Looking for a bit of advice. This is my first indoor grow and want the best chance at success as possible like all of us. I have struggled in the past getting past seedlings due to watering mistakes.
I’m using ACI equipment with their 280W light. I’m keeping a .91 VPA and a .85 LVPA. Temp in the lung room is 75 degrees and the tent is staying between 78-80 degrees and 71% humidity. PPHD is around 210.
I’ve the one in the small container and the bigger girl with yellowing leaves were almost goners. I set those little containers on the floor of the tent and water from the humidity drowned them. They are trying to make a comeback.
I have been giving all of them 3 ML of water once to twice a day. Is this enough water?
Dome protection advised until seedling touches dome.
Same for clones. Little to no water required.
Dome retains moisture (especially when misted dome).
Dome prevents direct watering on seedling and hopefully avoids stem rot.
Remove dome often for fresh air.
Alternatively,
Bury seedling with mound of soil up to cotyledons (first leave pair).
I personally think 3ml is on the low side for water. I usually put my seedlings in Solo cups but that’s irrelevant because you’re in the final home pot.
I’m opposite of Dave. I believe the airflow is much more important for the plant than a dome as your tent is 80° and 70s on your humidity.
If this was my personal plant I would try to raise the humidity to 75% - 80% in the tent. Keep my temperature at 80° I would get a fan a small one have it blowing around the tent not directly on the plant but close by.
As for watering, I’m assuming you’re using tap water. I would make up one gallon of water. I would add 100 ppms of Cal mag to the water.
As for administering the water, I would measure 2 in out from the stem and slowly use a syringe to water in a circle 2 in wide around the stem with 50 to 60 ml of water.
This will allow your roots to stretch out to grab that water strengthening the young seedlings.
I believe the air flow with the fan blowing in there and the 100 PPM of Cal mag will assist your plant in reaching it’s proper green color.
I love the domes and they work great if you can’t reach the desired humidity in your tent. I don’t see that being your case.
I’m using incanganga (spl?) soil. The yellowing one was transplanted to final home yesterday and I have considered this may have shocked the plant. I was surprised at the root ball as it was bigger than I expected.
The tent has two oscillating fans midway high in the tent and run constantly on a lower power. I’ve got the controller set on kPa with low/high triggers of .8-1.0 for the humidifier and .8-1.1 for the exhaust. I’m going to play around a little with those settings.
I’m using RO which I brought the PH to 6.2 with UP/DOWN.
The really green healthy looking one I started in that 7 gallon bag. It looks promising but the way I’m built, I enjoy saving the other two haha.
I have lost several seeds to me over-watering hence my caution and seeking advice. Which I appreciate very much.
That my friend is a no no. If you’re simply utilizing plain RO water there is no need to adjust the pH as there’s nothing for the pH to stick to. You need at least 150-200 ppms in your RO water to require ph adjustment
Your RO water has a zero PPM and should not be pH adjusted
Unfortunately I know nothing about this soil. Hopefully you did your investigation on it.
Does it come with pre-charged nutrients in the soil?
What are they saying the soils pH to straight out of the bag?
It’s good that you learn from your mistakes. Unfortunately, mistakes is one of our biggest learning keys.
How to proceed from here (in my opinion)…
The yellowing could potentially be a result of ph’ing your RO water when you shouldn’t have.
To correct this you have two options.
1.) just use the RO water to feed your plants.
2.) add 150 ppms of calcium magnesium per gallon to your RO water and then pH the water to 6.5
Just so I do not leave any stone unturned here, I’ll try to investigate this soil real quick
Here is the soil. I believe it to be a good product; I’ve “successfully” grown three autos using it however the total yield between the three plants was slightly less than 1 OZ.
I am confused but what you are saying about RO qualities and limitations makes since. I knew this but didn’t take that into consideration when I adjusted the PH. Using a PC60, I measured the RO at 8+ PH from the source . I buy it at the dispenser located in Publix and Walmart. Knowing to target a 6.2 to 6.5 PH, I thought it was the thing to do. I’ll try adding some calmag going forward.
Thank you again! Hopefully I’ll be smoking the results in about 14 weeks and hopefully, I’ll get a few ounces per plant if they make it.
@Lostgirl see the post for the soil. Forgot to tag you
Yeah I would personally use the Cal mag at least 150 ppms of it per gallon when using RO water.
When you pH water that has a zero ppm it means there’s no dissolved solids detected so there’s nothing to pH. By ph’ing zero PPM water you actually mess up the soils pH.
I use RO water as well always as I have access to it for free. Sometimes when I’m feeding my seedlings on a new grow I will do the same thing and just forget and pH the water. I normally catch myself.
Take your time. I know you’ve had some bad experiences but this stuff is very simple. We all been there and we’re all here for you.
I believe it is @Hellraiser that has a good tutorial of his grow style and a good watering method. He always said 4 oz every 4 days at that stage.
That’s what I’ve always stuck to and it has worked for me.
You can search his name out, then read his thread. It’s long, but a good read.
I’m experimenting a bit with the controller settings. First thing I am changing is the light cycle. I had it set on 18/6 beginning at 5AM. Staying with 18/6, sleep hours for them is now between noon and 1800 hours. I programmed the house thermostat to 75 degrees from 0600 to 2100 and then it steps down to 71 degrees at night. The wife is happy for this for bedtime despite the additional energy costs. The point being when the light is on, the lung room is a lot cooler when the light gets a on in the tent. Should help with balancing humidity and temp in the tent. 1527 hours and it’s doing great so far. The babies are sleeping in a humid environment
Another thing I am trying is setting the low range trigger toward exhaust and the high trigger toward the humidifier. The low/high for the humidifier are .6/1.0 and the low high for exhaust is .8/1.2
