Introduction, Newbie: Rate my set up & understanding please!

[cphil]

Hey everybody. Brand new to growing and looking for some affirmation that I am on the right track. I have done a lot of reading and watching of youtube videos, so I think I have a rather solid grasp on germination through Week 1 of life.

I have a 3x3 tent with an Optic 4 LED light.
Using 3 5-gallon cloth pots.
Inside the tent I have a humidifier, heater and small square fan that is sitting in front of one of the flaps.
I have a 6" inline fan bringing some fresher air in
I have a nice sized exhaust fan as well with a variable speed. On the lowest setting, there is a little bit of negative pressure in the tent (walls coming in a little bit) so I know I have a big enough fan.

I put 4 seeds in a cup of distilled water and waited about 18-20 hours for them to soak. 3 of the 4 sank. I then transferred them to the paper towel and did that whole thing (dark room, moist, etc.). After about 24-30 hours, one of the seeds cracked and took off like crazy with a nice long taproot. 2 others have the beginnings of a taproot, but aren't growing out too too much. The last one is cracked, and you can see the taproot still in the seed. Is this normal they all grow at such different rates (all same strand).

I went ahead and planted the one seed that was the correct length taproot. Put the root facing down in the soil, lightly covered it up, and used a spray bottle to spray a good amount of water on top of the soil. It's my understanding I just use a spray bottle until the plant sprouts above the soil, then I can start using a watering bucket to pour water around the outer edge of the pot?

I am going to run 18/6 light schedule, trying to keep temperatures around 80, and humidity around 50-60%.

Can somebody tell me if I am on the right track here, or if I am missing/messing anything up? It makes me nervous putting one of the seeds in before the other 2. Idk why lol. Thank you for reading!

 

[Old Salt]

It'll work. Usually a grower would plant their seed in smaller containers such as solo cups or 3-4" (7.5-10cm) nursery pots, and transplant a time or two. This also allows the use of a humidity dome rather rather than a humidifier for seedlings. A seedling mat is often used rather than a heater. This saves power as a smaller light can also be used.

You should consider a carbon filter for the tent to deal with the odor during flowering.

You haven't gone astray. Consider a grow journal here to document your progress, and update it at least weekly. It will help you with future grows, and allow the community to spot any potential problems before they get serious.

 

[MrSauga]

Hi cPhil, and welcome to

Old Salt nailed it for you. What type of seeds are they? If autos, the only thing I would recommend is to get them in their final pots as soon as possible. With photos, you should uppot from smaller to larger pots, but autos get stressed easily so you don't want to be moving them around too much.

My only suggestion for planting the seed is this. Plant with the tap root up, or pointy end up. This will help knock the shell off when it emerges from the soil. See the below pic for a better understanding.

tapRoot.gif

• MrSauga
• Nov 2, 2018
• tap root

As Old Salt mentioned, get yourself a grow journal started. Check my signature below on Helpful Links for new Members.

 

[cphil]

It'll work. Usually a grower would plant their seed in smaller containers such as solo cups or 3-4" (7.5-10cm) nursery pots, and transplant a time or two. This also allows the use of a humidity dome rather rather than a humidifier for seedlings. A seedling mat is often used rather than a heater. This saves power as a smaller light can also be used.

You should consider a carbon filter for the tent to deal with the odor during flowering.

You haven't gone astray. Consider a grow journal here to document your progress, and update it at least weekly. It will help you with future grows, and allow the community to spot any potential problems before they get serious.

Thank you! Appreciate the reply. I do have a larger carbon filter in there too, forgot that in the post haha.

 

[cphil]

Hi cPhil, and welcome to

Old Salt nailed it for you. What type of seeds are they? If autos, the only thing I would recommend is to get them in their final pots as soon as possible. With photos, you should uppot from smaller to larger pots, but autos get stressed easily so you don't want to be moving them around too much.

My only suggestion for planting the seed is this. Plant with the tap root up, or pointy end up. This will help knock the shell off when it emerges from the soil. See the below pic for a better understanding.

tapRoot.gif

• MrSauga
• Nov 2, 2018
• tap root

As Old Salt mentioned, get yourself a grow journal started. Check my signature below on Helpful Links for new Members.

Thanks to you a well! I have autos in there, that's why I put them in the larger 5 gallon pots. Thought that would be fine. I think I put my first taproot in like the diagram haha

 

[MrSauga]

5gal are a good size for those autos. Mine are just finishing off. This is a pic of my PE auto just about ready to
harvest. Maybe a week or less.

pineapple01-0302.jpg

• MrSauga
• Feb 14, 2019

What are your plans for training? Any? Or just letting her go?

