Starting 1st Auto grow

#2

@pc420 if you start seedlings using the paper towel method you should transplant directly into the soil after they sprout. Coco discs are unnecessary when started that way.

They probably damped off due to too much moisture after germination or they didn’t get enough and dried out.

If you use the paper towel method and then go into the soil make sure you pre moisten the soil before you plant your germinated seed. Once you pre moisten the soil make a hole just big enough to place the seed and tap root in with roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil over the top and then tuck it in gently with your fingers. After you plant your seed gently water it in with roughly 1 Oz or a shot glass full of water.

After that just keep an eye on it and they should sprout up within a few days. Try not to get too anxious and over water them. Using a humidity dome might be helpful too depending on the humidity in your growing area.

I personally use a 12-16 Oz solo cup to measure out and mark the area I’ll be using the light soil in. When you fill your pots with the super soil use a cup and place it in the center after you fill the pot about halfway then fill in around it leaving the hole from the cup in the center and fill it with your seed soil or light soil. After that plant your seed in the middle.

After that it’s literally just all about watering. What kind of pots are you using and what size?

2 Likes
#3

Hi, I’ll be using 5 gal. fabric pots. should I use a 50/50 mixture of seed starter mix & the " super soil" i’m using or would you use all seed starter mix ( in the hole that I scooped out ) ? thnx

#4

@pc420 you can do either or. 50/50 might be better. It’s what I do personally usually. 50/50 mix of coco coir and my heavy soil.

Fabric pots are good to use to avoid over watering. Do you have saucers for under the pots yet?

For the first few weeks you will need to top water until the plant is established but at around week 2 or 3 you can start bottom watering and saturating the whole pot.

#5

hi, no I don’t, do I need them?

#6

@pc420 you don’t need them they just make watering easier and it keeps a cleaner grow area.

#7

gotcha just making sure, I went thru 12 seeds already (they all died) due to just not knowing what to watch for, or just doing the wrong thing.So I’m trying to make sure I do everything right this time.Right temp’s, humidity, & the right equipment. And some good advice !

#8

One question,how long of a taproot should they have b4 I plant them in their forever pot?

#9

@pc420 I aim for about 1/2 inch or so.

#10

@Patricia I used to say it wasn’t fun until I had a 4 inch seedling. All my woes occurred in those early days.

Things I learned along the way:
Use the paper towel method
Don’t let towel dry
Use distilled water

Once they pop, I put them in a solo cup with holes in the bottom and lower sides. I keep it in a shallow tray of water. I use peat/coir/vermiculite potting soil.

I have a couple of low-wattage seeding lights. A common mistake is to have the light too high. I had mine at about 6 inches. The plants quickly stretched. Once I realized it, I corrected but they never recovered. They grew but were more like vines. I had to start supporting them mid-veg. The yield was low but it smoked okay.

When roots appear at the holes, I dig a hole in my final pot which I have filled with (pre-mix)
Mix-A-Soil. I cut the bottom off the cup and set the cup in the hole. I then cut down the sides and slide the plastic out.

Mix-A-Soil has a warning about being too “hot” for seedlings but since the plant is still in the potting soil, the transplant seems to go smoothly. They look pretty lonely in a 5 gallon pot. I’m setting up for 15 gallon now since I’m going to grow Banner Photos all summer. Lol.

I like to keep x-plant to a minimum so I’m quick to get to the final pot. The nice thing about big pots is that you can water less often. I also keep my pot(actually Vivo bags) in a 2 inch tray of water. Since I’m using pre-mix, nutrients are not part of the equation.

1 Like
#11

I’ve been growing autos for 5 or 6 years and I found that some super soils are too hot for autos, they’re picky, they like their water to be 6.5 ph and their soil should be 6.5 ph. I use Fox Farms Ocean Forest potting soil it’s pretty much made for autos, in fact the Fox Farms Happy Frog soil is great to mix with ocean forest, I’ve had very nice grows with that soil.

