FiveToMidnight's First Grow - Coco/Perlite - NL - MarsHydro 300W LED - 2015

[GrizzWald]

I feed mine half strength in coir after single bladed leaf has fully developed. I also charge my coir at full strength recommendation for first week, 600ppm...I start seeds with a 90w led fixture 40" above. Once 3 bladed leaf has developed and next set just starting I drop it to 24", then add another light and veg at 18"...once your plants developed, feeding is really up to you, meaning coir can be treated both like a soil or hydro grow. You can water every third fourth day If you like or you can feed it half or third strength nutrients 2-3 times a day

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Generally, there are lights and there are LEDs which are slightly different as the tiny diodes direct light differently that floros, HIDs or CFLs. As I said earlier, I've seen canopies get into the LED fixtures in a few journals, but never have I seen other growers put LEDs close to clones or seedlings. This is why OMU and myself have suggested getting yourself a cheap CFL bulb. They truly are the cheapest bulb you'll find in every department store or hardware store and they don't require any special sockets or fixtures to power them, just a regular light socket fed by regular house electricty. They have built in ballasts and cost generally as much as a cheesburger. The light they produce is gentle and can be placed mere inches (10 cm) from seedlings with no ill effect. If you are at all convinced and start looking for one, try to find one that emits the same color of light as the traditional mind numbing office, very bright white (oft referred to as blue). That is the same color used in my soda can reflector pic I shared in an earlier post.

As far as how much water I'd expose the roots to, if the seedling is standing up and building it's first stages of it's canopy, I'd begin decreasing the constant exposure to the wet environment and start drying the media. Because the media just so happens to be a small bit of peat or coco or whatever the type, it will only hold moisture for so long and dry out which is also not good, so you'll have to find the middle ground and keep it swinging between, but never too wet for too long or too dry for too long. As OMU stated in one of his previous posts about feeling out a wet pot verses a dry pot, the same concept should be translated down as the seedling has the beginning of it's root mass. The wetting is when the roots uptake vital water and nutrients and the drying is when the roots breathe and stretch in search of more water and nutrients. As the grower, it's your job to keep this process moving forward, but with seedlings, there is a lesser degree of forgiveness. Fret not though, the root mass will build quickly and the degree of forgiveness will thus increase which lightens your burden.

I know where I can get the bulbs and will see if I can find the connectors for it tomorrow as I will have more time. I want to take your advice so will see what I can find.

I didn't realise the medium needed to go between wet to dry, I thought it had to stay wet constantly.
I have moved the two pots out of the water so they can dry and will check this afternoon to see where they're at.

Both have the first set of leaves now so thinking of starting to feed at 10% tomorrow morning
Its so exciting to watch them growing!!! Lol

 

[FiveToMidnight]

I feed mine half strength in coir after single bladed leaf has fully developed. I also charge my coir at full strength recommendation for first week, 600ppm...I start seeds with a 90w led fixture 40" above. Once 3 bladed leaf has developed and next set just starting I drop it to 24", then add another light and veg at 18"...once your plants developed, feeding is really up to you, meaning coir can be treated both like a soil or hydro grow. You can water every third fourth day If you like or you can feed it half or third strength nutrients 2-3 times a day

How do I know when the leaf has fully developed?
I have my led about 24" above and haven't started the nutes yet.

 

[GrizzWald]

You'll see new growth starting..

 

[FiveToMidnight]

You'll see new growth starting..

Thank you

 

[OldMedUser]

Just a Sony Xperia Z3 phone so yeah, sorry about the quality lol.

Can I open it when the light is off as long as I only use a torch or normal room light to see? Or does that stuff with things?

I go in when it's pitch black. No light at all. I have a green CFL in there that's safe to turn on but I don't for the picture. For flash pics I push the button half way down and a low red beam comes out to get focus and I aim that where I want to get the shot then FLASH! That short bit of light shouldn't hurt anything.

Even a CFL on for 5 min will disrupt the night cycle so no torch or other white light. I have a very small torch that I let peep between my fingers just a bit if I really have to grab something. Or go in in the dark and turn on the green light if I have to do something in there.

Green light won't hurt.

L8r

 

[FiveToMidnight]

I go in when it's pitch black. No light at all. I have a green CFL in there that's safe to turn on but I don't for the picture. For flash pics I push the button half way down and a low red beam comes out to get focus and I aim that where I want to get the shot then FLASH! That short bit of light shouldn't hurt anything.

Even a CFL on for 5 min will disrupt the night cycle so no torch or other white light. I have a very small torch that I let peep between my fingers just a bit if I really have to grab something. Or go in in the dark and turn on the green light if I have to do something in there.

Green light won't hurt.

