The First Month (your methods?)

[Dignan]

I don't know if this thread will take off or not, but I'll give it a shot. I always have very little trouble from the time a seedling is 4 weeks old until harvest. Once things are rolling, it's gravy, in my experience.

But weeks 2-4 usually bring me some concerns with my plants. They seem more vulnerable to pH issues, temperature, nutrient levels and deficiencies, light levels, overwatering, underwatering, etc.

In short, the first month is always the tricky part for me. So I'm always kind of wondering if any seasoned growers have a particular method they rely on for the seedling stage/first month.

What soil mix do you use? Light? Photoperiod?

What are your major concerns at that point of early growth? What markers do you watch for as warnings that the plants may be less than happy?

All that stuff. Just wondering: What do you do during the First Month?

Dignan

 

[Berry_Coughin']

ooops.... germ and seedling stages, even veg=no problem.... all my problems (if any) always show in flower... usually due to over feeding, heat, or light leaks.......

I don't try to over do it when they're seeds, pop 'em in water, drop 'em in vermiculite. When they are seedlings, very very little nutes.... don't get out of hand with feeding.... over watering in soil was a big hurdle I had to overcome..... water in moderation, let 'em dry out a little, instead of keeping them moist..... once they are growing at a stable rapid rate, then I hit 'em with full veg nutes... Then to flower.... that's when I see most of my problems.....

 

[quadracer]

I start seedlings in papertowels, and after they germinate move them into 1 gallons of ocean forest and worm castings. I will only use water them for the first month, but I will foliar spray with water too.

If the plants are finished indoors, I will put them under a flouro until they are ready for a bigger light. If they are outdoor, I will place them on a sunny window edge until they are ready for the full force of the sun.

If I do give them any nutes, it's not until a couple weeks in, then it is something that won't hurt or burn in any way like cold pressed kelp.

 

[jaykush]

What soil mix do you use? Light? Photoperiod? -

24 or 18 hours indoors or whatever the sun puts out. soil they start in either peat pellets or fresh castings/compost and perlite.

What are your major concerns at that point of early growth? What markers do you watch for as warnings that the plants may be less than happy? -

seedlings are easy as pie, just a few things u want to look out for. the cotyledon will start to yellow means its time to feed. watch out for stretch. watch for over watering.

All that stuff. Just wondering: What do you do during the First Month?---

lots and lots of castings tea and molasses n vitamins

 

[BurnOne]

Dignan-
First, I moisten (don't soak) one of the soiless mixes I've posted. Don't use any nutes at all. Just peat, worm castings, perlite and dolomite lime. I fill a 4 inch square pot to the top with the medium. Don't pack it. Then I get a Rapid Rooter plug and gently push it into the medium level to the top of the medium. Rapid Rooter plugs are pre-moistened. Drop the seed into the hole in the top of the plug and use a toothpick to push it down to the bottom of the hole. Place the pot in a warm environment (about 80-90 degrees F) under 24 hour fluorescent light. When the seedling sprouts and gets about two inches tall, I push the plug down into the medium a few inches and pile the medium up around the stem to the first set of leaves. This keeps the seedling from falling over. Add plain water or worm casting tea and molasses only as needed. Pour gently around the edges of the pot or the seedling may fall over. Don't overwater. I keep it that way for about two weeks. Then I transplant into a three to five gallon pot until harvest and feed as directed. If you decide to use blood/bone/kelp in your grow medium, all this can be done at the same time. The mix will be ready when you transplant.
Easy.
Burn1

 

[Guest]

I start with the good 'ol paper towel method; once I see a white pop the shell, I carefully drop into a Rapid rooter plug and use a small piece of plug to stick in the top of the hole. They stay like that until the first root shows from the outside of the plug then the plug gets moved to a soil home.

I use tea from day one.

J.

 

[Sammet]

ho ho! I'm just starting my new grow, Heres what I do -



Soak -> paper towel method -> soil -> small amount of nutes.

Always had more problems in the veg cycle going a bit over the top on the nutes or having deficiencies.

 

[Berry_Coughin']

Meeee Toooooo

 

[Sammet]

lol snap!

 

[Momma Jo]

Hey Dig...I'm surprised at your query!

I have always had great luck with my seedlings, as you know.

First, I soak the seeds overnight in a nice light organic black tea.
Next day I put them into a moist paper towel, and into a ziploc with a puff of air.
Put them on top of my hot water heater...they usually sprout in 1-3 days.

I start my sprouts in a mix of BX ProMix, FFOF, Worm Castings and perlite.
Keep them under T5's making sure the area stays a nice cool temp, about 4" away from the lights.
And keep the air circulation light but constant while they are on their 14/10 cycle.

Around 2 weeks I will up the light cycle to 16/8 or 18/6, depending on my mood.
And give them their first taste of Smart Tea.

And by 3 weeks, I will have moved them into 1 gallon containers and put them under Metal Halide.
My soil mix for this transplant is supplemented with dolomite lime, some bat guano,and occasionally some kelp meal.
I also use Plant Success granules in the bottom few inches of the transplant container.

