@sl1,@bob31,@majiktoker, I appreciate all of the advice but am really having troubles and just can’t seem to get the right amount of water to the plants. These photos of the girls were just taken and I think they need a little more water???
What should I do now???
Suggestions an advice gladly accepted!!
Like @bob31 I use a spray bottle to water my sprouts, making sure
It’s pH 6.5 is very important. A few spritzes a few times per day. The jiffy starter is very absorbent - I give a few spritz to the tops of the leaves then a few right on the soil surface. I also keep mine in this dome to hold in moisture, and I spray a paper towel and place it in the dome to add to the humidity . I bought it on Amazon for about $15, and I lay the T5 light right on top.
I think you will be good to transplant once your soil arrives - if you have five gallon pots to move them too you may as well - might be the best approach for these sprouts since they are a little stressed now - may be gentler in the long run for them.
Happy farming and welcome to ILGM!
Bt the way - are you in the USA?
I received the Fox Farm Ocean Forest and Happy Frog potting soil and I also have 5 gallon pots to transplant them into. I will be transplanting probably tomorrow and I plan to use FFOF soil. Since you also use 5 gal pots, can you give me some idea as to how to prepare the soil, how much water, etc and any other tips you can think of?
I live in NWestern NC, up in the hills!!
Thanks again for the help!!
Well, I guess I just found another of my problems!! I just received the Apera PH tester, which calibrated right out of the box.
I then checked my water and discovered it was 7.0!! I have now fixed that and the water is now 6.5 PH.
Next step will be transplanting into 5 gal grow bags.
Thanks for the heads up on the water PH level, I thought it looked good but was only going by the paper scale, which sucks.
The Apera PH tester works very well and was well worth buying, so thanks for that tip as well.
Hopefully I am now on the right track, so thanks again to all.
layer the soil in and water every inch or two and it will keep it from settling too much. Use their current pot as a template set it into the 5 gallon pot and fill the soil in around it then all you do is turn your girls over then tap the bottom and support the top of the soil in the pot and slide it right into the pot hole you created.
Sort of like this
Thanks for the info and the photos. Did you knock out the bottom of the first cup before putting it into the 5 gal bag?
It looks like the top of a cup surrounding the top plant?
Sorry I missed a pic. Here is what they were in
I didn’t need to cut out the bottom. I turned it upside down squeezed the side a little and tapped the bottom and out she came.
And for the future, my autos are going from germination into the 3 gallon pots.
@Jitters
I transferred from solo cups like you are using. I placed a empty solo cup in the new pot and surrounded it in soil like @bob31 showed in his photos. Then pulled out the empty cup, and took a razor blade down the side, and across the bottom of the cup with the seedling in it, and dropped it straight down in the hole.
I was referring to the first photo with the white rim around the plant, which I assume is the top of the original cup. If you only cut the cup on the side and the bottom, and then put the cup back in the big pot, how does the plant spread its roots out when it is encompassed by the cup? Why not just separate the cup from plant and transplant only the plant?
@jitters I think he pulls the cup up and out once the plants is in place in its new home?
@bob31 that is a nice technique. I usually separate mine from cup by gently squeezing then pour gently out into my hand, then place in new pot where I’ve made a little hole. I just do it gently and try not to over handle it.
@jitters not for nothing but if you are in your 90 day money back on that package I’d make them refund and order everything you need from amazon for a fractions of the cost.
My indoor set up consists of 4 x 4 tent, a 4" inline fan and controller and carbon filter, and 3 300W LEDs complete for under $500
I am more happy to share links…!
Off my soap box now…
@Jitters @Sl1 He only puts the cup in there to form the hole ( 1st pic). He then removes the whole thing, cup with plant (2nd pic), then turns the cup upside down so plant slides out and it fits perfectly into the hole (3rd pic)…
Gold 
@Ron330 thanks. I was doing other things. I reuse the cups as they’re pretty heavy duty. One of them now has a new rooted basil shoot in it (clone…if you will. )
I usually just use an empty cup to form the hole but I didn’t have one handy. FYI i can transplant using that method in under 10 minutes from the time I start filling up the soil. Watering it in takes the most time.
Aha! Now that makes sense and it 's also a great idea.Thanks again!!
Bob, I am going to try to transplant the girls, although they don’t look too well. Once you transplant the seedling, how much water do you put into a 5 gal pot or a 2 gal pot???
@Jitters I was told that it may not be necessary to water them at all at first if the soil is really moist. I would say if anything, use your misting bottle and just dampen the soil around the stem and then let the roots go find water until they show signs of needing some. I’ve had mine transplanted now for a little more than two weeks and have watered them 3 times.
I think @bob31 does the soil/water/soil/water/ soil/ transplant method. That way the soil doesn’t compress way down on the first watering.
GBJJ, thanks for the response. I did it the same way @bob31 does his and I spritzed each layer to damp, transplanted and spritzed some more around the stem. My mistakes have cost the girls as they are hanging on and I hope this will work.Thanks again brother, I appreciate it!!
I don’t remember how small they are @Jitters but if they are still small dome them up for a couple days and spritz the inside of dome. Burp it couple times a day. I usually keep mine in a grow dome or just individual domes for week to 10 days but it depends how they look.
I just use pH water and a spray bottle for first two weeks.
Here in the next year so I’ll be your neighbor up in the north Georgia mountains
