The Ghetto-Op: Possible Issues with Seedlings?

[jaxmass]

2 Auto-flowering Gelato Seedlings

• This is my first time ever even germinating cannabis seeds; ordered them online from weedseeds.com​
• Ngl I really fucked up in the beginning and planted both seeds in the same non-drainable bowl (see pictures)

  
• after both had spouted out of the soil, I transplanted to solo cups with holes in the bottom​
• humidifier and fan on during day cycle , fan off during night cycle
  • the incubation chamber gets decently hot during the day; fan is on simply to cool down air temp​
• Seedlings seem to be fine for now, however they were most definitely overwatered for the first week causing drooping, leggyness, and smaller-than-I-would-think fan leaves​
• 2nd node has started and internal spacing is minimal, signs Im doing something right!​
• Genuinely just looking for experienced growers to help me diagnose my plants (if they even need)​
• incubation chamber only has 3 100w eq. full spectrum LEDs, planning on adding a 4th as well as a sorta "burple" bulb (you can see the blue and red light from it but its just not as bright as the 100w jawns)

  

  
• Plan is to transplant both plants into a single 5 gallon grow bag
  • another bag is inside that bag, each plant gets planted in 1 of the 2 sections​
  • I have a picture of how I plan on doing this, and I only have about 6 sq ft. of actual grow space which is why I am even attempting in the first place​
  • I predict that while the roots won't have to out-compete each other, the plants will not get as massive because of their limited grow space
    • am I thinking the right way if growing out of a 2.5x2.5 closet?​
• Ultimately, do my seedlings look healthy or not? does it look like they are back on track to completely recover and give a larger yield?​
• Note: Pictures are in order of date​

 

[DR.PNW]

Nasa would be interested.
Your process is highly overcomplicated my good sir.
Regardless your seedlings look strong and healthy.
Check into paper towel method if you want a more hands on approach,
but honestly; planting into starter blocks [Eazyplug/ jiffy / self filled containers] in a standard 10x20 tray,
with dome if temperatures are not adequate, is a simple and easy way to propagate seeds.
As for lighting a t5 fluorescent tube is ideal for the first stages of growth.
Keep it simple and efficient, especially with auto-flowering plants.
Pro Tip: Steer clear of Scotts/MiracleGro etc. and take a fieldtrip to your local hydro shop and get some clean, cannabis-specific nutrients.

 

[jaxmass]

Nasa would be interested.
Your process is highly overcomplicated my good sir.
Regardless your seedlings look strong and healthy.
Check into paper towel method if you want a more hands on approach,
but honestly; planting into starter blocks [Eazyplug/ jiffy / self filled containers] in a standard 10x20 tray,
with dome if temperatures are not adequate, is a simple and easy way to propagate seeds.
As for lighting a t5 fluorescent tube is ideal for the first stages of growth.
Keep it simple and efficient, especially with auto-flowering plants.

Thanks, man! I really went into damage control after planting in solos so I'm happy that the seedlings look good from another pair of eyes.

And Nasa will be more interested now

 

[DR.PNW]

Thanks, man! I really went into damage control after planting in solos so I'm happy that the seedlings look good from another pair of eyes.

And Nasa will be more interested now

Keep on with it!
The failure and trials processes will be the best learning opportunities as long as you keep those ladies alive and listen to their needs.
Ps. Jerri is a cute name for a girl.

 

[jaxmass]

Keep on with it!
The failure and trials processes will be the best learning opportunities as long as you keep those ladies alive and listen to their needs.
Ps. Jerri is a cute name for a girl.

Named after Jerry Garcia and Bobby Weir :)

 

[DR.PNW]

Named after Jerry Garcia and Bobby Weir :)

I just finished up a 10-strip of acid I got from Phil when I was out in CT lol

 

[jaxmass]

WEEK 2 IN DA TRAP

So this is a week 2 check-in...

