Help With My First Af Grow

[crags82]

Hi everyone. I have a Dinafem Blue Amnesia XXL that has had very slow growth in the last few days. It was germinated prior to putting in soil one week ago. It did not take too long to come through the dirt but seems to now be at a stand still. Its under 2-40 W CFL at the moment. At approx day 4 I moved the light to within a couple inches as the little girl was stretched out (searching for the light from what I've been reading). Added more soil around her as well so the stem wasn't as high. I'm not sure if I have over watered or under. My moisture meter is reading "moist" and no nutes as of yet.

I have to admit I have recently had to move it outside in a shed(i live in Canada and it's still quite cold out) but have a space heater running.

Is it dying? Will it start to grow any bigger? I really want this plant to grow, I am a noob so I'm sure I have messed up somewhere along the line. Exactly one week in and I'm stressed already

Any help/suggestions would be much appreciated

 

[geologic]

You have to upload you pics here--
not link to them from elsewhere...

 

[crags82]

You have to upload you pics here--
not link to them from elsewhere...

here it is

 

[geologic]

All I know is,
they're slow when they're wet--
and/or cold...

 

[crags82]

All I know is,
they're slow when they're wet--
and/or cold...

any idea if it will end up dying or should I wait it out?? I would think it would have did off by now but I'm not sure

 

[geologic]

I looks fine to me,
but I grow natural outdoor;
maybe somebody who does lights can help...

 

[crags82]

I looks fine to me,
but I grow natural outdoor;
maybe somebody who does lights can help...

thanks

I have been using distilled water as well which I'm now reading...may not have been a good idea

 

[Wee Zard]

Should have started her in a much smaller container. A plastic beer cup works well.
That huge container will be extremely hard to water properly.
Meh, add no more water for the next week or so and keep your fingers crossed. :)
Cannabis needs a wet/dry cycle to build a large root ball.

Aloha,
Weezard

 

[crags82]

Should have started her in a much smaller container. A plastic beer cup works well.
That huge container will be extremely hard to water properly.
Meh, add no more water for the next week or so and keep your fingers crossed. :)
Cannabis needs a wet/dry cycle to build a large root ball.

Aloha,
Weezard

Much appreciated advice..I guess I cant help but put some water down if I see dry soil...really hope this girl works out..she is getting 24 hours of light right now. I think I will switch to good old tap water as well

 

[geologic]

Folks have suggested a fan also--
in similar situations...

 

[3N1GM4]

Should have started her in a much smaller container. A plastic beer cup works well.
That huge container will be extremely hard to water properly.
Meh, add no more water for the next week or so and keep your fingers crossed. :)
Cannabis needs a wet/dry cycle to build a large root ball.

Aloha,
Weezard

Dinafem amnesia xxl is an autoflowering plant which should be started in the pot it will finish in.

Ime autos stay short while they establish root structure and then take off with explosive growth, especially if given 20 or more hours of intense light a day.

 

[3N1GM4]

Much appreciated advice..I guess I cant help but put some water down if I see dry soil...really hope this girl works out..she is getting 24 hours of light right now. I think I will switch to good old tap water as well

I would just water in a circle around the plant, not soaking the dirt but leaving a dry spot on th inside and outside of the pot making a donut shape wet spot when watering. Not soaking the spot right near the plant should help encourage the roots to grow in search of more water. Once the plant starts budding you should soak the dirt completely and let it get almost dry b4 watering again.

 

[crags82]

Dinafem amnesia xxl is an autoflowering plant which should be started in the pot it will finish in.

Ime autos stay short while they establish root structure and then take off with explosive
growth, especially if given 20 or more hours of intense light a day.

I'm basing the growth so far off what I've seen online comparing one week old seedlings to mine. Mostly every example I've seen has many more leaves by now. I'm wondering if the slow growth has anything to do with the fact I think I had the lights too far away to start and she got very tall too quickly. Possibly used up a lot of energy already.

I'm now thinking I may switch up the bulbs to a higher wattage but stay with the CFL's. I started in a 5 gallon pot because in your statement, they should be started in their finishing pot from what I have read.

I'm hearing so many conflicting tips that I now wonder whether I shoul let it sit for a week or so before I water again at all. I did soak the medium before I dropped the germinated seed in and I've watered off and on since. One week and one day so far.

Would you think it has anything to do with using distilled water from t start and should I let it dry up and use bottled water going forward?

Thanks for your advice, I'll take anything right now.

"Patience is a virtue"- my mom lol

 

[xavier7995]

If you stick your finger an inch or so down into the soil, does it feel moist? If so, dont water, the top layer can be deceiving, particularly in this case where you have a big ol container and a little bitty plant. Right now, the plant is just too small to really need all the moisture available in that big bucket o dirt, so it just chills and will evaporate naturally.

Do you have quite a few holes on the bottom of your container to allow water to flow out? If not, you will need to drill some, that will help. I would expect your plant to take off once the soil dries to an acceptable level, keeping temps up as well. Last grow I had a little fellow that stayed as a tiny sprout like that for 3+ weeks, didn't die so I just kept lightly watering it and then eventually it took off and caught up to everything else. Bumping up wattage is pretty much always a good thing.

edit: you could do a light feeding, like under 1/4 strength of what you would give a regular plant, but it probably isn't necessary and the plant can pull what it needs from the soil, it should have some nutrient content.

 

[crags82]

Great advice. Thanks!! I currently have 150W cfls over her now. Also put her in a small grow box made from an cabinet with a fan running inside. Because it has to be outside in a shed(up here in Canada temps are not ideal to say the least)I am running a small space heater through one of the slightly open cabinet doors. Last I checked the thermometer it was showing approx 26 degrees. I haven't put any water on for a couple days, when I dipped my finger in last night the soil was moist enough that some stuck to my finger. I'm going to let the entire pot dry out a bit before adding any more water. Also will stop usin distilled and go to reg tap or bottled water.

Will keep updating

 

[crags82]

This is the little sprout as of last night

 

[crags82]

Hey everyone. Quick question...

I'm still battling cold outdoor temps up here so I've been blowing hot air from a space heater into the slightly open cabinet door which has beenkeeping temps around the low to mid 70's. My problem is I am not only worried about a fire hazard(running it 24hrs) but my hydro bill. My humidity has also gotten as high as only 24%.

I have went out and purchased a warm mist humidifier that will fit inside the cabinet and should allow me to fully close both doors. Does anyone have any experience with these and would you think the warm mist is enough to bring the temps up as well as humidity?

This may not be a normal situation but I'm just looking for some advice and or past experience.

Thanks

Pic as of this afternoon

 

[crags82]

This is 1 week and 4 days in.

 

[crags82]

I've been running the 2x150 W CFL 24 hours for approx 3 days now. I hear it wouldn't be be bad idea to go with a 18/6 light sched to give the little one a rest, woul that be ok at this point and disrupt the current sched? Also have not watered for a few days, first couple inches of soil still moist but I may do a light watering in a circle around the plant soon.

Any thoughts or insight?

 

[Wee Zard]

The cotyledons are still fat and healthy, that means she needs nothing but time.
Most new grows get killed with kindness
A little benign neglect is the best course now.
When she stops growing roots, she will put her energy into above ground growth.
The waiting is the hardest part. :)

Aloha,
Weezard