Germination Pictures! Am I on the right Track???

[line1260skr]

So I soaked my rockwoll cubes in 5.5-6 ph water for about 20 hours and i just put the seeds (hindu kush and 1 thai stick) with the root down and the seed pointed up.. i have a lid over a drainable bowl.. is this too much light for them(42 watt cfl for now)? or should it be dark until they hit the top of the rockwoll?

Also I have one seed that germinated and i dont have a fifth rockwoll cube ready? is there any advice? can you put two in one and see which grows the best?

line1260skr Reviewed by line1260skr on 04-30-2008. Germination Pictures! Am I on the right Track??? So I soaked my rockwoll cubes in 5.5-6 ph water for about 20 hours and i just put the seeds (hindu kush and 1 thai stick) with the root down and the seed pointed up.. i have a lid over a drainable bowl.. is this too much light for them(42 watt cfl for now)? or should it be dark until they hit the top of the rockwoll? Also I have one seed that germinated and i dont have a fifth rockwoll cube ready? is there any advice? can you put two in one and see which grows the best? Rating: 5

[stinkyattic]

Your draining tray is a good idea. You could always cut one cube in half and use that for the extra seed. You don't need light until they reach the surface. Watch your watering- they should stay moist at all times, but never be soggy.

[line1260skr]

My house is pretty cold still so I am just using one cfl to get the temp to about 75 is is ok if some light is getting in the dome? since they are under the rockwoll anyway?

[stinkyattic]

Oh I see why! It shouldn't be a problem; you just don't NEED it, is all.

[line1260skr]

Thanks for all your help stinkyattic.. I guess where i am it is the plants are are about 1 inch tall ill take a pic because people seem to like them.. my question is when does it make its way into the DWC? and also when should i put nutrients in that DWC? right now im just using a mini water (turkey baster thing) to squirt ph balanced water on the cubes to keep it moist.. I am new to this but should i be starting new threads for all these little questions?

[stinkyattic]

Naw, it makes it SO much easier to answer questions when all the background info is already there in the thread, so keep it going.
Turkey baster= great watering tool for the younguns!
Now it is the time to get your light as close as you can without burning. A couple inches is good; watch out though- they grow fast!
Personally, I would put it in the DWC when you see root tips emerging from the cubes, but you will still be hand-watering for a little while during the transition phase. Look at a DWC grower's log to see how they make that transition.
What is the medium you will be holding the plants in physically? Hydroton? Don't forget to pre-soak @ pH 6.0!
I am not even going to try to answer the DWC nutes question- that's one for the Dro Pros hahaha! Don't forget to make sure they have a calcium source though, right from the start.

[line1260skr]

Here ill answer you with pictures and yes hydrotron.. hah ill ask around later for nutes.. but right now these look semi healthy right?.. and when you say i need a calcium source you mean calmag+? because im pretty sure there isnt a hydro store here so it might not be here on time if i ordered it... what happens without it?

When would you add more light? when the real leaves get little bigger? I can add two more CFL's or also MH or HPS whenever i just dont really know when hah

[stinkyattic]

I'd add the extra CFLs right away, watching your temperature of course.
Very often, your tap water has enough calcium, but unless you are sure, it is best to add a supplement. This is where knowing your EC numbers is helpful. I have grown successfully in hydro with nothing but Canna Aqua A+B and city water, but I am lucky that my city has GREAT water for growing pot! Not everyone does
Without calcium, you will notice that the low leaves start to show pale yellow blotches that are irregularly shaped, and eventually die. There's no way to get around it; you need Ca- you just have to find out if your tap water + nutes are enough, or you have to go buy some. Even a halfway decent garden center might stock some type of suitable Ca supplement. Tomatoes and squashes need lots of it so they don't get blossom end rot- ask the garden center people how to avoid that, if you don't want to seem stoneriffic.