Mesialdrft’s First Grow Attempt: Hang On Tight!

[MesialDrift]

So my first time growing anything. After roasting a couple of AK auto seeds in wet paper towel on top of my cabe box I placed one seed directly into Fox Farms Light Warrior and another two in water. After a couple of days the ones in water had good sized tails so I planted them in the Light Warrior. All three are above soil but the seed I planted directly had a head start and is larger. I think my T5 light was a little far away because it seemed like it was stretching. I brought the light closer but of course that heated things up so I got worried and left the light as is. Opening up the side of my tent helped bring the temp down as well. I’ve read where humidity levels should be anywhere from %40 to %80 percent at this stage. That’s a huge range. It usually stays near %50 but I’ve experimented with a small humidifier inside and directly outside of the tent. What should I be aiming for? How are plants doing for 12 days since planting? I’m clueless and couldn’t be more of a novice. Under/Over watering is also a concern. I’m still using a spray bottle with distilled water once or twice a day. If you notice one photo was taken before watering and another after.

 

[Stormblessed]

Hello and welcome to
At this stage I think u should b around 70%, once they start really growing it can go down to 50-60% then in flower The closer to 40% the better, that’s my understanding or it lol but looking good so far

 

[MesialDrift]

Hello and welcome to
At this stage I think u should b around 70%, once they start really growing it can go down to 50-60% then in flower The closer to 40% the better, that’s my understanding or it lol but looking good so far

 

[MesialDrift]

Thanks so much! I’ll start my humidifier when I turn the lights on tomorrow and experiment with positioning to get 70 percent

 

[Stormblessed]

Always here to help

 

[r0am1ng st0ner]

to

I am with Stormblessed 70% now and work to 40 in flower.
I also try half follow this vpd chart which is about the transpiration of the plant being optimized for different grow stages.

Your plants now look really nice how did the router roast the others? too warm?

 

[MesialDrift]

Thanks so much @r0am1ng st0ner ! I have seen that exact chart on other posts but never bothered to print it out. Now I have it thanks to you.

i think it was because i used a ceramic plate and since our router is enclosed on three sides all the heat got transferred to the plate which kept very warm—almost hot. I also had the paper towels/seeds in a zip locked bag that I kept open. One seed started to get a tail but it may have been stuck in the seed covering? The other barely got a tail and just stopped. After a couple of days of no progress I thought the tails looked darker, almost burnt. I wish I hadn’t deleted the photos I took. I planted them both anyway but nothing came up. So far my best plant is one that I just planted in the Light Warrior soil.

 

[r0am1ng st0ner]

Too bad your router is so hot, everyone finds what works best for them there is no right way. Right in dirt is the old fashioned way and it works

 

[Stormblessed]

I’m jealous of any one that has the option of just putting it in the dirt, seems to b a very reliable way, like millions of years reliable lol, unfortunately I run DWC so I can’t or that would b my method lol have u tried to put a small towel under the plate just to buffer the heat some

 

[MesialDrift]

I’m hoping to try hydro (maybe coco first as a transition) after I feel like I have a good handle for soil. I just want to learn as much as I can! Someone else also recommended the towel under the plate but since I’ve had much better luck with planting right into soil and soaking the seeds in water for a few days I’m just going go with what works best for me, just as you suggested. I think the Light Warrior soil helps a lot with seedlings. It’s strange because I rarely read about Light Warrrior on forums such as these - everyone is more into starting with other Fox Farm products like Happy Frog. Maybe I’m paranoid, but my slowest growing plant has darker green on the outer leaves. Anything to be concerned about?

 

[MesialDrift]

Three weeks out and I’m concerned things are growing too slowly. I’ve added a small humidifier to get the RH around 70%. I wonder if I switched from the t5s to my HLG 260W LEDs - would they grow quicker? Or is this the appropriate growth for AK-47 autos for three weeks? I’m hoping the discoloration on the one leaf is only water burn. I’ve been careful with water, but as they get larger I’m watering a bit more each time. Yesterday was the first time I noticed dripping from the bottom of the cups.

 

[MesialDrift]

I transplanted all the seedlings into five gallon pots filled with Happy Frog. After three weeks there couldn’t have been much nutes left - I have only been using distilled water. They seem really small but seem to be doing fine a day after transplanting. I switched from my T5 to one of my HLG 260w rspec - turned down to about half power and placed 18 inches away. I’m now using Cal Mag in my water and gave each plant 8 oz of water immediately after transplanting. I’ll probably water every other day now that they are getting larger.

 

[Stormblessed]

Nice, looking good, maybe a little hungry but coming along nicely

 

[MesialDrift]

Thanks @Stormblessed I really think that after a few weeks in the starting soil my plants were just starving for nutes. They are thriving (I think) in their new home with 5 gallon fabric pots, Happy Frog soil, and the LEDs. I also have my fan on - just enough to suck the walls of my tent In a little. I’m a little worried they are showing so soon - I’d still call them seedlings. Is this normal for them to do? I suppose this is the downside to autos - but I just wanted to keep everything as simple as I could for my first grow. I want to learn and go slow. My next batch autos are already planted - maybe I’ll try a little training to get my confidence up.