This may be a stupid question but I'm about to start a second grow and would like to know the correct way to water a seedling the last time while it was in a cup I used another cup to water and killed two seedlings don't want to do that again and also while germinating will peroxide help in germination ?
This may be a stupid question
rillos
Well-Known Member
A seedling only needs very little water, you want your soil to be able to dry out some so you your best judgement.
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- #3
When I start seedlings/plant a rooted clone I put it into the appropriately moist and warm soil, usually in a one liter pot, and it doesn't need watering again for a week or ten days. Sometimes a light sprinkle on top for evening out the surface. By the time it needs water it's well rooted. Then I water by drizzling it lightly around the sides. By the time it's ready to be soaked down, it's getting fairly large. When I transplant I do the same thing -get a two or 3 L pot full of moist soil and plunk it in there and leave it, with touch ups, until it's big enough to handle soaking down.
It's not a stupid question. It's actually a very important time to be careful about watering and it can be a little bit tricky till you get used to it
It's not a stupid question. It's actually a very important time to be careful about watering and it can be a little bit tricky till you get used to it
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- #5
Thank you for the info do you know anything about germinating with peroxide I was told it helps it grow and kills any bacteria?
Dave Groomer
Well-Known Member
Keep it simple. I germinate my seeds in a wet paper towel. When I have a taproot, I place it in an 8oz foam coffee cup with my soil mixture. I use a 3 part mixture of FFOF, Promix BX and Perlite. 1 part each. I also punch 3 small holes in the bottom of the cup and a bunch (8-10) around the very bottom edge. Make 2 cups. Fill both with dirt. Water one till the water starts draining out the holes on the bottom. Now feel the weight of the 2 cups. When the cup with water feels about the same weight as the unwatered cup, it is time to water. With the soil mixture I use, it is about every 3-4 days for watering. The more perlte, the more drainage. I hope this helps. 
I agree. Keep it simple and don't worry about frills-not needed. Worry about an appropriate moisture level and temperature. I get some paper towel or cloth damp- crumple it a bit and put it in a container. I toss the seeds in one of the folds of the material-not right at the bottom of the container but somewhere elevated a little. I put the lid on loosely then put it somewhere warm- about 80 degrees (room temp plus a bit). The idea being to have warmth and 100% humidity. Many ways to skin that cat but the concept is the same. After 48 hours the sprouts are usually an inch long. Some seeds will be weaker and take a bit longer.
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- #9
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- #10
The way I prefer is to premix the soil before planting. I like it to be just moist- never wet- and fluffy not clumpy. And preferably warm.
Then I poke a little hole for the sprout to go in, let it fall in (not upside down) and very gently fill in around it and cover it loosely. At this point it shouldn't really need water for around a couple weeks, depending on the container size and conditions. The surface of the soil will dry slowly but lower down will stay moist. Sometimes I sprinkle a couple drops on to touch up the surface.
Then I poke a little hole for the sprout to go in, let it fall in (not upside down) and very gently fill in around it and cover it loosely. At this point it shouldn't really need water for around a couple weeks, depending on the container size and conditions. The surface of the soil will dry slowly but lower down will stay moist. Sometimes I sprinkle a couple drops on to touch up the surface.
TheFertilizer
Well-Known Member
If you get a 1 gallon pump sprayer, you can adjust it to a fine mist and use the spray nozzle to go around the the inside of the cup, start mid way between the stem and the edge of the cup and just keep sweeping clock-wise and then counter clock wise while avoiding flooding by letting off the sprayer a little at a time to allow the soil to soak up the water before it builds at the surface.
I find that pouring water into soil too fast makes it kind of liquify and some floats around, you can see the top of the soil lift and lower as the water rushes in too fast for it to absorb it. That's really disruptive to a seedling trying to form a root system.
I find that pouring water into soil too fast makes it kind of liquify and some floats around, you can see the top of the soil lift and lower as the water rushes in too fast for it to absorb it. That's really disruptive to a seedling trying to form a root system.
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- #13
That sounds too wet to me. It depends though. You're using soil? The seed is sprouted already? And what size of container? A picture would be good.
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- #15
I was using roots organic soil and I water every three days and yes the seed is sprouted it has taproot my problem is the stem grows a couple of inches and it seems to dry out
I suspect that the roots are rotting out from overwatering. Hard to know for sure of course- but that sounds like way too much water, to me.
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- #17
The situation will vary depending on how hot and dry your conditions are, how big the container is, what the soil is like, and (eventually) how big the plant is.
