Seed starting question...

What is a good technique or medium to plant seedlings in? I'm growing in soil, but the seeds I started died. I think they got burned up by the soil I used. Bag of tga base soil. Should I put new seeds in like a rock cube, then put that in a solo cup with soil on bottom of cup?

jordan wead said:

What is a good technique or medium to plant seedlings in? I'm growing in soil, but the seeds I started died. I think they got burned up by the soil I used. Bag of tga base soil. Should I put new seeds in like a rock cube, then put that in a solo cup with soil on bottom of cup?

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put the seed in medium (soil, rock-wool, peat plug, etc) with pointy end down......apply water..... place in dark warm environment.......wait until it sprouts......place under light source

Then I have a t5 4bulb x 2ft. How long should I leave the seedlings under that before I switch to a larger container and switch to mh lights? At like 2 weeks?

I wait for the second ganja leaf to show then give it 250W MH (quite high up away from them) ((this is my own amateur advice))

How many transfers should I do before I get to a 5 gal. Like from a solo cup to a 1 gal, then to a 5gal?

sure, or skip the 1 gallon

if you let it root in a smaller container you can build up a bigger root mass. bigger root mass = stronger plant, so solo - 1 gal - 3 or 5 gal might be a good choice, but you dont have to.

why don't you just drop seeds right in the soil instead of germinating first?
This method has never failed me and it is the way it happens in nature so why not mask nature?

Because the soil I'm using burned up my little seedlings. I need to get some rock wool cubes. I'll prolly start them in solo cups then go straight to 5 gal

I sprouted mine in rapid rooters. Waited for the taproot to show out of the bottom. Then put them in a keg cup of TGA base soil. Maybe you messed something else up? Get a neutral soil if you want to germ in it, or get some rapid rooters and and sprout it first.

Well already I'll try rapid rooters and try again. Thanks man.

Just wait for it to be established a bit before you put it in the cup. I think I waited 3 or 4 days after they fully opened up above the rooter.

Alright, sounds good.

My experience tells me that more than one transplant is an invitation to stress and plant problems, unless you are very good at it. I usually go right from solo cup to a five gal. Bucket. Peace & be kind

I have to respectfully disagree with some of the advice in this thread concerning transplanting and the size changes.
According to what I have witnessed and remember reading from experiments on upsizing containers, the plants that had the best growth and root systems were upgraded in the size container from solo cup to 1 gallon then to a 3-5 gallon container after the root systems filled the first 2 containers in which they were in. Using test plants that went from solo cup to 5 gallon container size did not expand or root as well as the others that made the multiple container transplants. Another thing to consider was the space that said plants occupied under indoor conditions. And lastly the ability to manage smaller plants in the smaller containers. Especially for pest management.

Actually some people actually cut the root ball with a knife to open up the roots. Some even trim the roots with sissors before transplanting them.
I have found transplanting from 1 gallon to larger container sizes if specific plants were over watered, they would sometimes begin to develop anarobic smells and areas in the bottom of the root mass killing growth or at least slowing it down. If I removed that bad area of soil and transplanted the plant rebounded with normal growth.

Sold advice with results that I have witnessed was the geo pot type container for better root oxygen compared to sold wall containers. The biggest difference was from the one or two gallon pot to the 5 gallon or larger geo pot. With one month of veg in the geo type container, look out because they will explode with growth in flower.

And to transition to the larger pot with little or no transplant shock, use a small amount of seed starter soil (like light warrior) as a layer between higher quality(hot) soil and feed with just plane water and they rebound in no time.

Hope that helps.

Yes mister skunk haha. I think I'll try starting in solo cup- go to 1 gal- then go to 5 Gal smart pot. You think 4 5gal smart pots under 600 watt mh/hps in a 4x4x6.5 tent would be ok. Or would 6x 3 gal, and maybe even just 2 5gal would be best?

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-5-Gallon-Phat-Sacks

That is the 5 gal bags I was lookin into getting, think they'd be better than regular 5 gal plastic container?