Green Algae or Mold inside of seedling cups

[Culymaan]

Hi everyone, thanks for the input as always. I just noticed a green algae or mold forming on the lower half of the inside of my seedling cups. I am using coco coir in 16 oz translucent cups with a ring of holes about 3/4" up the side as well as holes on the bottom. If anybody had this happen? Will it dry out on its own if I slack off the water? Should I change cups?
I noticed this just before their nap time, will up pics shortly.
I would also greatly appreciate some knowledge on the best way to water these babies.

Thanks to all

 

[william76]

Hi everyone, thanks for the input as always. I just noticed a green algae or mold forming on the lower half of the inside of my seedling cups. I am using coco coir in 16 oz translucent cups with a ring of holes about 3/4" up the side as well as holes on the bottom. If anybody had this happen? Will it dry out on its own if I slack off the water? Should I change cups?
I noticed this just before their nap time, will up pics shortly.
I would also greatly appreciate some knowledge on the best way to water these babies.

Thanks to all

Th

Hi everyone, thanks for the input as always. I just noticed a green algae or mold forming on the lower half of the inside of my seedling cups. I am using coco coir in 16 oz translucent cups with a ring of holes about 3/4" up the side as well as holes on the bottom. If anybody had this happen? Will it dry out on its own if I slack off the water? Should I change cups?
I noticed this just before their nap time, will up pics shortly.
I would also greatly appreciate some knowledge on the best way to water these babies.

Thanks to all

The green mould is due to light getting into the rootzone,if they're ready to transplant do it but not into translucent pots,if not ready for transplant then cover outside of pot with tape to keep light out and let rootzone dry for a day then back to normal waterings,good luck,76

 

[squiggly]

Do not grow in transluscent containers. Light must not make it into the root zone.

 

[Seamaiden]

Sorry, but that's incorrect. I've grown for years using all sorts of containers, including those that let in light. Yeah, some algae grows, it doesn't bother a thing. That's my direct experience.

 

[squiggly]

Sorry, but that's incorrect. I've grown for years using all sorts of containers, including those that let in light. Yeah, some algae grows, it doesn't bother a thing. That's my direct experience.

Light exhibits a growth inhibiting effect on the root caps of most plant species. Generally speaking, when you're growing a plant you're most concerned with growing its roots. Putting limitations on that growth in early stages of life is viewed as negative--and probably for good reason.

As with most biological systems they have adapted in the way they have very specifically. This is why we most often try our best to mimic natural conditions when growing indoors. It's why we carefully watch properties of water when raising specific types of fish, and so on.

I for one don't see a reason to reinvent the wheel here. Roots go in the ground (no light) everything else stays above. Ez pz.

 

[Seamaiden]

What happens when the algae grows? Do you think perhaps some light is blocked? I have never observed a set-back in growth from using translucent cups. :)

 

[zombywolf]

Why even bother with clear cups? Nothing will grow on the roots in color cups, so you wont create any problems.

 

[Dunge]

Task creep is a curse.
So the reason not to do something is because it's not needed.
Seamaiden may be wrong, but that's not the point.
She is reporting experience that does not line up with common practice.
This makes it more interesting.

 

[rollon]

u can buy 16 oz colored cups, put holes in bottom of them and insert your translucent cup inside it like when u buy them. will block all light and u can pull it out and observe algae and root zone as well as ur coco drying out. had a friend who liked to do this to watch rootgrowth when comparing root products. transplanting young seedlings from cups can be a risky business. peace

 

[william76]

u can buy 16 oz colored cups, put holes in bottom of them and insert your translucent cup inside it like when u buy them. will block all light and u can pull it out and observe algae and root zone as well as ur coco drying out. had a friend who liked to do this to watch rootgrowth when comparing root products. transplanting young seedlings from cups can be a risky business. peace

the green mould can affect your success rates with clones,and generall vigour in seedlings to if it gets out of hand,you can get it growing on your propagators too,a 5. Percent bleach abd water deals with that though,76

 

[rollon]

i only meant this for culymaan. my friend kept all light out except to sneak a peak at roots for a minute then put the cup back in the colored cup. algae robs oxygen. i dont germinate in cups anyway i like the larger square containers. i feel they are easier when it comes to watering.

 

[squiggly]

What happens when the algae grows? Do you think perhaps some light is blocked? I have never observed a set-back in growth from using translucent cups. :)

It'd be hard to observe such a thing. When I grow in dixie cups using cap's I generally get vigorous root growth along the entire outside of the cup. Up down and all around. Such growth would be limited by light.

Light causes growth inhibitors to build up in root tissue. To me it seems not a risk worth taking when transluscent cups cost essentially the same thing as do the opaque ones. Again, why reinvent the wheel?