In general it doesn't work to water on a set schedule. You can sort of do a set schedule at some points in a plants life when it is drinking water at a predictable rate, but generally -it isn't. Throughout veg and most of flowering it's water needs will be constantly changing.
The way to water is by checking and doing it when the soil (or whatever medium you're using) is dry.
Cannabis plants do not like being wet for prolonged periods. Seedlings will rot and die. Large plants will have all sorts of issues.
They don't do all that well at a steady 'medium level' state of wetness either. For a larger plant they will do well with a wet to dry cycle where they get watered well, then are left till they get dry before watering again. But a lot of the best growth happens when they are at a state of being nearly dry. Especially seedlings.
For seedlings I just keep them very light, dry and fluffy throughout- at least till they have a good root system and several large leaves. I do not let them get soaked at any point.
How to know when to water?
Some people gauge by sticking their finger in the pot and seeing if it feels slightly moist an inch and a half down (if I does then don't water).
A much better way, IMO, is to judge the weight of the container by lifting it up. Compare it to a container of soil which is almost dry- just fluffy and slightly moist like fresh bread or cake. It should be that same weight. If it's heavy then never water. If it's light and the plant looks happy then leave it. It's actually best to leave the cannabis plant till it's showing very slight signs of wilting. I recommend you not do this with a very young plant though since they're more delicate. But just short of that point is a very good place to be before watering.
Here is a link. Scroll down to the watering section and there's an article called 'What is the lift the pot method?'.
It's a good link. I think you might find some other interesting articles along the way.
How to Grow Marijuana - Everything You Need to Know
In general it doesn't work to water on a set schedule. You can sort of do a set schedule at some points in a plants life when it is drinking water at a predictable rate, but generally -it isn't. Throughout veg and most of flowering it's water needs will be constantly changing.
The way to water is by checking and doing it when the soil (or whatever medium you're using) is dry.
Cannabis plants do not like being wet for prolonged periods. Seedlings will rot and die. Large plants will have all sorts of issues.
They don't do all that well at a steady 'medium level' state of wetness either. For a larger plant they will do well with a wet to dry cycle where they get watered well, then are left till they get dry before watering again. But a lot of the best growth happens when they are at a state of being nearly dry. Especially seedlings.
For seedlings I just keep them very light, dry and fluffy throughout- at least till they have a good root system and several large leaves. I do not let them get soaked at any point.
How to know when to water?
Some people gauge by sticking their finger in the pot and seeing if it feels slightly moist an inch and a half down (if I does then don't water).
A much better way, IMO, is to judge the weight of the container by lifting it up. Compare it to a container of soil which is almost dry- just fluffy and slightly moist like fresh bread or cake. It should be that same weight. If it's heavy then never water. If it's light and the plant looks happy then leave it. It's actually best to leave the cannabis plant till it's showing very slight signs of wilting. I recommend you not do this with a very young plant though since they're more delicate. But just short of that point is a very good place to be before watering.
Here is a link. Scroll down to the watering section and there's an article called 'What is the lift the pot method?'.
It's a good link. I think you might find some other interesting articles along the way.
How to Grow Marijuana - Everything You Need to Know
You're welcome.. 
AKgramma
Well-Known Member
It sounds like your ambient air is dry. Mine is, too. I keep my rooted clones and seedlings in their tiny containers in a large snack jar, covered most of the day to keep the humidity up close to 100%. I open the cap for 30 min to an hour each day to let them breathe. You can also use a clear plastic bag or other clear enclosure to keep in the moisture.
And in my experience, 24 hours of light from a simple desk lamp with one 23W CFL is plenty to keep the temperature up and induce photosynthesis. Once I start seeing new growth, I gradually acclimate the babies to ambient air by leaving the cover off for longer periods each day.
Note that, since I planted them in well-watered soil, I have not had to water them at all until this point. The roots need oxygen to survive, so you never water until the soil dries out, and that won't happen till they are removed from the container and up-potted.
And in my experience, 24 hours of light from a simple desk lamp with one 23W CFL is plenty to keep the temperature up and induce photosynthesis. Once I start seeing new growth, I gradually acclimate the babies to ambient air by leaving the cover off for longer periods each day.
Note that, since I planted them in well-watered soil, I have not had to water them at all until this point. The roots need oxygen to survive, so you never water until the soil dries out, and that won't happen till they are removed from the container and up-potted.
