Noob on the Cheap

[hudson88]

I'd be interested to hear what the more experienced growers say about bugs coz I always get them. Never anything serious that appears to have much of an impact on my grow just a few tiny flying bugs (I know I should look around to find out what they are) that I seem to be able to keep under control with some bug spray thats for edible fruit bearing plants.

I think it's enevitable wherever you grow that bugs are gonna find a way into your grow room from time to time (it's warm and got that sweet smell, jeez i'd live in my grow room if I could) , I just give them a spray and make sure they're not eating my plants or making them sick. I remember a while ago reading about some sort of insect (can't remember what it was now) that you can put in your grow room and it will eat all the other bugs but leave your plants alone. Does anyone know about this bug? Or was it just a stoned dream I've had lol

[Cede2Weed]

Seedlings have reached 7 days in dirt, seems much longer...

Growing has slowed but I am started to see some separation with the second set of leaves. I am watering twice a day. Does anybody think they can stand more water, less water, or continue as I have been doing.

They are now under 200w of cfl equivalent. They should probably have more light and I hope to have wiring ready some time this week with the goal to double wattage.

Temps have been maintained in the low 70's.

I purchased a couple of cheap soil test kits but do not think I need to use until I transplant and begin using nutes. Also purchased the foxfarms three pack. Hopefully they will be ready for transplant next weekend.

Day 7 in dirt

[Cede2Weed]

I wish I could stick'em in a time machine, patience is a virtue I sorely lack!

[Cede2Weed]

Some of my leaves are dropping to the point they are touching the soil. They look perfectly green and healthy but are drooping.

Could this be because I am over-watering? Please tell me it is not something more serious. :wtf:

[hudson88]

Hey Cede,

Looking good, they've done well in them 7 days. I know just what you mean about it seeming longer, I look at mine a few times a day and every time I hope that they've grown into huge bushes and are ready to flower lol

Think you're right with the droopy leaves being coz of overwatering, it's hard to get the balance rght the first couple of weeks, try cutting down to watering once a day and see how they react to that, don't worry about them getting dry they're not gonna die without water for one day.

Keep up the good work!

[Cede2Weed]

Thanks, Hudson. No water today. Those little peat pots dry out so fast....

Another concern is their proximity to the light bulbs. I have my ventilation working well and have moved all the plants 1" from the cfls. They have been this way for a few days. I try to rotate the plants so they all end up getting even light but I haven't done such a good job. The two that have grown the most were the closest to their respective cfls. Could heat have been an issue with the drooping leaves? Just can't get their saggy-state off of mind. Hopefully, when I get home they will have perked up.

[hudson88]

Hey,

Yeah the heat that the cfl's produce will dry out them peat pots pretty quickly. Might be worth moving them to 2" from the plants to reduce the heat a little for now. Then when you put them in bigger pots which don't dry out so quick you can get them closer again. When you thinking of transplanting? I would think about doing it now, I transplant mine at about 2 weeks but I start them in bigger pots than yours so you should probably do it around the 7-10 day mark anyway. I find things always become easier and really start growing after the first transplant.

[Cede2Weed]

Well, Hudson, I have a dilemma there. Obviously, I did not think things our thoroughly. I have 20 plants going now. I expect that vast majority to be female. I used a chart I found on the boards here that shows you how to determine the sex of seeds. It may be BS, but I have hope. I also expected some of the seedlings to not make it. Long story short, I do not have room for 20 in larger pots. 10 of them are a few days older than the first 10. I expected attrition to lower my count, then I could select the healthiest of the remaining for transplant into larger pots.

The more time I have invested in this, the less confidence I have they are all female.

They are currently in 2"x2" peat pots. I have looked at the bottom and a couple of them has a root protruding through the bottom. I simply tucked them back into the pot. With these pots being degradable, I expected to see some root trying to break through and that would be my indicator to transplant. I agree with you, I am not going to be able to wait that long.

Original goal was to have 5 or 6 thriving females out of the 20 seedlings. I am now getting greedy and want to find a way to keep them all though I know this will not be possible.

I have read on here in several places by several respected posters. that they all try to limit transplants to 3 or 4 max. I believe the max pot size I am going to be able to use is 3 gal. At a gallon per foot of height, that would limit my height to 3'. Which I would not have a problem with if I could keep 10 plants going. I also plan on LST and am giving serious consideration to SCROG. This would further limit the height I could get in 3 gal pots.

I really am not interested in pre-flowering to determine sex and then going back into veg. Do not want to pay the 2 weeks price...

So I am probably going to go into flower at 12" tall with the plan of SCROG to a max height of 24" in 3 gal pots.

Forgive my rambling, but do you think I could get away with transplanting to 4"x4" pots for now? I believe I can fit 20 of this size. Then, at some point reducing to 10 plants and doubling the pot size. Or should I go ahead and thin the heard to 10 now and get them in larger pots with the reality of ending up with only the 5 most vigorous plants?

[hudson88]

Hey cede,

That was pretty long lol I'm pretty baked and that was kinda hard to get my head around. You can use the 20 4"x4" if you like but they're not gonna last long, i'd sooner go to a bigger pot myself. You'll probably need to transplant again before flowering and you'll have the same problem. If you can get 12 pots (6"x6") in the space I'd say that was the right number but 10 is still pretty close if you can't. I usually end up with a couple more females than males but i've only had a couple of grows so maybe I just got lucky.

[Cede2Weed]

OK. I have moved 11 of the 20 into 5" round containers. These 11 are the ones that have started showing the second set of leaves.

Hudson, you were right on about being root-bound. The ones with the leaves sagging the most had the most well established root system. Those that were not sagging were easily transplanted, as the dirt just fell away. I wish I would have taken pictures.

So I have 3 I am concerned about. After transplanting they are drooping even more. Their color is still a vibrant green, but they just look very lazy. One even appears to have a fold in a leave. I read somewhere on here that may be due to high ph of the water. I have been using plain tap water that I have not tested. I have purchased soil test kits but not for water, YET.

Will try to get pictures up later. Time to CHILL :rastasmoke: