First grow. Autoflowers in promix hp

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Knifemaker

Knifemaker

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Hey everyone. Just got my seeds in the mail and have dropped them into cups of RO water to soak for 24 hours.
My set up is a 2'x4'x7' tent running a Mars hydro sp-250 led light and a vivosun 4" inline fan with carbon filter.
Growing in 5 gal fabric pots in promix hp
I will be running the Advanced Nutrients ph perfect micro-grow-bloom as well as the hobbyist grow pkg (voodoo juice, b52, overdrive, and big bud)
My strains are Gelato auto, Zkittles auto, and northern lights auto from seedsman.
Please feel free to jump in with any comments, suggestions, tips or photos to help me along the way.
Excited to start growing my own supply.
Thanks for joining me on my journey.
StaySharp
First grow autoflowers in promix hp
First grow autoflowers in promix hp 2
First grow autoflowers in promix hp 3
 
Ina

Ina

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Before you plant them in the soil you could moist it all a little,mix it than put it back in the pots,it shouldn't be like mud,too wet,but it is better to not use it absolutely dry.While you plant the seeds it could dry out in the pots.A little wetting could prevent many problems with the watering. watering absolutely dry soil mix in those big pots with small seedlings could be difficult in some ways so be carefull how and how much you water.Good luck and nice grow!:)
 
Jimster

Jimster

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I use Promix exclusively and have had great and easy results. I'm not experienced with autos, but I usually plant directly from sprouted seed with a 1-1.5" root into a 5 or 6 gallon bucket, eliminating the need to transplant, but the choice is yours. Before I transplant or use the Promix, I water it very well. Promix won't hold too much water and will self regulate if it has adequate drainage. By fully watering it, it will help to activate the buffering ability of Promix. The seed will have enough dampness for at least a week if you plant the seed so that just the very tip is exposed, and then even barely. The roots will grow quickly as long as they get enough oxygen...again, Promix is good for allowing O2 to penetrate the medium.
Once I plant the seeds, I water them very gently and sparingly, since the Promix should still have a lot of moisture in it.. I just sprinkle a little around the seedling. As the soil dries slowly, the roots will grow deeper, looking for water. While Promix doesn't hold excess water, it will retain enough to keep things going. Make sure it doesn't dry out totally and you should be good to go. Once established, I usually water daily until I see water coming out of the bottom of my buckets. If it hasn't dried out enough for a daily watering, go to every other day until it needs it, since the plants needs change as it grows. Good Luck!
 
Knifemaker

Knifemaker

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I use Promix exclusively and have had great and easy results. I'm not experienced with autos, but I usually plant directly from sprouted seed with a 1-1.5" root into a 5 or 6 gallon bucket, eliminating the need to transplant, but the choice is yours. Before I transplant or use the Promix, I water it very well. Promix won't hold too much water and will self regulate if it has adequate drainage. By fully watering it, it will help to activate the buffering ability of Promix. The seed will have enough dampness for at least a week if you plant the seed so that just the very tip is exposed, and then even barely. The roots will grow quickly as long as they get enough oxygen...again, Promix is good for allowing O2 to penetrate the medium.
Once I plant the seeds, I water them very gently and sparingly, since the Promix should still have a lot of moisture in it.. I just sprinkle a little around the seedling. As the soil dries slowly, the roots will grow deeper, looking for water. While Promix doesn't hold excess water, it will retain enough to keep things going. Make sure it doesn't dry out totally and you should be good to go. Once established, I usually water daily until I see water coming out of the bottom of my buckets. If it hasn't dried out enough for a daily watering, go to every other day until it needs it, since the plants needs change as it grows. Good Luck!
Thanks for the great info. I will definitely make sure to pre soak the medium prior to planting my germinated seeds.
:)
StaySharp
 
Jimster

Jimster

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Just woke up and checked the seeds, all 3 have split their casings and have a teensy little tail poking out. I'll be dropping them in the promix this afternoon :) :cool:
usually wait until the "tail" gets about 1 to 1.5 inches long, then poke a hole with my finger into the Promix, dropping the seed tail 1st (seed casing up), leaving just the top of the seed at soil level. Try to keep the lights from getting too close at first, since the heat can dry the top layer of the Promix. I admit it looks a little strange with just a speck of green in the middle of a big container, but it will grow quickly after it gets established. FWIW, after opening and getting the seed leaves opened, the seed might appear to stall for a week or so (depending on strain). I had this happen and after a week pulled the seedling up and discovered that the roots had grown a good bit during the "stalled" period... once the roots got established, the plant grew very quickly, so be patient...which is the hardest part of growing!
 
Knifemaker

Knifemaker

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Update
All 3 seeds got planted on saturday evening, they each had about a half inch of tap root poking out.
Checked this morning and the NL has popped up, the Gelato is just starting to emerge and currently no sign of the zkittles.
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Jimster

Jimster

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I put them in the growing medium before the seed casing falls off, but that is to keep from damaging the initial seed leaves... but yours looks good so far. t looks strange with a tiny seed poking out of a big pot, but it is my personal feeling that there really isn't a need for multiple transplantings. This is just my opinion and the way I have done it, but there really isn't a right VS wrong way to do it. You might have problems with the seedlings falling over, but just pile some dirt up around the stem and prop it up...in a few days it will be strong enough if you have adequate lighting. Since I have my medium pre-watered, I don't give much water at all except a small amount directly around the seedling in case the topmost layer of the growing medium dries out before the growing roots hit the under soil/medium. The medium should stay wet/damp for quite a while as the roots grow... I don't usually give a full watering until I have a few sets of leaves, since the plants are small and don't use much water initially. After a month, the roots should be visible from the holes in the bottom of your buckets (if you are using buckets).
I can't overstate how delicate seedlings are until the seed casing falls off and the seed leaves grow a little. If you damage the seedling at the beginning of it's life, the damage could cause problems as the plant grows.
Good luck with things!
 
