Total noob question here. This is my first time growing from seed so I've never dealt with this before. I'm having trouble with two of them, sometimes they're up, sometimes they're down, but never at the same time! I can't figure out if my 150 watt CFL is too close or too far away. I move the light and one will spring up, but the other will lean over. The temps are around 76 degrees F. And check out the freak that looks like it has two branches! How high should the light be? (Edit) I've just read in Jorge Cervantes book that the CFL should be around 12-18 inches above young seedlings. Is that right? That seems way too high to me, but maybe that's my problem. I've just raised the light to 15" above the peat moss/coco soil I'm using.
8-12" should be fine for the light... No nutes yet right? they do look prety wet, did you let them dry out before watering>? Probably would be a good idea to get a fan gently blowing accross them. What kind of soil is that... looks prety barky...
A good way to judge if the light is too close (for heat/burn reasons) is to put your hand, palm down in between the light and plant. If the skin on top of your hand is ok, so too will the plants be. Gotta let those COMPLETELY dry out before adding water again. My guess is you overwatered to begin with and then when they began drooping (that's what they do when overwatered, just like when they are underwatered) you watered again Let em dry.
Thanks guys. Yeah, I've been keeping them really wet. I guess that was the wrong thing to do. I'll let them dry. I put them in bio terra soil which is basically peat moss and coconut fibers. It has a neutral PH. I haven't used any nutes. Just RO water. If these little buggers don't make it I'll use those Jiffy pellets instead of this bio terra soil.
Okay, so here's my second try. I've done everything differently. I put 2 seeds in a glass of water for 24 hours to crack. I then put them in moist (not wet) paper towels. The paper towels were kept covered and placed onto my seedling heat mat, which is under a 10x20" tray. The seeds sprouted tails and were then put into Fox Farm Light Warrior seedling mix. I used Dixie cups with drainage holes in the bottom. The Fox Farm was watered and drained for 15 minutes, then I stirred it up with a chopstick. I kept the soil moist using a dome on the tray. About a day later the seedlings broke ground. I removed the dome so they can have some air. I also have a fan blowing in the room. I'm using a 150 watt CFL and right now it's 16" above the soil.
Nice. What are the specs on that light and is it good for all stages of growing? I only grow outdoors so indoor growing is foreign to me.
150 watts, 6500 K, good for vegetative growth of small plants. It's a new light for me. I'll probably use it when the seedlings grow a little more. I think it's too intense for seedlings. I just ran out an bought a Sun Blaze 2ft. 2 bulb T5 fluorescent. Which I see others using on seedlings. I'm still experimenting with the height, but I've got it around 6" away from the plant. This light has two 24 watt bulbs so I can keep it much closer. I read this will keep the seedlings from stretching for the light. It's all new to me.