Novice Grower...Need Help With Seedlings

Sativica

Member
New Development:

Bad/Good news, my dad found my seedling in my closet today.
But he was totally cool with it and let me grow it outside from now on. ^^
This is great, because I had a terrible time caring for it and keeping it a secret.
Sunlight is faaaaaar superior to my trashy CFL and Foil setup.

Anyways, here are some pics I just took (Sunset).

Notice the new Container.
Very deep, very wide.
Clear so I can better gauge the amount of water in the soil and be more careful not to overwater.

The Seedling is a bit Wilty today.
Possibly from the lingering transplant shock, but more likely from my overwatering... -.-

I've learned my Lesson.

The new soil medium is a mix of sandy topsoil from our front yard and Miracle Grow Soil that has been filtered through a screen to remove most the bark and chunkiness.
I ended up putting in a handful or so of the more fine bark and added some Perlite to stave off compression.

A note on the transplanting, I noticed that the seedling was in fact rootbound as the roots had reached the bottom of that dreadful plastic container and were wrapped together.

I think it will be doing very well from here on out (as soon as the soil drains a bit more)
On that note, I know that many of you all have told me about how easy it can be to overwater seedlings.
I've read on more than one occasion that they should be watered only every 4-5 days.
To me, that is unheard of for any plant seedling...
How often should they be watered?

Does overwatering cause mild wilting/yellowing tips?

Attaching some new pics.
Enjoy and Comment!
 

Attachments

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
Overwatering, and underwatering causes leaves to wilt. :) Sucks doesnt it? You'll be fine outdoors now, let em grow let em grow let em grow! High 5 your dad. Hope you're at least 18 ;)
 

Sativica

Member
Overwatering, and underwatering causes leaves to wilt. :) Sucks doesnt it?
I know right....and yes, it sucks hard :/

I remember when the leaves looked much healthier.
Guess I've progressively become more lenient with watering.

I have a good feeling about the new pot though and the soil ^^
We'll be vegetative in no time (hopefully).

One more thing...
I started this little plant a little late in the season.
I live in Georgia and frosts don't usually hit until around november.

Obviously I won't have much vegetative growth before flowering time is here, so if the plant is still really small, will it still flower?
Or does the plant need to be a certain size/age to flower?
 

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member
I haven't checked the water, although I do have some pH test strips for testing pool water.

The water I use is tap water from our kitchen sink.
I fill up a small spray bottle, and give them a few sprays at the base of their stems when the surface is clearly dried out.
Just enough to soak through a little bit.

I haven't added any extra fertilizers as I know that Miracle Grow Soil is already overloaded with nutes :/
I know to be careful with fertilizers.

Lighting, Lighting, Lighting....
I keep them in my closet with a CFL bulb on for 10-14 hours a day.
As I type this, however, I have them outside getting a bit of early morning sunlight as I have the house to myself for a few hours.
I honestly feel that they need to be in natural light and be outside.
I intend to grow them outdoors in a forest clearing near our house as soon as they are strong enough to withstand the elements, but that seems to be so far away at this point...

I know they're in small pots, but I don't think that they're ready to be transplanted just yet.
I do have bigger pots that they could go in, but they're not ready for that just yet.

I've also read that putting plants in pots that are too big for them can lead to problems with water efficiency and root rot.
Thoughts?
I would give them more than 10-14hrs/day light. Outside is great. A little sun at a time till you can put them into full sun. By then u may have to up-pot to 2qt not anything bigger. One sep at a time. Then into a 3gallon in about 3-4wks.
If you take like that you should avoid any overwatring issues and rot probs
 

Kingrow1

Well-Known Member
Every one is spot on with their advice, watering is a fine art and as you see too much or too little is bad. There is no way of telling you how many days apart to water, every 4 days seems to be most growers prefered watering schedule but by then their soil is quite dry or just a little moisture left (dry soil kills roots but you want it close to dry) and needing a water.

You need to give the plant what it needs and not nesecarialy water the whole pot but more where the roots are, i doubt your plant was rootbound even though you had roots at the bottom, root bound is more when the plant has filled the soil with roots everywhere, in small pots the roots always reach the bottom very quick, give it time.

Anyway water the soil enough so the roots are all soaked and it will dry in 4/5 days so the plant dosent have to hold its breath too long, i feel this is where perlite and drainage are so important, mix up soil that will drain and dry in like 4/5 days or else you will not really achieve this. I had to experiment with a few soil mixes until i found the right amount of perlite and vermiculite to allow my soil the propper drainage.

Gets quite technical with everything but once you have the basics the rest is easy! There are a lot of good growers in this thread so dont see that your gona go wrong, can we have some more pics please. Peace
 

Kingrow1

Well-Known Member
Just looked at the pics sorry, didnt see them, these plant probably wont make it, if you got more seed start again and ask your dad to allow you a small indoor grow, growing weed aint bad, grow some tomatos with it too, get the variety called sweet n neat, just grow 30 cm high and give lots of toms. Growing plants is a skill and allows you to become a gardener, explain that to your dad and try come to a maximun amount of plants you can grow indoors along with growing other plants, he may even support you financially!lol!

If you got more seeds start again, these plants have been way too overwatered and outdoors is not the place for these sick little guys, you could grow a healthy plant the same size before these show good growth again. If you do keep them allow the roots to dry quite well at least once or twice between waterings to promote good bacteria and stop any root rot. They will pull through but at the moment only if you water correctly from now on, add some support to the stem, a stick tied round the outside of the cup with some wire to hold the stem or somthing, you dont want them blowing about or falling over. Good luck
 
What do you mean "they're stretched out?"

