Seedling Conditions

[Bashar Assad]

I've been scouring Google for the last few days about the growing conditions for seedling cannabis and I'm still a bit unsure of what to do now that my seeds have germinated.


First I'll list my set up:


Germination/seedling area

-2'x3'x6' mylar lined closet with sliding door

-18'x20'x12' Tupperware humidifier

-12" oscillating fan

-2x24" full sprectrum florescent tubes 860 lux w/reflective hood


This is my situation. I have two seeds that I planted 3 days ago that are just starting to poke out of their 1,5" rock wool cubes. They are kept in the humidity dome with an average temp of 78*F and average %rh of 82%.


I've read a lot of conflicting information and articles so I'm a little confused now. This is what I believe I'm to do.


Take the lid off of the dome and put the lights about 8" - 12" above the plants.


Run the lights on a 18/6 schedule.


Use the fan to circulate air in the closet and to gently blow on the seedlings to promote stem strength.


Keep the temp at approx 74-78*F.


Once seedlings roots poke out of sides of cube move to tent.


I'm not sure as to what the %rh should be kept at as without the lid on the Tupperware and the lights on the humidity will go down a lot. I've read conflicting information, some articles say 80-90% rh others say that a high humidity for the seedlings will cause water logging.


So is this right what I've figured out? Most of my info is from the medical Marijuana growing bible. I just don't want to kill my babies.


Assad

 

[latewood]

Get them under the 2 x 24" flouro lamps immediately. Lower the lamps to about 2-3" from the tops. This will allow roots to form and keep the nodes tight as the seedling develops. :)

 

[Bashar Assad]

Okay that's what I thought I should do. I'm just heading out to the hardware store to pick up what I need.

I also have a bit of a problem now.... :/
I checked my little seedlings this morning and one of them managed to heave itself out of the rw cube part way and now is growing on its side. I don't want to try and pick it up and adjust it because I could damage the tap root or the stem. What I was think was I could place a light a bit to high above it and try to get it to adjust itself towards the light and get it to stretch towards it. I would put a prop in the cube first and carefully orientate it upwards to help it out.

Does that sound like it might be a good idea? .

Also the growing conditions right now are 77*F and 30% RH with no lights on, is that viable?

I'll post a pic when I get home.

 

[Bashar Assad]

Alright I got a few things from Wal mart and rona and just finished setting them up I'm my germination closet.

So I bought.....

Three 40 watt, 4100k, cool white, 150 watt equivalent, 2600 lumens cfl's

Three 4' power cords w/light socket and clamp

I reset up my seedling room as follows.....

I took out the led and hung up the three 40w cfl's 6" directly above the seedlings. Then I put the 12" fan on the floor directly pointed at the cfl's about 6" away. I took a 4" high powered mini fan and zipped it to a hanger bar in the closet and pointed it diagonally at the cfl's and having the breeze sway the seedlings. The cfl's are on a timer on a 18/6 schedule and the fan are always on. In the seedlings container is a dish of water to keep the humidity at a viable level.

With lights on and fans on with an ambient air temp of 78*F the plants container is at 81*F and 40%RH.

Is this set up alright?

(The tubes and reflector get here on Wednesday and I managed to prop the seedling up with a plant tie looped into a u shape)

 

[latewood]

No. You need light close to the sprout that crawled out. It cam out seeking light.

I usually just leave them to find their roots, when this happens, and hope for the best.

 

[Bashar Assad]

Okay I've got it set up I think to exactly how I want it and how to get these plants happy!

I took out the cfl's as they caused the temp at seed level too hot and put in my T8's.

I'm using two 5000k, full spectrum, 800 lumens T8's on a balast and reflector hood about 2" above the seedling. The temp on average is 78*F and %rh averages 65%. I have a 12" fan blowing air from the opening of the sliding door closet towards the exit of the sliding door about 3.5' away. Then I have a 4" fan blow about 5" away from the seedling tray pointed between the seedling and the tubes. I keep a cool mist humidifier in the closet running 24/7. The walls and sliding door of the closet are covered in in mylar from the floor 5' up. The lights run 18/6 and I run an ac in the room from when I wake up to around 12am, so it's on during the hotter part of the day when ambient air temperatures hit 82*F at least.

