What Went Wrong? Trying Again, Please Help?

[DLL333]

Hey everyone,

New to growing, and here on the forum. Trying to read up on all I can and learn from everyone I can, but my first grow has been kind of a disaster. Can anyone maybe shed some light on what went wrong, and more importantly, help so that I dont do it again?

Started 20 seedlings in coco coir starter pods, and they sprouted very quickly. After about a week, transferred them to small trays with a 50/50 mixture of organic soil and coco peat.

Been using Viparspectra 450w grow lights and been keeping them at about 70% at a distance of about 22 inches, at a light/dark scheme of 20/4.

I think, based on some consensus and what I read, my problem was overwatering. I was using a spray bottle and spraying them about once a day. Apparently this is way too much? And using a spray bottle is a no-no? I was told that I should TOTALLY wet all the soil every 3 days or so?

What would happen is the stems would get thin and noodley, and couldn't support itself and would flop over. I'd put something in with the seedling to help support it, without success, then it would die. I've also had people tell me the seedlings looked stretched. So not enough light? Should I turn up the intensity? Place it closer?

I'll post some pictures from the grow. Please dont bite my head off, I'm still very much learning Haha.

Anyone have any advice/ideas? I would appreciate any input, thank you so much!

 

[DrDoob]

Not enough light. Move it down or turn it up like you said.

 

[Oldbear]

I think the tall skinny stem is insufficient light

Lol no posting while I’m typing

Less water is better. Read up on foliar spray for tips on when and what to spray.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Yeah probably overwatering IMO. It’s really about the only way to outright kill a seedling like that.
I don’t ever soak the young ones down, but yes that’s a good method for older plants with established root systems. Don’t base waterings on ‘every x number of days’ - base it on weight, when the container is dry and light. Five days between waterings is a respectable time frame. That time varies along with the plant size/pot size ratio, and by what sort of grow medium you’re using. I try to balance things so I can go around five days between waterings, by up-potting if they need watering more frequently. But this is mainly for larger plants.

In those very early days try keep them as dry as possible. They really use very little water until they start putting out larger leaves.

 

[Weaselcracker]

And yeah the stretch is from the light being too weak/far away. But that in itself doesn’t make them keel over and die. Though of course if your plants are far removed from the light they tend to be cooler and that aggravates the overwatering problem.
More air movement (from a fan) also makes those stems stronger so they don’t flop

 

[Smeeglelegal]

When i first transplant my clones i still keep them under fluorescent lighting until they are ready to transplant to my veg area. At that point they veg under 400w, and only water when they are dry. I'm very new also so this is just my experience and what I've researched about clones. Good luck to you

 

[DLL333]

Wow, thank you guys so much for the input! Sounds like cutting way back on the watering and turning up the lights will yield some better results. I'll also include a fan in the room for an air current next time. I just paper toweled 10 more seeds. Going to put them in the same grow medium in some red solo cups.

I had a question about watering though. After I put the taproot in the soil, do I wet down ALL the soil? Same question when it comes time to water the seedlings; do I wet ALL the soil again? Just a tiny bit around the stem? How do I properly water seedlings?

 

[Weaselcracker]

Definitely not, IMO. What I do is prepare the soil in advance. Water it just enough to make it moist. A good way to test this is to squeeze a handful. If it clumps together slightly but falls apart easily when you let go- that’s about the right moisture level. And it doesn’t hurt to have it warm when you plant the cuttings

Stick your cuttings in there after they root. They won’t need watering for some time after that. Probably good for a week at least but that will vary. I usually get almost ten days but my humidity is high.
Lift the cups/pots to get a sense of their weight. You can experiment around with how heavy a wet container feels vs a bone dry one. You’ll get a feel for it quick though.
When the time comes to water, drizzle it around the sides gently until the weight feels right. Don’t go soaking anything down unless it has some real leaves growing (indicating a decent root system). I mean - you can do that in a super fluffy growing medium like perlite or coco, but we are talking about soil. Perhaps when it’s size is roughly equal to the container size then you can think of soaking it without running into problems.

Then- let it dry out again before watering. Don’t be scared to let them dry to the point of wilting slightly. That won’t hurt them and it will give you a good sense of your watering timeline.

Good luck

 

[DLL333]

Just watered my last survivor today, and had 7 of my next 10 seeds pop some wicked tap roots, so got those in solo cups with some wrap on top. I was gonna keep it on until they're almost hitting the top of the wrap, and as soon as they poke through the soil, they're going under the Viparspectra 450s.

 

[800W-GROWER]

Wow, thank you guys so much for the input! Sounds like cutting way back on the watering and turning up the lights will yield some better results. I'll also include a fan in the room for an air current next time. I just paper toweled 10 more seeds. Going to put them in the same grow medium in some red solo cups.

I had a question about watering though. After I put the taproot in the soil, do I wet down ALL the soil? Same question when it comes time to water the seedlings; do I wet ALL the soil again? Just a tiny bit around the stem? How do I properly water seedlings?

You have weeds in your soil,maybe affecting the girls,dunno,but over-watering isnt the problem,i`d say something else.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Honestly I don’t think you need the wrap on top. But on the other hand I haven’t tried that, so can’t say for sure it will cause problems. My sense is that it will do more harm than good, as without airflow things tend to stagnate and rot, and if they get a blast of sunlight they can overheat and cook. Maybe try some without the wrap?