Any advice needed and appreciated. Can't get past seedling (2 weeks). help plz

[Daiv89]

I have 4 plants with 2 aquarium florescent (t12?) and a circle 23w florescent light.
Professional soil
blood meal and magical grow packets for nutrients. ( i have refrained from using nutrients yet, don't really understand when to start)
purified water, or distilled water that has sat out for 24 hours.
temp stays 75 at night and 80 with lights on with the fan running.
Im currently on day 5 since seed.



I have tried twice now and can't seem to get past the second tier of leaves. ( right after the original 2 leaves fall off and the new 4 leaves grow the plant will look healthy and then die out of no were) Idk what im doing wrong.
I have been spraying water on the leaves to help with co2 intake.
and i just took a dome i had on them off.
Lights are touching plant, no burn


I can't make it past a week or 2 of growth.

Its not overwatering, learned from the first grow.
I haven't giving nutrients yet, again learned from last grow. ( when is a good time to start giving nutrients??)
Maybe my lights aren't strong enough, though i have been told it should be enough for now.
maybe a calcium deficiency ???

I will try to post pictures soon.
When do you transplant to a bigger pot. i have them in 2'' cups right now.
Also any advice would be appriciated.
Thanks

Daiv89 Reviewed by Daiv89 on 09-24-2011. Any advice needed and appreciated. Can't get past seedling (2 weeks). help plz I have 4 plants with 2 aquarium florescent (t12?) and a circle 23w florescent light. Professional soil blood meal and magical grow packets for nutrients. ( i have refrained from using nutrients yet, don't really understand when to start) purified water, or distilled water that has sat out for 24 hours. temp stays 75 at night and 80 with lights on with the fan running. Im currently on day 5 since seed. I have tried twice now and can't seem to get past the second tier of leaves. ( Rating: 5

[Weezard]

I have 4 plants with 2 aquarium florescent (t12?) and a circle 23w florescent light.
Professional soil

"Professional soil" is usually too "hot" for starting from seed.
You'll want un-fertilized media for the seedling stage.



blood meal and magical grow packets for nutrients. ( i have refrained from using nutrients yet, don't really understand when to start)
purified water, or distilled water that has sat out for 24 hours.

Um, why?!

There's is a persistant old wives tale about letting tap water sit out until the Chlorine gas dissipates.

Problem there is, most tap water uses Chloramine which is not a gas and will not dissipate.
Not to mention that the Chloramine is harmless to plants and beneficial for non-organic grows.

Letting pure water sit out for 24 hours only allows the air to escape.
Stagnant water, (water without dissolved air), will suffocate your roots!
Your seedlings are drowning for lack of air at the roots.

temp stays 75 at night and 80 with lights on with the fan running.
Im currently on day 5 since seed.



I have tried twice now and can't seem to get past the second tier of leaves. ( right after the original 2 leaves fall off and the new 4 leaves grow the plant will look healthy and then die out of no were) Idk what im doing wrong.
I have been spraying water on the leaves to help with co2 intake.

??
Spraying water on the leaves has nothing to do with CO2 uptake that I know of.
(If I'm wrong about that. someone please educate me.)

and i just took a dome i had on them off.
Lights are touching plant, no burn


I can't make it past a week or 2 of growth.

"Your seedlings are drowning for lack of air at the roots."

Its not overwatering, learned from the first grow.
I haven't giving nutrients yet, again learned from last grow. ( when is a good time to start giving nutrients??)
Maybe my lights aren't strong enough, though i have been told it should be enough for now.
maybe a calcium deficiency ???

Not a deficiency, more of a surplus but, if they can't breath, they don't eat anyway.

I will try to post pictures soon.
When do you transplant to a bigger pot. i have them in 2'' cups right now.

When they get as tall as the cup they are in, it's time to start checking.
If you start them in a clear see-through, cup and nest it in an opaque cup, you can just lift the clear one out and check the roots with no trauma.

Also any advice would be appriciated.
Thanks

You are quite welcome!

Now, here's the best advice you will receive.

There are two links in my signature.
Everything you just asked and more, is there for the taking.
It's free, it's accurate, (for the most part), and IMO is the most comprehensive cannabis information on the net.

The Mythbuster link will help you ignore bad advice from clueless friends.
They mean well, but are usually just passing on what "they heard somewhere", yah?