A moment of silence for Jerri; she was put under Saturday morning (1/27/24)
She was my first cannabis plant sprouted and not to be forgotten

Jerri was really lagging behind Bobbi, and I believe she was too over-watered. First node leaves were extremely thin (gelato has big broad leaflets normally) and second node leaves just didn't look healthy (yes they were a decent green but curled and crossing other leaves in a strange way). I most definitely could have saved her, but I had to take into consideration that I am growing in a 2.5ft.x2.5ft. space. The canopies of each respective bush would have been outcompeting each other for light. This also fixes my potting issue that I was having, as I don't have to "section out" a grow bag anymore.

Bobbi is absolutely thriving and has her 3rd node poking out at this point. I really don't want to chemically grow weed, so I am using coffee grounds as fertilizer for the entirety of the veg cycle. Once bud production starts to occur, I plan to switch to a good ol' fashioned banana peel fertilizer to bring out more terpenes during flowering. I may try to mix the 2 and create a special "end of veg" feeding regiment. For the moment, I will be feeding in the mornings when I water, and not a huge amount. Bobbi won't be getting a crazy amount of food until she is transplanted. I really don't think she will even be fed a lot period because of what I mention in the next paragraph.

I am about to make everyone cringe and I do not give a single fuck. This grow is an experiment at its core and I am trying to learn how to grow. The potting mix that I have is MiracleGro, so that's what the fuck I'm working with. If I can grow good weed out of MiracleGro, I can only image what my plants would look like out of Happy Frog. Do not fret, I made sure to add dead leaves into the soil (the leaves take out the extra nitrogen as they compost) as well as straight coffee grounds (should boost potassium). I also felt really bad about have to kill Jerri, so I decided to incorporate her plant matter back into the soil as well (not for nutrients but for my soul). I want to say the NPK ratio will be around 2:1:2, but I don't have a ppm measuring device. This was all done about a week ago to truly let the leaves do their thing (I really don't know the science well) , and the leaves seem to be composted for the most part into the soil. We shall see if we still get nutrition burn, but I suspect I will see a nutrient deficiency (leaves pull out too much nitrogen).

Once Bobbi's 5th node has made its presence, I will transplant her into her final grow bag. I really didn't realize how big a 5 gallon grow bag was going to be, but I have found a breathable fabric grocery bag that can support Bobbi's root system. Good Gelato auto genetics can produce 8-16 oz per plant when grown properly, and I predict a ~10 oz dried/cured yield if no issues arise

 

[Gmix]

I thought they looked overwatered the size they are now confirmed you definitely have been.

They should be a lot bigger after two weeks.

If you overwater the roots can’t breathe and it slows the growth down

 

[jaxmass]

I thought they looked overwatered the size they are now confirmed you definitely have been.

They should be a lot bigger after two weeks.

If you overwater the roots can’t breathe and it slows the growth down

yeah I'm figuring that out quick. I don't think I had enough holes in the solo for drainage nd plants were getting wet feet.

 

[Gmix]

Well as they say Rome wasn’t conquered in a day.

No one expects anyone to be bang first time and it sounds like your learning things witch is good but it can be overwhelming at first. Especially with abbreviations you’ve probably never heard off.

Enjoy the adventure

 

[DR.PNW]

Damping off from overwatering / not enough drainage is probably what killed Jerri.
Organic alternatives for food is great if balanced carefully, but as you know, your use of MiracleGro counters hard against this as it has a cheap chemical pre-charge + chemical wetting agent.
Cannabis requires a broad spectrum of macro and micro nutrients; if you want to go organic us a cannabis specific fish base such as Medi One by GreenPlanet. Their website seemingly runs on dial-up but their products are excellent lol [https://greenplanetnutrients.ca/product/greenplanet-nutrients-1-part-medi-one/].
Check https://growdiaries.com/ for examples of what plants should look like at their respective weekly phases.
Below is an example of a well cared for W2v:

 

[jaxmass]

Well as they say Rome wasn’t conquered in a day.

No one expects anyone to be bang first time and it sounds like your learning things witch is good but it can be overwhelming at first. Especially with abbreviations you’ve probably never heard off.

Enjoy the adventure

Thank you, brutha!

