what is my seedling saying to me?

Hi there all. Hoping you guys can give me some advice on my first grow.

Im still newb & learnig as i go.
I have a 6 day old Lemon skunk that looks pretty fkd up. pics...





Is this kind of growth normal in the 1st week. Growing upwards like that i mean?

There has been hardly any growth in the past 2 days or so.

I have a hawaiian snow growing along side it thats doin fine. The diff between them is night & day.

I potted them into 4inch pots using bio bizz all mix. Iv managed to keep roughly optimal temps since day one. but on about avg around 80/81.
And humidity has been always very low or zero.

Im in a dr60 with a 250w mh over them, between 1ft 1/2 and a foot away. mostly been sitting at just over a foot away though.

Iv only watered the soil once & that was when i planted the germed seed. The soil just feeels cool, not wet or damp. Im a bit hesitant to water. i see everywhere not to overwater. number one killer. But dont want to underwater either.

Hope yous can help. Sorry if ive left out any vital info.

Thanks

Anyone at all like to hazard a guess as to whats happin here?

monty Python said:

Anyone at all like to hazard a guess as to whats happin here?

Click to expand...

It will most likely come around, sometimes they just come out like that.

Your plants are trying to breath and having problems. You said your temps have been optimal (what temp?) but your humidity is way too low and the stomata are probably closed. And you probably need water. Anyway man, you have moisture stress (possibly heat) of some sort going on. Also, your other strain will most likely grow at a much different rate. This is causing one strain to look good and the other bad.

20% humidity during veg minimum, your soil looks dry enough to water in that pic but looks can be deceiving, but hey you can wait until it dries out and dies for fear of over watering.

Worrying too soon....get your humidity up and get a "stop thermo" in there to tell ya what your highs and lows are. Walmart sells a small unit for 7 bucks....tells you what humidity/temp is AND was ......then grow some patience. As speedy says, different seeds, different growth paterns. Knowledge along with patience will do wonders.....

hi guys.

Thanks for the replies.

Your plants are trying to breath and having problems. You said your temps have been optimal (what temp?) but your humidity is way too low and the stomata are probably closed. And you probably need water. Anyway man, you have moisture stress (possibly heat) of some sort going on. Also, your other strain will most likely grow at a much different rate. This is causing one strain to look good and the other bad.

Click to expand...

Thats a good shout mate. My temps have been on avg 79/80 throughout.

Moisture stress does make sense. I cant get any humidity in my tent at all, and have beena bit hesitant to mist alot as my lights are pretty close, dont wanna cause any droplet burn.

also been quite hesitant to water. The top inch or so of the soil is pretty bone dry svchop mate, but under that is still quite moist & cool. Waterd 8 days ago now. Worry about overwatering too.

am i just nursing these plants TOO much ?

Heres my HS growing along side it.


should i now go and maybe water them at least a little ?

Thanks again.

Tried a few diff methods to get some humidity in there oldreefer m8. My hygrometer is always reading _ _ %

Only thing ive not tried is a bucket of ice or bottles filled with ice sitting infront of my oscillating fan. Heard that can be effective.

Failing that, a humidifier, dunno if il fit one in my tiny dr60. Not too mention the fact that im pennyless atm.

monty Python said:

I potted them into 4inch pots using bio bizz all mix.

Iv only watered the soil once & that was when i planted the germed seed. The soil just feeels cool, not wet or damp. Im a bit hesitant to water. i see everywhere not to overwater. number one killer. But dont want to underwater either.

Click to expand...

How were they germinated?

Overwatering is not the issue, exclusion of air is. This is not your case, but if a plant has a healthy root system and plenty of foliage, it is almost impossible to overwater it unless the mix is ultra tight.

UB

Hi mate. Thanks for stopping by.

They were soaked in water for 24 hours, then placed on a plate with paper tissue over & under & kept moist. Basically followed the instructions from the GHS website.

Planted them when the taproot was about 5/6mm.

I was thinkin back, when i potted it into the bio bizz all mix, the soil was pretty damp & cold i imagine. I was pretty rushed, as i wasnt goin to be back in the house for nearly 24hrs, and i didnt knw how long it would be safe enough to leave the taproot exposed, so i just placed it in like this.
Could this have caused some stress and this is the knock on effect im getting ?

Thanks buddy.

Put a clear dixi cup, or a plastic baggie over them for humidity. Easy, effective and cheap

monty Python said:

Hi mate. Thanks for stopping by.

