2nd Grow Mistakes: Comments Needed

Iâ??m working on my second grow. I seem to be making more mistakes on the 2nd grow than the first.

I started by germinating 30 bag seeds. I used the paper towel method. Once germinated I placed in pete pellets. Once the seedlings were about 1.5 to 2 inches tall I placed them into 4â?� pots with the following mix.

60% potting soil
15% Perlite
10% Vermiculite
10% Worm Castings
5% Pre-Mix*

The 5% Pre-Mix is 12-12-12 fertiziler and a small amount of 5-1-1 Bone Meal.

Once the seedling were placed into the 4â?� pots, they were placed into my grow room under a low wattage light.

This is the exact light that I have for my seedlings.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-GROW-LIGHT-S...QQcmdZViewItem

For about a week, everything seems to be going ok. Then I decided to purchase 2 MH conversion lights for my 400-watt HPS ballasts. Both of my HPS lights are air cooled and ducked by using a Dayton 465 cfm blower. With both lights running, my 4x4x7 grow room stayed around 80 degrees with around 70% humidity.

I believe I placed the lights to close to the sprouts. They were placed about 12â?� above the plants. Within a day my sprouts and soil mix were dried out. I was only able to save two plants. So now Iâ??m starting over. Iâ??ve decided to use just one ballast instead of two. The light will be placed about 3 feet above the plants until they are old enough to handle two 400-watt lights.

Please let me know what you think. I believe in the K.I.S.S. approach to weed. Iâ??m thinking that my soil mix is more than what I really need. Thank god for bag seed.

Im also curious as to your soil ideas. I would like to stay with an organic mix.

Thanks:rasta:

I DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH YOUR SOIL MIX. EXCEPT MAYBE THE PRE MIX. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE LITES WERE JUST WAY TOO CLOSE.

I WOULD KEEP EM UNDER THE BAR LITE UNTILL THEY GET THIER ROOTS ESTABLISHED, THEN PUT EM UNDER THE BIG BOYS.

GOOD LUCK

Should I leave the Pre Mix out?

I'd say you stressed them with light and fryed them
Get a floro for early seedling.