Hey everyone, I’ve seen a lot of people having issues with autos lately, and I’m hoping that a thread dedicated to providing some detailed information based on my experiences might help. I just want to make sure it’s clear that I’m not claiming my methods are better than anyone else’s, just that they work well for me. Many of the techniques I use were learned from or at least refined by other users here in the forum.
Before I get to how I start my seeds, here’s a list of every single product I use through the grow when it comes to nutrients and additives. Over the years I’ve tried lots of products, and I’ve taken over a thousand pages of notes in my journals. I put a good amount of effort into deciding what I think works well and what’s worth keeping in the mix or eliminating.
From Advanced Nutrients I use,
1 - Connoisseur Grow A&B
2 - Connoisseur Bloom A&B as my base nutrients.
3 - Cal/Mag Extra
4 - B-52
5 - Big Bud
6 - Bud Candy
From NPK Industries I Use,
1 - Raw Silica
2 - Raw Yucca (wetting agent)
3 - Raw Enzymes
From Microbe Life Hydroponics I use,
1 - Photosynthesis Plus
2 - Vegetable & Fruit Yield Enhancer
Other than that, I use Azos, but only on transplant day, so I only buy the tiny bag. Epsom salt is also on my list, but the brand doesn’t really matter as long as it’s for gardening purposes. I don’t need to adjust pH much because of the Advanced Nutrients, but I keep food grade citric acid on hand for pH down and baking soda for pH up.
So that’s it for the products I use. Just for reference purposes, I stopped using the Advanced Nutrients microbe/fungi products (voodoo juice, piranha, tarantula) in favor of the Microbe Life Hydroponics based on price and because I’ve found them to be just as effective.
I stopped using Rhino Skin in favor of NPK Silica because it’s also cheaper, and I feel it works better, and I stopped using Sensizym and switched to NPK Enzymes for the same reasons.
I eliminated Bud Ignitor, Overdrive, Nirvana, Bud Factor X, and Flawless Finish because I consider them unnecessary, redundant, or just not worth the cost.
With autos, getting off to a good start is far more important than it is with photos. That’s why I made the decision a few years ago to stop planting them in their final pots and start in solo cups instead.
I soak my seeds for 18 hours in RO or bottled spring water, and I keep them between 80° and 85°F. I used to do the paper towel germination method, but I quit that a while back. It’s fine to do it that way if you prefer, but I find that planting straight in the solo cup after soaking works perfectly for me.
A good way to provide proper drainage in your solo cups is to make the holes right on the bottom edge around the cup. The holes won’t drain as well if they were only on the bottom or the side of the cup, but if they’re right on the edge, you’re removing some bottom and some sidewall. I use a cigarette lighter to melt the holes. Just go outside or open a window so you’re not breathing in melting plastic, lol.
I think a mistake that’s fairly common is to believe your soil is wet enough for planting because you’re getting runoff. New soil is sometimes very stubborn about getting drenched. Many times I’ve thought for sure I ran plenty through the solo cups to drench them, only to dig down a bit and find large areas still bone dry because the water/solution just runs through a few areas.
So there’s 2 things I do to counter this. If I have 12 seedings to start, I take the soil for 12 cups and dump it in a bin and moisten it all. I don’t soak it, I just don’t want it to be totally dry to start out. Then when I fill the cups, I add Yucca to the water before I drench them. Note, Yucca is used in tiny amounts, just 1/16 of a teaspoon is good for 5 gallons of water. This will ensure that there’s no dry spots in the solo cups for your roots to run into.
Forgot to mention the only thing I add to the water I drench the soil with is a bit of Cal/Mag (because I use RO water) and some Photosynthesis Plus.
Ok, I place my soaked seeds in a hole between 1/4 to 3/8" deep in the soil, and I lightly cover them. You don’t want to bury them to the point where it will be too tough to break the surface, but you don’t want to make it too easy either or you’ll likely have to assist in removing the seed hull. It’s good to make them have to push themselves up through a bit of looose soil to rub the hull and help it split better. I forgot to mention earlier that soaking (and if you germinate in paper towels) should be done in darkness. Once you plant them, it’s time to put them under your grow light. At this point I dome them to assist in staying wet enough to sprout properly. Here’s an area where I differ from many other users I see here. I remove the domes within a few hours of them breaking the surface. I feel they do much better with a humidifier in the tent/closet then they do with a dome over them. Again, not saying those who dome for long periods are wrong, it’s just not the way it works best for me. For the first several days above ground I keep my lights on 24/7, my temps stay in the low 80’s F, and I keep the RH at least 70 to 75%.
Around day four I go on a 16/8 light schedule (not a typo, I don’t do 18/6). I keep the temps the same for another 2 weeks, but I start dropping the humidity a few points every couple of days until I get to around 65% and then I keep it there through veg.
Ok, caring for seedlings. Since I thoroughly drench the cups before I plant my seeds, it’s usually about 4 or 5 days after they break the surface before the cups start to dry out and they need a drink. While seedlings at this age require no added nutrients, since I use RO water I add a bit of Cal/Mag to my water (maybe 150 to 175ppm) so I can pH it to 6.0 (this might vary based on your soil/medium, so please ask if you need) .
I only give each seedling about 40ml or so, and only with a syringe or some other gentle means of adding the water. Don’t just pour it in, the water rushing downwards can easily uproot the seedling.
At this stage it will probably be another 3 or 4 days until they’re thirsty again. At this point, I start giving them a small amount of B-52 along with the Cal/Mag.
I have to take a break, I’m getting hungry, lol. Here’s a few pics of some of my seedlings from past grows. I’ll be back to continue a little later.
These 4 pics were on days 4, 8, 12, and 13. I transplanted them on day 14.
And a few more random seedling pics.
