Seedlings Overwatered?

[od1]

Hi all,

I'm wondering if I overwatered my seedlings a bit. Since this is my first grow, I'm trying to get things dialed in. Here are some photos. The back left one in particular is the one I'm wondering about.



I watered on Thursday with CaliMagic and Rock Nutrients Supercharge in RO water at the recommended dose. The coco was "precharged" with CaliMagic too. Friday morning I flushed a bit with straight RO water since I was told that 1/4 the recommended dose is good when starting. I filled the jug with the Calimagic and Supercharge mixture to full with RO water to dilute it some, then today, Sunday, I added 2 ml of Fusion Grow and watered.

Do I need to be careful about how much runoff is generated? It may have been too much. And since I did a little flush on Friday, it probably was a bit too much water within a short time frame.

Let me know what you think, thanks.

 

[MrBelvedere]

They look good. As long as they are draining well out the bottom, don't worry about the runoff amount. You want runoff, it helps show they are draining well. For the first couple weeks you don't need ferts, go very light with the ferts in beginning. Pick them up every day to see how heavy they are. If they are heavy they don't need watering. If they are light, they are dry and need watering. You want them to get somewhat dry in between waterings. Hope that helps?

 

[happy b]

Make sure you let your medium dry out a good bit between watering.(not too much) over watering is something EVER ONE has done at some point . Medium that's constantly soggy is not good for your roots as they like a highly aerated medium.
your seedlings look fine though I can't say for certain with the lighting .

 

[od1]

Thanks, and yeah, I switched to the LEDs so photos don't turn out the best. In coco, do you all alternate between pure water and feeding, or feed every time? It seems there are differing opinions on this. And if alternating is recommended, I should still add CaliMagic to the water regardless, correct?

Another thing is that tomorrow my drip system is arriving, so I'll be moving them probably either this weekend or the next. And I'll have to navigate feeding them with the drip system once they're transplanted again.

 

[Rootbound]

If you are using RO water I would suggest calimagic or something like that every feeding in coco. I am in coco and feed, feed, tea. My tea is about half strength of my feed. I never feed plain water in coco, but that's just me.

 

[od1]

Thanks, I may water just 1 more time, if that, before transplanting to the drip system. Appreciate the help.

 

[happy b]

I will let someone else answer the coco questions as I'm an organic soil grower and i wouldn't giv advice on something I'm not 100% sure of.

 

[motherlode]

they dont look overwatered in that pic (though its not the clearest) and it is pretty hard to overwater in coco - as Mr B said as long as you have lots of drain holes they should be fine and you do not want to let coco dry out - ever

I wouldnt transplant until they have established good roots

you should feed every time in coco - as long as you are not pushing nutes at max dose you will be fine - less is more

 

[3G Labs]

You are on your way to finding what works best for you. But here's my experience in opinion form.
They look way to young to need nutes, could cause the stems to damp off (keep an eye on that back left one). Someone already mentioned that the seed brings with it all the food the sprout will need for the first two weeks, and I agree.
As for watering, something that small shouldn't need to be watered very often. I water my seedlings only 2- 3 times in the first two weeks.
They aren't actively feeding at this stage (just focused on root growth), the top of the soil should remain slightly damp to drying (think of a squeezed sponge not dripping but moist to the touch) between watering.
If your soil stays completely wet, it's not getting any oxygen and roots begin to rot.
Allowing the coco to dry (NOT completely! if you do it can take a long time to re-hydrate the coco without a wetting agent) between watering allows oxygen to permeate the root zone. It's a fine line to walk but the plants respond well once you learn to read them.
My theory is - The bottom of the pot will stay wet longer than the top. Allowing the top layers of coco to dry forces the roots to grow outwards and downwards in search of water.
As for run-off, it won't matter much when they are that small, but when they are bigger and you're feeding nutrients every couple of days, if you're not getting sufficient run-off you are most likely leaving salts inside the pot.

 

[od1]

Motherlode, good point, how can you tell when to transplant from 18 oz cups?

3G Labs, I'll try to get that balance.

I think the seedling I was concerned about may have the beginnings of nutrient burn, or something may be up with it. Seems like there are some brown spots towards the ends of the leaves. It was hard to take a clear photo, but what do you all think?

