Novice tent growers in need of advice

[ck876]

Hi,
I've grown autos in the past, using a light and filter in a cupboard and the garage, with great success. Because of how well this worked I've invested in a tent and all associated items but I've had 4 seeds germinate successfully but then die in the tent, would love to know what I'm doing wrong.
I have a secret jardin dark street small tent, there's an intake fan, exhaust fan with carbon filter, humidifier and a full spectrum led grow light (this is the same light I've used successfully in the past)
Auto was planted into its final pot, using 70% coco coir and 30% perlite. All 4 seeds germinated successfully in a propagator and the first 2 proper leaves came through on all. They went in the tent at this point but then died within a couple of days.
Would really like some insight from experienced tent growers, to point me in the right direction please

 

[ArtfulCodger]

Tough to say with certainty, but some things that can kill new seedlings include: very high light levels, insufficient or excessive watering, insufficient or excessive feeding, extreme temperatures, and extreme alkalinity or acidity in the water or media. Coco should be well-buffered, or it can play hell with nutrient uptake. There are some great tutorial articles about growing in coco on the "Coco for Cannabis" website. Just some ideas.

 

[ck876]

Tough to say with certainty, but some things that can kill new seedlings include: very high light levels, insufficient or excessive watering, insufficient or excessive feeding, extreme temperatures, and extreme alkalinity or acidity in the water or media. Coco should be well-buffered, or it can play hell with nutrient uptake. There are some great tutorial articles about growing in coco on the "Coco for Cannabis" website. Just some ideas.

Thanks a lot for the input, much appreciated. Do you have any suggestions for alternative soil? I've ordered a hygrometer and pH tester, hope that will shed some light on the problem.
The feed I've been using is canna bio vega for the veg stage and canna bio bloom booster for flowering phase however I hadn't put any on these seedlings yet, because I thought you had to wait a couple of weeks so it didn't overload the plant - is that right or should I have been feeding because of the coco?
Thanks again!

 

[PianoStan]

I'm certainly no master grower. I'm in the middle of growing my first plant, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt in this regard.

What method did you use to germinate the seeds? If it was the moist paper towel method (or something similar), the exposed root is extremely fragile, and can be seriously damaged even with careful treatment.

Also, from what I read before starting, auto-flowers don't respond well to the shock of transplanting. They suggest that you germinate in whatever pot that will be used for the final grow. I did that, and all went well. Except, in my zealousness to get the hydroponics started, I nearly drowned the plant.

What type of water are you using? Purified, filtered, or tap? Tap water (what I am forced to use) can have dangerously high amounts of dissolved solids in it that can inhibit nutrient uptake. It can also have ridiculously high pH. At least where a young pot plant is concerned. My tap water tends to average 8.5pH, and 250 PPM on the EC meter. Do you have a pH tester, and/or an EC meter?

What has surprised me most of all is just how quickly things happen with auto-flowers. They definitely need close and careful monitoring, but also patience in order to avoid panicking and harming their health in an attempt to correct a perceived problem. This has proven especially true for a novice such as myself.

Good luck.

 

[Brainpain]

Are the fans blowing on the seedlings?
How far away are the lights?
What is the temp in the tent?

 

[PianoStan]

Thanks a lot for the input, much appreciated. Do you have any suggestions for alternative soil? I've ordered a hygrometer and pH tester, hope that will shed some light on the problem.
The feed I've been using is canna bio vega for the veg stage and canna bio bloom booster for flowering phase however I hadn't put any on these seedlings yet, because I thought you had to wait a couple of weeks so it didn't overload the plant - is that right or should I have been feeding because of the coco?
Thanks again!

Did you use Cal/Mag in the germination phase? That is supposed to be super important for healthy root formation and growth.

Personally, I didn't have it, and didn't want to wait for it to get shipped to me, so I used a weak nutrient solution during germination. Seven days later, the plant (overnight) went from looking healthy and happy, to being "clawed" which I read to be a sign of Cal/Mag deficiency. Still not having Cal/Mag on hand, I started the hydroponics system to give it nutrients, and that is how I nearly drowned it the first time. It only took about 8 hours for the tips of the leaves to start to yellow. After turning off the hydro system, it took les than a day for the leaves to become un-clawed, and the plant just exploded in growth. This is what I mean by having patience to not panic and do more harm than good when issues are spotted.

 

[Newweed]

Tough to say with certainty, but some things that can kill new seedlings include: very high light levels, insufficient or excessive watering, insufficient or excessive feeding, extreme temperatures, and extreme alkalinity or acidity in the water or media. Coco should be well-buffered, or it can play hell with nutrient uptake. There are some great tutorial articles about growing in coco on the "Coco for Cannabis" website. Just some ideas.