Jimster

Jimster

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Gelato is all the way up.
Still no sign of Zkittles yet.
View attachment 869207
Remember...Patience is as important as having a good setup. I have seen way too many folks who damaged/killed their plants because they tried to rush things, and started to see things that weren't problems, such as a tiny spot on 1 lobe of 1 leaf, or a leaf with 3 lobes instead of 5 or 7 ..it's human nature and very easy to do. You shouldn't need to feed these guys anything for at least 3 weeks. I use Promix and it has a slight amount of nutes in it I think, although they aren't listed AFAIK. Stuff grows pretty well without adding fertilizer, but grows MUCH better with added nutrients, Promix isn't supposed to be fortified to the best of my knowing, but it seems to grow much better than straight peat moss. I don't know, but it works well. Keep up the good work, drop a line if I can be of help.
 
Knifemaker

Knifemaker

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Remember...Patience is as important as having a good setup. I have seen way too many folks who damaged/killed their plants because they tried to rush things, and started to see things that weren't problems, such as a tiny spot on 1 lobe of 1 leaf, or a leaf with 3 lobes instead of 5 or 7 ..it's human nature and very easy to do. You shouldn't need to feed these guys anything for at least 3 weeks. I use Promix and it has a slight amount of nutes in it I think, although they aren't listed AFAIK. Stuff grows pretty well without adding fertilizer, but grows MUCH better with added nutrients, Promix isn't supposed to be fortified to the best of my knowing, but it seems to grow much better than straight peat moss. I don't know, but it works well. Keep up the good work, drop a line if I can be of help.
Thanks @Jimster I'm trying very hard to not kill these babies with kindness lol
I will definitely take you up on the offer for assistance if I need it. Thanks.
StaySharp
 
Jimster

Jimster

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Thanks @Jimster I'm trying very hard to not kill these babies with kindness lol
I will definitely take you up on the offer for assistance if I need it. Thanks.
StaySharp
They are looking good. Don't freak out if one seedlings fall over from stretching too much, although keeping the lights on for 24 hrs will help to keep them from stretching. I'mve never grown autos, so I don't know what is best, but 24 hrs might be the way to go since it is an auto and will flower regardless of light cycle. Make sure the soil directly around your seedlings gets a little water if the promix feels dry, but the roots will grow quickly. I don't usually water until a week or so goes by, or the promix is getting dry. After the 1st week to 10 days, I water daily, although you can adjust your schedule to fit your process.
One way to see if your growing medium is too wet is to take a handful out of one of the plants in question and squeeze the dirt/promix/growing medium. If you get a bunch of waterthat pours out, then it is too wet. You need to wait a few hours after watering to check it this way, but you shouldn't be able to squeeze a bunch of water out. A couple of drops is OK, since you want the medium damp, not soaked. After a few grows, you will be able to tell the correct water content simply by looking or feeling it.
Keep up the good work!
 
Knifemaker

Knifemaker

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Not much has changed since yesterday,
Zkittles is looking ok, slowly standing up to face the light. Gelato has taken the lead from NL as biggest of the trio.
NL is looking a bit droopy, I think because the promix was a bit wetter than the other 2 pots haven't given them a drop of water since they stood up and wont give any untill they really need it. When I do water I will water in a ring about 2 inches around the plant to make the roots search for the water.

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Jimster

Jimster

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They all look good. When I plant in Promix, it maintains a nice balance of moisture without being over-wet. By pre-watering the Promix really well a few days before planting, the seedlings sort of chase the moisture as it slowly dries out from the top down. This is why I don't water them for a few weeks as Promix will hold the water for weeks without preventing enough oxygen from interacting with the medium and the roots. By the feel of it you can tell that there is a lot of air/O2 mixed in with the Promix itself, so I like it for the ease of use. I don't need to worry about Ph or other issues as long as I don't add anything to it to mess up it's properties. FWIW, I mix composted manure and a little wood ashes in with the Promix. The idea behind that is to supply calcium, Iron, and micronutrients that plants need in addition to the standard N-P-K nutrients.
 
Knifemaker

Knifemaker

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At what temperature do I need to start worrying about it being too hot for the girls? It was 88°f in the tent when I looked in on them this morning.
I opened the window in the room the then lives in but it was only 41°f outside this morning. Hope it doesnt get too cool for them while I'm at work....
 
Jimster

Jimster

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88 is getting a little too high for my comfort zone, but they should be OK for the most part. Some say that they max temp should be 75, but many strains come from very warm areas, so it can depend on your strain. I used to hit 86 with no problems, such as hermaphrodites or stunted growth. If your plants are accustomed to higher temps, then they seem to do better than a plant that was raised at 72 then suddenly thrust into 88-90 degree heat. Keep enough ventilation going and you should be ok in my opinion.
 
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