So im a clone man and this is my first time starting seeds indoors. They seem to be hrowing slow and not looking real healthy. Im using a t5 8 bulb. And i think my pots are to big. The 4 three gallons are autos and i heard its bad to transplant them so i went right into the 3 gallon.
Im thinking im either over watering or im not getting good circulation, or the distance of my light is wrong. Any help would be much appreciated.
I'd be more apt to think that your soil itself is inufficiently aerated; ie: lack of drainage. You're fine planting directly into a 3 gallon pot. Yes - plant growth will be slow in the beginning while the little plant fills the pot with a root system but once it does it will catch up quickly. I'm sure you hate to but if your soil is drying too slowly you may need additional aeration such as perlite, rice/buckwheat hulls or any other drainage amendment added to the mix. J
Been using this dirt for years, other then being a little on the hot side I would say it's a good dirt.
Something I have heard that helps with soil temps is just putting a layer of perlite on top of your soil. Had a friend do this and dropped his soil temps by almost 10 degrees Fahrenheit! "Master scroller"