You mean their lanky?
How should seedlings look at one month?

Also, I'm on a low budget, what kind of light would you reccommend?
The one I'm using now I got at Home Depot for $8.
It's a 100W, 1400 Lumen, Full Spectrum CFL Bulb.

To quote the packaging on the bulb when I bought it, "Simulates Sunlight"
1400 lumens means it's 20 actual watts, it's just equivalent to 100W incandescent. But a 20W CFL isn't a lot. Move the light a lot closer, and inch or two away from the plants, they'll stop stretching so much, just make sure there's some ventilation so they don't get too hot, and buy some more bulbs, or a larger one. Aim for a bare minimum of 60w if you don't mind getting a low yield, ideally 100w+, and 200w+ if you can afford it - remember that's real wattage, not the equivalent. 100w for example should be like > 6000 lumens.

The one with curling leaves could even be overwatered, but definitely check the pH.

Also, why 10-14 hours a day? Intending for 12/12 but no timer? Because if you want to veg those plants rather than send them straight into flower after a few weeks then you'll want to start on 18/6, 20/4 or 24/0 first. (you can do anything in between those but those are the most common. Also, just in case it wasn't clear, the first number = light, second = dark, so 18/6 = 18 hours light, 6 hours dark)
 

Sativica

Member
New Development:

My child is now getting full daytime sunlight and seems to be doing well after its transplant.
A new pair of leaves is forming, but it's still growing too slowly.

I now know for a FACT that I have been overwatering my seedling for most of its life, but now I feel like it's gotten pretty serious...

Symptoms:
Leaves droop and feel heavy.
Leaves appear discolored. They are yellowing intensely at the tips and have begun to die.
Furthest tips of leaves are browning and crispy in appearance.

Growth Stunted.
-----------------

I've resolved to examine my plant extensively when I believe it to need more water.
I plan check the soil 2-3" down for moisture before watering.
I plan to buy a soil moisture meter if I can find a cheap one as they're excellent for water-sensitive plants.

I plan to poke holes in the soil surface and cut wide slits in the sides of the pot to allow more airflow to the drowning roots.

I'll upload pics as soon as I can!
Thanks for everything so far, everyone!

------------------------------------------------
On side notes:

I know, I know, I have some bad seeds and I may very well have a retarded plant, but damn it, I consider myself lucky. :)
I honestly didn't think for sure that it would even germinate, but it did and I don't have time or resources to start over now, I'm gonna start earlier next year and with more seeds.
I plan to ask my friends who smoke to save me all their seeds. (they usually throw them all away....;_; those poor seeds, never had a chance..)

To Jesus Green, thank you very much for the info on wattage.
Had no idea there was a difference in fluorescent wattage and incandescent wattage.
I think I'm going to do all of my growing under the sun from now on though. :)
It's the tried and true method of the Ages. :)
 

Kingrow1

Well-Known Member
Flourescent is better! More plant specific just dosent grow big plants!

Those see through cups probably not helping either. Look for the problem to stop and new growth to be good, shouldnt take too long to recover from overwatering after a repot but give it time, it may need a light dose of ferts but that would depend on the strength of the ferts in the soil and size of plant. Post more pics. Peace
 

Sativica

Member
I think my baby may be dying...

The leaves have developed a yellowish color and the burned spots are growing..
The leaves were droopy all day, and earlier this evening, I noted that the base of the stem has become brown and shriveled looking, as if somebody has pinched the base of the stem....

I believe it to be dying of root rot after being overwatered...
I gave it a light dose of Hydrogen Peroxide in hope to Re-Oxygenate the roots.

I checked on it a few minutes ago and it seems to have fallen over as the other did before it died..
But it's not dead yet :)


------
Anyway...
Earlier today when I mentioned to my dad that I thought my plant was dying, he said (jokingly, no doubt), "well, get online and order some more!"

Side note:
Earlier this year I bought some special herb seeds online since no garden store near us carried them.
Herbs like Skullcap, Wild Dagga, Mugwort, and Motherwort.


I laughed and said, "You know, you can actually get Cannabis Seeds online. Seed Banks in Canada and the Netherlands will stealth ship them."
He seemed surprised to hear of this and actually offered to buy me some. :)
I told him that they were relatively expensive, but he didn't mind too much.

I read various reviews, and did extensive Googling of "Fastest Growing Cannabis Strain."
Seeing how it's so late in the growing season already, I bought one that reviews claimed would go from seed to harvest in 2 months.

Short Rider
http://www.nirvanashop.com/en/autoflowering-strains/751-short-rider-feminized-5-seeds.html

It's gonna be a good, fast grow, and, with some careful watering, I'll get a few good ounces out of my first ever grow. ^^
I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures once I start growing, so be sure to follow my future posts!
 

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
"Average yield: 200 - 300 (g/m² in SOG)"

Icky. Skip that strain. :) If it aint at least 450+++ then its a waste of space! (Think half yields :))

I'd **STRONGLY** recommend Bubblelicious from Nirvana, as well as their White Widow and Northern Lights. You will LOVE all three strains. I was getting 4oz per plant with those genetics. In fact, I'm ordering more this week because we ran out of them. :)
 

Kingrow1

Well-Known Member
I always liked big-bud and power plant for ease of grow and big yeild. You get what you pay for with seeds. Maybe your dad wants a toke too! Peace
 
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