If anyone could please advise, I started my seedlings in Rockwool in a humidity dome and they all popped within 4 days except one that I could see was trying and was expecting to see it popped today. 4 of 5 already started developing its first set of true leaves. I took the dome off and it's only been off for about a day and I accidentally forgot to check them in the morning and the Rockwool dried out completely. All of my little babies are drooped over and look pretty sick. I soaked them in pH balanced water again and put them back in the dome. They still have green leaves but they definately don't have a stable root system yet. Can anyone tell me from experience if they might revive?
As long as they were drooping and not laying completely down they should perk up rather quick for you . I wouldn't worry too much as long as they are still green, make sure besides the rockwool being soaked, that you spray the top of your dome. The extra humidity will help bring em back. Good luck!!
Thanks for the info. I'm going to go spray the dome now. 3 of the 4 that have popped were indeed laying flat on the Rockwool but the leaves are still green. I'm hoping 24 hours or so in the dome will fix this.
I've had some clones in a dome and left it open once or twice and them bad girls drooped like 90yo tits lol . But with the humidity they popped right back up. I would say depending on how dry the roots are, it might take a few extra days before being able to come out of the dome since it might have to sprout new roots to get growing again .
Rofl! Well that gives me some confidence! I hate wasting 100 dollars on 5 seeds for nothing. Should I just leave them in the dome until I see roots starting to come out of the rockwool like I do when cloning? I wasnt quite sure when the dome comes off when doing seeds. I've read a lot of contradictions about even using a dome when starting seeds.
Yeah the roots should grow rather well in the wool, I would wait until the tap comes half inch or so out the bottom or you see 6 or more roots coming out the side. Ive heard of some people doing domes for the first four days or so and them remove them slowly a hour or two a day up until they are off all the time. Me personally, I like to be safer than sorrier, so I wait for some good roots to take the dome off. it's not going to hurt them while it's on.
OK that's great to know. I'll just leave them until I see roots. Here is a couple of pics of these seedlings in the dome. It's only at 70% humidity so far put but it usually gets up to about 90% after 24 hours.
Those super thin stems got my attention a little. Maybe a lil more dire than I first thought. I would say if they don't pop back up in few hours or at least start to, it might be futile. That main stem is what to watch, two look rather thin and dry, if they thin out too much no nutes or water are able to travel up it. My head is in my Bible praying for your girls bro. Keep your head up though, I Believe alot of life is willed, so think positive .
Ahh crap. Lol. Thanks for your support. I've already got another set of Rockwool soaking for some bag seeds if these fail. Ugh
I'd leave the dome on for at least a week, or until they get noticeably bigger. You caught them in time, and what doesn't kill them makes them stronger lol. Don't stress too much, these plants aren't as fragile as people make them. You'll be fine. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
After this experience I'm definately going to leave them in the dome until I start seeing the roots come out of the cubes. Is it ok to plant into soil at that time? I just don't want to risk these cubes drying out again and at least the soil holds the moisture longer. I'll feel better once I start seeing them stand straight up again.
95% humidity in the dome now and 2 are standing straight up, the other 2 are working hard but are starting to revive. Hopefully the one that hasn't popped yet still comes out. If not 4 out of 5 still isn't bad. Thanks for the help guys! I can't believe how strong these little girls are. I keep forgetting to remind myself that it's a weed and those things just don't die! Lol
Yessir. Good to hear. It's crazy how a little water vapor brings these lil mfs back to life. Glad to be helpful.
Well, I guess I left them in the dome too long because mildew started to grow on all the cubes and I lost 3. I've taken the dome lid off again and the last 2 seem to be ok but 1 of them is still quite flimsy as hell and I steaked it up with a toothpick put it seems like it's bending right where it comes out of the rockwool. The other one is quite tiny but it's standing up on its own. I'm now just hoping to save at least 1 of them so I can clone it later. Already started some new ones. The humidity where I am is rediculous right now at about 70% and 30+ Celsius temps outside. I'm almost thinking it's just too hot and humid right now to keep them in the dome. I'm just going to have to make sure I check the cubes more often to see if they are getting dry. I'll also be sure not to put a fan on them yet because I think that's what dried them out so fast to begin with.
Try the Rapid Rooters instead of rockwool. I tried rockwool cubes and they rotted my seeds away. Regular lettuce seeds that is. Rapid Rooters are basically peat plugs but you can use it in hydroponics as well as soil. You can get them on Amazon as well as hydro shops. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
The 2 I have left seem to be getting a bit bigger so I think I saved at least 2 of them. I think my mistake was 1) I did not gradually remove the humidity dome over a period of time and just took the dome off after 4 days and put a small fan on it when I started to see growth. The fan dried it out rediculously fast. 2) I could have gotten away without a dome because the last batch I started in Rockwool I had 100% success with 50+ seeds. I've read too much now and just need to experiment and document my observations. Over the last 24 hours I have not used the dome and they seem to be ok. I'm letting the Rockwell dry to about 20% moisture before I soak it again and it's roughly 24 hours before I need to do that each time as long as I don't run a fan. Once I can plant in soil Ill reintroduce that. Those rapid rooters look interesting and I may give them a try sometime. The peat pucks seam to work even better than Rockwool but that's all I had lying around this time.
Yeah man, all we can give are suggestions, experience with your methods is the only way to know for sure in your situation. Thats probably one the most educated replys I've seen from new guys on here. I prefer seeds with no dome in soil, but like I said that works for me and not necessarily anyone else. You're on your way brother. Keep livin and keep learnin, and DEFINITELY keep smokin!