Is it back to the drawing board?

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by VeoDigital, May 5, 2007.

  1. Well, its been officially 6 days since I placed 8 reg seeds in "seed starting organic" soil, by Miracle grow, about 1.5" deep, in a Jiffy peat moss mini green house without the lid. I watered the soil first and waited about an hour for drainage before planting the seeds and placing them approx. 14" under my 400w MH lamp (had a 250w MH beforehand, then went with the 400w last minute). I am still not seeing any sprouts, so I decided to check one of the 8 about 14 hrs ago, since this is just a test run before I try the variety of good seeds I have been saving from some good bags. I can see about a 1-2mm taproot protruding out of the seed, but thats it. The taproot looks healthy but I can not be sure. My two grows before this have been clones I purchased from a friend which were already germinated from soil, so this is all new for me. My patience has grown thin, so I took 5 more reg seeds today, and planted them in 4 inch pots with Miracle grows "organic potting mix", not the seed starting variety, along with the 8 which haven't done much. The 5 pots are under the light as well, but I backed them off about 18" from the MH lamp. Are the first 8 not going to sprout? How long does it normally take to germ. and sprout in soil? How moist should I keep the soil when germinating? Is the peat moss Jiffy container a bad idea for soil germination? Whats the ideal distance between them and the lamp? Should I put the plastic lid over the container to keep humidity up? Any help is much appreciated.

    Light schedule: 24/0
    Soil NPK-
    seed starting organic soil: .05-.01-.05
    organic soil: .10-.05-.05

    Thanks ahead, cheers.
    V

     
  2. if you put them under light before they sprout it causes the soil to dry and makes it difficult for the seedling to break the surface, unless you keep the soil damp around the surface. i would suggest germinating the seeds before planting them. once the taproot shows then plant only 1/2" deep into moist soil. then place a napkin or a baggie over the top of the pot but not air-tight, just enough to keep the moisture in until it sprouts. also, don't use miracle-gro soil. from what i've heard it has too many fertz for a seedling. use foxfarm ocean forest, or an organic recipe. also, don't put the metal halide light so close to the sprouts. start about 3 feet away and then you could slowly move it closer over time if you want a shorter and bushier plant. good luck!
     
  3. Well the miracle grow soil is organic and contains no ferts. As of right now I have all of them under the lamp, and decided to cover them with the jiffy lid. I dont think its air tight, and its holding the moisture in good. If I dont cover them the top soil does dry up in about 6 hours, so I was adding a little water once I noticed this, and I am now reading that was a bad idea. I guess I will back off the light and try again, before I try to germinate before planting. Anyone else have any suggestions?
     
  4. The organic blend is fine bro, no worries. I start all my plants from seed in soil. Give your seeds up 15 days before giving up and you stop watering them. 1 1/2 inches is deep, which is not a problem, the one's that do come up are going to be strong vigerous plants, but you gotta be patient. Don't try to dig em up, or scrape off the top surface, to see where there at. Leave em be. Patience Grassgrower
     
  5. Thanks for the reassurance HayHoss. I figured it was good soil to use. Do you water your seeds while they are in soil through out those 15 days, or do you place a bag over your pots to keep the dampness in like the germination sticky says after its in soil? The sticky also states "you will not be watering an unsprouted planted seed." Whats the consensus on that statement?

    I decided to also try the paper towel method while I wait for the others that are in soil under my light, exactly 3 feet from my 400w MH lamp. I have roughly 30 seeds in a wet/damp paper towel, inside a VHS case on top of my computer near the power supply. Hoping this is an adequate container and space to store. I know this is off topic, but how many plants do you think the 400w MH lamp can support? I mentioned earlier in another post that I was going to use a grow box, but I decided to use my closet. The dimensions are 6.5ft x 4ft x 8ft, but I shortened the height to 5.5ft by hanging my light from a platform which stretches across the banisters that allow you to hang your cloths. Thanks again guys for all your help so far, I really appreciate it. If you only knew the prices for good pot in the northern states, you would understand why I want the most bang for the buck.
     
  6. I do in fact use plastic to retain moisture in the pot, but I open it all the time because it encourages sprout wilt. I add the platic at 10am - 5pm because of the exteme heat during the day here(aprox 95F at noon)I water unprouted seeds all the time because of this weather, and all my growing is done outside. If you could put those seedlings under a floro that would be ideal for the first week.
     
