxygen and the roots die, then your plant dies.

Not trying to alarm you. Your baby looks pretty healthy but the sooner you get her to an environment where lots of air can penetrate the soil, the better.

Do you intend on using this soil throughout your grow or is it just for germination?

If you are, here is some stuff written about Fox Farm soil, which has a similar composition to the soil you are using. It's regarding the lime in the mix. Lime is used to stabilize the pH of the soil. Since lime is a base, it's hard to lower the pH much below 7 (pH = 7 neutral). In soil, MJ prefers a pH between 6.2 and 6.6.

Here's the info.

Regarding the lime keeping the pH at 7:
that is why even thou my soil ph is 7. I should be showing some defec. of iron and maganese but since I have been using a foiliar spray(spray-n-grow) once a week the plants are able to get those micros throu the leaves. So if my theory is right the perfect soil ph for marijuana is 6.6?--just drop your nutes in at 6-6.2.
Click to expand...

And this about adjusting the pH:
Talked to foxfarm-Just as you said, the dolomite should stabilize the soil between 6 and 7. With a good flush of 6.0ph(3x container volume/h20) the soil should come down to 6.7 to 6.8 due to salt build-up from nutes.
Click to expand...

As you haven't fertilized yet, this isn't a big deal. The seed contains its own nutrient supply that should hold it for 1 - 2 weeks. Going forward, have you decided on the fertilizers you are going to use?

I'll tell you later how to make a foliar spray and explain how to get the pH of the water you are using to the right level.

A couple of things about your water. You should never use water straight out of the tap. Let it stand in open containers (juice jugs with the lids off, a large pail, etc.) for 24 - 48 hours. You may already be doing this, but I posted it just in case.

Do you know the pH of your tap water? If not, do a Google search for

pH water <my city>​

Unless you live in <my city>, replace it with the name of the city, province, and planet where you currently reside. I did this and found lots of info about my local water supply. I was just looking for its pH, but a few links listed the entire mineral content of the water as well!
 
Thanks again. I planned on using either blue planet, fox farm, or one of the many "popular" ones with the best results.

Currently all im feeding her is bottled water so i havent bothered to test pH yet. As for the soil I had intentions on using it for the whole grow it has multiple bottom holes but not many side wholes. Do you think i should add more?
 
I figured you would at least have bottom holes. Adding some side holes would be a good idea. What's the worst that could happen? It would dry out much faster? That's what you want to happen!

Until the "pot" dries out a lot more, don't water her. When the cup feels "light," then it's time to water again. Only add a small amount. Contrary to what you might think, a seedling needs very little water. You want the roots to be "moist" but not saturated.

Keep posting pictures. I post them every day on my journal. The more pictutes you post, the more people will come by to visit and the more advice you'll get.
 
Hey Princess....Just wanted to say Welcome to the community. You have Ggrant helping you, he's a great guy full of information. He has been helping me a great deal with my current grows as well. He is just one of the many helpful people here on the site that is full of knowledge and great advice. He knows his stuff, that's for sure!!!!

Just was something I was noticing, you don't have much dirt in that cup. Maybe that could be one of the reasons why your dirt is so moist? Not enough dirt to soak up the water maybe? I am still a novice at growing so I could be wrong. Also wanted to let you know that putting holes on the side of pots help. I made holes in my gallon pots on the sides because the little 4 holes on the bottom was not enough air for the roots.

I wish you much success with your first grow. Do not spaz or get upset with yourself if you make mistakes along the way. That is how we learn and get better with future grows. As for nutes, Yes, I am a bit biased as are many who use the BPN nutes or as we are called the BPN Army. I have only been using BPN for my second grow and have had amazing results. Just check out my journals, I have 2 going and using BPN for both.
 
Thanks QTL! I didnt realize i had put so little in until it was too late so i decided to wait until she was a sproutlette and just transplant her into a gallon haha im not sure how i made that mistake but thanks for the comment! :thanks:

As for the nutes i trust that their probably great so im most likely going to go with BPN since i cant really afford fox farm yet haha Especially with being my first grow i dont want to invest to much and then fuck up.

But thanks so much and ill definitely check out your journal! Hope you stick around to the very end of mines! :)
 
PrincessPot said:
Thanks QTL! I didnt realize i had put so little in until it was too late so i decided to wait until she was a sproutlette and just transplant her into a gallon haha im not sure how i made that mistake but thanks for the comment! :thanks:

As for the nutes i trust that their probably great so im most likely going to go with BPN since i cant really afford fox farm yet haha Especially with being my first grow i dont want to invest to much and then fuck up.

But thanks so much and ill definitely check out your journal! Hope you stick around to the very end of mines! :)
Click to expand...

Of course, I will. When you gonna show some more pics?
 

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