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Rockwool cube lighting/water schedule?

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by chal7ds, May 8, 2016.

  1. #1 chal7ds, May 8, 2016
    Hi,

    I'm using rockwool cubes with a fluroescent light to start my seedlings/sprouts. I was wondering how the lighting situation works if you plan on transplanting them outside eventually. Do you even have to initiate a 12/12 if they're going outdoors? Or do you just turn the light on them the entire time from germination to 3 weeks later when u start hardening them off & then transplanting. In other words, they won't see nighttime (no lights) until they're in the soil. Am I understanding the process correctly? Is this how it's supposed to work when U go from indoors to outdoors?

    Lastly, what's the water schedule like? once a day, twice a day? I know you start them off with lemon mix so they germinate..but once the sprout head comes atop the surface of the cube, that's when U start watering, right?

    Any help much appreciated, thanks!
     
  2. #2 pointswest, May 9, 2016
    The new seedling needs light as soon as it emerges. You can use any schedule from 16-24 hours of light. Before setting out in full sun place it in a partly shaded area for a day or two before exposing to full sun to harden the new seedling off to the more intense light.

    I germinate my seeds in small pots filled with old soil mix or new mix without the fertilizer additives, then let the seedling root up in the pot until transplanting to a larger pot or into the ground. There is no reason to buy extra supplies like rockwool to germinate seeds. If you are going to use the rock wool plugs soak them before planting, then keep them uniformly moist but not waterlogged. Transplant into soil when the roots start to emerge from the cube. I don't know what you are talking about with a lemon mix, water is all you need to germinate seeds.

    PW
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. #3 chal7ds, May 10, 2016
    What do U mean by ''16 to 24'' hours of light? Isn't 24 hours considered on all the time? Arent U supposed to do a lights on/lights off type of schedule with the lighting? like a 12/12 or something like that? or a 16/8? Can U or any1 else confirm what the lighting is supposed 2 b like?
     
  4. #4 pointswest, May 10, 2016
    You can use any light schedule that has more than 16 hours of lighting. 16/8 18/6 20/4 or 24/0. You do not need 12/12 when growing your seedlings. A dark period is not needed for growing seedlings, any of the above lighting schedules will work.

    PW
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. #5 chal7ds, May 10, 2016
    Last edited: May 10, 2016
    Oh wow..so U can actually get away with leaving the light on the whole time until U harden off/transplant? How does the plant know when to go into flowering mode when its in vegetative light/dark outside? I always thought the dark is what kicked it into flower mode but maybe i'm under a misconception about that?
     

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