That is an odd looking soil. It is apparent that you are doing your best to save these. It is not the cfl’s. The good thing is; You will do better next time. I am sure of it. I think the best advice is to advise you; Make a plan;
The perfect way to start, I would but a seed starting mix (for soil growers)
How to nurture the sprout, Spritz the capsule, or pod, or plug with liquid karma. Keep you seed/sprout area moist, but not wet. (this allows for oxygen to permeate the soil or seedling mix, resulting in a successful germination to seedling process.
You have to keep the sprout/seedlings warm.
Liquid Karma, or Superthrive will serve you well in the propagation stage. Use as directed.
Yeah, I probably killed them. The soil is one of those organic ones which says it has enough food for plants up to 3 months or so, but it almost 100% has gnats all the time.
Buckets do not have holes at the bottom, but do I need them? That is in initial stages and later?
From the start I put seeds in the two plates with paper towels and all of them sprouted. After sprouting I planted in soil, but only 2 came out, and I think I accidentally killed the 3rd.
Initially I only had it in the room under natural light and it seemed to be growing ok, but then all progress stopped (after few weeks), so I moved to cfls, but probably was too late as plants were very stringy and weak and couldn’t stand even when supported. In order for them not to break I dug it deeper in the bucket, and that is where they are now. Also, in the process I believe I over-watered it and never really got a hang on how and when to water correctly.
If this first try dies down, as I understand next step would be to get a grow kit, and have seeds under 18h schedule with moderate power MH light, with a constant fan blowing lightly at the plants, and get some seed starter kit if I want to use the same soil?
I would have drainage holes in the bottom of the bucket from the get go. You need air to be able to get into the soil or you are just asking for root rot. No air and you get a very anaerobic environment and the roots need oxygen as much as the leaves need CO2.
Excessive fungus/soil gnats is often a sign of over watering. Over watering will lead to a anaerobic environment in the soil. Get a soil moisture meter probe and get used to feeling the weight of a fully saturated soil and an almost totally dry soil, and don’t water until the bucket feels nearly dried out, i,e, very very light. Drainage and air in the soil is so important to cannabis roots a lot of people grow in fabric like bags so the air can get to the soil at every part of the bag, not just a few holes.
Also, stepping up from container size slowly is a good way to develop your root ball/root zone and is good because relying on weight alone in a bucket that big is probably not good for a seedling as the bottom of the soil may be very wet but the top is very dry and the seedling might not be able to reach the wet zone yet. You could just heavily mist the soil around the seedling in the beginning to be sure it has enough moisture, but starting them off in a smaller container and stepping up a couple of intermediate sizes through the grow is probably a good idea.
Another thought on this setup, you say you feel you over watered them. That, in and of itself can cause the stems to go limp. All of this contributing to a anaerobic environment in the soil, and this can cause something called damping off: Stop Damping Off On Marijuana Seedlings Now!
MacGyver, yeah it looked similar and now down to just one and it also looks lifeless. I moved the last one to a small can with dirt and made a hole so it can drain water if needed. What I’ve found is that bucket was moist at the bottom but completely dry at the top. I guess lessons learned for next setup and would need to make sure I make holes in the bucket and maybe start with smaller pots first to get it going.
Ok, looks like my last plant is pretty much done. I guess I learned my lesson! Now, would like to ask you if plants would be ok left for about 12 days without water (let’s say 2nd - 3rd week after sprouting) and natural room light? I would start it again, but will have to leave for some time therefore not sure if start now or later? Thanks.
I would not think that you could leave seedlings that young, alone for that period of time. I would wait until I can give them 100% attention and care.
Theeir are automated ways to do this, but you would need good light, and a dependable grow system. I would wait.
Probably not, unless you add some sort of automation to the watering. Good properly amended growing medium or soil should totally dry out every few days, and during aggressive vegetative growth or during flowering the plants will use up all the water in a day or two.
Ok, so struck out on all 3 plants. Just checking what are your experiences with smell, as I do not live in a single house and I was told that plants do smell pretty strong only after few weeks? Idea would be to grow discretely without attracting any unwanted attention from neighbors or anyone else.
The smell is the strongest during flowering. You will need to be sure you have controls in place. Your whole unit may smell, the hallway out your front door may smell, the room on the other side of the wall may smell, the upstairs or downstairs may smell, if proper precautions are not taken.
I am sure of it. I think the best advice is to advise you; Make a plan;