Its hard to weed through info

[phillyguy]

This being my second try at seeds is really frustrating. The biggest learning curve for me is lighting. Different height suggestions of light. Different intensities. I know this is how the internet works but that doesn't make it less frustrating. My current grow is at least 3 to 4 weeks old. I was told to have my 450 watt light 32" above at intensity level 3 or 4. I think my soil has to much drainage to. Can anything be done with these? There stretched further than my bank account.

 

[phillyguy]

Gotta love the dinosaur holding up a plant. Lol

 

[Asmodeus]

Love the triceratops lol!

You really dont need much light for seedlings. I just use little fluorescents and does just fine

 

[ArtfulCodger]

Treating the 420 internet like an information buffet can drive you crazy. My advice is to find a content creator who grows gardens you'd want, in the style you want to grow in, and who teaches well...and then do exactly what they teach. I did that with Welcome to the Growtent (indoor, synthetic nutes in amended soil), and it worked out great. Mr. Canucks does great stuff with organic. So does Build-a-Soil. Bill Ward is excellent with autoflowers. Dawgo the Hutt and Coco for Cannabis are great with coco coir. There are more.

 

[Gmix]

This being my second try at seeds is really frustrating. The biggest learning curve for me is lighting. Different height suggestions of light. Different intensities. I know this is how the internet works but that doesn't make it less frustrating. My current grow is at least 3 to 4 weeks old. I was told to have my 450 watt light 32" above at intensity level 3 or 4. I think my soil has to much drainage to. Can anything be done with these? There stretched further than my bank account.

You can buy a light meter that reads par but they are expensive
If your a math guy you can get a free app that reads lux and convert that to par however that will only give you a idea you still need to use your eye.


24-36” is the right recommendation depending on age and height.

Sounds like someone’s taken veg height and applied it to seedlings.

We don’t run leds at max because there to intense and burn the plants hence being told to dim it. That parts right.

I know the information on the net can get very confusing and contradictory.

I just re read they are three weeks old your definitely overwatering they should starting veg growth, there tiny for three weeks bud they still look a week old seedlings let them dry and good luck

Good luck

 

[Oldchucky]

From the looks of those, in my opinion, you could drop that light down closer! That’s one of the advantages of using fluorescent or LED shop lights! You can drop them down right on top of the plants and manage the stretch better. That’s a little tougher to do with a 400 W grow light. But that stretch can be dealt with when you up pot.

 

[Newty]

I've transplanted seedlings that showed signs of being over watered into containers a little bigger then what they were in with fresh/dryer soil. I would normally see improvement within 30 hours of doing so.

 

[Budtirement]

That is odd that they are small for 3-4 weeks, but leggy in itself is really not an issue because you can carefully transplant them into a bigger container and plant them deeper so only an inch of stem is above the soil. The part of the stem that is below ground will grow roots over time.

The cause of leggy seedlings is not enough light. If a seedling isn't getting enough light it tries to grow taller to get closer to the light source. I think everyone would tell you to give them more light. If your unsure you could do an experiment and without changing the light, put some of your cups on a box so that they are 20 inches from the light and some others at 15 inches and see what happens. I'm pretty sure you'll see the plants closer to the light will take off.

There are light meter apps for your phone that are about $10 so you can use your phones camers to check to see what range of PPFD/DLI you're giving your plants. If your guessing about PPFD you could be guessing wrong and have problems. Did you buy your light new? It should come with a PPFD map in the instructions that will tell you the approximate light intensity for various heights and give you some info on calculating the changes when adjusting the intensity knob.. You can also usually find this info online by doing a search for your make and model light. A modest PPFD for seedlings is 300 but they can do well with more. Once they get going you increase how much they get to 400, then 500, and so on. It won't take long for you to read up on the subject and start to understand PPFD and it is important to get a handle on it if your growing inside with artificial light and are having problems. A 450 watt light is enviable and you should be able to get a lot out of it once you figure out the basics.

Keep up the good work and keep asking questions.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

This being my second try at seeds is really frustrating.

Been there. IMO, starting seeds could be one of the most challenging parts of growing.