They were soaked in water for 24 hours, then placed on a plate with paper tissue over & under & kept moist. Basically followed the instructions from the GHS website.

Planted them when the taproot was about 5/6mm.

Click to expand...

(shakes head) Yes, you've done stressed them. DO NOT use the paper towel method!

It will take a while for them to set a root system, patience.

Here's my archive. It's a little anal, but written to eliminate any sources of failure.

Germinating Cannabis Seeds (for Bio Growers)

Your seedlings will be alot better off if you germinate directly in soil - less handling and mechanical disturbance means less chance of physical damage to the plant's taproot (and roothairs) and less food reserves used to position itself due to the natural hormonal influence called Gravitropism. That translates into less food reserves used and increased seedling vigor, especially in the very early critical stages of seedling development.

This is my foolproof method for Cannabis Seed Germination in soil:

First, if harvesting seeds from my own crosses, I air-dry newly harvested seeds for a couple of weeks, and then store them in the refrigerator with a little rice. Cold-treatment seems to increase viability and germination rates, especially with indica-dom strains. I almost always get a 100% germination rate with quality seedstock.

Soak the seeds in plain water for 12 hours prior to planting to hydrate them, which will speed up germination. In general, good seeds will sink, bad seeds will remain floating (they contain air, not an embryo). I first sterilize seeds in a bleach solution (1 Tbsp. bleach/1 gallon of water) for 1/2 hour to kill any fungus residing on the seedcoat.

Sterilize enough *damp* fine soil with heat to germinate all of your seeds. You can do this by treating the damp soil to temps of (no more than) 200F for 20 mins in a conventional oven, or in a microwave oven on high for 2 minutes, while stirring a couple of times. Your goal is to get and hold the entire soil mix's temperature at 170F to 180F for about 20 minutes which can be monitored with a probe type thermometer. Let the mix cool thoroughly. This will insure that damp-off fungus spores have been killed in the soil mix. Make sure the soil mix is light and humusy (not real coarse). You can add a little sand or vermiculite to aid in drainage and weight.

Buy some white 20oz styrofoam "drinking glasses", commonly called "Styro-Cups", and punch holes in the bottom (and side bottom) for drainage. I use a red-hot ice pick for this. These containers are 6 1/2" tall and will allow ample room for the taproot to grow before cotyledon emergence which will increase your seedling's vigor. The taproot (radicle) is already at least 4" long at the point of emergence - don't restrict it (in order to maximize seedling growth rate). Styro-Cups can be found on the shelf displaying picnic items at your local grocery store.

Fill the pots almost to the top with your soil mix, water well to settle the mix, take a pencil and make a small hole about 1/4" to 1/2" deep, NO deeper, and drop *one* seed in. Cover the seed with *fine* soil, only enough to top up the hole, firm lightly with your finger, and lightly water until water runs freely thru the drain holes. Place in a warm spot around 80F/26C. Do NOT cover the cup with saran wrap or anything else. The seed has been hydrated from the soaking and will germinate soon. This container should not require further watering until the seedling is up and running.

During the first couple of days, mist the top soil surface lightly (if need be), never allowing the top to crust over, but not to the point that the medium stays waterlogged which will invite pythium rot (damp-off). "Less is more" at this point. Do NOT water this pot any more until the seedling is up, and only if it needs it at the point of emergence. Again, no need to cover with plastic wrap as the radicle (taproot) will grow at least 4" before the cotyledons emerge from the soil. IOW, even though you can't see it, the plant's root is seeking and finding moisture at the container's lower soil levels. I cannot emphasize this enough. The seedling will emerge anywhere from 2 to 10 days from the time you sowed it.

That's all to it! With good care, your faves will be ready to transplant within 1 to 2 weeks, and will easily slip out of the "cup" with a solid rootball that will never know it's been disturbed if potted up gently and quickly. Move up to a final pot of 3 to 5 gallons to sex and finish.

An effective transplant solution can be made using (no more than) 1 teaspoon of a 15-30-15 fert and 10 drops of Superthrive per gallon of water. Take note regarding the immediate growth spurt after this transition!

Good luck,
Uncle Ben

serialkiller said:

Put a clear dixi cup, or a plastic baggie over them for humidity. Easy, effective and cheap

Click to expand...

And a quick way to lose your plants via damp-off disease, especially if the soil hasn't been sterilized.

There is no need to screw around with the RH folks.

UB

Uncle Ben said:

And a quick way to lose your plants via damp-off disease, especially if the soil hasn't been sterilized.