So I think once I germinate seeds in my humidifier in my germinating closet the seedlings will be in a good place to grow. I just got 3 star ryders from dutch passion today. So I did some cubes in pH 5.7 water for 7 hours and planted then pointy side down 1/4" in them. I put them in my dome in my germinating closet at 80*F and 84% rh. I figured that I'd try 5 seeds right now and take the 2 strongest seedlings out of whatever germinates. Figured I'd rather just do all my seeds now that I've got my set up figured out for seedlings and how to do the seedlings properly, I might as well potentially waste a few seedlings cuz I can't fit em in the tent. Cuz otherwise if I just do say two at a time cuz that's all the space I have In the tent and they don't work out I'll have to start all over again with another two and wait another few weeks to see if the next ones work out.

 

[Bashar Assad]

I was going to transfer the 1" cube into hydroton in a basket in my bucket after roots start popping out of the sides. I've mucked around with a few seeds for fun before and after they were big enough I put them in hydroton in a 6" net basket in a 5 gallon bucket fed by a drip ring periodically and I got it to grow pretty well doing that. I axed the plant after it got about 6" tall cuz I wanted to do it seriously so I think that way is viable.

Plus in another thread I have here a few of the members told me going from the cubes to the basket is fine. I don't really want to use soil or anything cuz that's no fun I wanna do hydroponics.

For the fans they don't blow the seedling to the point where the seedling is wiggling back and forth; they just gently giggle back and forth a bit. The big fan is above the seedling and more or less is blowing g the hot air that rises in the closet out. It's not blowing on the lights or seedlings. The 4" fan is just a dinky little fan and makes just a gentle breeze, just enough to lower the seedling level temp and hardly move the plant.

 

[latewood]

I always start my genetics in rockwool cubes, and trans plant into hydroton in netpots. Best way to do it! Grow with confidence. Anyone tells you different is wrong! Especially if you are going to use a bubbler. Peace

 

[latewood]

Okay I've got it set up I think to exactly how I want it and how to get these plants happy!

I took out the cfl's as they caused the temp at seed level too hot and put in my T8's.

I'm using two 5000k, full spectrum, 800 lumens T8's on a balast and reflector hood about 2" above the seedling. The temp on average is 78*F and %rh averages 65%. I have a 12" fan blowing air from the opening of the sliding door closet towards the exit of the sliding door about 3.5' away. Then I have a 4" fan blow about 5" away from the seedling tray pointed between the seedling and the tubes. I keep a cool mist humidifier in the closet running 24/7. The walls and sliding door of the closet are covered in in mylar from the floor 5' up. The lights run 18/6 and I run an ac in the room from when I wake up to around 12am, so it's on during the hotter part of the day when ambient air temperatures hit 82*F at least.

So I think once I germinate seeds in my humidifier in my germinating closet the seedlings will be in a good place to grow. I just got 3 star ryders from dutch passion today. So I did some cubes in pH 5.7 water for 7 hours and planted then pointy side down 1/4" in them. I put them in my dome in my germinating closet at 80*F and 84% rh. I figured that I'd try 5 seeds right now and take the 2 strongest seedlings out of whatever germinates. Figured I'd rather just do all my seeds now that I've got my set up figured out for seedlings and how to do the seedlings properly, I might as well potentially waste a few seedlings cuz I can't fit em in the tent. Cuz otherwise if I just do say two at a time cuz that's all the space I have In the tent and they don't work out I'll have to start all over again with another two and wait another few weeks to see if the next ones work out.

Sounds to me like you have it about figured out. I look forward to hearing of your success. :)

 

[Bashar Assad]

Well my star ryders just pop'd last night! Moved them into the seedling closet and they are looking great and healthy. The seedling closet averages 78*F and 65% rh. Looks like it's gonna be a great time growing.