I’m also interested in learning how to trim, what to cut and what not to cut., Mike

 

[ArtfulCodger]

Thanks a lot for the input, much appreciated. Do you have any suggestions for alternative soil? I've ordered a hygrometer and pH tester, hope that will shed some light on the problem.
The feed I've been using is canna bio vega for the veg stage and canna bio bloom booster for flowering phase however I hadn't put any on these seedlings yet, because I thought you had to wait a couple of weeks so it didn't overload the plant - is that right or should I have been feeding because of the coco?
Thanks again!

It all works. I've been growing in coco, but have used peat-based soils in the past. Cannabis seeds have enough stored energy in them to pop, and then to push out the cotyledons. After that, they need to be fed, either from nutrients in the media or from some sort of fertilizer. Unless it's an amended product like Fox Farm's Coco Loco, coco coir is inert, so it needs to be fed when (preferably before) the on-board "food" runs out. When I pop seeds in coco, I start feeding as soon as true leaves begin to form...usually around a week in.

 

[Newweed]

It’s the big fans at the top like in my picture. Do I just cut them off?

 

[Natep]

Hi,
I've grown autos in the past, using a light and filter in a cupboard and the garage, with great success. Because of how well this worked I've invested in a tent and all associated items but I've had 4 seeds germinate successfully but then die in the tent, would love to know what I'm doing wrong.
I have a secret jardin dark street small tent, there's an intake fan, exhaust fan with carbon filter, humidifier and a full spectrum led grow light (this is the same light I've used successfully in the past)
Auto was planted into its final pot, using 70% coco coir and 30% perlite. All 4 seeds germinated successfully in a propagator and the first 2 proper leaves came through on all. They went in the tent at this point but then died within a couple of days.
Would really like some insight from experienced tent growers, to point me in the right direction please

What did you feed the plants? The seeds have enough nutrient to get them sprouted. The coco doesn’t have anything to keep the plants going.

 

[Kamisama]

U need to feed em every day in coco with watering, best with lil bit if flush, fully water whole pot. How big is your pot?
What are the lvls of your EC, PH, temp, RH?
What light do u use, how high its above canopy, does it run on 100% strenght?
Dont use strong wind with that fun on small plants.

Maybe heat, high humidity could be your problem, been there :D
Do u use dome?

 

[ck876]

I'm certainly no master grower. I'm in the middle of growing my first plant, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt in this regard.

What method did you use to germinate the seeds? If it was the moist paper towel method (or something similar), the exposed root is extremely fragile, and can be seriously damaged even with careful treatment.

Also, from what I read before starting, auto-flowers don't respond well to the shock of transplanting. They suggest that you germinate in whatever pot that will be used for the final grow. I did that, and all went well. Except, in my zealousness to get the hydroponics started, I nearly drowned the plant.

What type of water are you using? Purified, filtered, or tap? Tap water (what I am forced to use) can have dangerously high amounts of dissolved solids in it that can inhibit nutrient uptake. It can also have ridiculously high pH. At least where a young pot plant is concerned. My tap water tends to average 8.5pH, and 250 PPM on the EC meter. Do you have a pH tester, and/or an EC meter?

What has surprised me most of all is just how quickly things happen with auto-flowers. They definitely need close and careful monitoring, but also patience in order to avoid panicking and harming their health in an attempt to correct a perceived problem. This has proven especially true for a novice such as myself.

Good luck.

Thanks for your reply. I germinated in the final pot (not had success in the past with the paper towel method) and I've been using tap water, I've just ordered a pH monitor so I'll check the levels. I think we're in a fairly soft water area not sure if that affects it?
How've you found hydroponics? Minus the near drowning

 

[ck876]

Are the fans blowing on the seedlings?
How far away are the lights?
What is the temp in the tent?

I have a desktop fan blowing on the lowest settings across the top of the pot (i read somewhere that you need a gentle breeze to strengthen the stem, not sure if that's correct?) and the intake fan doesn't seem to be hitting the plant. The light is 50cm from the lip of the pot. The temperature was 21/22°. The humidifier I have in there didn't seem to be making much of a difference to the hygrometer, I don't know if the intake fan was blowing it too much, not sure how to solve that one

 

[ck876]

Did you use Cal/Mag in the germination phase? That is supposed to be super important for healthy root formation and growth.

Personally, I didn't have it, and didn't want to wait for it to get shipped to me, so I used a weak nutrient solution during germination. Seven days later, the plant (overnight) went from looking healthy and happy, to being "clawed" which I read to be a sign of Cal/Mag deficiency. Still not having Cal/Mag on hand, I started the hydroponics system to give it nutrients, and that is how I nearly drowned it the first time. It only took about 8 hours for the tips of the leaves to start to yellow. After turning off the hydro system, it took les than a day for the leaves to become un-clawed, and the plant just exploded in growth. This is what I mean by having patience to not panic and do more harm than good when issues are spotted.

