I'm somewhat experienced with growing, but i had a question... Are there any super neat techniques to make my seedlings grow faster? (they approx 2 inches tall; sprouted a week ago) Any tip at all would be beneficial at this point, and very much appreciated. Thanks guys.
When they get their second node, start in with mild nutes. Keep them happy until flowering. Might want to top or FIM them. -America
patience when plants are young, their leaf surface area is reduced, and as such the amount of sugars the plant can synthesize is very low. growth will be slow if you overnute in this point, you can slow things down even more. less really is better. as the plant grows, it will accelerate the rate at which it grows....more leaf surface area = more sugar synthesized, and faster growth
As Amoril said, the growth is exponential to the leaf area. I know how exciting it is, just try to be patient and provide the optimum environment for your little plant to thrive......good luck guys!
Don't feed it like a user above said you will burn it up. I honestly keep my plants on plain water for the first 30days there in soil. Just like others have said just be patient. A tip to encorage root growth is to let the soil completly dry before watering.
DO NOT feed your seedling nutes. Bad news, will cause a lot more harm than good. I use six daylight 26w cfl's (156w total) very close to the seedlings on a 24/0 light schedule for the first two weeks. I've had my mother plant on a 24/0 light schedule for the entire 2 months so far. It grew extremely quick in the first few weeks, and stayed nice and lowwww. Eventually became the crazy bushy beast it is today. I would recommend a 24/0 light schedule, keep the lights close. Do this for 2 weeks. There was a study that determined that plants with 24/0 grew 33% faster than the usual 18/6
Any chance you have a source for that study? I've never heard that before; all the testimony I've heard usually says there's no major difference between the two photoperiods. Honestly 33% sounds like a made up number, but if there's any supporting evidence I'd like to see.
There was just a thread on it where the guy linked to a study... I'll try and find it but it has been proven by some reputable growers. Plus, cannabis is a plant that does not need a dark cycle to photosynthesize. Some plants require this, but the cannabis plant does all the photosynthesis during light hours. I've read in a few different places that during the light period, that energy is taken in and used, some is stored up for the dark hours. During these dark hours, the saved energy is then all used up causing stretching and whatnot. If you keep your plant in the light the entire time, it cannot reach this step and just uses that energy for growth in leaf sets and inter-nodal growths.
Page 81 of Ed Rosenthal's "Marijuana Question?, Ask Ed (The Encyclopedia of MJ)" The book is from 1987 but still holds loads of great info!
Very true. I always do 24 hours of light for my veg box and feel that I can practically watch these grow.
I agree with my learned colleagues. Seedling/cutting stage is the most crucial of all. Without proper care, you could stunt the plants' growth for good. There is some º of benefit to be had by implementing an increased light regimen. But i wouldn't suggest trying to accelerate growth beyond that. At 4-8 weeks, you'll hardly believe how fast it grows. Too fast for some spaces/setups. LOL......... weeds. An entire commercial industry dedicated to ridding your lawn of 'em, and an entirely different industry dedicated to keeping them healthy........ go figure.