 

[Culymaan]

Thanks everyone for the input, being a noob I was nervous. I transplanted 3 out of 6 to fresh cups, they seem to be doing just fine. They all look pretty healthy to me, I would greatly appreciate a look see.
Here are the facts

1st grow, well 2cnd if you want to count the 1st Fkup. New England grow
Tent in a shed outdoors
600 HPS in cool tube
400 HPS vertical supplemental (I cycle on/off)
Temp 75-81 degrees
RH 45-65%
Strait Coco Coir (Thanks Bozo)
Nothing but 6.0 ph water in the beginning / 1/4 strength Coco Canna after 3rd set of leaves, just now moving up to 1/2 strength
All are from seed, all are Ash )Af/skxAf/hz) except for the 1 marked SS (the only one that smells skunky already)
The big one is left over from my 1st attempt from a sprouted seedling into that 3 gl pot (one of my many noob mistakes, breaker blew, froze all except this guy)
I think they will be ready to transplant next week. I am setting up hempy buckets ( Thanks again Bozo)
Does anyone have an opinion on soaking the coco in a light nutrient solution to get it ready for transplanting?
Is there anything I should be aware of when prepping the pots?
One of my biggest fears is watering, I go out of town 2 days a week, I currently leave a little xtra water in the bottom of a dish or now another 20oz colored cup for them to drink up while I'm gone.
I'm thinking that's where the algae started.
The pics are not that great, I don't think it's the camera though. lol

I just want to say thank you to all on this forum, as I read through these pages I have learned so much more than just growing cannabis, through all of you I have grown myself. Thank You!

 

[Culymaan]

I'm not sure if the pics are ok, I can re up them if need be
Thanks

 

[Seamaiden]

Task creep is a curse.
So the reason not to do something is because it's not needed.
Seamaiden may be wrong, but that's not the point.
She is reporting experience that does not line up with common practice.
This makes it more interesting.

Thank you for picking up what I was putting down. I figure that *if* the light is 'causing' a problem, it's that the roots would be treating it like the soil surface and nothing more. Thing is, I've watched the roots circle in those cups, too, so.....??

This is just like the chicken raising dogma that insists, and I mean INSISTS that you CANNOT keep chicks with the rest of the flock because they'll kill them. Guess what I've done, and guess whose chick is fully integrated with the rest of the flock. ;)

It'd be hard to observe such a thing. When I grow in dixie cups using cap's I generally get vigorous root growth along the entire outside of the cup. Up down and all around. Such growth would be limited by light.

Light causes growth inhibitors to build up in root tissue. To me it seems not a risk worth taking when transluscent cups cost essentially the same thing as do the opaque ones. Again, why reinvent the wheel?

Why is it hard to observe germination times and rates? What's so hard about being able to compare that? I've been able to do that, and have used both types at the same time--no difference. See above rest of post. I think it's being anal at this point to insist one cannot use anything that might let light in. Maybe it's because I've not only never had a problem, but never seen a difference between plants started in a translucent cup vs non-translucent. Maybe you should try it yourself first before saying it "can't" be done.

 

[Dunge]

Back to the grow for a moment.
I don't like the looks of these plants.
At this early stage, to have any leaf curl or thicketform growth (as in last pic) is sub-optimal.
I too have Bozo to thank for my current single hempy bucket and MaxiBloom trial.
It's working like gang busters for me, but your plants need more help than I can offer.
Anybody know how to fix this, or is this common to coco growth?

As to the two day neglect: I'd consider automating watering with a pump on timer and drip ends. It's my understanding that coco will dry out if not watered often.

 

[Seamaiden]

Thanks everyone for the input, being a noob I was nervous. I transplanted 3 out of 6 to fresh cups, they seem to be doing just fine. They all look pretty healthy to me, I would greatly appreciate a look see.
Here are the facts

1st grow, well 2cnd if you want to count the 1st Fkup. New England grow
Tent in a shed outdoors
600 HPS in cool tube
400 HPS vertical supplemental (I cycle on/off)
Temp 75-81 degrees
RH 45-65%
Strait Coco Coir (Thanks Bozo)
Nothing but 6.0 ph water in the beginning / 1/4 strength Coco Canna after 3rd set of leaves, just now moving up to 1/2 strength
All are from seed, all are Ash )Af/skxAf/hz) except for the 1 marked SS (the only one that smells skunky already)
The big one is left over from my 1st attempt from a sprouted seedling into that 3 gl pot (one of my many noob mistakes, breaker blew, froze all except this guy)
I think they will be ready to transplant next week. I am setting up hempy buckets ( Thanks again Bozo)
Does anyone have an opinion on soaking the coco in a light nutrient solution to get it ready for transplanting?
Is there anything I should be aware of when prepping the pots?
One of my biggest fears is watering, I go out of town 2 days a week, I currently leave a little xtra water in the bottom of a dish or now another 20oz colored cup for them to drink up while I'm gone.
I'm thinking that's where the algae started.
The pics are not that great, I don't think it's the camera though. lolView attachment 406238View attachment 406239

I just want to say thank you to all on this forum, as I read through these pages I have learned so much more than just growing cannabis, through all of you I have grown myself. Thank You!

