When to go from water to liquid nutes from seedling to early veg!

[Seniorweeder]

As a beginner

I am super excited to finally have some good looking Seedlings after a total disaster with germinating some expensive seeds I bought weeks ago. Thanks to an unbelievably generous person on here that donated FREE seeds to help me. I was floored when he offered that! My question is when do I stop using just water on my seedlings and switch to the "Advanced Nutrients" I purchased for my grow? My Seedlings are currently half in Peat Pellets and the others are in cups of pure Coco for now. The final medium when I transplant will be A "Coco Coir/Perlite " mix! Any advise about how or when to use is greatly appreciated as I am nervous as hell about doing something wrong after all the struggle I've had with just germinating!

 

[TorturedSoul]

In a hydroponic situation, I start when the plant starts (sprouts). But that's with a very mild formulation. ⅛^th strength. A seed, assuming it is "healthy and well-provisioned," should have enough onboard resources - other than water - to basically get a root tip into the substrate, the pair of cotyledons out and unfolded, a bit of stem to hold them up, and shrug off the seed case. But that's all I expect / hope for in that regard. At that point, the little seedling has its solar panels receiving light-energy and a "feeder" (root) into the planting medium to take in elemental nutrients. Which aren't going to be there unless I supply them, because hydroponics isn't soil. Then, when the plant starts growing in earnest, I'll quickly up the nutrient solution concentration to ¼-strength, and go on from there as the spirit moves me (IOW, according to the plant's needs for and ability to use those nutrients).

By the way, after you initially hydrated and then rinsed/rinsed/rinsed your coco, did you presoak (or slowly drip into/through, for 24 hours or so, if you want to go all-out and follow industry recommendations (which probably none of us do)) it in some kind of calcium solution - for example, a mild solution of calcium nitrate (cheap and readily available) with, perhaps, a pinch of Epsom salt (ditto) thrown in for some magnesium?

 

[Herby Paisley]

Hi Senior Weeder .... I would keep feeding them water until they have at least a true set of fan leaves and then start them off with 1/4 the recommend strength for the first week and see how they handle that and if they are fine then up the to normal strength nutrient feedings after that.

 

[Seniorweeder]

In a hydroponic situation, I start when the plant starts (sprouts). But that's with a very mild formulation. ⅛^th strength. A seed, assuming it is "healthy and well-provisioned," should have enough onboard resources - other than water - to basically get a root tip into the substrate, the pair of cotyledons out and unfolded, a bit of stem to hold them up, and shrug off the seed case. But that's all I expect / hope for in that regard. At that point, the little seedling has its solar panels receiving light-energy and a "feeder" (root) into the planting medium to take in elemental nutrients. Which aren't going to be there unless I supply them, because hydroponics isn't soil. Then, when the plant starts growing in earnest, I'll quickly up the nutrient solution concentration to ¼-strength, and go on from there as the spirit moves me (IOW, according to the plant's needs for and ability to use those nutrients).

By the way, after you initially hydrated and then rinsed/rinsed/rinsed your coco, did you presoak (or slowly drip into/through, for 24 hours or so, if you want to go all-out and follow industry recommendations (which probably none of us do)) it in some kind of calcium solution - for example, a mild solution of calcium nitrate (cheap and readily available) with, perhaps, a pinch of Epsom salt (ditto) thrown in for some magnesium?

Dang thats a lot of good input , I really appreciate your time. First Ive heard of soaking/rinsing the "Coco", I am a Newby for sure and need all the help I can get. The Seedlings in the cups are in pure Coco "Not soaked/rinsed, and haven't popped up yet as planted just yesterday. All of my seedlings will end up in Coco/Perlite, does that have to be processed also?

 

[Seniorweeder]

Hi Senior Weeder .... I would keep feeding them water until they have at least a true set of fan leaves and then start them off with 1/4 the recommend strength for the first week and see how they handle that and if they are fine then up the to normal strength nutrient feedings after that.

Thanks a bunch friend, I will follow your lead, now is that even after I transplant the Peat Pellets over into a cup of Coco/Perlite?

 

[Herby Paisley]

Thanks a bunch friend, I will follow your lead, now is that even after I transplant the Peat Pellets over into a cup of Coco/Perlite?

Before or after transplant its up to you, whatever you find is easier for you....I also ment to say because you are dealing with seedlings and they are fragile you will want to use a weaker light then what you normally grow under for the first week or two until the seedlings have rooted nicely and have there first sets of leaves.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Coco "Not soaked/rinsed, and haven't popped up yet as planted just yesterday. All of my seedlings will end up in Coco/Perlite, does that have to be processed also?

Perlite just needs the dust to be rinsed off, to avoid ending up with "sludge / perlicrete" in the bottom of the containers. Which is best done outside instead of in your kitchen sink or over basement floor drain, because it tends to accumulate in plumbing traps. Coco material... Comes with a lot of potassium and sodium in it. And tends to "hold onto" calcium. Cannabis doesn't need the sodium, nor nearly that much potassium, and we don't want the media "stealing" calcium from our nutrient solution. We can use its affinity for it to cause it to sort of trade calcium for its potassium and sodium salts, which will also serve to help keep it from robbing calcium later. At least, that's how I understand it (and my explanation was a bit of an oversimplification). I don't like to see that material dry out after it's prepared. But I'm absolutely not an expert on the subject and, in fact, have most of a block that I haven't touched in years because I ended up deciding it wasn't worth the hassle. For me. As in all things in this life, lol, "your mileage may vary" applies.

Come to think of it, I've got 11 seeds in the pre-sprout stage, and more waiting in the wings - and am hurting for both decent soil and perlite right now (and chronically poor in a good year ) so I may need to break down and start hunting for that block if/when some of my seeds sprout. IDK, I'm just rambling. There's a coco-specific section of the forum, BtW:

Coco Growing

The importance of pH, watering effectively and all the must-know basics for growing fast, vigorous plants in coco

www.420magazine.com

I may have to do some remedial reading at some point. . . .