 

[cphil]

5gal are a good size for those autos. Mine are just finishing off. This is a pic of my PE auto just about ready to
harvest. Maybe a week or less.

pineapple01-0302.jpg

• MrSauga
• Feb 14, 2019

What are your plans for training? Any? Or just letting her go?

Thanks for the reply! Definitely going to try low stress training to open up the canopy a little bit and try to get a bigger plant, and maybe a few weeks in try a scrog net.

I am trying to take it day by day, and trying to survive week 1 then move on to week 2+ haha

 

[Old Salt]

If your tent is 5' (150cm) or less in height, consider moving the filter outside the tent. This will give you a foot (30cm) or more for your plants to grow.

 

[MrSauga]

I am trying to take it day by day, and trying to survive week 1 then move on to week 2+ haha

Not a bad plan, however knowing plants, you always want to be a step ahead of them. Prepare yourself now for whatever it is you choose to do so you are not left running around, or learning all of a sudden methods.
You have done a great job in your setup, now it's time to stay edumacated
Looks like you're going to be fine!

 

[cphil]

Not a bad plan, however knowing plants, you always want to be a step ahead of them. Prepare yourself now for whatever it is you choose to do so you are not left running around, or learning all of a sudden methods.
You have done a great job in your setup, now it's time to stay edumacated
Looks like you're going to be fine!

Thanks! Definitely makes sense. I have watched a ton of different growers' start to finish grows on youtube, and have a pretty solid grasp (I think) of what is to come.

What is your recommendation for starting nutrients, week 3 for autos?

 

[MrSauga]

What is your recommendation for starting nutrients, week 3 for autos?

I was looking for the type of soil you are growing in. Typically after the third node you can start 1/4 dose and work up from there, but if you are in FFOF it should be good for thirty days approx.
If you plan to top the autos, do it between 14-21 days and not below the third.

 

[MrSauga]

If in something like Promix HP which has no nutes you probably need to start sooner. Normally the cotyledons start to turn yellow which is a sign she's looking for food.

 

[cphil]

So there was a local grow shop kind of that I went to check out and ask some general questions. Got a bit overwhelmed with the soil options. The gentleman recommended Mother Earth Groundswell.

Not sure if anybody can comment on that or not.

 

[MrSauga]

Mother Earth® Groundswell™ Performance Soil is an ideal all-purpose potting media. This aeration formula blended with complementary ingredients allows the grower to start his or her favorite nutrient regimen sooner than traditional potting medias. Optimized air holding capacity provides an excellent environment for promoting root growth. Ready to use out of the bag, Mother Earth® Groundswell™ Performance Soil is comprised of only the highest-quality peat moss, aged forest products, perlite, pumice, worm castings, guanos and meals. Mother Earth® Groundswell™ Performance Soil is meticulously blended to ensure that growers are receiving the same quality and consistency that they have come to expect from all Mother Earth® products.

So it sounds delicious if I was a Cannabis plant. Good job. You should be OK on nutes for 30 days. No harm in introducing at 1/4 dose after the third or fourth node and see where she goes.

 

[MrSauga]

Once you get your plants going you'll need to start a Journal here so others can watch and guide you if needed.

 

[cphil]

Very good, definitely didn’t come across the whole 3rd or 4th node so that’s good to know. I can start then with a low dosage and see how the plant reacts.

I greatly appreciate the feedback and will definitely start a journal!

Last question I think for now... what’s the longest it will take the plant to sprout through the soil? It’s been about 18-20 hours now and nothing yet.

 

[MrSauga]

Last question I think for now... what’s the longest it will take the plant to sprout through the soil? It’s been about 18-20 hours now and nothing yet.

I've read some get lost down there and could take up to a week. Be patient, but normally 2-3 days. Don't add droplets to the soil or soak it. It should be premoistened and plenty good til sprout. If you add water you risk the seed shifting around or sinking lower.

 

[MrSauga]

Tag me when you get your Journal going and we'll get a bunch of good folks on board to have some fun.. learn how to Add a Link to your Signature so you can advertise your new Journal

 

[cphil]

Oh snap really??? I’ve been misting it with a spray bottle...... lol

 

[MrSauga]

As long as it's still under and the soil is moist throughout it doessn't need more.

The most important thing you need to understand is the watering of a plant. I'm not saying you don't, that's not what I'm getting at, but once ready that plant is looking for a schedule of water.. a wet/dry schedule. Read the link in my sig on the Proper way to water a potted plant. It's almost a must read.

So, no more misting til she pops