new to growing (personal use)

[jtsuprastar92]

hey guys. im a new member to these forums as i am also new to growing my own personal weed. i am a medical user so here goes. about a mth ago i recieved my seeds from nirvana they are "aurora indica" seeds thier plain seeds they are not feminised or auto flowering. i bought a tent from virtual sun,for lights i have a Pioneer Jr. T5 High Output 2' x 8 Fluorescent Fixture, i also have a heat pad underneath which is supposed to help with warmth can raise temp about 20 degrees. i use distilled water i buy from cvs. for soil i use fox farm ocean forest soil in 4" small pots. i have the lights about 3-4 inches away from them the lights are on 24hr. i water every 2 days..i started off with 6 seeds i placed them in a germinator that i bought with growplugs..2seeds never split open 2 seeds split but never amounted to much afterwards and 2 popped nicely..grew a 1inch stem and thier beggining to die off at this very moment..all in all its been about 30 days so far..can anyone tell me what im doing wrong tyvm guys!!

[galt]

Back the lights off to about 10 inches, just for emergency triage. And turn off that heat pad. That is the only thing you can do instantly that might help. Other than that, can you post a picture? "beginning to die off" is not enough info....

1 inch in 30 days is horrible growth, you should have 3-4 sets of leaves by now minimum.

[Shovelhandle]

Ocean Forest is strong, often too strong for little seedlings. You (we) need temperature measurements. I use a heating pad to start seedlings if the air temp isn't 75ºF or above. Germinator and grow plugs, huh? Well something is not good that they don't germinate or grow well at all. Also, I put my T5 lamps just a couple of inches from the seedlings no problems. It may be a temperature issue.

[GaGrown]

It's temp's or dampening off... Which is a bit too wet around the stem... I know you say water every two days... But even then you can be subject to DOff... I think shovelhandle hit it though... There is that factor other than heat...

[Jbone77]

Are you buying the distilled water from in the store or are you buying the RO water from the machine outside the store? Those machines are junk and they have huge ph fluctuations. I dont like grow plugs, FFOF, or heat mats. If your germin indoors with a T-5 at 3 inches then you have plenty of warmth, other than a couple drops of water every day you shouldnt be watering much at all. When I do soil grows I buy Dr earth potting mix, mix in about 30% perlite, fill up a styrofoam cup with holes in the bottom, cover it with a ziplock and set it on my water heater for 2 days. They always pop. Take the ziplock off and put them under a 23 watt cfl for a week. Repot into a 6" pot and put them under you T-5 and let em fly. Iv never burned a plant with that potting mix, ph is great, give her some organic veg ferts, molasses occasionally , let her dry out in between waterings and your good for veg

[polishpollack]

A wet environment tends to stay much warmer than a dry one. Wet soil might be too warm. People tend to use heating pads for cloning because it appears that 76 degrees F seems to be a good temp to help roots develop. However, in warm weather this may not be necessary. Ocean Forest is probably too much fert for seedlings. There is potting soil out there just for seedlings. But you'd have to transplant into fert soil when roots are established.

[giggletwig]

If you're using a T5 **HO**, you need to back the light off to at least 10". They get way too hot. I use them too. As your plants get older, you may want to back it off to 12".

Remove the heat on the bottom - not needed. Get a thermometer and place it on a pot or something the same height as your plants. The temp should not get hotter than 80 deg. under the light with the plants. If it's still too hot, use a fan blowing gently on them from several feet away (if possible). This will also give you strong stems. Ditch the distilled water and use fresh (aeriated) tap water and adjust the ph to 6 - 6.5. (buy a wide range aquarium ph tester kit). Next time you plant seedlings, use a seedling soil with no nutes, or put some coconut fiber or moss into your Ocean Forest to dilute it down. (which is what I've just done and the little suckers are going gangbusters...did about 1/2 coco and 1/2 OF)

If you're still having trouble with the seeds popping, ditch the germinator. Put the seeds in tiny labeled containers with a little water in them (I use dixie cups) until the seeds sink or no longer than 12 hours. Put them in the wet soil in the pot 1/2 inch or less down, facing sideways (not top or bottom down - the plant will right itself), and leave them alone. No covers, no warmers, nothin fancy. No more water other than a light misting if the soil appears dry. They will be up in 1-3 days.

Good luck to you! Getting started is the hardest part. I totally baked my first set of seeds - killed them quite completely. But once you're through your first grow, you'll be fine. :)