CFL Cab Grow #1

[homegrownFL]

HERES FIRST SIGNS OF GREEN ONE LOOKS HEALTHIER THAN THE OTHER HOPE THE BOTH ARE OK.

NIRVANNA FREEBIE SEED

RANDOM BAG SEED

 

[HunterHunt]

You don't have them sitting on a paper towel do you? The paper towel will suck all the moisture out of the rockwool cube and it also acts as a fast drying mat because of the surface area on the paper towel.

Your second seedling looks like i might have dried out? Have then been moist the whole time? You want to water with pH ajusted water to 5.5. Your rockwool cubes should have soaked in 5.5 water also.

You will want your CFL pretty close to the little seedling. Around 6 inches at least. Only one is really needed for seedlings and you can and more and more as they get bigger.

Edit: Also add, humidity of 60% is perfect.

 

[homegrownFL]

I have installed my new fan I mentioned and listed specs before. Well worth it. The real test is if it will cool my cab any better. Any advice on what I should do with these seedlings now ?

 

[HunterHunt]

homegrownFL, Can you answer the questions i ask above so i can better assist you. Can you give us some updates and pictures? Seedlings change fast over 3 days. You should be seeing roots from the rockwool cube now.

Is this going to be a soil grow? Why didnt you just plant straight into soil?

 

[homegrownFL]

UPDATE

Only one survived one seedling dried out and another rotted out. I decided to transplant the survivor into soil.

Are the cotyledon leaves supposed to look like these ?

 

[guerillahaze]

It look normal to me.Every seedling grow out different size & form.Sorry for the other seedling.Try to move pot so cfl bulb will be in center and above seedling,i can see that your bulb holders are above seedling.If it's not directly above seedling will looking for light and it will grow sideways...

 

[homegrownFL]

THE SEEDLING ABOVE HAS DRIED UP AND DIED !

I have failed yet again. One of the three I started with was too moist and the taproot rotted out and the other dried out and same with this one. Im soaking two more of the Nirvana freebie seeds in RO water for 24 hours and then Im going straight to soil to see if I can succeed this time. Im just glad I didnt try with my A/F Shortryder. I dont know why I cant get these babies to grow.

 

[HunterHunt]

That would also be my suggestion.. Plant straight into soil. No need for those other methods for a soil grow...

 

[homegrownFL]

That would also be my suggestion.. Plant straight into soil. No need for those other methods for a soil grow...

Thanks for the support HunterNitro. I plan on planting them and leaving the lights on them. For the direct to soil method what should I consider before planting? Will they be ok with the lights on even before they pop and how moist should the soil be? Im currently soaking before going into soil is that recommended ?


RIP ROBIN WILLIAMS
JULY 21, 1951 - AUGUST 11 2014

 

[HunterHunt]

Im still a newbie at soil also so i did some research for you to try and help you. This is a 420 post from years ago for soil germination. I hope it helps:

Soak the seeds in plain water for 12 hours prior to planting to hydrate them, which will speed up germination. In general, good seeds will sink, bad seeds will remain floating (they contain air, not an embryo).


Buy some white 20oz styrofoam "drinking glasses", commonly called "Styro-Cups", and punch holes in the bottom (and side bottom) for drainage. I use a red-hot ice pick for this. These containers are 6 1/2" tall and will allow ample room for the taproot to grow before cotyledon emergence which will increase your seedling's vigor. The taproot (radicle) is already at least 4" long at the point of emergence - don't restrict it (in order to maximize seedling growth rate). Styro-Cups can be found on the shelf displaying picnic items at your local grocery store.

Fill the pots almost to the top with your soil mix, water well to settle the mix, take a pencil and make a small hole about 1/4" to 1/2" deep, NO deeper, and drop *one* seed in. Cover the seed with *fine* soil, only enough to top up the hole, firm lightly with your finger, and lightly water until water runs freely thru the drain holes. Place in a warm spot around 80F/26C. Do NOT cover the cup with saran wrap or anything else. The seed has been hydrated from the soaking and will germinate soon. This container should not require further watering until the seedling is up and running.

During the first couple of days, mist the top soil surface lightly (if need be), never allowing the top to crust over, but not to the point that the medium stays waterlogged which will invite pythium rot. "Less is more" at this point. Do NOT water this pot any more until the seedling is up, and only if it needs it at the point of emergence. Again, no need to cover with plastic wrap as the radicle (taproot) will grow at least 4" before the cotyledons emerge from the soil. IOW, even though you can't see it, the plant's root is seeking and finding moisture at the container's lower soil levels. I cannot emphasize this enough. The seedling will emerge anywhere from 2 to 10 days from the time you sowed it.

