Hello! I have been smoking for about 3 years now, it's high time I started growing my own. My goal is to get everything I can out of the meager setup I have. I am growing for personal use, I don't plan on getting much from these. However, I will need help transitioning and setting up in the entire closet that I have pictures of attached. I am currently growing day 5 seedlings in a rubbermaid tote. Organic mg soil w/o nutes in it (bought one with, returned it after I found without) CFL and led bulbs bagseed (but wait, this is bagseed from michigan medical dispensaries) not alot of stealth required here, but I have had to keep my head up before so I know what's up. Here is the box, and the rest of the closet I have to use. Please help me figure that out, so much room idk what to do with it. I have about 15 more seeds dry but limited budget. Inside, lights off. Will add more when they aren't seedlings. best one out of 4 I have going (punctured the wrap because it was pressing, but my basement is dry so I need that extra humidity) Most micro grows end up not reporting back because they fail or lose interest. I've got nothing but time on my hands and truly intend on growing like a big kid once my life is ready for that move. It's a learning process, gotta do what you can with what you've got!
Looks good man i also have a vertical rubbermaid setup at the moment. Im using my setup for a breed project.
Good start - you'll want to work together some stuff to add to that soil.... Perlite (better aeration and drainage) Kelp meal Earthworm castings or at least compost.... If you're going to be here for the long run, take some time to read through the organics forum and building your own soil, or check the premixed thread.... The closet is pretty big for running cfls - that is if you want to use all of the space, might want to look into a 400w hps or some different lighting so you don't have a ton of wires everywhere with cfls
Well one of the seedlings leaves turned slightly brown at the end but is looking better now. I put up higher power bulbs and they have literally grown in an hour. I will definitely add perlite into the transplant, I see its incredibly beneficial.. Where is a good place to order from? ebay? amazon? I only saw miracle gro brand shit at the stores, and I'll have to get some compost from my gf's dad, they do organic gardening en masse. I got some of the bagseeds from my pals who had medcards so there are multiple strains, I can see 2 of the seedlings look the same and 1 looks more bushy even and different colored. The damaged one is difficult to determine, but losing 1 out of 4 so far isn't bad, I can always make a cab to veg seedlings because I have about 20 dark seeds left.
Even miracle gro brand perlite is fine if you can find it - just rinse the bag out good - not sure if they have slow release nutes in the perlite mix.... With perlite try to add it as 1/3rd of the entire composition of your soil mix, it'll give good aeration and drainage for the roots. Check for best prices online if you can, not sure where you'll find your best deal honestly. Another box would be ideal, or you could setup one box only for veg, and use the closet itself for flowering, keep the box light sealed, and you could have a perpetual harvest.
Today is day 6, the one that I thought was dead is looking... dead but not entirely void of all life. Not sure what to do. They all got the same treatment, ceran wrap every other day for extra humidity. 1 tablespoon of filtered water per day, checked each day for wetness. Less water? More? Feels damp but not wet when I go to water them. Here are the pics: This guy was looking more brown and curled yesterday morning, has since improved but still wary: This is my 3rd best plant, not sure what's going on with this one either: Here's number 2: and the best for last! high hopes here: each has these drainage holes. Not once have I seen water come through however, should I just add water until it does? I understand after I transplant these into perlite mixed soil that it will actually drain alot better, but for now what should I be doing to ensure health? Not alot of data on seedlings that I've seen.. No way im burning the plants, these bulbs aren't hot at all to the touch. Thermometer says temps are just under 80, and the basement is dehumidified to 55%, but this box is in a closet: The closet has been wiped down entirely, spent 2 hours cleaning it top to bottom. I could eat off the floor in there, still not sure what to do with the space.
Don't water every day.. They are probably starting to get over watered... Let the soil dry out for a couple days, if you see them start to droop again after that, you can give enough water until it starts to come out the bottom, then let them be for a few days at least, again.
Ok, so I need to let them dry more. Understood, it appears today that is indeed the case. What should I do now? I have perlite and vermiculite ready to be mixed into a huge bag of organic soil, what ratio? And when should I toss these guys into larger pots with the improved breathing soil? Pulled the lights up 1 inch, because the dieing one looks bad. Best for first, leaves look like its overwatered? 2nd best, same? Dieing and dead
Last one not doing so hot, I'd just let it be and hopefully it will correct itself in a couple days... I'm personally not a big fan of vermiculite because it actually retains water instead of helping with drainage... But 1/3rd of your entire soil mix should be perlite - if you're only dealing with small amounts of soil you can simply do 1 solo of compost, 1 solo of perlite and 1 solo of your miracle gro soil... I wouldn't use more than half a solo cup to add vermiculite if you want to use it up... Those seedlings look OK, what is the ACTUAL wattage of light you have over them? Could probably use more Seedlings basically have enough nutrients to grow on their own for awhile after breaking out of seed, they just need air to breathe around the roots and good light.
23w 6500k, feit electric makes em. 7 bucks for a 4 box at.. not lowes, home depot, but Big lots! I do need to get another set in there, but I need to transfer them to bigger pots so the other lamp will fit in there. Thank you so much for helping me so far. So I think today and tomorrow I will try to mix the soil together and get them in their final pots although its early, because the soil density seems to be detrimental to this grow. Unless someone has a better idea.
I'm back! I started these seedlings on 11/5 so this is day 10. 2 of them are massive and 2 of them look regular. The soil is the organic mg without nutes, perlite, and a small amount of vermiculite. 60/30/10 is about the ratio I made in a huge bin. I would never grow without perlite ever again, seriously helpful with drainage and aeration. Bagseed from michigan dispensaries again (lol right?), new setup under way. Issue: I need to get another 4 splitter light with more veg bulbs Issue: I have gnats, neem oil? Issue: one of the roots is coming out of a drainhole on those 2 liter sized containers other then that they are going good, I put the homemade fan contraption on it today to make them stand up instead of leaning over. Watered them yesterday with 1/2 cup filtered water, 4 days apart so far. I go by finger test and the wetness stick measure thing thats cheap as hell. New setup: The monster 2nd place other one last one
If you have some extremely fine mesh, I would cut the bottom of the container and put it on the bottom of the pot after removing the plant and dirt. Or if you cant remove the soil and plant, I would just put the mesh on the outside of the pot and secure it with tape. or use a womens pantyhose sock.