These 2 Apple Fritter autos have been above ground for 4 days and seem to be making very little progress in my opinion. Here’s the scoop:
3x3x6 tent in basement
FCE3000 Fixture
3g fabric pots
FF Happy Frog/Ocean Forest @ 25/75 layered w/ 30% Perlite. Handful of Worm Castings in top Happy Frog layer
AC Infinity 4" intake from outdoors into tent
AC Infinity 4" exhaust to adjacent basement room
2 6" oscillating fans
Cool mist humidifier
Forced air heater outside of tent ducted inside
I germinated these 2 in a 24 hr soak before placing in paper towel sandwich inside a plastic bag for approx 36 hrs when tap roots developed.
I then placed seeds in Jiffy Pellets saturated with PH adjusted tap water - 6.5.
The two pellets were set in a heated seed tray and placed under the LED fixture. The fixture was hung at approx 28" set at approx 25% - providing approx 200ppfd on a schedule of 24/0. This schedule was maintained for 2 days and then adjusted to 22/2 where it is currently. Plan has been to incrementally increase to 18/6.
The tent environment has been consistently around 77F & 70%RH with light on; 73F & 75% with light off.
I have one 6" fan oscillating just above pots for air movement, and the intake/exhaust fans running full time at a low setting.
Anyway, there hasn’t appeared to be much change in these two in the last cple of days.
1 sprout is above the ground by about 2-1/2"; the other is a squatter as its seed was dropped a bit lower in the pellet.
I transplanted the pellets on the 3rd day as I discovered a tap root beginning to protrude from the bottom of its pellet. Both pellets were planted in the 3g pots by making a large enough hole to accommodate the pellets and sprinkling mycorrhiza in bottom and sides. Both 3g pots had been previously saturated to runoff with PH adjusted, dechlorinated tap water.
The pics are current from this morning. Both sprouts appear pretty much the same as they did yesterday around the same time of day.
I guess the leaves look ok to my untrained eye, but I feel like there should be more signs of growth by now. Am I wrong? Or have I damaged these two already? Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.
I’ve found for myself that especially after a transplant, it takes a few days for the tap root to “take hold”. Growth is slow until it does but then you should start to see exponential growth. Color looks good, leaves look healthy. Give it a few days before you worry. Just be sure not to overwater, that’s one of the biggest stunters of these seedlings. You probably won’t have to water for the first 5-7 days if the soil was saturated at transplant.
@Darran Thanks for your info. I haven’t started seeds with this method before so I was thinking my process wasn’t a good choice. Just a few grows under my belt and each one brings new elements. I appreciate the support this forum offers to infrequent members like me. Thanks again for helping out.
Patience, grasshopper. Seedlings need to develop roots first; then things will kick off topside. You’re only 4 days into a seedling phase that’ll last 3-4 weeks.
@Deadhead yeah I sort of know that. These two have just acted differently than others and I was a bit uncertain with my approach. Still learning about patience - in growing, and in life. Thanks for your friendly reminder and info!
@Borderryan22 ;@ Darran ; @Deadhead - want to share an update on these two autos. I think they are beginning to pick up speed a bit. So thanks again for taking time to offer advice and encouragement, and talking me off the ledge so early in this grow.
So, beginning week 3 for seedlings. I have a question about - you guessed it - watering. Before I transplanted Jiffy pellets into 3g pots I saturated the soil in the large containers . Since transplanting I have only been watering with small doses as top soil drys. Initially about 4oz, then incrementally increasing amount as plants developed. The top soil to about 1" below surface will dry out just about every 3 days or so. I am currently giving approx 16oz. The fabric pots are still pretty heavy from the initial saturation. Last night’s final check-in showed the plants’ leaves looking in good form (to my eyes anyway), erect, straight out. This morning the leaves were sagging just slightly near their ends and the topsoil was dry so I gave them approx 16oz. It’s too soon to look for any change.
So my question: am I correctly watering at this stage? Or do I now water to runoff? I feel like I am between the two techniques. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Week 5 for these two. My experience with growing is limited to just a handful of auto flower grows. That being said I have yet to experience a plant growing like the smaller of these. No vertical growth and remaining pretty small. Pistils forming perhaps several days behind the larger plant. Just curious about possible causes/reasons. If anyone has insight or opinion I will appreciate hearing them. Thanks in advance!
I’ve had autos grow in all kinds of different ways. Here’s 4 Purple Kush autos at about 6 weeks, same strain, same seed batch, all developing differently. The top left has just a couple soft wires on it, the top right is only being supported from falling over from back in its seeding days, bottom left only has a 90 degree clip on the main stalk (and she spread open on her own, no more LST) and the bottom right has no LST at all. It’s pretty fascinating to me!!
Happy growing!
Thanks @d-Jawz for your info! It helps me understand my current situation better. I’ve heard/read plenty about autos “doing what autos do…” but this is my first experience with two growing so differently. I’m still learning what the plant wants to do in the way of growing how it wants vs what I might have done to influence/stunt its growth. From the start of this grow the smaller plant has been just that - small and ground-hovering. But she is clipping along at her pace. I agree - it is all fascinating! Thanks again for chiming in. I appreciate you taking the time.
Those pics were from my first. I’ve grown different strains side by side but that was the first of the same seed batch. That was from one of three Community grow-off events that are coming to a close here in a week or so. It was a great time participating in it and seeing the different phenos, different growing methods and techniques, and how they effected the results. I was and am experimenting with mixing my own re-amended soil too so it was a great experience. I already can’t wait to participate in another if I can one day. I love learning about this stuff!
I am hoping these are trichomes…
With the naked eye these tiny white dots are not detectable. It wasn’t until I enlarged a pic that I noticed. Going back through other pics it seems these began emerging about a week ago. So I removed a fan leaf and examined it with the scope I use for checking trichomes. Nothing on the bottom of the leaf. With the scope it appears these are trichomes? closer to the flower site they have mushroom shape. Further down the leaf they appear as almost orbs. The other plant - same Apple Fritter - doesn’t show any signs of these. I’m convinced these are not pests. And I hope I"m right. Just never experienced before. But I was never looking before… Any info, advice is deeply appreciated.
Plants look healthy but one thing I’ve noticed is the soil looks pretty wet in every pic and you sound kinda ‘handsy’ with them Autos do best when left to be in my experience
Autos do best when left to be in my experience