First Grow: The Seven.....no, Nine Dwarfs: Stunty, Runty, Droopy, Crispy, Paley...and more....

So basically I am early-mid grow on my first grow, first time on the site, first post, first time grower It started with at least buying some decent equipment: Mars Hydro 2x4x70" tent, I think the light is an SP3000 This was plunked into a closet with about 6-8 inches of space around the outside of the tent, with about 20" space on top. Ambient air in the tent is being pulled through the in-tent mounted filter and is exited via hose into room Problem number 1. I didn't write anything down initially. Not exactly sure of the initial start date of the First Four. I started out with 10 GDP seeds, and initially germinated The First Four. Mistake number 2. I took the little seedlings and immediately over-potted them in 3 gallon grow bags full of pure coco. Why? Not sure, but a guy on youtube was using coco, so I thought I should....must be better than soil, right? I am sure experts can get away with this, but I think I was ambitions on my first. because I had no experience with the coco coir. (still don't, really, lol). It goes without saying that the overpotting requires an experienced touch that I now know I don't have). Mistake number 3. I didn't realize coco has no nutrients and that I had to add them! Like from day one, lol. For better or worse, this epiphany occurred around the end of week two or in week three. I had been watering about half a bottle of bottled water every other day, just around the seedling but I have no idea if that was enough or too much, although I think they were always over watered in retrospect... Circling back....Mistake 2.5? Not sure about this one, but I realized at some point that I had transplanted the seedlings from soil in a 4" cup to pure coco coir...not sure if that is a mistake or not...HELLFIRE! Mistake number 4....well actually it must of felt like that for the First Four...about 3 weeks ago it got really hot, and one day I saw the canopy got up to 104 degrees F. Ok...so all four of the First Four seedlings got very dry and yellow. Honestly I thought they were toast. That is where we introduce the Final Five. So I start the balance of the seeds in soil....5 of them....(yes I lost one of the 10 seeds, if you have been keeping track! lol). I assumed the First Four were going to crater and I would go with the Final Five in a pure soil grow. They germinated like magic - again. (these are feminized auto flower GDP seeds, as I recall - and I have only a basic knowledge of what that means, lol). I also made the mistake of planting the Final Five in one gallon pots as seedlings - in potting soil that I think was waaaay too wet. So, at that point the First Four make a heroic rebound after adding some nutrients to their coir. Still kinda broad leafed and yellowish, but they stagger into veg stage, the Final Five were still under a dome Mistake number 5 - The damn LED light. I am guessing this is a kick-ass light for a 2x4 space, because I kept reading to have it 12 inches off of the canopy, and turned to 75% during veg. So I did...and at canopy it didn't feel hot on my hand....but I must have been blasting them, because one complete set of nodes showed up "brown singed" looking around the outside of the leaves, then the new growth was better...I am guessing a nutrient deficiency at that time, or too much fan on the veglings, or waaaay too much lamp. So I moved the light up to about 30 inches and backed it off to currently 60% approximately. I understand I have the First Four in veg now, and the Final Five are still seedling, but I am concentrating my light for the more mature plants, the Final Five will have to deal with it. Most of all the plants growth seems to be to be "smashed down", like the notes are right on top of each other....is that typical of too much light, perhaps? I am going to list the current settings as best I can, then will list off my questions based upon the current state of things (literally, as of today): I am on a 18/6 light timer cyle. I got the temps dialed in...no lower than 70, no higher than about 82 on a bad day. I introduced humidity on a "smart" humidifier. I have a tiny heater on temp control if temp drops below 70 (my target temp being 73) have airflow in the tiny space where there isn't any...two fixed fans currently, I have a third to add.

