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bOOhOO. My three-week old "Guerrilla Gusto" seedling grown Hydro just died. Any help? My guess is:
1. Too much love. Checking Ph everday and making adjustments
2. Light too close and strong- Hydrofarm 140w Flourescent at 8"
3. Note clump of gooey, papertowel remainder from germinating
Back to the drawing board
MaXiMotion
Maxi, I moved this to where it should be.
You will probably have more luck putting seedlings in rapidrooters or even rockwool. The hydroton dries out too uch between waterings to support a seedling.
Your light was not too strong.
1) It's impossible to give too much love, but it is very possible to adjust PH too often. Plants really don't like that. Adjust PH to 5.3 to 5.8 (I prefere 5.5) and leave it there. Your PH will most likely go up over time and this is OK as long it doesn't go above 6.
2) It's impossible to have your light too close and too strong unless it is stressing the plants. VERY SLOWLY keep decreasing the distance between the light and the plants, while keeping close watch. As soon as you notice a little light stress, back off just a touch, and keep it that distance from the plants as they grow.
3) I don't think paper towels in the roots will do any harm. But I use a cheapo cloner and have a bigger root mass before putting them in the hydroton.
I disagree with stinky. I use nothing but hydroton from start to finish. If your youngsters aren't getting enough water, just increase the cycle until they are a little older. I water about every 10 minutes or so, for about 30 seconds.
Looking at the picture again, could they be too wet? Give us more details and maybe we could be more specific.
Oh yeah, for seedlings you want to have your light way back for a couple weeks. I'm not sure about your light, but I keep my 400 watter almost 3 feet back during the first 2 weeks. I would suggest that maybe next time you try keeping your light further back, just in the beggining. It couldn't hurt much, and it may help.