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Newb Help Regarding Seedlings Not Doing Well

  • Thread starter Thread starter RobertPlant2.0
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Newb Help Regarding Seedlings Not Doing Well

RobertPlant2.0 17 Replies 1,185 Views
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RobertPlant2.0

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#1
Hi,

I have 3 seedlings that aren't doing very well. Can I get some guidance?

What I used/did:

- 5 phototropic Northern Lights seeds
- I germinated the seeds in paper towels, they sprouted fast. 2 days showed over 10mm cotyldons. 4/5 seeds made it through germination.
- I planted them in peat pots with pebbles at the bottom using FoxFarm Light Warrior seed starter soil
- All four of them sprouted up nice after just a few days
- Then I noticed that if I didn't water them kind of heavily they would fall over and come close to dying kind of quick, so I proceeded with moderately heavy watering.
- I used natural sunlight for a day or two while I waited for my tent and light to arrive
- About 3 days into being seedlings I placed them in a Vivosun 2'x2' tent with a VS1000 LED Grow Light up top about 30" away with the dimmer on 25% power
- They've been getting about 14 hours of LED lighting per day
- The light looks like it's mostly daylight (very white light) with some red LEDs. Not sure if this is the correct LED color combo to use, or how to change the colors if needed
- The fourth seedling has pretty much died, the rest look medium / bad with regards to health

Thoughts from more experienced growers?
 

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#2
Hopefully someone with more experience will come along soon. I probably shouldn't give any advice because I'm new myself. I hope you can get it sorted out.
 
#3
Those are stretching looking for more light. Either lower the light or crank up the intensity a little. Then you can either repot the seedlings burying them almost to the first set of leaves or use something to prop them up. Also just noticed you're only giving them 14 hours of light. Seedlings should get at least 18 hours of light. A lot of people give seedlings 24 hours the first couple of weeks.
 
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#4
Yes the plant has stretched so much it has fallen off. 2 of them will prolly not come back.
You have been growing these for a while. What temps are you at day and night.
You need a lot more light but the length of the stems will prevent this from helping.
You need like a 3 gallon fabric pot and bury the stem until only 2 inches are above dirt and get some light on them. If you do not have something to measure light with we have to go with math for that panel. .
100 watt panel set at 50% and 20 inches above should be about 250 ppdf. Problem is this panel has a hot spot. I would put the center of the light in the middle and range the plants around it.
 
#5
Does the VS1000 connect to the grow hub? I have the 2000 and I can control everything with the app. Including changing spectrum and intensity, fan speeds. From work if I wanted haha, I just don't know if the 1000 can connect to the hub.
 
#7
MileHiGhost said:
Does the VS1000 connect to the grow hub? I have the 2000 and I can control everything with the app. Including changing spectrum and intensity, fan speeds. From work if I wanted haha, I just don't know if the 1000 can connect to the hub.
Click to expand...
I have 2 150 single fan and a huge 400 dual fan.
 
#8
I lowered the light to about 16" away

I doubled the intensity of the light to 50%

My plan for now is to leave the light on for 24 hours a day for a few days

I propped them up with the white labelling inserts seen in the first post of this thread

Not sure about the exact temp but it's pretty much standard room temp Id guess low 70s

Does the size of the pot matter that much at this point? Good to know that's what I'm looking at getting some time soon, 3g. What kind of soil?

Anything else seem like a crucial move currently?

Thanks so much for the excellent replies, I appreciate it
 
#9
Arguments abound on lights and repotting cannabis or starting in the pot that they are going to grow. Part of the problem is watering. Putting a seedling in a 3 or 5 gallon pot can be a challenge to grow but I think it far outweighs repotting stress at least for autos. I run fox farms soils both happy frog and ocean forest but any quality potting soil will work. I do amend with lots of perlite and it comes out to be about 20% perlite in a 3 gallon pots that is 6 cups perlite.
I put a small divot of low power seed starter about the size of a golf ball cut in 1/2. The soil gives the plant nutrients for the first 35-40 days but I run all organic so I start amending my soil with EWC and both a grow and bloom nutrient the does not require PH adjustment.I start doing this week 3 as it takes organic nutrients about 10 days to start the conversion to nutrients the plants can use. It is called Dr earth gold and flower girl but any quality organic ferts are Kool for me.
A 100 watt panel will give you a footprint of about 3 feet square for autos at 18-6 and about 2.25 square feet to flower a photo pot plant.
One of the things I would recommend you do is to crack that 3 horizontal bars on the upper left of this screen and navigate to forums and then to grow diaries. Once in diaries you can hit the spyglass and add keywords like organic or the strain or low cost grow. You can then follow along in growers diaries as they make mistakes and fix them and perhaps get ideas.
I have read well over 450 diaries and journals in a couple of years of study. I read masters thesis on cannabis cultivation for fun.
This is a Kool hobby.
 
#10
I start my seedlings in Root Riot plugs. I then place them in a red solo cup with a clear dome on it to keep in moisture. This is all the seedling needs as far as moisture. As far as light i agree with the other folks have said, move the light closer as your ladies are stretching towards the light.
 
#11
Pre soaked till radicle shows through seedling seam.

Planted in full strength soil.

Three days to break surface.

Water when soil drying on top.

No feeds till reporting but I did throw in a cheeky 1ml/l of Biobizz biogrow and will again unless feel over fed.

Light is around 200/240umol or PPFD. No wind but some air movement from extraction which is set on low. Temps 18-24c lights off/on. 16/8 light schedule but anything will work.

Water every four five days and will get more frequent as roots fill the pot.

I get no transplant stress and feel small pots for seedlings create a mich healthier and denser root system and seem to grow even more after transplant. Transplant at point third node leaves are starting to form.

IMG 20251019 012409
IMG 20251019 012403
IMG 20251019 012418


This four days old, some others joining her soon, environment and light levels are everything 👍
 
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#12
Looks good! I would keep an eye on the stretch. Otherwise they look like they are on their way to being great plants.
 
#13
Merkle said:
I start my seedlings in Root Riot plugs. I then place them in a red solo cup with a clear dome on it to keep in moisture. This is all the seedling needs as far as moisture. As far as light i agree with the other folks have said, move the light closer as your ladies are stretching towards the light.
Click to expand...
@Merkle hey bro wouldn’t let me message you directly, I know we spoke about raising my light pertaining to my plant. Im having a new issue that I believe is associated with the light issue. If you don’t mind giving me your input
 

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#14
Mr.P3NGUIN38 said:
@Merkle hey bro wouldn’t let me message you directly, I know we spoke about raising my light pertaining to my plant. Im having a new issue that I believe is associated with the light issue. If you don’t mind giving me your input
Click to expand...
Love to see where your light is in relation to your ladies.
 
#18
Merkle said:
You definitely need to get those lights lowered. Do it in increments over the next week or so. See if that helps. Keep us updated. Happy trails….
Click to expand...
Appreciate it brother will do:)
 
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