No I didn't use anything when germinating, just left it to do it's thing. Ive got some bone meal and mycorrhizal fungi but wasn't sure if they were suitable so didn't use them in the end.
Sorry, bit ignorant - what's cal/mag?

 

[ck876]

It all works. I've been growing in coco, but have used peat-based soils in the past. Cannabis seeds have enough stored energy in them to pop, and then to push out the cotyledons. After that, they need to be fed, either from nutrients in the media or from some sort of fertilizer. Unless it's an amended product like Fox Farm's Coco Loco, coco coir is inert, so it needs to be fed when (preferably before) the on-board "food" runs out. When I pop seeds in coco, I start feeding as soon as true leaves begin to form...usually around a week in

I had no idea about any of that, thank you! I think I'm going to go back to a soil and try again, maybe try the coco when I've grasped it a bit better. Is there a fertiliser that's best?

 

[ck876]

What did you feed the plants? The seeds have enough nutrient to get them sprouted. The coco doesn’t have anything to keep the plants going.

Feel a bit daft after these replies for not knowing there were no nutrients in the coco it's no wonder my plants failed!

 

[ck876]

U need to feed em every day in coco with watering, best with lil bit if flush, fully water whole pot. How big is your pot?
What are the lvls of your EC, PH, temp, RH?
What light do u use, how high its above canopy, does it run on 100% strenght?
Dont use strong wind with that fun on small plants.

Maybe heat, high humidity could be your problem, been there :D
Do u use dome?

Thanks for the reply, I'm definitely thinking the lack of feeding was the problem. I had a dome over the plant until the first leaves came out then removed it, it definitely worked up to that point. I'm not sure the humidifier I have is doing much, the hygrometer was reading 45%, and temp was 21/22°.
I bought the light ages ago so can't remember the spec other than it's full spectrum and it's 50cm from the top of the pot. Pot is 20l.

 

[ArtfulCodger]

I had no idea about any of that, thank you! I think I'm going to go back to a soil and try again, maybe try the coco when I've grasped it a bit better. Is there a fertiliser that's best?

Nope. Any balanced line will work, if you're in the neighborhood of what the plants want in terms of feed strength.

 

[PianoStan]

Thanks for your reply. I germinated in the final pot (not had success in the past with the paper towel method) and I've been using tap water, I've just ordered a pH monitor so I'll check the levels. I think we're in a fairly soft water area not sure if that affects it?
How've you found hydroponics? Minus the near drowning

Hydroponics has been a bit of an adventure. Mostly because I thought that it would be as simple as plugging the system in, and making sure that it didn't run out of nutrient water. But nothing has been that easy! lol My plant is (technically) in week 4 post germination. With each new week I have tried to start the hydro system, and nearly drowned the plant! Then, when week 4 started, I decided that I wasn't gonna try the hydro system. So, I just kept watering the coco as necessary via a measuring cup. On W4-D2 at 1530 hours, the plant looked lush and vibrant. At 2030 hours, it looked completely wilted so I plugged in the hydro, and by 0600 of W4-D3 the plant was looking lush and had grown 3 inches taller with several new branches started.

They say that auto-flowers have been crossed with ruderalis, but I'm like 80% convinced that they've actually been crossed with crystal meth!

But, at the same time, I have a history of killing any plant that entered my house within a month, and this little plant has just thrived for the most part. All of its troubles have come from me fumbling around trying to fix a problem that I'm not even sure existed. I doubt that it will yield very much in the end. But to me that's irrelevant. I've proven to myself that I can grow one, and that's the main purpose of this grow. But the grow tent kit that I bought had an underpowered light to start the grow, the exhaust fan seems to be so powerful that I can't keep the humidity even close to right, and my ineptitude with the hydro system probably stressed the plant some.

Anyway here is what it looked like last Tuesday:

And here is what it looks like today:

 

[PianoStan]

No I didn't use anything when germinating, just left it to do it's thing. Ive got some bone meal and mycorrhizal fungi but wasn't sure if they were suitable so didn't use them in the end.
Sorry, bit ignorant - what's cal/mag?

Cal/Mag is short for Calcium/Magnesium. They are vital to promote healthy root growth during germination. I didn't know that until it was pointed out to me by a couple of people on this forum. I was in too big of a hurry to follow their advice with this grow, but I will definitely be using that as my starter solution for my next plant.

For the record, I too used coco. I soaked the coco in a weak nutrient solution when rehydrating it. Then I mixed mycorrhizal into the moist coco. Then, instead of using perlite, I mixed the coco with the expanded ceramic pebbles that came with my tent kit. It all worked out, but it could have just as easily gone bad because I didn't keep feeding nutrient water to the coco every day. One of those things that noobs have to learn through experience.