Girls is only 3 days old

[Hydro69]

She's in about a 60/40-70/30 coco/perlite mix in a soft sided pot and is already 1.5" tall. My light is a 300W Mars Hydro and is about 30" above the pot. How close should it be? It seems every source I check has a different answer. Ive been going 18/6hrs so far. Is this right?

Next question-So far I've been using bottled water. At what point is it important to test/adjust the ph levels? I've got her sister seedling in a Solo cup with the same mixture as of yesterday (she didn't germinate as quickly). Is it time to put her under the light as well?

Last question-At what point do I start with the nutes? My seed source said not to use any for the first 10 days.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Troy01]

Hi Achilles and congratulations on your grow.

1. For your first question will need to know what type of plant are you growing. 18/6 will work well for both Autos an Photos. If growing an Auto you will stay at 18/6 for the entire grow if a Photo you will shift to 12/12 to initiate flowering.

2. 30 inches should be fine for seedligs until they get to about 3 nodes and then you can start lowering it to about 18 inches. Move is slowly and if you see any signs of stress move it bac a little. Sings of too much light include the edges of the leaves cupping upward.

3. You should be testing and adjusting your PH from day . Since you are growing i CoCo you will want to get some Cal-Mag and supplement at a rate of about 10-20 mg per 5 gallons of solution.

4. For nutrients I would wait for the first 10 days that the grower suggested then start feeding at about 1/2 of the labeled strength. I usually start at about 400 ppm and then slowly increase to 800-900 for the remainder of the grow.

 

[Hydro69]

Thanks for the quick reply. They are autos so I'll keep it at 18/6. I'll hold off another 7 days before adding nutes. And if I'm understanding correctly, the Cal-Mag just becomes an additive to my everyday watering supply. Is this correct? I'm for sure a newbie at this so I really appreciate all your advice.

 

[Widowsnest]

Thanks for the quick reply. They are autos so I'll keep it at 18/6. I'll hold off another 7 days before adding nutes. And if I'm understanding correctly, the Cal-Mag just becomes an additive to my everyday watering supply. Is this correct? I'm for sure a newbie at this so I really appreciate all your advice.

Yes, if you’re growing in Coco Cal-Mag is a nesessary part of your routine. Listen to your plants, if they start stretching for the light chances are they want it closer.

 

[Troy01]

Thanks for the quick reply. They are autos so I'll keep it at 18/6. I'll hold off another 7 days before adding nutes. And if I'm understanding correctly, the Cal-Mag just becomes an additive to my everyday watering supply. Is this correct? I'm for sure a newbie at this so I really appreciate all your advice.

Yes... when growing in coco and under led the plant needs Cal-Mag as a supplement. I use is in every feeding as an insurance against the deficiency.

 

[Troy01]

Listen to your plants, if they start stretching for the light chances are they want it closer.

Great recommendation.