Jiffy Pot Question

[livelong420]

I've been using the small jiffy pots, putting in the sprouted seeds. I've tried and failed with 4 different seeds (nirvana indoor mix).

There are 5 23w CFLs for my lighting. Ocean forest soil.

Last time, the seeds just sprouted and i put them in. They didn't really shed the shell, so I did it for them, and then they wilted and died. Did I put them in too early (how long do you like your sprout before planting)? How long should I wait before turning on the lights (18/6?)? How often should I water it in the dry climate of Colorado (keep in mind jiffy pots)?

 

[In_Hollywood]

Hi there! Jiffy Pots can be either good or bad to sprout out plants! However, they sometimes tend to get over watered which ends up waterlogging the roots and the plant dies, after it starts to sprout out. It may just be better to put a germinated seed into dirt to grow out. =Judy=

 

[PotPie]

Hi livelong420. I am a complete newbie at indoor growing but I have had some success with the jiffy pots and peat pellets recently.

Did I put them in too early (how long do you like your sprout before planting)?

I was reading one of the posts in the how to grow section and it said you can plant them as soon as the tap root sprouts. This has worked for me. I have also put some into peat pots as up to 2 days later and this also worked. I would be more worried about putting them in too late rather than too early. My reasoning is that the roots grow very quickly and the longer you wait, the better chance there is of breaking them.

How long should I wait before turning on the lights (18/6?)?

Another one of the posts in the grow section said to put light on them as soon as they pop up out of the soil. I believe this and it has worked for me as well. I think that plants are genetically wired to reach for the sun, real or artificial.

How often should I water it in the dry climate of Colorado (keep in mind jiffy pots)?

I would keep them moist at all times until they show roots out of the bottom or sides of the jiffy pot. The jiffy pots tend to dry out very quickly in a dry climate or under the constant breeze of a circulating fan. The plants are very small at this stage and if the soil gets dry, even for a little while, they are dead because they have no way of storing enough moisture. I would keep them in a small plastic tub to keep drafts to a minimum and so I could leave just a little water in the bottom of the tub while I'm away for the day. The peat will wick up the water and keep the soil moist.

I also had a lot of problems with my first batch of bag seed. Only one out of 12 popped. I did some reading & thinking and was convinced that they didn't stay warm enough to properly germinate and grow. For my second attempt, I put the peat pellets and jiffy pots (I used both) on a heating pad set on low. the temps never got below 86 or above 95 and 100% of them germinated.

Good luck & I hope this helps.