yes i will…update: so far after 7 hours, the yellowing cotyledon has remained wide open and has not closed…i have brought the lamp down closer to the plant…now its about 4 inches (10 cm) above the plant…its first true leaves are also beginning to sprout and get bigger…i am thinking that the blue light may be more appropriate and beneficial in the later stages of development…here are the LED bulbs that i am using at this time…none of them emit UV light…however, amazon does sell LED growing bulbs (red/blue) that also have the diodes that produce pure UV light too…i did not want to get those because UV light is known to also cause eye damage and skin cancer after prolonged long exposure…furthermore, UV light can also kill the beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms in the soil that can help the plant to grow too…a question to ponder, can pure UV light be beneficial to any hemp plant?
grow lamps that i use:
(this is a natural white light LED lamp…i haven’t got it yet)
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an update on the shy seedling…i’m sorry to say that it didn’t make it…a fungus began to attack and later consumed it…at the start, it did place in a strong tap root but never came out…i am going to save the remaining plugs for cloning plant cuttings only…a 50% success rate on my first attempt using those plugs to jump start seedlings isn’t a good one…so far, the first seedling is doing very well and it appears to be healthy and doing fine (an update to that seedling is further up on the thread)…my new plan for subsequent plantings is to use the same soil that i will transplant them later into the larger pot…i will also use the paper cups to start the seedlings there with the same soil that i mentioned earlier…
i also recently purchased blueberry auto…they’re coming in the mail soon…
If it’s an led, you don’t have to worry about being short term harmful. On the other hand, it probably won’t do much if anything for your grow either. Also, if it’s strictly blue and red diodes there won’t be any uv. Regardless of what is claimed. Neither blue nor red emit any ultraviolet wavelengths.
Sounds like so far we can say the additional photons provided from the blue bulb just needed a little more distance from the young seedling?
Personally; I would not use or waste cloning gel on seedlings. They already contain the hormones and nutrients for a successful start. Save the rooting gel for clones.
as i mentioned before, i wish that i had the room for a more extensive setup but space and life’s other obligations only allows me with what i can work with…if it doesn’t work, that’s ok…at least i tried; life goes on and i’ll move on…it won’t be the end of the world for me…we can’t be good at everything we do in life but i also can say that i have done very well in many other aspects in where it really counts for me…of course, i can stick with the things i know and stay in my lane, but i also grow when i take on new challenges, and whether i succeed or not, i still grow and learn regardless and i do enjoy that too…at least my VFTs have done very well and they’re happy…lol…thank you very much…
Ditto! Many of us are limited by budget, space, jobs, family, etc and make do with what we have and/or have available particularly in unfriendly states and countries. Yeah maybe our grows won’t be the “biggest” or the “best” according to some but they don’t walk in our shoes . So I applaud your efforts and wish you a happy harvest !!!
@huncame Dont feel like the lone stranger. @SmoknGranny and I both got to work with what we got too. My grows and I do the best we can, as does granny. We all have our own troubles and obligations and especially dealing with our grows in unfriendly states as SmoknGranny said. I wish we could be more above board as those in friendly states or countries can be. Would love posting a photo of me taking a toke as some can do. And once I get my first grow harvested and dried and such, I might just do that. But it will be a disguised photo. I be good at using photoshop that way. Take care and do your own thing and dont worry about having the biggest and best. We all are with you.
This is a great deal on a light that will double your yield over those bulbs you posted above. There are also offering a free light strip to go with it. Just need to look for the offer.
I do understand a budget. I needed four lights for my grow. I bought them as I could afford them. I bought one light to start and grew one plant and just expanded as I went. It was the only way I could do it.
Most important is a way to test pH and then adjust the pH of your water. Putting them in some decent soil and then giving them nutrients.
There are budget friendly solutions to help in all of these aspects.
