I'm a new grower. I currently have two nice plants that have begun the flowering stage. I've been reading and trying to pick up as much knowledge as I can during this process. When I started, I ordered seeds and they threw in two freebie afghan seeds. I think I've fried these in the seedling stage. The first two plants I started also struggled for about three or weeks in the seedling stage before I got them to go veg., I attributed that to my lack of knowledge and having the wrong light, having 'barky' soil initially, etc. Before I start germinating my next set of seeds, I would like advice about the proper steps in the seedling stage. In both attempts, I was able to germinate (dampened towel method) with little problem. After about 5 days, I transplanted into small containers and within two days, i was happily looking at the first little leafs and had a seedling. But...instead of this instant straight forward transition into a growing plant, I got three or four days of this seedling seeming to do Ok, but then stagnation, browning of the leaves, etc. My first try recovered, the afghan don't look like they will. Can someone outline precisely: It's day three...here is what to do and how to treat them so they don't stunt out? All the journals I read, everyone seems to have a growing plant by the end of week 1. But exactly, step by step, what is different about babying them through this stage? Thanks to all that take the time to reply!
transplant the seed as soon as you see the tap root poking out, less likely to damage it while transplanting. Also how big are the containers you are planting into? Stunting can happen when the plant becomes stressed from lack of water and heat. Also its important to keep the roots moist not saturated. I used a small fan that blows lightly on the seedlings stem to keep the soil on the drier side and strengthen the stems early on. By having a slight breeze on the stem the plant will dig its roots down to support itself more instead of getting blown over.'The browning' sounds like over watering,
I've only ever planted seeds in mild soil and have had 100% germination success. While people are successful with other methods, such as paper towel, I think there is no benefit other than to satisfy their own impatience while at the same time increasing the risk of harming the plant. The best advice I've gotten about growing cannabis is to pay close attention to watering...to not over or under water.
I think you're asking for too much detail when giving too little. What I mean by that is, you make no mention of lighting/watering/feeding/ventilation/temperature parameters and yet you want someone to "outline precisely" exactly what you should do. First, we'd need more information. Second, living creatures don't work that way. Think of someone taking home a child from the hospital with a chart of EXACTLY when to feed and rest for the next two years. You'd suffer, and fail, trying to stick to someone else's plan; it's better to know what to do and why, rather than just following a shopping list of chores. I understand you're new to plants so don't take this offensively but it's very likely that you over-cared for your plants. Again, no one can really tell you much without knowing a lot more about your grow, but it's possible that they stunted due to too much activity. Remember, these are essentially infants: yes, you need to take care of babies (human and otherwise), but it's also possible to overdo the attention and caring (for example, feeding something that doesn't need food). TL;DR - more information would help us help you.
Well, I'm not really talking about the plants I have now. I'm talking about the next seeds I will germinate. The first time I know my soil was too barky. and they stretched because my light wasn't strong enough. I rectified those two things and the plants took off. I've got small 6" pots for seedlings. I've got a potting soil / perlite mix [the first two plants thrived in this]. I've tried carefully to not overwater, and push my finger into the soil - if it feels damp I leave it. I've not used any weed or feed. I used the same 600W LED light that that first plants thrived under. I mist them multiple times a day. My PH is normal 6.5 range. I have not used a fan on the seedlings, but used it on the vegging plants. I don't nutes the seedlings. What is the correct light schedule for seedlings in the first week or two? How long should the seedling stage last before you start seeing leaves and get to vegg? I don't see much information about handling the seedling anywhere, most journals just seem like...i germinate...and a few days later they have a vegg stage plant.
I got small (6") pots just for the seedling stage. I have been careful to not over water. I mist them often. The first four days, they looked great. I did use a fan on the first set because they seemed to be stretching (i thought due to a 75W LED being too week). I thought maybe I gave the second set too much light (600W LED).
Seedlings are generally allotted 18-24 hours of light per day until they establish themselves in the vegetative stage. Personally, given your setup and everything you've said, I'd keep an 18/6 lighting schedule all the way until flowering begins. When it comes to watering, be careful: the top of the soil can deceptively be dry while the lower levels of the pot retain moisture, and soaking roots in water is never good.
I'm using 18/6 light cycle. I always dig down an inch looking for moisture and think I'm not over watering. Should you mist the seedlings? Is it normal to lose some seedlings, or, should you get 100% success into getting to veg?
Again, I'll cite babies: even the US hasn't completely irradicated infant mortality, but we've been on a constant downward trend for over a century. There are simply too many factors in play to ever achieve 100% success with seedlings over any decent period of time; instead, seek to learn what you can do to reduce mortality as much as possible. This was my first thought too. Maybe you should reduce the amount of times you mist, or the amount of water per misting. Misting is acceptable and even encouraged; but, as has been said prior, you can overdo it. It may be something else, like ventilation: consider adding a small fan to circulate the air for the seedlings. They enjoy breathing fresh air too!