Total rookie looking for help

N

Nickaberdeen

New Member
Hi there. I am a complete newbie and was hoping someone on here can help me out as I am really struggling with my first grow. I'll try and provide as much information as I can (if you need anything else just let me know and I'll try my best to provide the relevant information).

Okay so here goes...

I bought a NFT hydro system and was told to just try to grow without looking online, this really didn't work for me. So I have decided to seek some help on here.

I have read a lot of different articles about different things but think I am having a bit of information overload and am just lost on what I should be doing. Sorry for how long this will be but I would like to be as thorough as possible, so please bare with me.

I have gone through about six seeds with different amounts of success, I thought I had finally cracked it(by a pure luck) but I would accept that for the one that worked but yesterday it went from looking healthy to practically dead in the space of half an hour. We discovered the bottom of the stem was brown (I think caused by overwatering, but that's a guess), we tried to prop it up and within half an hour it had completely gone flat. I think we were to rough with it. Nothing is so depressing as seeing that healthy looking plant die.

The previous attempts we couldn't get to the serrated leaves stage, some didn't do anything and some got the flat leaves. We have learned a fair amount from the failures we had and without doubt I would say I was responsible for all of the failures but I am going to persist until we succeed and hopefully after that we should be able to get a constant success rate from then on.

Anyway...to the point...

I am starting another two seeds as we speak. I am currently soaking them in a glass of warm water for 24 hours to soften them and think I will then put them in rapid rooters and place them in my spare room (as there won't be too much light in there) on top of a radiator.

My problem is the sprouting section is where I have lost all the seeds except the the lucky one and am unsure what to do in that stage to get them to the serrated leaf section. I am pretty sure most of the losses are due to overwatering.

I have read a few different peoples germination methods which have occasionally gone into the sprouting section but was hoping someone could provide me with one way of doing it that has worked like 90% of the time for them so that I have a way I know should work.

My problem is Is there is so much I don't know:

when I am supposed to put it under lights/into the system

if lights are required early

how much water should be coming out of the pump at each stage so that I am not over watering.

What do I put the rapid rooter into if I can get it past the sprouting stage.

ideally i just need someone to walk me through each section like i am a complete idiot


My grow room is as follows:

I have set it up in a cupboard 4ftx3ftx7ft

I am unsure as to the specific type of light I have I think it's a HID 1000w bulb (but that's a guess) I know I need to start it 24 inches from the plant when I start and it produces a lot of heat.

The NFT system I have is the GT205.

And the seeds I have are double berry feminised seeds which I got from the gorilla.

If I have missed anything just ask and i will try and provide it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

once again, sorry about the length and i apologise if i have posted this in the wrong area.
 
Hey. I will try and give you a hand. I'm not 100% sure what you are asking. Is the issue you are having is your can't keep the sprouted seeds alive to turn into plants?

I have always had amazing success with seeds and small plants. So here is what I do.

I put the seeds on a plate in between 2 damp paper towel squares. Basically I take like 2 sheets. fold them in half and then in half again. I dip them in ph tested water and then lightly ring them out. You want them wet. but not dripping. use 4 sheets folded into 2 squares.

Then I put the seeds laying in between the the 2 squares and put it on a plate and stick it in a bag and put it some place warm. I like to put it on top of my cable box. Its not to hot. just warm.

I check it after 24 hrs and most of the time there is the white root coming out. sometimes it can take as long as 3 days. Once it took a week. once there is about 1/4 inch of root or more sticking out I will take it and stick it in something like a rock wool square, or some soil. If i use soil i poke a small hole in the soil with a chop stick about 1/2 inch down. Then drop the seed with the root end down in the hole.

you wana keep it moist, not wet. Unitll the plant starts to poke out of the soil you should just be find misting the top of the soil to keep it moist. Don't over water or it will die. Once it starts growing and the roots are coming out of the rapid rooter or whatever you want to plant in in what ever medium you are using.
 
Yeah basically I can get it to germinate so that the little white root pops out. I just can't get it to the next stage of it having the two serrated leaves. The one plant I got to that stage was randomly planted outside in soil and we tried to do it in the hydro setup with soil which didn't work.

I haven't managed to get it to the serrated leaves in the rapid rooters is the problem I have. I put it in the rooter and then don't really know what to do with it. I have tried going straight into the NFT system under the light, I have tried leaving it sitting on top of a radiator. I am just not sure how to get it past the initial sprout to the growing stage.
 
