First Time growing, Cotyledons Curling downwards - Need advice.

Hi there guys, I've been lurking a while here a while now before setting up my very first grow but this is my first ever post - I wanted to get some advice on what looks like a possible problem with my grow.

I'm growing some cannabis for my mother who is very sick, The medicine she's on isn't doing much to help and I've read around that cannabis can provide pain relief where traditional medicine is failing. I took the plunge this month and built a grow cabinet, complete with lights, fans and reflective surfaces etc. for a total spend of about £60. I picked up a couple of feminised autoflowering seeds as I had read that they were the easiest to get started with. Seed #1 was a Pyramid Auto Anubis Autoflowering Feminised and Seed #2 was a Pyramid Auto Anesthesia Autoflowering Feminised.

Germination went great, The first 24 hours I put both seeds in seperate glasses of water and they sank within the 24hour period. I then placed them in wet tissue in an airing cupboard for 48 hours where they germinated succesful - I kept the tissue wet and checked on them twice a day. Everything looked good.

Three days ago I went ahead and planted the seeds in some multpurpose soil, both roots were about 1-2 inches long. They sprouted successfully and all was looking good on the first day, the Anubis initially looked the stronger of the two and was the first to break through the soil. I have been using a spray bottle to water the seedlings about twice a day with tap water, checking when the top inch or so of soil is dry.

The cabinet is in my bedroom and I have a digital thermometer under the lights at about plant height. The temperature is generally between 20-25c degrees while the light is on which I've read is around optimal? During the night it drops a little lower but I've never seen it go below 18c. The lights are on a 18/6 mechanical timer switch. I haven't added any nutrients or anything like that as I've read that this isn't required for the first few weeks. I have 4x 1450 Lumen CFL bulbs (Total 5800 lumens) at about 4-5 inches away from the plant (There's a photo if you want to take a look).

Looking at them now I am concerned with the grow. I have added some photos with this post and would really appreciate if someone with some experience would take the time to look over them and offer some advice. I'm worried that the Cotelydons on both plants are curling downwards, more so on the Anubis which looks considerably smaller than the Anesthesia. I've tried looking around on various sites on the internet and there is so much information I'm honestly not sure what to go by.

I originally read that starting the plants out in a bigger pot was good as it would give more space for the root to stretch, but while googling to find out about the problem I read some other advice which said starting them out in a smaller pot was better - So i carefully repotted the weaker plant today.

My main concerns are:
Am I watering too much/not enough?
Is the light too close to the plants and damaging them?
Am I worrying over nothing?

I have a PH/Hydrometer ordered but they are on the way from China so I'm not sure how long it will take. Generally the post where I am is pretty good so I'm expecting about a week or so waiting time - until then I'm unable to test the specifics. I'm really just looking for a way to ensure they are in as good health as can be managed until then.

My thanks go out to anyone out there who takes the time to read this and offer any advice. If you need any further information or pictures please ask and I'll be happy to provide them.

 

Thanks for replying so quickly, I'll definitely have a look at rebuilding the lights so that they are facing sideways! I'll also look at some different bulbs in the near future but money is tight atm. I just picked up those bulbs at my local DIY shop as they were doing a pack of 4 for £15. Do you think this will have a drastic effect on the grow?

So you are saying in your experience the Cotelydons curling down is normal? (The seedlings are only 3 days old). It's really to find out a definite answer, lots of different information out there!

Are they looking healthy?

 

Plants looking nice and green, the Anethesia is growing it's second set of leaves and the Anubis is looking a lot healthier - first set of leaves green but smaller than the Anethesia.

I ordered a 300w Dual Spectrum CFL light last night which should arrive by Monday latest ().

My grow box is about 2.3m² and it's rated for 22,000 lumens, I think this will be enough? I'll also move the current bulbs to the sides to provide some light to the lower part of the plants once they get going. Nothing more to do now but wait I guess.

I've been misting the seedlings with a spray bottle which I read was good - but I caught a fly trying to get into the box today so worried the soil might be too damp and inviting in pests. Do you mist your seedlings? I'm thinking I should just switch to watering when the soil feels dry?

 

Just a quick update, The CFL arrived today and has been set up. I've removed the old bulbs temporarily and will consider installing them to the sides of the cabinet once I get a better idea of the final size of the plant.

This new CFL is rated 300w and 22,000 lumens so I'm hoping that will be enough for the time being. I repotted the Anesthesia as it was showing signs of improvement and roots had begun growing through the drainage holes in the small cup I was using.

Plants are now 5 days old - Wondering when to start nutrients? Most info I'm reading is saying 2 weeks after sprouting or when the leaves start coming out lime green but I'm awful with judging colours. Any suggestions?