 

[jaxmass]

Damping off from overwatering / not enough drainage is probably what killed Jerri.
Organic alternatives for food is great if balanced carefully, but as you know, your use of MiracleGro counters hard against this as it has a cheap chemical pre-charge + chemical wetting agent.
Cannabis requires a broad spectrum of macro and micro nutrients; if you want to go organic us a cannabis specific fish base such as Medi One by GreenPlanet. Their website seemingly runs on dial-up but their products are excellent lol [https://greenplanetnutrients.ca/product/greenplanet-nutrients-1-part-medi-one/].
Check https://growdiaries.com/ for examples of what plants should look like at their respective weekly phases.
Below is an example of a well cared for W2v:

Yooooooooooooooo thank you again man!!!!!!!!!

 

[chronic2]

Those puppies should be transferred to a larger planting pot or in the ground. Root system grows and spreads out. Unless you want a dwarf with a weeks worth of product.

 

[jaxmass]

Those puppies should be transferred to a larger planting pot or in the ground. Root system grows and spreads out. Unless you want a dwarf with a weeks worth of product.

I was going to wait til I actually saw more growth so I could start LST right away; would it be more beneficial to transplant now and train later?

 

[jaxmass]

FINAL TRANSPLANT/FIRST LST
So I decided to take the advice of chronic2 who recommended to transplant ASAP. Only the 3rd node is showing, and I was planning to use a LST tie in-between the 3rd and 4th node. I ended up saying "fuq it" and just tied her down as shown in the pic below. I am also planning on not watering today as I watered yesterday night to introduce Bobbi to her new pot. Because I over watered the shit out of Bobbi, Im not going to water again until tomorrow morning or the soil seems almost completely dry and the plant is giving me actual signs that she is thirsty and has been fully integrated into her new pot. Felt I needed to give this quick update as it's a massive change from my setup before. I should also mention that I have a real grow light coming in the mail (its from temu so y'all may not see it for a few weeks), and that the lst picture was taken maybe 30 mins before me typing these exact words

 

[DR.PNW]

FINAL TRANSPLANT/FIRST LST
So I decided to take the advice of chronic2 who recommended to transplant ASAP. Only the 3rd node is showing, and I was planning to use a LST tie in-between the 3rd and 4th node. I ended up saying "fuq it" and just tied her down as shown in the pic below. I am also planning on not watering today as I watered yesterday night to introduce Bobbi to her new pot. Because I over watered the shit out of Bobbi, Im not going to water again until tomorrow morning or the soil seems almost completely dry and the plant is giving me actual signs that she is thirsty and has been fully integrated into her new pot. Felt I needed to give this quick update as it's a massive change from my setup before. I should also mention that I have a real grow light coming in the mail (its from temu so y'all may not see it for a few weeks), and that the lst picture was taken maybe 30 mins before me typing these exact words

These pots are huge for these size plants, raising the risk of overwatering to a critical limit.
They should still be in well drained solo cups at largest.

 

[jaxmass]

These pots are huge for these size plants, raising the risk of overwatering to a critical limit.
They should still be in well drained solo cups at largest.

I had to move her out the solo cup because it was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too moist, like I am so surprised I don't have mold. I didn't want to transplant twice and run the risk of transplant shock since I was already over watering. This way, as long as I let the top inch of soil dry and watered in a small circle around the plant, I can leave the plant in the pot til harvest.

 

[DR.PNW]

I had to move her out the solo cup because it was waaaaaaaaaaaaay too moist, like I am so surprised I don't have mold. I didn't want to transplant twice and run the risk of transplant shock since I was already over watering. This way, as long as I let the top inch of soil dry and watered in a small circle around the plant, I can leave the plant in the pot til harvest.

Transplant shock causes less of a setback than a small plant having to grow into an oversized pot, especially if it becomes too wet in the oversized pot.
General rule: Starter cube -> 3-4 inch pot or solo -> 1 gal -> 3 gal -> 5-7gal -> 10-20gal, etc. respecting ~1gal/ft of growth past the first.