And now......the questions: 1. Humidity. Low is about 50, high is around 70%. I have read that these need low humidity, but is that only during flower? Given the size of both sets of plants, what would you say it should be? When should I change it? 2. Light. I think I was cooking these guys with that big light. Can you confirm if 60% on that light at 30 inches should be ok for now or should I dial it back for the little plants? I can tell you at the top of the small plants it is19k Lux and at the top of the largest plant it is 30k....if that means something. More? Less? When to change? (at it's worst I had it 12" off the canopy of the seedlings at 100%, yikes! 3. Watering/Nutrients. Where do I start. I now have 9 plants in three different types of systems at two stages of development. Coir, soil and soil/self-watering. Veg and seedlings. Here are my thoughts, what are yours? On the larger plants, I have never watered more than I did yesterday. Half a gallon per, with nutrients per the attached schedule, (although I am using week 4 nutrients). Even then, I did not get any run off. Because I overpotted them to begin with, I have never had run off. So for the larger plants that are now in veg (and appear to be perking up a little, after the nutrient feeding/watering yesterday), should I be sticking with the half-gallon given their size? (I am guessing they are stunted/runty). I had planed to go to a Sunday/Wed/Friday schedule starting yesterday, with weekly nutrients split between two of the waterings, and maybe Wed just water. So this Wed, I am thinking just water, and this time go as much as a gallon, which should give me some run-off in a 3 gallon coir container, no? I do have the gear to check ph of water/nutrients, I am thinking 5.7 for the coir, and 6.3ish for the soil based units. So these would be the target numbers for run-off, right? If I am low or high, do I still ensure the water/nutrients are at target with ph up/down? Before AND in the run off...when there is some? On the small plants, do I use the same nutrients as the coir in the same doses, or do I dial it back since they get fed from the soil? If I dial it back, what would it be to? I am thinking the same watering 3 x a week Sun, Wed and Friday for the small ones in the 1 gal pots. The 3 gal self watering - well I hope they root before they drown, or should I remove them from those in favor of something else? As for watering the two in the soil pots, if I check the soil with a moisture meter which measures dry/moist/wet, what consistent reading should I be operating on? When it hits the line between dry and moist? I am hoping this is more scientific than the the finger in the soil system...but if it isn't, just let me know. 4. Autoflowering.....I know how the 12/12 light schedule would make a normal plant go into flower...do these just start when they want to? If you are familiar with the strain, how much bigger than the largest plant would they get, roughly double the size? Are there any subtle signs of entering the flower stage in an autho flowering plant? Remember I have no idea what week I am on at this point - going forward taking notes, lol. 5. Pruning - either early veg or during stunted growth? For whatever reason, my older plants appear to be (at least to me) shorter than what they should be. Likely stunted, no? The problem is they are growing in thick and low, with the successive nodes right on top of each other. Even at this early stage, especially as the growth appears to be stacked tight on the smaller three, I am guessing I should be trimming the lower yellow leaves off? Or is there any trimming at this stage of growth? They are starting to look "busy" with small undergrowth along the stalk, and leaves on leaves, etc. 6. Replanting. Specifically the four larger plants in the 3 gal fabric bags with coco medium. I assume that they will outgrow those and need a 5 gal? If so, when should that transition take place - then the plants are roughly a certain height? OR, since they are likely runty anyway, will those bags be sufficient? The younger plants in the potting soil will only be replanted before becoming root bound. I have seen in videos that folks are sprinkling a white powder in the new pot before they plunk the transplant in....what is that, I assume I should be doing the same....for both soil and coco? 7. Misting or watering the plant itself? Any benefit to misting on the leaves directly, or on them during watering, or does that just promote some kind of frying damage during evaporation? 8. Airflow....1..top-down with 2. canopy and 3. along the base of the pots This is my three fan configuration. However, none of them rotate, so the flow is set to low and is constant, even with the lights off they are still going steady....should these turn off with the light, or ok to have them going during lights-out? 9. See they are getting easier, lol. My dirty looking filter cover...is that just machine washable and put it back on, or can it be re-used? Not sure where the rust stain came from on the bottom, or is that typical...10. Super soil - I assume this is a pre-fertilized soil so that nutrient adds are at a minimum/non-existent. Is this a better way for a novice to go, and if so, could all of my plants in their various stages of grow and mediums benefit from a transplant into such a system right now, and maintain it through the balance of the grow. I like the specificity and yet simplicity of just adding dry fertilizer to a soil mix on a certain ratio and only basically have to water until the next transplant. Having said that, could plants currently in soil AND plants in pure coir be transplanted into such a mix mid grow? Or is in not just as simple as that..11. why the heck are the leaves so pale lime at best to a dusty yellow? I look forward to getting your instructional feedback. I will add a couple photos of the tent/plants for your inspection/comments Thanks everyone!