If you put in the time and effort to educate yourself you will become a source of solid advice.
Not to mention the stellar meds you'll have.:smokin::smokin:

Good luck and Aloha,

Weezard

[Daiv89]

I really appreciate it.
i read that spraying the leaves while in the dome will help with co2 intake... idk
how do i supply air to the roots.. i let the soil dry out until i water.
Also, when do i start using nutrients and when is the best time to feed.. day/night
Thanks again
i am looking through the links right now

[Weezard]

I really appreciate it.
i read that spraying the leaves while in the dome will help with co2 intake... idk

Higher temperatures can increase CO2 uptake but the process is self limiting.
As temperatures approach 90 F. growth slows.
That, and I just found this.
"
A 2006 article in the journal Science showed that when atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, plants do not take in the excess due to a series of feedback loops that constrain the plant, said McCaskill.
â??Phloem loading is one of these feedbacks that have an effect on the ability of plants to intake carbon dioxide at the highest level,â?� said the researcher said."

Seems a sucrose backlog will also inhibit CO2 usage.
Good to know!




how do i supply air to the roots.. i let the soil dry out until i water.

Are you sure?

I suggest using the "lift the cup" method of moisture estimation.
Easiest, most accurate, least disruptive.


Air? Easy!
Dissolve the air into the water.
How?
Lotsa ways.
Put it in a bucket and stir vigorously.
Pour it from bucket to bucket several times.
Drop an airstone into your water storage.
I'm a lazy guy, so I just installed a kitchen kine aerator on the garden faucet and I water immediately.
Letting water "sit" defeats that purpose

Also, when do i start using nutrients and when is the best time to feed.. day/night

Your plants will ask for nutrients.
When the new growth starts to look a little pale, it's time to start quarter strength nutes.
These question are all well answered in the archives here

Thanks again
i am looking through the links right now

Good!
Read 'til your eyes bleed.
Saves my old fingers a lot of typing.

See ya in a week or so.

Aloha,
Weezard

[ZiggZagger420]

water your plants until it runs out of the bottom place the seedling as close as you can to the lights so it doesnt create a 4 inch stem fall over and die keep some tooth picks around in the event it tries to bend over because of it being top heavy

DO NOT TOUCH THE STEM the oils in your finger will bruise it and fail...I call it training the roots to follow the water wait until its pretty dry then add 1oz of water to the seedling just enough to satisfy the plants thirst I put my clones/seedlings in clear plastic cups with drain holes at the bottom then place it in a red plastic cup so i can check to see if the roots are spreading at this point still no neuts...once your out of the woods and you are happy with your progress leech out a fresh pot of soil or whatever your growing in wait a week mix in some Oreganism for benifical bacteria for root growth re pot and wake and bake and call me in the morning :stoned: Later...TAO

[hemptations]

Also, didn't see where you mentioned regulated PH, which is a huge reason most people never get passed a month. And really hot soils like that tend to have a lower PH. A simple bag of dolomite lime (get the "lawn kind" cheaper and theres more of it does the same thing) is I ever need to do to regulate ph, just drop some lime and water.

[Rusty Trichome]

Get a seedling mix and give 'em half a chance. Once doing fine, (4th or 5th internode) transplant 'em into the "professional" mix.

Get a freshwater aquarium ph test kit. (about $8 at most pet shops) But if you are able, get a ph pen, the storage solution and the calibrating solution. With the aquarium test kit, you can only check the ph of clean, clear water. (it's a color-coded result...tinting skews those results) With a ph pen, you can ph virtually any liquid regardless of how it is tinted.

Check online for your local water quality report. (Google) If necessary, think about getting a reverse osmosis set to filter your tapwater.

In a soil grow, there is no need to aerate (oxygenate...?) the water. Air is brought-down to the lower root zone via suction. (the water draws-down the air into the root zone) Not to mention that there should be fresh air circulating over the top layer of soil. (circulating fan)

Unrooted clones and seedlings need special care, but are different animals altogether. A dome will stop any and all fresh air circulation. Tiz a good way to retain too much moisture, both on the plant and in the medium. For seedlings this can be a death sentance. Remove the dome and keep a closer eye on them. Unless you have sprayed something on them that clogs the stomas, DO NOT spray the seedlings. Especially under a dome. Try and keep a gentle breeze on 'em to strengthen the stems and to circulate the air.