Once they've been in the new containers a few days, I give them their first feeding...1 tsp of Smart Tea and 1/2 tsp New Earth Grow per gallon.
I feed my plants (with this milder solution) about every 8-10 days.
With watering I just go by feel....but I'd rather be on the dry side than the too wet.
I am lucky to be able to collect a lot of rainwater.

By the time they are a month old, they are really starting to take off.

And I make sure to give them lots of love and kisses.

The main thing, I think, is to keep it simple and sweet.

Hope that helps!

 

[Skunkenstein]

Beans'n'Sprouts

Beans'n'Sprouts

The bean sprouting process has always been one of my Fav times of the grow..besides the final product.I always soak my beans for about 8hr's in a shot-glass with a couple drops of Maxicrop..when they sink to the bottom they are ready.Paper towel method.I like too use jiffy pellets and the little incubator after the beans get alittle sprout. I really love my 125w hydro-farms cfl..I leave it on 24/0.When the sprouts are rooting out of the pellets(just a few days)I transfer to a 4inch round jiffy container with organic Black gold and Mychorizza powder for about a week.Then I will go to 2gallon containers with Black gold ammended with Bat,kelp meal,bone,epsom salts and more Mycho powder..During this time Liquid Karma is nice to give ..along with a little Alaska 2-1-2 about every third watering.I will also switch the Lighting just a few days after transplant to a 400w super metal halide with the 18/6 schedule.I also use vit.B-1, I Tbls./gallon to water in during any transplant..works wonders.Once sex is determined it's time to go into a larger container..Ideally you 'should' give them some time to veg before inducing 12/12 if you want to maximize yeilds of the bigger container...most skip the extra steps I take..it's all about maxing out the root area for me.Once you do the flip..the plant really shifts into flower production instead of rooting.I'am a firm believer in multiple re-potting..each new transpant just explodes with new growth....Also..to answer the question...almost all problems occur in the early to mid-flowering time..thats when plant Nute requirements really take off...I would say 1.5-2 times more nutrients are needed.Also don't forget you're micro's,cal/mag/sulph,and Molasses at 1tbls/gal..Dilute it first in a cup of warm water..then add to you're regular watering..otherwise you'll have a sticky mess.Oh yes..I forgot good old worm castings go into my soil mix aswell..about 2cups/gal of soil..goood Luuuck

 

[SpacemanSpliff]

I'm a little different, as I work outdoors, but here's what I do: I pop them using the wet paper towel method, stick them root-down in foxfarm ocean forest, and don't feed them at all until they're transplanted out of their first containers, which is usually 4~ish weeks. They're under a cold frame, which is basically two layers of hoops with shade cloth on the inner one and plastic on the outer one, all covering a raised bench with a mesh bottom. I'm kinda high, I hope you guys can follow me. At any rate, it works great, especially considering they're outside in march. The FFOF is really hot, and doesn't need anything added for a while.

 

[3BM]

Dig:

Lots of great responses here already, but I'll toss in a tip that helped me. 3LB/theFlintstoners gave this mix out long ago:

Seedling/Clone Soil mix
50% Quality potting soil (feeding type like FFOF, Garden Safe, homemade whatever)
25% Perlite
25% Vermiculite

I also water all my little ones with a turkey baster. Water lightly but thoroughly paying special attention to the soil you intend the roots to enter, rather than where they are currently. I feed lightly, if at all. They need only water for the first few weeks. Once you see sets of new leaves start in with a light bloom fert to encourage root develpment (I like 2-4-1 Fish fert + Kelp). That works for me, best of luck!

 

[Suby]

One thing in particular I have found in keeping my girls happy, aside from the soil, are the environmental conditions which include temps, humidity, and light cycle.
I use an 18rh light cycle unless they are reacting well, then you can kick it up to a full 24hr, but 18 seems fine by me.
I like to start them under fluros, then bump them up to the big lights gradually, temps around 75deg and humidity at 50% with a fresh source of air running all the time.
The signs things are going well is water consumption, if your watering times are getting closer together then your doing good, the rootmass is happy.

Other than that don't overmother them and use castings.

Peace
S

 

[Dignan]

Just back from vacation and haven't had time to read through this thread, but wanted to say thanks to everyone for their input. I'll check it out fully in the next couple days.

Peace-

Dig

 

[3BM]

I agree with that, light is really important. Too much and they seem to develop strangely, Ive seen whorled leaves, krinkled leaves, etc. Get the light right, and they stay straight and erect. Ive gotten great results from a 400w (air cooled) mh at about 18-24", and with T5 mixed spectrum bulbs. Watch the heat on T5s though as they can get up above 90F around 12" from the bulbs. I just keep a fan on them.

A final note on early development is that I have found CO2 to be a great help. It can help the plants tolerate higher temperatures and will help speed plants through this tender period in their lives. Nothing too extreme, but a little supplement has worked wonders for me. Many may disagree with this, but I think CO2 is as useful in veg as flower. Those CO2 boost buckets show great promise for supplemental carbon in veg, a little pricey but the used contents of the buckets are great in compost!

 

[selfprofider]

As far as seeding is simple this year get seedling soil from wal mart put in plastic cups with holes in bottom of them , Get seeds, plant water wait



can,t get much easier than that!