Help meee!!

Ganga_Alice said:

Ooof! Looks horrible today! Not panicking tho!

Click to expand...

Any pictures to share?

‍♀

Ganga_Alice said:

I needed that! I am an over thinker for sure! Growing is easy. I usually have a green thumb, but I tend to over parent until I catch on!!! I happened to find a few seeds and decided to try. Now I'm sooo pumped, but terrified of killing it!
I will back off and remember GROWING IS EASYYYY

Click to expand...

I get the over thinking part. Patience is key. You have a long time to go, so strap in. Think in terms of if it ain't broke - don't fix it. The plants already know how to grow, for the most part we just have to stay out of their way.

Ganga_Alice said:

Click to expand...

Old growth doesn't look good, but there is new growth too. It's just not showing much yet. Don't get disheartened by the old growth. When the problem occurred, it was damaged. You can't fix that. The plant doesn't try to fix it either. The plant will replace it (in time) instead. Her feet need to dry out. Once they do, she will probably pull through.

I'm not sure if the "masters" would recommend this, but I have transplanted into drier soil before. If you are considering this, wait for others to chime in.

I actually did that this morning. Soil was still completely soaked from yesterday's water. I added new soil and perlite. Hopefully it was the right move. If not trial and error.

Ganga_Alice said:

I actually did that this morning. Soil was still completely soaked from yesterday's water. I added new soil and perlite. Hopefully it was the right move. If not trial and error.

Click to expand...

With plenty of holes for drainage?

I take a small stack of those solo cups, turn them upside down and using a 1/4 drill bit, I drill 6-8 holes. Others have suggested some holes at the side towards the bottom to allow more air flow.

Obviously, you don't drill into a planted cup, but you can add those extra breathing holes along the bottom on the cup's side.

You can also put a small layer of perlite at the bottom of the cup. It gives an air gap which helps with poor drainage situations.

MIGrampaUSA said:

With plenty of holes for drainage?

I take a small stack of those solo cups, turn them upside down and using a 1/4 drill bit, I drill 6-8 holes. Others have suggested some holes at the side towards the bottom to allow more air flow.

Obviously, you don't drill into a planted cup, but you can add those extra breathing holes along the bottom on the cup's side.

You can also put a small layer of perlite at the bottom of the cup. It gives an air gap which helps with poor drainage situations.

Click to expand...

I added a few more!

I'm not a soil grower, but what kind of soil are you using? From my understanding, some are too "hot" for seedlings. Something to think about...

I personally wouldn't use a solo cup with seedlings as the water in them is difficult at best to manage. It seems like it will either stay wet for eternity or dry out so quickly that you have a hard time keeping wilting at bay. I plant directly into a 5 gallon bucket of Promix amended with about 20% composted manure and don't have issues with overwatering. One thing that a larger container will provide is a drier zone at the top of the container, allowing the developing roots more of a O2 rich environment. Within a month, the roots will be coming out the bottom of the bucket. Once the roots reach the bottom, they can also help to wick away any excess water. A larger container also provides a bigger nutrient reserve and a more stable atmosphere. On the down side... if you mess it up, it is harder to fix it due to larger volume. This is just my opinion and the way I have always done it for decades. I'm not sure why everyone suggests that you need to up-pot... I'm not aware of any real studies done on it and I put it in the canni-Urban Legends folder.

Jimster said:

I personally wouldn't use a solo cup with seedlings as the water in them is difficult at best to manage. It seems like it will either stay wet for eternity or dry out so quickly that you have a hard time keeping wilting at bay. I plant directly into a 5 gallon bucket of Promix amended with about 20% composted manure and don't have issues with overwatering. One thing that a larger container will provide is a drier zone at the top of the container, allowing the developing roots more of a O2 rich environment. Within a month, the roots will be coming out the bottom of the bucket. Once the roots reach the bottom, they can also help to wick away any excess water. A larger container also provides a bigger nutrient reserve and a more stable atmosphere. On the down side... if you mess it up, it is harder to fix it due to larger volume. This is just my opinion and the way I have always done it for decades. I'm not sure why everyone suggests that you need to up-pot... I'm not aware of any real studies done on it and I put it in the canni-Urban Legends folder.

Click to expand...

To each their own, five gallons to start isn’t practical for me. Uppotting from HappyFrog to Ocean Forest allows going from a seedling soil to a hotter soil. Plus, a clear cup inside a colored cup takes the guesswork out of root status. Finally, the cup makes a good mold in soil for easy uppotting.

Jimster said:

I personally wouldn't use a solo cup with seedlings as the water in them is difficult at best to manage. It seems like it will either stay wet for eternity or dry out so quickly that you have a hard time keeping wilting at bay. I plant directly into a 5 gallon bucket of Promix amended with about 20% composted manure and don't have issues with overwatering. One thing that a larger container will provide is a drier zone at the top of the container, allowing the developing roots more of a O2 rich environment. Within a month, the roots will be coming out the bottom of the bucket. Once the roots reach the bottom, they can also help to wick away any excess water. A larger container also provides a bigger nutrient reserve and a more stable atmosphere. On the down side... if you mess it up, it is harder to fix it due to larger volume. This is just my opinion and the way I have always done it for decades. I'm not sure why everyone suggests that you need to up-pot... I'm not aware of any real studies done on it and I put it in the canni-Urban Legends folder.

Click to expand...

I can think of reasons to start in smaller pots. How small? I'm sure there would be some discussion on that. Here's my reason (by the way, I do like yours too.). If I start in smaller containers, they don't take up as much space and I can get away with using only 1 light early on. I would have to use more than 1 light if I started everything in 5 gal pots. I save a little bit of money this way. I gradually turn on more lighting and move them apart as the plants grow.

MIGrampaUSA said:

I can think of reasons to start in smaller pots. How small? I'm sure there would be some discussion on that. Here's my reason (by the way, I do like yours too.). If I start in smaller containers, they don't take up as much space and I can get away with using only 1 light early on. I would have to use more than 1 light if I started everything in 5 gal pots. I save a little bit of money this way. I gradually turn on more lighting and move them apart as the plants grow.

Click to expand...

What you describe is exactly what I do, although I only have 8 buckets... which is about as big, or too big, for their current digs. I cluster the buckets under 1 MH1000 and turn them every few days to try to even out the exposure and growth. Once the 1st big fan leaves cover the bucket and encroach on their neighbor's turf, I separate them a little to keep them slightly apart. At some point, usually week 2, I have to kick un the 2nd Halide and things escalate fairly quickly from there. Towards the end of flowering, I have my "assistant" try to limbo under the branches to get to the water and hose. I should have designed the water inlet on the other side of the area so I don't have to get over everything. Alas. But anyhow, I have pretty good luck doing it like that, but like you say, every grow is different. Whatever works best for you! Great response. I love it when someone explains why they have a particular opinion. Thats called a discussion. Some just take offense and want to disagree just because. Variety is the spice of life and there is as many great ways to grow as there are growers. Thanks again!

MIGrampaUSA said:

Old growth doesn't look good, but there is new growth too. It's just not showing much yet. Don't get disheartened by the old growth. When the problem occurred, it was damaged. You can't fix that. The plant doesn't try to fix it either. The plant will replace it (in time) instead. Her feet need to dry out. Once they do, she will probably pull through.

I'm not sure if the "masters" would recommend this, but I have transplanted into drier soil before. If you are considering this, wait for others to chime in.

Click to expand...

good advice from MIGrampa