 

[3G Labs]

IMO stop nutes, make sure your environment is right, and try to leave it be. It can't be more than 5 days old. Ph of water should be around 5.7, 5.8. temp in the mid to high 70's, and they like humidity (make domes out of plastic bottles).
It hasn't started photosynthesis yet so it can't use the nutes you're feeding it. Seedlings should have at least 2-3 sets of TRUE leaves before starting on a feeding schedule.
I wouldn't transplant until you see roots starting to come out the bottom of the cup, which probably won't happen for at least 3-4 weeks. Transplants shock the plants, if they are too young or weak they might not survive, or their growth can be slowed and stunted.

 

[phoenixfire]

Motherlode, good point, how can you tell when to transplant from 18 oz cups?

3G Labs, I'll try to get that balance.

I think the seedling I was concerned about may have the beginnings of nutrient burn, or something may be up with it. Seems like there are some brown spots towards the ends of the leaves. It was hard to take a clear photo, but what do you all think?

View attachment 484014

ThIs plant looks like it's in shock, I would incorporate something to respond to shock, good luck man. Over watering is the reason why I have lost plenty of seedlings in the past.

 

[ShroomKing]

I keep seeing new growers having issues with coco. My advice is get some soil And start from there.
Best of luck.
Peace

 

[od1]

Shit, I hope they're ok.

Ok, so I won't use any more nutes for now. Should I leave them as is till the next watering, or flush? I only have the drops for pH, so it's hard to tell exactly what it is, but the water seemed yellow for approximately 6. Seems like it's harder to get the pH exact with the drops.

I planted the seeds January 28, and transplanted them on the 5th, so yes, 5 days ago. The temp is 76.3 F if I remember. I've heard different things about humidity domes. How important are they?

I think they're all starting to get their second set of true leaves, so I think I should wait till the 3rd set starts before adding nutes again. How big should the 3rd set be before adding nutes? And yeah, I'll wait to transplant again till I see roots at the bottom. I poked 4 holes in each cup with a screwdriver. Is that enough to be able to see the roots?

I read that a switch to intense light can also shock them. The LEDs are 3 feet away from the tops, although for the first night I had them much closer. Should I switch back to the fluorescent, or ride it out? And for the future, at what point do you want to switch to your main lights?

Is seedweed/kelp extract the product to get to help these seedlings with shock? And how do you apply it?

I'm also worried about this one in front that's leaning over. Is this shock too?

Thanks again for the help.

 

[3G Labs]

First go smoke a bowl and calm down, the worst things I've done is to get anxious and want to help, but then just end up driving the final nail.
Don't worry about being exact with the ph, it's a range 5.6 -60 for clones seedlings, 5.8-6.3 for veg and flower. You just have to be consistent don't feed 5.6 one day and then 8.0 the next they will be pissed.
Humidity domes importance depends on your environment, is it really dry where they are? is the light intensity high (shock), Too much air movement will dry them out. They just help keep a stable environment but again another aspect that can damage if not tended too.

A transplant already? people usually pop beans in water then plant directly into their cups?

They can tend to lean, and will stretch towards a strong light source (what your's looks like it's doing), but they don't need very much light at that stage, a 60 watt light bulb would be plenty. They don't have hardly any roots right now, they're trying to orient themselves toward the light before they start strengthening their stems.


This is a seedling that has 3 sets of true leaves and has just started a feeding schedule (1 to 1.5 months old). The seed was planted directly into that pot of coco, still has a month before it will be transplanted to a 5 gal cloth pot.

 

[motherlode]

you are over thinking this big time

when I said feed every time in coco it was meant as a generalization for established plants - didnt mean to imply to keep feeding them - at this point just let them go for a few days (as others point out seedlings can go a bit w/o food) - if the cups start to dry out just give them water (pee yellow is right where you want to be for drops) dont worry about shock or whatever - they are obviously growing

do you have a fan - something to lighty blow air across them would be good

 

[Rootbound]

What brand of coco and was it precharged?

 

[od1]

I'm a little anxious, but mainly I just want to manage these so they give me a big harvest. If I fail, well, I'll chalk it up to learning.

I do use RO water, so the pH should be fine. It's been pee colored every time I tested it regardless of what I put in there so far. I think the humidity is in the mid to high 40s, since I put a radiator heater in to warm things up in the tent. The heater is set at 74 F, I believe. I have a 6 inch Hyper fan for the intake, and the same for the exhaust. The intake is on the other end of the tent, which is 4x4 feet, so it isn't blowing on the seedlings, although I do see them moving just a bit. The intake is at 35%, which is the lowest setting. The exhaust fan is set a little higher to balance the airflow out for the carbon filter. I've been wondering if I should turn the intake off, and leave the exhaust on. What do you think? I hung a Pro CO2 bucket from the ceiling.