Around here an ounce of good weed is $250- I figure if i was going to spend that anyway, than I can afford that to get my grow going. (or adjusted to your location/ consumption)
hi bob31…my apologies for taking a while to respond…its thanksgiving and i have been pretty crazy busy this week for me…thanks for the info and i would love any help you can give me…i really need it!!!..i am sorry to report that the seedling died because a fungus infected the soil…i traced down the problem to my main soil storage bag that i had stored outside…when i inspected it, a white fungus had infested the soil…i’ll have to throw all of it out…i suspect that some of those spores made it into the soil i used to grow the seedling…i’ll have to start over…but that’s ok…i’m learning as i go…anyway…i only want to grow enough for me only…and maybe for mom when she gets sick…since we don’t smoke, i am looking at brewing tea with the buds, if we make it to that point…i want to stay within the law, stay very small time, and not have problems with law enforcement…i have a medical marijuana permit that also allows me to cultivate up to 6 plants as well…as i mentioned above, i won’t be using those rapid rooter plugs anymore for germinating seeds…a 50% success rate wasn’t good…i’ll be using soil instead…there is a question i have on what type of soil can i use to start a seedling…i looked on the germination guide on ILGM, it is recommended that i use miracle grow (MG) soil(*)…unfortunately, it isn’t specific as to which of the many types of soil that MG sells…but just to be on the safe side, i purchased the seed starting potting mix because it appears to be mild and not too strong to start a seedling with…on that note: i am also aware that MG is also knocked by other experienced growers…they say, make your own soil without mentioning any recipe…if i had made a mistake in choosing MG, that just illustrates the how hard it is to pin down a consistent consensus…anyway, here’s my new plan:
overall, i plan to start the cannabis indoors, and when they get big and strong enough, transplant them into larger pots outside onto the balcony. i can’t do any type of indoor growing that involves grow tents, overhead lighting etc because our living space is too small…our rental agreement won’t allow me to hang anything off the ceiling without written permission from the owner…that’s why i resorted to the kind of lighting for the plants i have now…i know i am very limited in my start up…i’m glad that at least we have a balcony that is well lit and has sunlit during the day…this plan is a kickstarter only and will not stay indoors indefinitely…
soak the seeds (soaking 2 seeds only ) first in water and wait until they grow their tails
plant the seeds into the 6 oz (177 ml) paper espresso cups…i have a ton of them…new and unused…
put them into the heated propagation dome and let the seeds take root
after the plant’s are are large and strong enough, re-pot them outside into 5 gallon smart pots
sorry for the very long winded response…i like being detailed because it gives you a better and more thorough idea what i’m setting out to do…
Sorry to hear. Please make sure everything you used in your last grow has been disinfected. Bleach and water will do the trick.
I am not a fan of miracle grow because even their seed starter has fertilizer in it and MJ plants don’t need anything for their first two weeks except warmth, a little water and light. Many times the fertilizer just burns the little plants and kills them.
Are you going to stick with the WWA?
The thing is with Autos is they have a very short veg period and if you sprout them in a small pot and then transplant them, the shock takes a few days to a week to overcome and then they wind up stunted because they loose a week of veg
What I did with good success is to use (3 gallon indoor) 5 gallon soft pots and fill them halfway with a good nutrient rich soil like Fox farms Happy Frog (Ocean Forest is too enriched) then I put a decent size cup into the soil and leave it empty and fill around the cup with the happy frog. I pack the soil a little and pull the cup out and fill up that hole with organic potting soil with perlite. (Any soil without fertilizer or nutrients works fine, though my subsequent auto grows I started them in the happy frog firectly with no issues.)
Once the seed germinates I poke a small hole in the center of that organic potting soil and put the seed in tail down and lightly push the soil around the seed. I give it a teaspoon or two of pH 6.5 water and put a dome over the top (Cutoff water bottle or similar works fine). I spray the inside of the dome a little and pull it off and let some air in every couple of hours for a minute or two. And I keep the dome on until the plant is healthy looking. Some plants only need the dome for a couple of days, other need them for a week. let the plant be your guide.
Hope this helps or at least gives you some food for thought!
Note originally had 3 gallon pot, but changed to 5 gallon after confirming an outdoor grow.
hi bob31…that’s going to be hard to do because I have disposed of the soils and the pot…everything is gone now…I can see that the consensus is against MG and it sucks for me because I have already opened the bag…oh well…however, ILGM should update the info on the online germination guide regarding the use of MG…
right now, I have no choice but to stick with the WWA…I have over 30 seeds in dry and dark cold storage…last week I ordered 20 BBA seeds and I am expecting them to arrive in the mail soon…so in total I will have over 50 auto seeds…since the auto seeds are so problematic when it comes to transplanting them, what other seeds would you recommend that are hardier when it comes to transplanting them?..the reason why I chose the autos is that they don’t have all of those crazy long light requirements and because they are reputed to be easier to grow and deal with…so far that hasn’t been the case for me…I have had a much better success rate with parsley seeds and they are believed to be very hard to germinate…in regard to transplantation, there is a product that I purchased about 2 weeks ago…it’s called hormex…it’s a concentrated plant hormone with B vitamins…and apparently it works great on cannabis and helps prevent transplant shock…here’s the link and read the testimonials of anonymous emerald cup contestant 2016 and Curtis from Temecula…I have also attached a pic of it
I was thinking about treating the MJ seedlings as carnivorous plants…I have successfully raised 2 strains of venus fly traps (VFT)…the B52 and the pinnacle giants…this coming spring I plan to plant a red strain of the VFT…why treat MJ seedlings like carnivorous plants…most carnivorous plants and VFTs are unique because they cannot be planted in normal soils…furthermore, fertilizers cannot be used on them too…you can’t even water most carnivorous plants with regular tap water…only reverse osmosis or distilled water is recommended……there are only 2 safe ‘soil’ mediums for VFTs and most carnivorous plants…plain new zealand sphagnum moss and peat with no added minerals or fertilizers…most people that buy these plants and don’t understand how sensitive and delicate they are will kill them in less than 3 days…if taken care of, they are known to live for many decades …so no uncertainty there…lol…I have lots of dry and clean new zealand sphagnum lying around…I was wondering if I can use that as a seedling medium instead…it is as plain and as mild as you can get…
Thanks for the information regarding the soils…the only one that I am not comfortable using is the foxfarms ocean forest…it contains fish and crustacean ingredients and I am allergic to both…last year after eating fish I went through mild anaphylactic reaction…I broke out in hives on my hands, face, mouth, and had difficulty breathing…I think happy frog is a better and safer alternative for me…so for clarification fill the 5 gallon pot part way with happy frog soil and the other half with regular plain soil…you information is very helpful…I hope that I can get at least one plant to make it through…
@huncame many commercial nutrients also contains fish by-products.
