1st Time Growing NL Auto: Leaf Question & Transplant Idea

[Sctanley007]

This is my first time growing auto flowers. The seeds are from CKS and this girl got her true leaves on 9/4. There hasn't been a huge amount of activity topside but then again its only been 7 days so far.

The plant is in OFHF 3:1 with perlite. My space is a 2x4x5 tent with 2 300w MarsHydro set at 18 inches above the plants, and a 190 CFM fan and carbon filter. The temp in the tent has been a bit elevated over the past week due to weather but not excessively so...about 85F. Now the tent is staying around 75F with humidity constant around 50%. Before planting the seed the 3 gallon smart pot was wetted and allowed to drain. Since planting on the 4th I watered 4 oz of water ph'd at 6.5 on 9/8 and then another 4 oz yesterday. The pot is feeling light and I was planning on thoroughly watering in a day or two.

This morning I saw these spots on the first leaves and the newer leaves look a bit odd. Seeing the spots on the leaves coupled with the odd leaf shape and me planning on a soaking watering I figured I'd ask advise first.

My question is, given the young age of the plant, the soil that it is in, and it being an auto do the leaves look normal or deficient in any way? The brown spots worry me a bit but they might be sun kisses caused by water from my spray bottle hitting them and me not realizing it. Am I wrong in thinking the plant cant need nutrients given its only a week old and in FF soil? I have all the FF nutes (its what I bought before my first run...probably would have gotten different nutes if I knew better back then).

Is there any trick to watering such a small plant in such a large pot? Ive only been watering around the plant about an inch or two away from the stem. In a full watering should I start away from the base and just water thoroughly outward toward the edge of the pot? I'm not really liking starting the plant in the final container since I'm accustomed to potting up from a solo cup.

I have another NL auto that I'm germinating now and will need to plant it this evening. I know common practice is to sow into the final container but was wondering about another method I saw. Sprout the seed in a syrofoam cup and let it get established. Take an identical cup and sink it into the final pot to "make an impression" of the cup in the damp soil. Take the cup the plant is in and cut away the bottom of the cup and slice up the cup to the soil line leaving the rim of the cup above the soil line intact. Place the cup with the plant into the "impression" and then cut the remaining part of the cup and lift the cup out of the pot, leaving the plant and soil in the final destination. Seems like it would be more manageable to start the seed and plant given the smaller vessel and there would be no substantial disturbance to the grow cycle with this method of potting up.

Sorry for the long post. Any help, thoughts, or insights would be appreciated.

 

[Chris Scorpio]

A couple things

I'd say yer lights are way too low for that age. Believe 24"-30" is recommended for seedlings

What I do in soil is water around the edge of the seedling, away from the stem, about 2-3"
That promotes the roots to search out the water and grow grow grow

Looks like possible start of calmag issues, Happy Frog has no nutes so can't be nute burn so must be a deficiency

Now since happy frog has no nutes you may need to do a 1/4 strength water every 3rd water soon

 

[Sctanley007]

A couple things

I'd say yer lights are way too low for that age. Believe 24"-30" is recommended for seedlings

What I do in soil is water around the edge of the seedling, away from the stem, about 2-3"
That promotes the roots to search out the water and grow grow grow

Looks like possible start of calmag issues, Happy Frog has no nutes so can't be nute burn so must be a deficiency

Now since happy frog has no nutes you may need to do a 1/4 strength water every 3rd water soon

Thanks for the quick reply. The lights weren't as low as I first thought but were still a bit low so I raised them to 23".

I thought Happy Frog was a mix of OF and Light Warrior. I used HF this time instead of OF because I didn't want the soil too hot and run into problems. Maybe a mistake but now I'm committed to the HF for this grow. I have a photo black indica in it and its loving it.

Since its due for a through watering should I mix 1/2 teaspoon of Grow Big per gallon of water and PH it to 6.4? Will the dose of GB be enough or should I also add a teaspoon of Epsom salt to the water as well. That would be a teaspoon of Epsom salt to the gallon and dissolve it, add the 1/2 tsp of GB then PH the water to 6.4 and water the pot thoroughly starting bout 2 inches from the base of the plant.

 

[Orlando Scout]

Do what chris suggested and you will be golden. You want to have your lights 24"-30" in veg and 18" in flower.

 

[Chris Scorpio]

I don't think you start with grow big, pretty sure it's big bloom, so check the feeding schedule

There are a few HF soils, so depends on what one u have

A picture of yer bag would help

 

[Sctanley007]

Also, does it make any sense to add Big Bloom or molasses to the water now for the sole purpose of encouraging the microbial growth of the soil or will the other Fox Farms nutes (Grow Big) negate this addition?

 

[Sctanley007]

I don't think you start with grow big, pretty sure it's big bloom, so check the feeding schedule

There are a few HF soils, so depends on what one u have

A picture of yer bag would help

Actually the feed schedule shows Big Bloom first and then add Grow Big along with the Big Bloom. Im looking to get the microbes going from the start to boost the soil.

I'm using plain old Happy Frog, not the all purpose version.

 

[Chris Scorpio]

Also, does it make any sense to add Big Bloom or molasses to the water now for the sole purpose of encouraging the microbial growth of the soil or will the other Fox Farms nutes (Grow Big) negate this addition?

No clue on that, never used molasses

Not sure if you can get microbes growing on there own, not my wheelhouse, but hit soil at this stage isn't good, that I do know

I do nutes and a few additional addative nutes as the girls tell me they need em

 

[Sctanley007]

Thanks Chris.

Yeah my first run was in OF and that coupled with my lack of knowing anything about using fertilizers I'm amazed the plants made it through at all let alone give me the yield they did.

The OF was hot and that's why I tried the HF this go around. I figured me working up to the proper nutes needed to keep the plants healthy is much easier then burning the living hell out of them and not knowing what is in the soil. I guess I thought the HF soil would have enough nutrients in it to last a few weeks. The plant is only a week old.

My Black Indica is loving the HF. She's only 10 days old.