There is no need to screw around with the RH folks.

UB

Click to expand...

Agreed. But his humidity is way too low for a seedling.

MendelMaster said:

Agreed. But his humidity is way too low for a seedling.

Click to expand...

For starts, he doesn't know what his RH is and even if he did RH is not the issue. It's all about promoting a decent root system. Using a paper towel to germinate and then planting the embryo after the seedcoat splits is not the way to get a seedling off to a good start.

UB

I personally would transplant that seedling into a new pot and make sure to add perlite to the mix. If using MG (Miracle Grow) don't fert for quite some time because I have found that it is VERY easy to burn plants when using ferts in MG soils. You might try to get an air pump and make your water 24 hrs before using and aerate it until used. May help oxygenate this little seedling. May have missed this too *little tired sorry* but what kind of light do you have over it? I'll sub to this thread and keep an eye on things.

Uncle Ben said:

Using a paper towel to germinate and then planting the embryo after the seedcoat splits is not the way to get a seedling off to a good start.

UB

Click to expand...

I disagree with this completely.

Seedlings definitely need water more than every eight days! The roots on a seedling aren't more than a couple inches deep in soil at that height anyways, so if the top couple inches are dry it will not do good!

Other possibilities for what could be wrong... the plant looks like it is a little green dude waving at you, which is pretty cool.

I think it'll turn out OK, I had a stunted mutant in my closet I nursed along for weeks and weeks as it wilted over and perked up with random waterings. I definitely didn't try to flower this plant, but I'm sure I could have cloned it if I really wanted to grow that particular strain!

penor said:

Seedlings definitely need water more than every eight days! The roots on a seedling aren't more than a couple inches deep in soil at that height anyways, so if the top couple inches are dry it will not do good!

Other possibilities for what could be wrong... the plant looks like it is a little green dude waving at you, which is pretty cool.

I think it'll turn out OK, I had a stunted mutant in my closet I nursed along for weeks and weeks as it wilted over and perked up with random waterings. I definitely didn't try to flower this plant, but I'm sure I could have cloned it if I really wanted to grow that particular strain!

Click to expand...

Not true actually. You want to allow it to dry out because then the roots will get their O2 intake as well as H2O intake. The roots will grow to where the water is and no matter how deep it has to go it will find the water before it dies if there is water to find. No worries m8 it looks good and 8 days is fine if the soil is still moist and you still feel weight when lifting the growing container.

Hi there all. Thanks for all your input guys . :] Sorry i couldnt reply sooner. Had to go to work last night, had a v busy day. All the time worriyn about my little one.

I still really dont know what to do, heres a pic of her today...

And a pic of my setup...



Hi UB mate, thanks for the guide. I will really consider trying that next time.

You say my low humidity levels are not the issue here, its just the messed up way i planted the seed ?
What do you suggest i do mate? What would you do if in this situation ?
Just wait, be patient, and hope the root system builds up ?
The root system builds up at lights off yeah ? is there anythin i should be doin in lights on to help it ?

Didnt meant to come across impatient with this thread, just knew sumthin wasnt right and wanted to act on it fast as p.

My other grow is Hawaiian snow, so im prepared to be patient and ready for a long grow with its 11 week min flower time. Maybe a mistake for my 1st grow, but no goin back now, perhaps threw myself in at the deep end.

Hey joker mate. Thanks for sub. Im using a 250w mh superveg atm. Not ideal for seedlings granted, but i had a budget for my kit & didnt have any left to buy even the basic of cfl's to 'wake up' my seedlings.

The mh is sitting just over a foot above them. Temps didnt go over 81 yesterday.
When i go into check, its usually about 79 ish.
So, id think that is enough light for 2 seedlings yeah ?
Also the first inch of soil is always drying out v quickly after misting. But the soil underneath is moist n cool.
Also, im using bio bizz all mix soil mate.

I used a homemade dome for the first few days, but removed it on day 4.
Should i put it back over this little one for a lttle time or not ?

Really dont know what to do, feels like im goin round in circles. I didnt think i would be facing so much problems so early on in my grow.

My hygrometer is still continually showing _ _%

I bought a soil tester today, which can read ph/moisture levels of the soil. Havnt tried it yet. Do i have to be very carefull with this probe as not to damage the roots or what ? Insert it down the sides of the pots ?

Sorry if the post is a little muddled up, not long back in from night shift. Really tired.

But thanks again guys, look forward to your help guys.

Peace.