My intention wasn’t to recommend any particular soils or products but there are some I have had great success with.
Autoflowering plants aren’t exactly problematic but because of their short veg period they do better if not transplanted.
Here are two options for growing. In a growing medium.
One is soiless mediums like Coco or peat that require nutrients throughout the grow.
The second is nutrient enriched soils after they are about two weeks old. I use FF happy frog from start to finish and I also give nutrients.
I currently have over 7 ounces curing from one 3x3 tent and I still have an AHA to harvest in 2 weeks or so.
If you’re going to use the MG seed starter, let me share my experience with it. I used it to start my seeds and had no problem getting them to sprout. Soaked in distilled water until they cracked and put them into the soil about 1/4 inch down and lightly covered the seed. I put plastic water bottles over the seeds until they came up for humidity. I misted the soil a couple times a day until they were showing a couple true sets of leaves. The only issue I had, and @bob31 helped me sort it out, was I was under the impression that this is soil. It isn’t. It’s a soilless medium and needs to be watered at 5.8ph and not 6.5. I experienced slight ph problems early on but once I started watering at the proper ph, they straightened out. Hope this helps.
thanks for the info…well, on thursday, i placed two AWW into a shot glass…this morning, i saw that both of the seeds snuck up on me…one of the seeds taproot grew out to a seed and a half length and the other was 3/4 the length of the seed…i was not expecting them to crack open and grow out so fast…previously it took several days to see them start to sprout…i had to plant them quickly…the tap roots were not damaged during the move…i also got my PH meter today and i am waiting for my PH calibration fluid and the PH up and down fluid for soil adjustments; i’ll be getting both of those by tuesday…as instructed, i’ll purchase the happy frog soil along with a regular milder soil to mix
at night, i am keeping the seeds warm in the propagation dome with an electric heat mat underneath it…during the day, i take them out and place them under a strong overhead white daylight that is equivalent to a 90 watt bulb…the bulb also radiates IR heat down into the soil…i have them about 3 or 4 inches (7.62 to 10.16 cms) above the soil and the surface soil temps on both is between 78F (25c) to 85F (24c)…i know they probably don’t need the light now, but i don’t want to be caught by surprise if they pop out and there is no strong light to keep them from stretching out like alfalfa sprouts…
just have a few follow up questions…
can 2 plants be placed into 1 5 gallon pot?
which strains do better when transplanted but aren’t too tall? (i would like them short because a smaller plant harder to spot from our balcony)
right before transplanting, can brushing on clonex on the exposed roots help prevent transplant shock? (just a crazy idea that just came to mind)
Generally @huncame they do best if the RH is kept high. I would keep them doomed up and get the light over the domes.
On the chart clones and sprouts are the same
I always start my lights when I plant the seeds.
Are you asking to plant 2 WWA into one pot of 1.5 gallons? Usually we recommend 1 plant per 3 gallon pot indoors and one plant per 5 gallon pot outdoors. If you are set on growing in 1.5 gallon pots then one plant per pot is the best I could tell you to do, though I think 1.5 gallon is going to affect the yield as well.
You mentioned growing on your balcony? Have you considered the smell when they flower? Not sure how close by you neighbors are but the smell is pretty pungent and obvious. Just my .02
To prevent transplant shock I use super thrive which is added to my spray water. i then pH it to match the growing medium.
hi bob31…thanks for the wealth of info…as the caption states, i am trying to avoid too much moisture…i’ll keep the plants at only one per 5 gallon pot…thanks for that information…as for the smell, i’ll be very candid with you, i haven’t thought about that at this point and i am sure you’re going to pull my ears on that and slap me upside the head…lol…sorry…lol……i’m taking day by day…well, its been almost a week since i planted both seeds…6 days to be exact…so far, there neither of the plants have stretched out and they are pretty short and stocky at this time…what has me surprised is how fast the leaves are growing out of both plants in 1 day!!!..it seems that they doubled their size in about 24 hours…at night, i place them in the propagation dome but with no heatmat…i also place a thick black cotton cloth over the dome to keep the temps uniform…the propagation dome doesn’t get any cooler than 68F (20c) and with an RH +90%…i have enclosed some pics…of what they looked like yesterday 11/28/2017 and what they look like tonight 11/29/2017…i only spray water on them once nightly when i turn off the lights…i am worried about over watering and the stem rot, fungus growth, or any other unfriendly biological organisms if they’re too moist…i’ll look into the superthrive too…you stated about the ph and have it match the growing medium…i am assuming that the ph had to be maintained at around 6…thanks again for the all of the info
and your help…
for future reference:
I would like to know the difference between the feminized and the autogrow seeds sold on ILGM?
would i be better off buying the feminized seeds?
Are there strains that aren’t as pungent and the white widow?
. So I applaud your efforts and wish you a happy harvest !!!