The biggest learning curve for me is lighting. Different height suggestions of light. Different intensities. I know this is how the internet works but that doesn't make it less frustrating. My current grow is at least 3 to 4 weeks old. I was told to have my 450 watt light 32" above at intensity level 3 or 4.

Your little plants look good, except for the stretching. Stretching like they're doing is usually an indicator they don't have enough light. The best way to adjust the light is to understand the plants. They have ways of telling us if they need more or less intense light. The most powerful light I have is 240 watts and I start plants as low as it will go and gradually increase it as the plant grows.

I think my soil has too much drainage too.

That's not likely. Cannabis likes well-drained soil. Just let them dry out for a while. You could poke some holes near the bottom of those cups and aim a fan over the tops of the plants to get some air movement.

Can anything be done with these? There stretched further than my bank account.

I think so. I don't like to give up on any plant. The stems can be buried almost up to the cotyledons. They can root from the stem.

 

[Greenjourneyman]

This being my second try at seeds is really frustrating. The biggest learning curve for me is lighting. Different height suggestions of light. Different intensities. I know this is how the internet works but that doesn't make it less frustrating. My current grow is at least 3 to 4 weeks old. I was told to have my 450 watt light 32" above at intensity level 3 or 4. I think my soil has to much drainage to. Can anything be done with these? There stretched further than my bank account.

When you go to transplant into your next pot size you can bury those leggy stems and reset their height. Use a gallon pot or bigger and you should have no problem having all those seedlings be the same height with leave much closer to the soil level.

 

[Mikedin]

Gotta love the dinosaur holding up a plant. Lol

First thing I saw haha,

Yes the seedlings can be saved, you want to transplant them deep so you can bury the excess stem
I usually use that as an opportunity to even the plants out during the first transplant anyways to try and keep my planned canopy top even

Treating the 420 internet like an information buffet can drive you crazy. My advice is to find a content creator who grows gardens you'd want, in the style you want to grow in, and who teaches well...and then do exactly what they teach. I did that with Welcome to the Growtent (indoor, synthetic nutes in amended soil), and it worked out great. Mr. Canucks does great stuff with organic. So does Build-a-Soil. Bill Ward is excellent with autoflowers. Dawgo the Hutt and Coco for Cannabis are great with coco coir. There are more.

agreed with Mr. Canucks, I’m also a Gaia green base organic grower one of the main reasons I gave the Gaia a try and haven’t turned back, and he explains stuff pretty detailed but not too overwhelming for beginners

 

[phillyguy]

stretching. Stretching like they're doing is usually an indicator they don't have enough light. The best way to adjust the light is to understand the plants. They have ways of telling us if they need more or less intense light. The most powerful light I have is 240 watts and I start plants as low as it will go and gradually increase it as the plant grows.

I was told to start out at 3 or 4 on my light.
I turned my light down to one to hope it helps. Then gradually increase from this point

 

[phillyguy]

First thing I saw haha,

agreed with Mr. Canucks, I’m also a Gaia green base organic grower one of the main reasons I gave the Gaia a try and haven’t turned back, and he explains stuff pretty detailed but not too overwhelming for beginners

how long does the container of Gaia green last. You say as a base. Does it mean you add more nutes than this?

 

[phillyguy]

Would it be worth getting out my little t5 and using that for a while?

 

[Bilber]

Hey philly.....seen the title....had to post.....there is soooo much information out there....when you find one subject, and it has🕳 🕳 🕳 🕳 🕳s everywhere, it can be ......t5 t8.....perfect for seedlings and light veg.....haha......this is my little flower area.....

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I was told to start out at 3 or 4 on my light.
I turned my light down to one to hope it helps. Then gradually increase from this point

I doubt there's such a thing as one-size-fits-all advice. There are too many variables for that. It does get easier, though, and seedling stretch isn't a big problem. The best thing to do is learn how these plants grow and what they need. That takes practice.