That's all to it! With good care, your faves will be ready to transplant within 1 to 2 weeks, and will easily slip out of the "cup" with a solid rootball that will never know it's been disturbed if potted up gently and quickly. Move up to a final pot of 3 to 5 gallons to sex and finish.


You can also move your lights up some. It doesnt need to be so close at the very first stage. It might be drying out your soil to fast. Once the seedling pops through the surface is when you want to lower your CFL's so your seedlings wont stretch.

Hope this helps you! Good luck as always!

 

[homegrownFL]

Thanks HunterNitro

 

[homegrownFL]

Just planted my second round of seedlings straight to soil after soaking in RO water for 24 hours. Both seeds did in fact sink to the bottom of the cup before I planted them. Planted them about the depth of my pinky nail. I watered soil thoroughly 24 hours prior to sowing seeds with PH balanced RO water.

 

[HunterHunt]

How long is your pinky nail lol? They should be planted 1/4" to 1/2" inches deep and no deeper. That should be good as long as you dont have a huge nail haha.... Good luck!

 

[homegrownFL]

Ok guys Im back after these others died, I had a move and death in the family got laid off from my job so with my extra time Im giving it another go. I decided to germinate my Nirvana short rider auto-fem. Same soil as before added extra perlite for drainage.

Here is a picture from October 14 more pictures to come.

 

[homegrownFL]

UPDATED PIC FROM TODAY

Did feeding today using Fox Farm line nutrients Big Bloom, Grow Big, Tiger Bloom. I use an entire spray bottle of water when watering about that amount gives me the right amount of runoff. Im trying to be very cautious about nutrient amounts so Im measuring in drops. For this feeding I gave her two drops of Grow Big and 4 drops of Big Bloom at 150 PPM, PH adjusted to 6.0.

Premixed next feeding to include Tiger Bloom. To stay in line with the feeding schedule by ratio. 4 drops of BB, 4 drops GB, 2 drops of Tiger Bloom.

75 Degrees average and 40% humidity

GOING BY WEEK 4 FOR NEXT FEEDING

 

[homegrownFL]

I have come to realize that this plant is stunted it should be alot bigger at 1 month almost now. Im chalking this one up as a learning experience and see it thru hopefully she recovers somewhat.

 

[homegrownFL]

I had some soil Ph concerns so today was watering day did my usual watering and tested the Ph of runoff and found my soil to be very acidic so I flushed my plant with Ph adjusted water and gave light nutrients (1/4 STRENGTH) for week 3 according to Fox Farms guide. I also added some crushed Dolomite Lime powder (1/2 Tablespoon) to help balance out the Ph. She looks pretty good Im thinking the Ph issues have caused slight stunting but hopefully she will grow alot more now.

 

[HunterHunt]

I add one table spoon per gallon of soil of domolite lime and mix it in my soil mixture before planting. For my papaya grow I had to sprinkle it on top of my soil as i didnt put any in my soil to start with. Domolite lime will bring your pH back up to around 6.5 over a few waterings hopefully. Just make sure you are testing the pH of the water going in and make sure your pH pen is calibrated and working properly. She looks green so thats good. No deficiencies showing up yet. Make sure you are letting that soil dry out good! Shes good a green so i wouldnt add to many nutes to her. Keep it at around 1/4 to 1/2 and feed nutes every other watering is what i would suggest but im no expert! Good luck!

 

[homegrownFL]

Im about three days or so between waterings I just do a finger test to test the soil if once the top two inches or so are dry I water. Ill be getting soil hydrometer and Ph tester soon its just hard to invest in more supplies since I lost my job. Im definitely adding the Dolomite Lime to my soil mix my next grow. Thanks for the support HunterNitro.

 

[HunterHunt]

Dont waste your money on a soil hydrometer... At least for me the cheap one i bought was junk. All you have to do is what you are doing and see if the soil is dry a few inches down. You can also pick up the container with the plant and you can tell when its dry. Im sure you can spend a lot of money and get a nice soil hydrometer that works but thats just extra money you can spend better somewhere else. Sorry i thought you were pH testing your water. I would for sure invest in one of them and some calibration solution. You can purchase the pH pens for about $11 and the calibration solution for about $7. A good $20 investment when you are able to do that!