I transplanted from a Rapid Rooter tray into the 18 oz cups based on advice on this picture: https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/attachments/20150204_211646-jpg.482374/

Nice looking seedling by the way 3G Labs.

Motherlode, I know what you're saying. I watered them twice so far, and did a little flush to try to dilute the solution the morning after the first watering. At this point I don't intend to water them again until I need to, and I'll try to lean towards letting them get on the dry side. I will also make another gallon with just RO water and Calimagic. Should I add the Supercharge Root Tonic, or skip that?

Yeah, I was going to mention that at least they're growing, so that seems like a good sign at least. Honestly the thing about growing seems to be that everybody has a different opinion, so it can be hard to navigate at times. Do you all think I should I skip getting a product to help with shock, or get something like kelp/seaweed extract? How do I know whether they're in shock or not, since there are differing opinions here?

I got the Pro Coco brand from Growers House, and I hydrated half the brick (5 pounds I believe) in 5 gallons of RO water with the recommended dose per gallon of CaliMagic added.

 

[phoenixfire]

I'm a little anxious, but mainly I just want to manage these so they give me a big harvest. If I fail, well, I'll chalk it up to learning.

I do use RO water, so the pH should be fine. It's been pee colored every time I tested it regardless of what I put in there so far. I think the humidity is in the mid to high 40s, since I put a radiator heater in to warm things up in the tent. The heater is set at 74 F, I believe. I have a 6 inch Hyper fan for the intake, and the same for the exhaust. The intake is on the other end of the tent, which is 4x4 feet, so it isn't blowing on the seedlings, although I do see them moving just a bit. The intake is at 35%, which is the lowest setting. The exhaust fan is set a little higher to balance the airflow out for the carbon filter. I've been wondering if I should turn the intake off, and leave the exhaust on. What do you think? I hung a Pro CO2 bucket from the ceiling.

I transplanted from a Rapid Rooter tray into the 18 oz cups based on advice on this picture: https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/attachments/20150204_211646-jpg.482374/

Nice looking seedling by the way 3G Labs.

Motherlode, I know what you're saying. I watered them twice so far, and did a little flush to try to dilute the solution the morning after the first watering. At this point I don't intend to water them again until I need to, and I'll try to lean towards letting them get on the dry side. I will also make another gallon with just RO water and Calimagic. Should I add the Supercharge Root Tonic, or skip that?

Yeah, I was going to mention that at least they're growing, so that seems like a good sign at least. Honestly the thing about growing seems to be that everybody has a different opinion, so it can be hard to navigate at times. Do you all think I should I skip getting a product to help with shock, or get something like kelp/seaweed extract? How do I know whether they're in shock or not, since there are differing opinions here?

I got the Pro Coco brand from Growers House, and I hydrated half the brick (5 pounds I believe) in 5 gallons of RO water with the recommended dose per gallon of CaliMagic added.

In my experience less Is better with shock plants are all unique, I personally don't know how long they take to bounce back, all plants are different but my approach with shocked plants are water with spray bottle when it's time and not all at once try half of your planned watering at first then come back 30 min later to evaluate whether or not you need more water if so continue with spray bottle, don't rush when watering. I also take the shocked plant and put it around the border canapy, if it's a Flo light on the side is fine the higher the intensity of the light the further I would put it until it bounces back, plus a little leaf movement is find to ensure its getting air (jus a lil is fine) 60%rh would help and that about covers it but as far as


Coco goes I treat it like soil especially if your growing with fungus and organic nutes but if your taking a synthetic or biosynthetic approach Im clueless

Best of luck and patience is key

Oh and I'm not a cash cropper so sorry I can't help to ensure a big yield

 

[od1]

Sounds like good advice. Next time I might spray them a bit, and do a light watering and check it 30 minutes later. I switched to a P600 LED light from Platinum LED. I could go back to the fluorescent, or is that not recommended at this point? Or raise the light higher than the 3 feet it's currently at?

I did get some mycorrhizae and Azomite yesterday. I haven't used either yet, but I read that Azomite can help with shock. Should I add some?

Thanks