Ilikebike's Soil Bagseed Grow 2011

[ilikebike]

i feel like they are drying out because i saw one tiny little sprout today but it looks likes its hurtin, it doesn't look very healthy and it still has some of the shell from the seed on it, defiantly looks like they need more water, i just dont want to over do it ya know. im going to continue misting daily, as needed

 

[Rekles]

Keep misting. They start off lookin kinda weird sometimes. Im sure it will work itself out.

 

[ilikebike]

so i scrapped off the soil on all the seeds, some of the seeds didnt even push more of a taproot out (Mostly the ones i germinated with the cup of water method) more than 8 of them are showing a little green and a few actually sprouted today! i can see 4 tiny leaves on one of them. gettin excited!, questions.... Can i run my 400 watt MH for vegetation? i am planing on running a 24/0 hour cycle for the first week or so, is this ok? i want these plants to grow quick, im not to worried about how big (Tall) they are. any input would be great thanks!

 

[MacMota]

You can go 24/0 if you'd like for vegetation. Some people believe that plants do most of their growing in the dark though.

 

[ilikebike]

i thought that was when they formed thc glands?

 

[ilikebike]

so the sprouts are starting to actually grow! i think that i did plant the seeds to far down, because they were just about starting to sprout but still under the soil, some of the seeds didnt even sprout past the taproot, i kept them in the soil to give them a chance but they are probly done for. Very excited that i am seeing some green! 2 of the sprouts already have 4 little leaves. Can i use my 400 watt MH during vegatation?

 

[SwissCheese79]

Yes, but I would wait about 2 weeks. Think of the cfls as spring sun and the mh as hot summer sun. The seedlings need to grow a bid so they can handle the output of the mh. Congrats with the sprouts!

 

[Rekles]

Well for Vegging, U can either do 24/0, 20/4, or even 18/6. I usually do 24/0. But sometimes I like 20/4...especially if they are just sprouting so they can get a little break. Your 400w Mh should work just fine for vegging. I would wait till the seedlings are a bit taller though.

 

[ilikebike]

ok well they have been on a 24/0 light schedule since they started. (I cant figure out how to use my damn timer!) i guess i should start shutting the lights down for at least 4 hours. Going to wait a few weeks to use the 400 MH but will be used. Can i use the cfl's and the mh for flowering? because i know hps is the optimal lighting but i know people have completed grows start to finish with just cfl. The reason i ask is because i only have 2 MH ballast. So i could potentially use a 150 watt mh and my 400 watt mh for flowering, plus what ever cfl's i have lying around.

Plant UPDATE:: 4 of the sprouts are showing 4 little leaves, looking healthy so far. Should i be buying bottled water to water my plants? im pretty sure we have salt in a water to soften the water, wouldnt this dry out the plant? next time i water im using bottled water. I am still watering them 1-2 times a day because the soil drys out so fast, im going to think about transplanting them soon. im just going to cut out the jiffy tray into squares and drop it right into a bigger pot of soil. Probly going to do this in the next week or so. Thanks for stoppin in!

 

[Rekles]

You can use your CFLs and your MH for flowering if you choose too. But you can simply purchase a HPS conversion bulb. So you can use the same hood and ballast but a better bulb for flowering. I use a MH conversion bulb when I do my indoor.

Do not water your plants with tap water. For example.. my tap water pH is at 9.2 roughly. I have to add pH down, like most everyone else, to get the water around 6.5 pH. I suggest you get some pH down, an eye dropper, and something to measure your pH level. I have a digital pH meter but if you dont want to spend that much money you can buy a kit that has a little vile that you can place water in...add a drop of special solution, then compare the water color to the color samples on the bottle that lets you know the pH. I would suggest you get one of the orange 5 gal buckets from home depot that comes with a lid that cost like $2. They are good size to mix your water in and will last a while.

Keep it up.

 

[ilikebike]

thanks for your help

 

[ilikebike]

Well here are some pictures of the light fixture, suspended from the ceiling. And my sprouts, there are a few more right behind these ones, but these already have 4 leaves!

Question. I was going to transplant the sprouts into a 8''x8'' container that is 5'' deep. Will this be deep enough for the roots to develop? i plan on doing a ScRoG method so the plants dont need to be super tall, will the roots grow sideways instead of straight down? or should i just look for different pots?

 

[ilikebike]

ok so i figured out the timer, got them on a 20/4 light cycle as of today. it will be a week on monday since i planted these seeds. They are taking quite nicley ever since i scrapped off some soil off the top of the seeds.

Questions-

1. when should i start adding nutrients?

2. how much does a digital pH tester cost and where can i find one?

3. Should i buy a barometer?

4. When should i transplant into bigger pots?


thanks for any help!

 

[ilikebike]

so i just tested the pH levels in the water, they are a little high. what can i buy to make the pH go down? and where do i find it? thanks!

 

[Rekles]

Looks like im the only one checking in on you. lol

1) The size of the pots you use depends on how big your plants are going to be. How tall are you planning on veggin before switching to flower?

2) I wouldnt start adding nutrients for until the plants getting bigger. If you add too soon you can kill them. I would suggest you wait a few weeks.

3) You can find a Digital pH meter on many online sites or at a local hydroponic store. They can be anywhere from $60 to a few hundred $'s.

4) For your temperature and humidity you can just get 1 or 2 of these:
Acu-Rite Thermometer with Humidity - 00339HDSB at The Home Depot

5) As for transplanting. Wait for that as well. You need to develop a good root base before moving the little ladies. Every time you transplant you slow the plant down and it needs time to recoup. Wait a few weeks. Seeds grow slow at first..you have plenty of time.

6) To lower your pH..like i said before..get pH down. Thats what its called. You can find them in the pool section of a hardware store.

 

[ilikebike]

yo are the only one but i appreciate it, im a noob at this so i need all the help i can get thanks!

 

[ilikebike]

oh boy well i think i killed my plants, out of stupidity.

I washed out a spray bottle that had Weed b gone in it. i pumped tons of clean hot water through the sprayer (Nozzle part) and washed both pieces in the dishwasher. i think their must have been some left in it still because after i sprayed my plants i could smell a soapy substance. Well i went to go look at them today and they look very unhealthy The leaves are like closing up, their not spread out like they should be, and they look very week ( Leaves are wilted) they just don't look strong, they are kind of bending over and shit.... Are they done for? is there any way i could move them to new soil and put fresh water in, maybe it would flush out any of that detergent. i know this is all my fault, it was just me being cheep and not wanting to spend 3$ on a spray bottle. well on the good side, if this doesn't work out. then ill just buy some nice seeds online and not make the same mistake twice!

 

[Rekles]

They are prob done. But, you never know. You have a few options. Either "flush" the pots and hope it washes it all away. Flush = put 3 times as much water through the soil as the pot holds. OR you can try transplanting them into some new soil.

 

[MacMota]

Yeah, go spend the $3 and buy a spray bottle, use distilled water and drench the plants themselves. Then, like Rekles said, flush the soil. Then you wait.

That's a bummer, live and learn though, eh?

 

[ilikebike]

yuup, funny thing is too, i can never find mid grade bud around my area (With seeds). so i have to spend the extra money to buy seeds. Im thinking about buying some bubbleicious seeds. said it was fairly easy to grow and doesn't grow to tall so that will be good for my crawl space.

as for the plants, they still dont look that great, they dont look any better or any worse. i flushed the soil out with water but im gunna say they are done for. Gotta wait to get more seeds.