I was wondering what soil should i use for my seedlings? My other question is what wattage should i use and how far should the light be above the seedlings? Thanks
Hey Pocky I try to get a soil that doesn't have any nutrients in it. This can be simple or extremely difficult, depending on where you live and what season of the year it is. The dirt I use has peat, bark, perlite and vermiculite. That's it. No added manure, nutrients or anything else. They really don't need any nutrients other than the minerals and such from the plain dirt. Once they've used up their food though they'll start to yellow and you can feed em lightly. I use 23-27w 2700 and daylight CFLs about 3-4 inches away. Keeps them nice and short and bushy. Keep at it.
hey, youre probably the only person that is really giving me any advice on this forum, i really do appreciate your time and effort to help a noob out. Thanks a lot i had a few more questions if you dont mind. Basically, i had 10 that germinated and i used jiffy mix seed starting organic soil that contained 48-52 sphagnum peat ,48-52% vermiculite with lime for ph balance, but they all died? I look at the seed and it sucked out and dried out the root of the seed. Why? Did i not water the soil after i place the germinating seed into the soil? Thanks again
Look for a "Pro-Mix" soil. It's basically a general purpose soil-less medium. It contains peat moss, perlite, vermiculite and a wetting agent. It retains moisture and provides drainage and aeration for optimal growth. It's also pH adjusted. You will use this from germination through harvest. Now if your roots were dried out, then I'd say yes, you didn't keep the soil moist enough.
Good tips. In a pinch, (if you really can't find an appropriate soil) you can use straight perlite w/20% vermiculite added, for the first couple of weeks. At that point your seedlings will have a root structure and be able to survive transplanting into richer soil better. The soil you transplant into should have enough moisture in it that you can see water 'almost' squeeze out and drip when you squeeze on a handful of it. You shouldn't need to water for several days. Let the soil dry for several days until it begins to wilt and then water with a light nutrient if the soil doesn't have any. The main thing is to take things one step at a time and carefully only change one step at a time until you succeed. (Notebooks are soooooo handy!) Peace!