You have a positive attitude and that's a great place to start! With regards to germinating with a 90% success rate, try this! Get yourself a wet washcloth (damp not soaking wet) fold it in half... Place your seed inside... Fold it in half again over the seeds!... Place the washcloth inside a ziplock sandwich baggie or any sandwich baggie!... Put it in a DARK WARM spot (like perhaps the bottom drawer of your dresser, closet anywhere dark and warm)... Leave it for a couple days... Check and see if the seeds begin to sprout. When doing so do not touch the seeds and possibly spray the rag if it feels dry... Just make sure it remain damp... If no sprouts (which likely there wont be after a couple days) keep doing this for several more days... Within 7-10 days you should have roots sprouting... When they reach anywhere over an 1/8" to 1/4" in length they are ready for planting!

As far as this NFT system I don't know much about that... I grow in a soilless mixture... Not too crazy about this NFT system? Seems like more work with more ways to fail? Very sensitive set-up with little room for error... Just my opinion! If this is your first grow you may want to try something more common and with less work... Just a thought... Good luck my friend and Happy Growing....
 
thanks. i will give it a go. dont think i have sandwich bags but have read people saying to use a plastic tub, which is something i do have.

hopefully i can figure out the nft thing cos it would be good if it works i reckon. im just struggling with overwatering as its something i am not used to yet. when you say your soilless is that hydro?

once its germinated i will put it in a rapid rooter block. just not sure when i should be putting it under the light and whether i should manually water at the start. Any ideas?

ps. have you used rapid rooters before?
 
4Rare420RX said:
Put it in a rockwool cube and site it under a shop light. Very basic, water it, let it grow. Under think the process
Click to expand...

the problem is that i dont know when to put the water pump on all the time, at the start i just turn it on for like a minute a day, just think i jump the gun with the pump, but want to make sure the light isnt drying it out too much.
 
Plants like to get right to the point of being to where they are just about to need water again, not before. This makes the plant naturally attempt to stretch and extend it's root base to seek more water, builds aggressively rooted plants, get a 10 dollar moisture meter, when it reads dry, water.

Keep it simple. They want moisture not drenching, combined with florescence. Growing is a hands on process (I'm not preaching, I'm just sayyyin) They are looking for enough moisture to drive root growth and oxygenation on the top half of their medium. Does that help...?
 
It will say it on the side of the bulb or on the glass. If not shoot a picture of it up and I'll tell you. You can just read the grommet where it screws in for a product number.
 
4Rare420RX said:
It will say it on the side of the bulb or on the glass. If not shoot a picture of it up and I'll tell you. You can just read the grommet where it screws in for a product number.
Click to expand...

i will go look now. i know im not supposed to touch the glass on the bulb if that helps. give me two seconds.
 
photo203.JPG
 
4Rare420RX said:
Plants like to get right to the point of being to where they are just about to need water again, not before. This makes the plant naturally attempt to stretch and extend it's root base to seek more water, builds aggressively rooted plants, get a 10 dollar moisture meter, when it reads dry, water.

Keep it simple. They want moisture not drenching, combined with florescence. Growing is a hands on process (I'm not preaching, I'm just sayyyin) They are looking for enough moisture to drive root growth and oxygenation on the top half of their medium. Does that help...?
Click to expand...

a little bit confusing. sorry. bare with me. is a moisture meter not just for soil as opposed to rapid rooters?

preach if you like, lol, i have very little knowledge on this stuff so welcome any information.

the confusing bit was the top half part, do i not want the bottom half more moist to try and encourage the roots down?
 
I like the wet paper towel, in a baggie then on the cable box method. I usually germ 90-100% that way. When the taproot is 1/4 to 1/2 inch long I put them in solo cups with some seed starter. It is a very light soil with a little perlite mixed in. Then they go under a flouro. Weather that light is a 1000 or not, it may be a 600 or even a 400, it will say on the glass right near where you screw it in, it is too powerful for seedlings. You can get a small cfl a 23w would work good. They will start to show their first "true" leaves within a week or so.
Also it is fine to touch the bulb, just be gentle and wipe off any fingerprints when you're done.

oh yeah...watering. I would water lightly once a day. This may go against the norm but I never Ph water until they get their first feeding. Seedlings do not like Ph down
 
I'm in agreement with grimmreefer above. Little seedlings don't need that kind of lighting, def a 600 light, as to PH I also agree, PH balance is to ensure nutrient uptake, too early in the stage for a baby, it gets what it needs just from the base water and air. If you want it all done in the cupboard (size noted) lower mount the CFL lighting while the plants grow and Veg, Maybe add 2 125 Large CFL's, when ready to flower, pull those out and turn on the 600Hps and go into cycle.
 

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