Well, the plants look fairly fine to me, so I'm not sure where or what the problem is outside the algae not being pretty. I would also be similarly concerned about watering with that small a volume and it being what appears to be rather course coir, which I don't believe holds as much moisture as finer coirs will.

I have many opinions, including on coir and on pre-charging. I use only Botanicare bricks, so they must be expanded and pre-charged before using. When I expand them, I do a slurry test to make sure they're already salt-free, then I use a mild vegging solution and 4x-5x the recommended dose of Ca of whatever Ca product I have on hand. My favorite so far is still BioLink 6% Ca.

Because of how I feed, I have been able to flood and drain my trays when I'm doing a coir SoG (sea of green) without any negative effects. That would be one good method for you. Also, it's important to understand that a greater volume won't dry out as quickly UNTIL the roots penetrate through the full volume of the media.

So! Quick down & dirty "dripper" can be made from some milk jugs or plastic buckets, basically anything that can hold water, be drilled and won't reject a silicone seal with an aquarium air valve sealed into it. You just drill a 1/4" hole as close to the bottom as you can, seal in the valve, attach some airline tubing, set your drip rate and you're off to the races. I would probably go for a rate slower than 1 drop/minute. I sure hope that made sense.

 

[Culymaan]

Thanks
I have ordered an Oasis gravity fed automated watering system for $70, I will play with it, document and share feeding, amounts, times and results. This is something I still struggled with as a noob, not knowing if I am watering correctly. Thank you Seamaiden for the info & the chart, I have referred to it often, plants seemed to be doing ok from what I can tell being a noob, they did have a slight curling and sharpening of the edges like poinsettia plants but I backed off nutes & heat from light and its almost cleared. Seamaide forgive me but when you refer to a vegging solution, do you mean coco canna or maxi grow for an example, plus an added amount of a product such as BioLink or Cal Mag? What happens after the roots penetrate through the media? do they drink directly from the bottom of the hempy bucket water? Does the volume of water uptake increase dramatically. Does any one have any advice on my left over plant from last try (last 2 pics) short, strong, bushy with a lot of under growth, can I or should I try to make it stretch?
This plant has been in that bucket since a seedling, I just keep watering & draining every 2 days for the last 8 weeks or so lol, it looks so healthy on top I'm not sure what to do with it.

 

[squiggly]

Why is it hard to observe germination times and rates? What's so hard about being able to compare that? I've been able to do that, and have used both types at the same time--no difference. See above rest of post. I think it's being anal at this point to insist one cannot use anything that might let light in. Maybe it's because I've not only never had a problem, but never seen a difference between plants started in a translucent cup vs non-translucent. Maybe you should try it yourself first before saying it "can't" be done.

What you'd be looking for is differences later in the life cycle stemming from stunted seedling root development (and the build up of anti-growth factors in root tissue--a known effect of exposing roots to light).

It shouldn't have any effect on germination.

I never said it couldn't be done (as your quotations would imply), I just wonder--given what is known about the effects of exposing roots to light--why it would be done.

I don't see the benefit, and there is good reason to believe there are attached negatives. In other words, its a superfluous addition and I'm in the better safe than sorry camp.

If these cups were innumerably cheaper than opaque ones, I suppose there might be a marginal benefit. To my knowledge, however, they aren't.

 

[Seamaiden]

What you'd be looking for is differences later in the life cycle stemming from stunted seedling root development (and the build up of anti-growth factors in root tissue--a known effect of exposing roots to light).

You mean observing the plant over its life cycle..? What about being able to see and directly compare amounts of leaf matter, canopy, overall size and health? What about being able to compare what we're really after, which are pounds per plant? You'd be surprised how little the cup of choice affects the final result, especially in relation to all other factors. It's silly that people get so caught up in this "Oh my God you can't let light in!" thing.

It shouldn't have any effect on germination.

I never said it couldn't be done (as your quotations would imply), I just wonder--given what is known about the effects of exposing roots to light--why it would be done.

I don't see the benefit, and there is good reason to believe there are attached negatives. In other words, its a superfluous addition and I'm in the better safe than sorry camp.

If these cups were innumerably cheaper than opaque ones, I suppose there might be a marginal benefit. To my knowledge, however, they aren't.[/quote]
Meh. I never said there was a benefit, I said I've seen it makes no difference. I call it "using what I have on hand" and that's how I started out. I'm not going to make a special order or drive 10mi+ to purchase less translucent cups if what I have on hand are clear or translucent. I betcha more light than folks think is getting through the colored cups, too.


Officially now, though, my very favorite are the brightly colored beer cups, that come in packages with four colors. Those, along with red, blue, and yes, even clear (which I still use to this day and can still see that it really makes no difference--this is not comparing black nursery pots, roots can burn up easily in those on hot days) IMMENSELY helps me with keeping myself marginally organized. :)