So yesterday a began my indoor grow journey! I’m doing 2 auto’s(Bruce Banner and GSC) in my 2x2x4 grow tent and using FFOF as my medium. I have a few questions as I see there are so many ways and opinions regarding soil.
Once my seeds germinate to prevent transport stress is it best to plant it directly into its 5-gallon pot of FFOF soil or a smaller one? If yes to direct to pot should I add anything prior to the FFOF soil first or I’m good with just it for the 4-4.5 weeks?
Before adding the seed to the pot do I prep or water the soil first or after I plant them.
Does anyone have a watering schedule template(schedule) they can provide or use throughout the grow process?
Hey and welcome! I would go to the forever pot. Shouldn’t need nutes to start. As for water schedule, there are a lot of variables. 1 thing I can say, check ph of your water, and water till you get runoff. There are a lot of folks who know bunches more than I, so hang in and see what they have to say.
Putting a seed or seedling into a 5 gal pot is fine. I moisten ALL the soil in the pot before I put a plant in it. Not soaking wet…just barely damp.
Do not water to run off for a seedling. Just a ounce or two an inch or two away from the stem. Too wet is your enemy.
The new seedling under these conditions with a little damp soil can go days before it needs water again.
Just test the soil a few inches away from the plant and if its dry down as deep as two knuckles of your index finger then give a few ounces of water. As it grows you will eventually water to runoff.
I don’t have any problems transplanting. Growth above ground may slow down a few days but that is just the plant growing roots. If you are doing photoperiod plants it won’t matter anyway since you determine when they are ready to flower. Autoflowers aren’t so forgiving. I wouldn’t try adding amendments to the ocean forest until you get a few grows under your belt.
I water the pot first, then plant the seed. If you put the seed in first you may wash it too deep or out of position.
There is no watering schedule you can use because of the numerous variables, you just have to pay attention. Pot plants like wet/dry periods so it’s important to water well, then wait until the soil is almost dried out before watering/feeding again. I think it is easier monitoring the amount of water a seedling is getting if you start it in a smaller pot and up pot once the seedling is established.
Get yourself a small bag of seed starter and use that for the top inch or two so the seedling has a better chance of establishing itself. I have even mixed some seed starter in with the next inch or two of ocean forest to make sure the ocean forest isn’t “too hot” as some claim.
Sometimes they float, other times not. I don’t think there are any rules. So long as it has cracked open and a small taproot appears you are good to go.
I’ve recently just gone through what you’re about to embark on… I started my autos (Blueberry, Northern Lights, and Amnesia Haze) in glasses of water. All floated at first, but just gave a little tap to get them to sink. As soon as I saw the first sign of tap root, I pre-moistened (not drenched) my FFOF soil in 3 gallon fabric pots. I used a paper towel to filter water from the glasses as I poured them out, in case the seed came out I could catch it with the paper towel. Then used sterilized tweezers to carefully move the seedling to the pot. I dug a .5" hole and put the seed in then lightly covered with soil. Then sprayed lightly with filtered tap water from spray bottle to keep soil moist on top inch. I then covered pots with plastic wrap and put in the dark tent. I continued to watch top of soil to keep it moist with the spray bottle. After about 2-3 days, sprouts popped from the soil. As soon as they break the surface, I removed the plastic and turned lights (TSL-2000) on for 24 hours then switched to 18/6 about 24" from plants. After another day or two, as soil began drying out, I started pouring water very very slowly around the base of the stems and let it soak down into the soil. Since they’re in final pots already, I only water in a 2-3" circle around the plants. That takes 2-3 days before soil is drying out again and I repeat watering. So far, I’ve been watering about 4 hours before lights out. I am adding Fox Farms Big Bloom, but at 1/4 of the recommended dosage and only every other watering, since I’ve read Autos are sensitive to nutes.
That’s where I’m at today… 3 very healthy looking little seedlings with 2 sets of true leaves on each and growing.
I’m relatively new to this, so take for what it’s worth. I think you’ll find there are a lot ways to get a successful grow… Best you can do is learn as much as possible about cause and effect of each variable and apply as you see fit for your specific grow.
Ok guys so I planted my GSC on Friday and Bruce Banner in Sunday. Wanna make sure I’m not over obsessing but should I see any activity from GSC by now? Currently all I see is soil lol. Here’s some pics of my setup. Humidity is around 49% and humidifier arrives today. Is there any thing I should doing besides watering? How much and often should I be watering? I didnt pre water my soil that much as my meter read it was moist before adding the seeds.
2 days would be a minimum, even more depending on how deep you plant them. With the low humidity the seedlings might benefit from a humidity dome until they pop their heads up.
I would echo what @CMichGrower stated… I have been watering about 5-6 oz per plant, in a 2-3" circle around the seedling. Then wait 2-3 days until almost completely dry before watering again. And I keep humidity 60-70%. If you can’t do that, as CMichGrower stated, I would use a humidity dome over your seedlings.
