Peat moss has always created an issue for me seedling stage… It’s not even an option for me anymore…
I personally like to start the seed in the final pot with autoflowers.
However if you must use a smaller transplant I’ve had 100% success with the cup in a cup method. This is my way of doing The cup in a cup works every time
1.) Take a solo cup take a razor knife and cut the entire bottom of the Solo cup completely off now you have a whole straight through the top and the bottom.
2.) Take your razor knife and cut a straight line from the very top of the cup to the very bottom of the cup. Now the cup is completely slit down the middle.
3.) Ever so gently squeeze the cup in the center so both flaps that you just cut ever so lightly overlap each other take a piece of masking tape and gently tape that so it doesn’t open back up
4.) Take a second I drill three holes in the bottom and cut two small square slats
On the sides of the cup
5.) Take your first cup set it down inside your second cup. Now you’re ready for your medium. I like a 50% cocoa 50% soil for a seedling transplant it’s not hot and it’s wonderfully loose. (I generally moistened the cup of medium the day before I plant it)
6.) Simply proceed to put your seed tap Root down inside your hole I generally put it the length of a pencil eraser Tap Root down
- ) Within 2 to 3 days they’ve always popped out I simply cut a soda bottle in half drill a few holes in the top two on the side you have the perfect humidity done for your Solo cup. I keep my temps around 80° and my humidity around 65%
8.) A couple of times a day I make sure the humidity dome is freshly squirted with a mist of 6.5 pH water cooled at room temperature.
9.) For me this step is the most crucial. From the day the seed pops out of the dirt I start a countdown from 12 days to transplant day.
10.) On day number 9 I take the final pot and place a solo cup inside the hole where you would normally put your seed (yes the entire Solo cup will be submerged in the dirt) I then generously water the soil and place it in the tent
11.) On day 12 I remove the forever pot from the tent and the Solo cup the seeds are germinating in and move them to my work table. Remove the Solo cup submerged in the dirt of your final pot leaving you with a perfect hole in the center of your pot.
- optional… if you’re going to use a root stimulating powder like mycorrhizal fungi powder mushroom spores etc. Nows the time to dose that hole nicely with the recommended amount of counter
13.) Now, remove the cup from inside the cup that you’re terminating in cut the piece of masking tape on the side and slide the entire cup inside the hole of your final pot.
14.) Gently grab the top of the cup where it’s cut and pull on both sides opening the cup and slide it straight up. You have now transplanted your little girl.
I find this method to be superior for ME for several reasons
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you get to dose your root system with mycorrhizal fungi powder. This is a huge benefit for building a strong root foundation.
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The roots are never exposed during transplant
3.) The method is so gentle for autoflowers they have never shown a single sign of transplant stress.
That’s just how we do it in the hood y’all…