 

[budsofgeorgia]

how long does the container of Gaia green last. You say as a base. Does it mean you add more nutes than this?

i got a 22 lb bag of gaia green over a year ago and im still using it a 4 lb tub might last you 1.5 grows it all depends on how many plants you have

 

[mjvdet13]

This is whats terrible about growing. There are too many sources online giving out BS info that is so remarkably wrong its not even funny. Small disagreements in process are natural sure i get it but recently I saw a "pro" tell someone with a 5 gal pot v large room to keep it at 85temp 65-67rh during flower... So this leads me to believe that they are either being compensated for just tossing out info and harvesting fans or they havent actually grown before. I say this because anyone thats done this for any amount of time knows that it would probably take your pots 3 days to dry and your plants would soak up virtually none of the nutes.. anyways heres some help. I have 4 strains here popping from seed. they've been under 100ppfd the entire time from when i took them out of their container to dirt them until right now. paradise punch, london pound, green crack and planet of the grapes (yes i know all old schoolers.. im bringing them back)...

Is 100ppfd a defined rule? no you can go with 200. keeping your garden at consistent levels and giving it time to adjust is way more important..

When you move up to veg make sure you inch your ppfd up to that level. dont just blast them with 500ppfd of light and expect them not react.. move them up 100-150 or so.. that is far more important than what you move it to..

I do recommend getting a parmeter though if you havent yet.. one of the best investments I ever made and eliminates a ton of common unknowns regarding light issues.. the one in the photo is a cheapo from amazon and does exactly what it needs to.. $85

also fwiw don't get nervous about your seedlings/small clones. theres a long way from that point to the end product to create a beautiful healthy plant with some basic tlc. reason i mention that is I see a lot of beginners on here starting threads about overthinking seedlings or like 2 inch shorties.. dont worry dudes as long as they arent dead and fairly green worrying about every yellow spot isn't going to do anything but drive you nuts (spoken from personal experience). keep it properly watered with a good wet/dry cycle, mild light, light nutes and most other things are out of your control.

anyways are these the most healthy plants from seed on earth? probably not but they are good enough to rock a killer garden and thats the goal..

PS those plants are just fine.. just dont over water them.. thats your biggest battle at that stage

 

[budsofgeorgia]

Ya come out better asking the magic 8 ball

 

[lenhug]

This is whats terrible about growing. There are too many sources online giving out BS info that is so remarkably wrong its not even funny. Small disagreements in process are natural sure i get it but recently I saw a "pro" tell someone with a 5 gal pot v large room to keep it at 85temp 65-67rh during flower... So this leads me to believe that they are either being compensated for just tossing out info and harvesting fans or they havent actually grown before. I say this because anyone thats done this for any amount of time knows that it would probably take your pots 3 days to dry and your plants would soak up virtually none of the nutes.. anyways heres some help. I have 4 strains here popping from seed. they've been under 100ppfd the entire time from when i took them out of their container to dirt them until right now. paradise punch, london pound, green crack and planet of the grapes (yes i know all old schoolers.. im bringing them back)...

Is 100ppfd a defined rule? no you can go with 200. keeping your garden at consistent levels and giving it time to adjust is way more important..

When you move up to veg make sure you inch your ppfd up to that level. dont just blast them with 500ppfd of light and expect them not react.. move them up 100-150 or so.. that is far more important than what you move it to..

I do recommend getting a parmeter though if you havent yet.. one of the best investments I ever made and eliminates a ton of common unknowns regarding light issues.. the one in the photo is a cheapo from amazon and does exactly what it needs to.. $85

also fwiw don't get nervous about your seedlings/small clones. theres a long way from that point to the end product to create a beautiful healthy plant with some basic tlc. reason i mention that is I see a lot of beginners on here starting threads about overthinking seedlings or like 2 inch shorties.. dont worry dudes as long as they arent dead and fairly green worrying about every yellow spot isn't going to do anything but drive you nuts (spoken from personal experience). keep it properly watered with a good wet/dry cycle, mild light, light nutes and most other things are out of your control.

anyways are these the most healthy plants from seed on earth? probably not but they are good enough to rock a killer garden and thats the goal..

PS those plants are just fine.. just dont over water them.. thats your biggest battle at that stage

Got the same meter, highly recommend it. Then you'll know exactly where you are, guesstimates are not a winning solution...lol! Worked wonders for me. Or failing that at least use the photone app I think it is which has a free version and will give you a decent ballpark figure you can use.

Totally agree on the myriad of conflicting advice on the net. Hard to sort the wheat from the chaff when first starting out but you'll definitely get there and lots of great advice in this whole thread and site (and old heads) on here to help.

Good luck!