1 Like
#12

I’m using Coast of Maine / Stonington blend (it’s supposedly created especially for cannabis) I’ve had a number of people swear by it. So, anyway I also got their seedling mix ,but I also bought black gold seed mix too ( not sure why guess I wanted another one in the background “just in case” I’m going to mix a 50/50 mix of the seedling mix &
“my super soil” also coast of maine (C.O.M.) brand & after I’ve scooped out some of the soil in her forever pot ,( I’ll use a solo cup-sized area scooped out) a replace w/ the 50/50 mixture. what should the temp n humidity be? any advice so far.

#13

How is the COM soil working for you?

#14

hi , sorry I haven’t been on here for a bit , we just got another puppy n I’ve been sooooo busy w/ the new puppy & the new plants & we have had a ton of things happening all at once but now I’m back n organized .So to your question I LUV the super soil !!! sooo easy no mixing nutes just water, they ( coast of Maine product line ) was actually created for cannabis, I did a lot of research into several of the super soil’s n I really liked this line of products especially since it doesn’t smell like a dead person ! you should ck them out ,they have a feeding schedule that I follow just go to coast of maine .com n look on the stonington blend soil mix there’s a feeding schedule on it .I am using that for my medium (stonington blend growers mix) after they germ.I put them right in their forever pot(5 gal.fabric)

2 Likes
#15

sorry i hit the post button b4 i was finished ,lol so as i was saying when i plant them in their forever pots i take a solo cup n put in in the middle of the soil n take out the soil n replace w/ COM seed starter mix (sprout island organic & natural seed starter) & according to their feeding schedule this is their suggested nute additions after the main nutes are used approx. at 4-8 weeks of the veg.phase I’ll add ,stonington blend plant food per their direction’s then at between flower phase 1-6 weeks , i’ll add their fish bone meal again per their direction’s & again at last week of veg.top dress w/ their earthworm casting’s this might sound confusing but it’s so very easy ( If I can understand it You most certainly can lol ) just ck out coast of maine .com n go to products n start on the stonington blend growers mix n look on the back of that & it tells you what you’ll need basically it’s all the products I just said . My babies are growing like crazy they seem to LUV it!& all I’m doing right now is watering ,Good Luck ,I LUV COM !

1 Like
#16

Sounds like a great plan. Enjoy!

#17

appreciate the update, good luck with the pup and the grow!
I am trying 3 water only methods, Biotabs, Grow Dots and Purple Cow living soil!

1 Like
#18

cool,let me know how your doing w/ the purple cow living soil is? I started to get their seed starter mix ,I heard good thing’s about it,but I decided to stay w/ COM cause I thought it best to stay w/ all the same branrown auto’s bd , It sounds like you’ve grown auto’s b4 any advice ? such as the proper height to keep my plants from my lights , or the temp. & humidity, & should I use a net for LST any tip’s are appreciated & thnx re.Our new puppy!

#19

I am so new to this! But I am a quick learner and I learned quickly that I cant manage feeding 6 or 8 plants properly! So far the PC plants are OK, but only 10 days old. Started using the Biotabs system, and germing in Rapid Rooters, then into the organic soil and that little girl has lapped her older sisters!

With autos less is better. I got a cheap light meter and look at that and the plants for advice.
If I ran my Vipar 2000 lights at 100% at 18 inches as they reccommend, my plants would fry. I keep that at just under 50% or else they start to “pray” and “taco” a bit so I backed the lights off, and the girls seem happy.

No LST for me just yet, gonna start that soon with the advice of an old friend.

My 13 year old couch Pit-tato says good luck with your grows, keep posting!

1 Like
#20

oh yah,another doggy lover ! we luv pitties such good dog’s n beautiful as well.as to the lights I have a tsw 2000 Mars hydro light set up n yup, i had mine at about 18" most of my auto’s were just germ. & were just put in their forever pots not sure why but 3 started off awesome n have about 6 or so sets of leaves ( didn’t really count them yet ) n the other

#21

ugh ,I keep doing that hitting the post button b4 i’m done .anyway as i was saying & the other 4 have approx. 2 sets of leaves one of my bigger girls started to look like she was taco-ing so i raised mine about another 7 " she’s looking way better caught it early ! ( I have mine set at 100%) everything looks o.k. so far so i’ll prob.leave it at that ,unless you think i should turn the light down a touch .also how bout temp & humidity what r your thoughts?