L8r

Hmmmm, I did not realise that. I may have to slightly change the light cycle so it will still be on when I get home from work. I thought torch light would be ok but I will be careful from now on

Was told today that the connectors used to plug the CFL's in to a power socket are illegal in Aus due to our standards, so can only order them online.
I did however pick up a couple of oxygen blocks to put into my feeding water. I know you advised on stones with a pump but wasn't able to get one of those today with the limited time I had. So the guy in the shop said these should do the same thing.

 

[happydude420]

 

[Skybound]

I didn't know you were down under. Getting a CFL isn't that important if you'd have to order one online. Here in the USA, they're the norm as they're more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Just stick with the LED as the CFL would only be needed for a week or two. If in passing you can find a small florescent fixture at a yard sale or something, pick it up as it will be handy.

 

[Sir Budlovski]

I didn't realize you were Aussie either, although you've probably dropped by the auusie thread.Ah another Aussie 420er, we are growing in number thaats awesome.
I used to be able to buy both spectrums of cfls for growing from the usual supermarkets and now they still have them but they have cut down the wattages heaps its annoying.
Like skybound said stick with the led but in the future if you want to order some cfls, there is a good seller on the bay that sells 40watt full spec cfls pretty cheap and for sockets I usually buy the extension cords tt have the cfl socket on the end, sometimes you need and adapter for different sockets, anyways you probably won't have to worry about it now.

 

[GrizzWald]

I was only here cause it's a coco perlite grow, but man an Aussie one at that, well I be staying for the duration, lol...

 

[FiveToMidnight]

I didn't know you were down under. Getting a CFL isn't that important if you'd have to order one online. Here in the USA, they're the norm as they're more efficient than incandescent bulbs. Just stick with the LED as the CFL would only be needed for a week or two. If in passing you can find a small florescent fixture at a yard sale or something, pick it up as it will be handy.

Sorry, I should have mentioned this earlier but yes, I am in Aus on the east coast.

I will keep that in mind, thanks Skybound!

I didn't realize you were Aussie either, although you've probably dropped by the auusie thread.Ah another Aussie 420er, we are growing in number thaats awesome.
I used to be able to buy both spectrums of cfls for growing from the usual supermarkets and now they still have them but they have cut down the wattages heaps its annoying.
Like skybound said stick with the led but in the future if you want to order some cfls, there is a good seller on the bay that sells 40watt full spec cfls pretty cheap and for sockets I usually buy the extension cords tt have the cfl socket on the end, sometimes you need and adapter for different sockets, anyways you probably won't have to worry about it now.

Thanks for the tips, I will look out for them!

I was only here cause it's a coco perlite grow, but man an Aussie one at that, well I be staying for the duration, lol...

Great to have you along!

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Pic from tonight, end of day two!
First two girls seem to be going strong, still being fed only distilled water.
Third one still hasn't sprouted yet but I think I can see it just under the surface so fingers crossed it will be ready tomorrow.
Sorry again for quality, need to find my proper camera!

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Got up this morning and found one looking like this.

I had moved the light closer last night so I'm thinking it may be due to that, but the other girls is not showing the same colour. Can anyone tell me if she is ok?

 

[Frostbourne]

hey man im not an expert, so take anything i say with a grain of salt, but usually burnt tips like that are nute burn. did you water with nutes? it could be light burn, but light burn from what i have experienced is usually yellowing or burning along the whole leaf, not just the tip

 

[FiveToMidnight]

hey man im not an expert, so take anything i say with a grain of salt, but usually burnt tips like that are nute burn. did you water with nutes? it could be light burn, but light burn from what i have experienced is usually yellowing or burning along the whole leaf, not just the tip

That's what I have read, however I haven't fed them any nutes yet, just distilled water.
I did move them closer to the light last night but they were only there for 12 hours so I'm thinking it may have been caused by that. I have lowered them back down now so hopefully all is good.

Thanks for your help!

 

[GrizzWald]

Ph corrected?

 

[FiveToMidnight]

Ph corrected?

No as it measured correct the first couple of flush's I did
Maybe I should be checking more

 

[Sir Budlovski]

Can't tell cause pic is taken under led but if you take her out and she has yellowing and you can see any shades of pinky/purplish tinged and even the yellow fading really light to an almost white colour it will be led burning/bleaching, leaves don't look like they are drooping away from the light either though so hard one, a picture under cfl or normal light would probably show the exact problem a lot easier I reckon

 

[Skybound]

I agree, LED light spectrums are hard for human eyes to interpret. At least while your plants are small enough, can you take the pots out of the cabinets and snap some pics with more traditional lighting, such as used to illuminate the room that the cabinet is in?