As you know I have started the season on 24th of March when I have put five germinated seeds into the soil. they came out last week, 26 or 27th of March. Now I have had them under non-stop neon light till this day. they are growing rapidly but they are still at the first node.the stem is thin but they are about 6 inches tall. one of them broke already like for nothing. what am I doing wrong? i switched off the light now. I grow them in like 500 ml pots for vegetable seedlings (like a jumbo party cup). is it too small or something?should throw them into bigger pots?
Do you have the light close enough? Sounds like they are stretching to get light. Also what do you mean neon-light?
Assuming that you have the cotyledons plus a set of leaves, get a cool day light (k temperature 5700), and get a stationary fan for your plant, to help promote strong stem growth. As for your neon light- get rid of it, it probably doesn't work. Go to Lowe's or whatever department store is located close to you, and pick up some small 40w 5700k CFL's, they are cheap. Good luck with everything!
It simulates the natural condition of wind. A stem won't grow strong if it doesn't have to. The wind will destroy a weak stem so it has to build itself up. Same reason your muscles get stronger when you work out.
thank you guys! this leads me to build a fan system asap! I have a bunch of spare fans for computer, I think they'll work okay.after five nodes I'll put them outside anyway.
Computer fans are no go. I got a big blade we use at home. so now they have wind in their hair. I have also built a lighting system with two philips CFL's I have bought today and got rid of that stupid neon (by neon I mean a flourescent light, often mercury-filled). it was only 8W . the temp inside the room is around 22C, so probably 26C at the plants with the light on. so what should I do with the timing? first group of seedlings are two weeks old.the second one is four days in lag. 18/6 cycle? when should I start fertilizing? I have got plagron bloom and grow fertilizers for now. should I fertilize in this stage now?should I buy anything else for growth? here's my setup now:
No dont fertilize yet. Are you moving these outdoors when they get big? I feed them for the first time the week after I transplant/move outside. Those CFL's you got will work fine, actually the flourescent probably would of worked. When you said neon light I thought you meant a store sign or something. Just keep the light pretty close to the top of the seedlings and the stretching should stop, it wont burn them. If they stretch anymore I would re-pot them with the stretched stem buried a bit more. They should be good Don. Good Luck.
yes I will be putting them outside. I was thinking of doing so when they reach up to the fourth or fifth node. what do you recommend? also what light cycle should I go with? I am growing them in my room at the moment. can I put them on the windows shelf in the afternoon when the sun is high?so they can get attached to the outside world. I really don't remember but I think I read somewhere that it is recommended to take the plants out to get some light so they adapt better when you put them outside for real. about watering ... I am basically watering them when the soil gets dry.I have got moist soil for three days now and I am thinking about leaving it so. I must also say that I use regular unfertilized soil for garden flowers etc. so water and soil are okay for now? please, discuss. the light height must be preventative ... I am not at home from Sunday to Thursday and I don't know what setting to use. they can't grow more than two inches in a matter of four full days, or can they? thanks to all for your effort! much appreciated. I would invite you for a puff or two.what the heck let's smoke a bowl or two in the name of botanical science.
I think the biggest problem is the area in which the plants are growing. Also, if the seeds were not planted deep, the seedling will grow tall above ground below the cotelydons (sp?). The area should be close and very reflective. Either mylar, or white flat paint will put much more light directly on the plants. I use a grow box made out of rubbermaid tubs and CFLs. The inside is lined with foil-on-foam insulation and it is mighty bright in there. When you pot up in a few weeks, you can transplant the seedling deeper in the new pot to make up for some of that stretch. I don't recall how much room you have in the cups, but you could top dress the plants with a little extra soil to help support the spindly stalks. More light and a good breeze is what I'd say you need the most.
actually plants improved in these two days since I installed a new light and added a fan.they are getting stronger now. I have them 18/6 cycle. hope that's okay.
sounds like you have alot to learn about growin MJ my friend. u seem to have a grasp on general plant growth and such. Indoor growing is much different than out door growing. just try to remember your trying to recreate out door conditions inside. this means lights, light spectrum, light cycles, wind, air movement(ventalation), and medium. indoor growing has lots of advatages because u can controll all of these conditions. how many watts are the lights your using? what kind of soil are you using? did you put drainage holes on the bottom of those cups? are those plants in an enclosed space or out in the open? are you using mylar or any reflective surface to spread light?