  7. yeah yeah put the jiffy top on, its made to go on and act as a "greenhouse"
     
  8. I had the same problem a while ago but i finally got it wer i germianate the seeds which took 2 days for a nice inch root so i planted the 2 one outside one inside and they both spourted my inside grow is wonder full its startin to bloom so it cool and the ouside one is still little i just changed my soil lights and pots today so excited to see wat happens tomaro i suggest takein ur seeds and putting a wet paper towel on a plate then thorw ur seeds on there and then another wet towel wait a couple days and u dnt see nothin get rid of the seeds there dead u sud of already saw a spourt out of one of ur seeds get better soil 2 heres my baby after about 10 try i thnk it looks good im:smoke::smoke::smoke: 2 so ya sorry if this is so long hope it help 2 im not that experienced

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  9. that miracle grow, has time released fertilizer, in it!!!!!!

    you should start your plants, under a cfl, or flouresent, light, preferably,a tube for plants.... they are 13.00 dollars, at any store, with bracket, all you got to do is plug it in,

    that soil could have been to dense for the things to come above ground,

    best to '' start'' them in a seed starting mix. once they pop the soil, you can put them into, any soil, you choose then,,,

    if your going to put 90 days to growing, then put a little effort in the soil, and the nutrients, and do it ''right'' and youll be rewarded in the long run,

    and keep the mix, as '' organic'' as possible, chemical fertilizers, burn up a many a persons, plants.....good luck....:wave:
     
  10. Just to update, I started over immediatly, and I now have 13 successful plants with their cotyledons and first nodes beginning, each roughly 2"-3". Thanks for your guys help.
     

  11. I've heard alot of posts about puting bigger HID lights (400w and above) farther than usual from the plant, so thats what i did, in my grow i just started, but they already started to stretch like a muthafucka.......so i put it down closer. i've even heard people say not to start them under a MH light to use a normal light or cfl instead.......but no light ever made is as strong as sun light, and you can start plants from seeds outside, so its obviously getting alot more than 400 watts of MH and is perfectly fine, i would just put the light at a regular height
     
  12. why in the fucking world would you put them seeds 1.5 inches under the soil. ur gunna have some issuees with that. As far as HID lights and their proximity from the tops of baby plants. I would get them as close as possible so them seedlings can feel the warmth of the sun. NOT THE HEAT, the warmth. OK coool. gluck
    :rolleyes:
     
  13. Well, when I started over, I actually put them just beneath the surface, literally 1/4" deep. Normally I would have had clones, which is the only way I have ever started off. Rockwool, transplant, veg, transplant, veg, transplant, etc, bud.....This time around was my first start from germination to seedling to sprout. Why in the fucking world???? Maybe because Im learning the whole starting from seed.
     
  14. The deeper you plant, the easier it is to maintain a stable moistuer level, the more all out effort the seed must outlay before they reach light. I have a lot a problems with my seedlings drying out here, so I plant about 1'' deep. In North Carolina I had much fewer problems with humidity and planted much closer to the surface, maybe 3/8. My sprouts planted 1inch deep are 3.75''-6.33'' inches long(tap root tip to top) when they break the surface. Recent indoor observations under 80watts flouro tubes showed that 3/8" deep sprouts were usually 2.5'' total when they broke surface. My deeper seeded plants showed more tendancy to strech early in life than their shallow conterparts(even under the sun). They also get rootbound very quickly, requiring to be transplanted from the 6x6 pots they were germanated in by week 3. I continue to plant seeds this deep.

    VeoDigital: Please explain to our rather loud Chicken freind that your Miracle Grow product is all organic composted mix, with no artificial salts in it.

    Why did you have start over? Everything sounded like you had nice healthy sprouts?
     
  15. Unfortunatly I am having humidity issues, its just to dry in there. Im also worried because I can keep the humidity stable for 12+ hrs, but Im going out of town tomorrow for the weekend. Any suggestions on what I can do to keep the soil moist, since I wont be able to water for a few days. I was thinking of giving them a semi heavy dosage of water before I leave, and turning off the box fan I have directed at them. Normally the top soil dries out within a 24-32 hours. Any ideas?

    Another thought...When is it safe to start feeding them Fox Farm Big Grow nutrients?
     
  16. dude if u wanna see a few sprouts in a few days try sprinkling some coffee grounds around the planted spots believe me it works i tried it from a tip on the marth stewart show! lol it really works i planted 2 weeks ago and have 4 inch stems on my plants just try it nd let me know how it works
     
  17. They have already sprouted.
     


  18. BUMP? Im leavin in a few hours, any suggestions before I go? I went ahead and gave the a good watering, and also will be leaving a lot of water in containers in my closet, and toning the fan down to low.
     
  19. A couple of things you can do: Take a clear plastic container, milk jugs, 5gl water containers, cut the botton off, and make mini greenhouses. I don't know how big your containers are. Screw fans for a couple of days unless heat will overwhealm them.
    Mulch! I hear of very few people doing this, but it is very effective. Just some leaf litter will do, maybe wood chip bedding, hay, plastic, newspaper. You name it. This will really help those with small plants under HID's to keep soil temps down.
     

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