Treat's Tent Tales

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tastyness

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I've started again after the premature attempt to germ/veg under florescents. Simpley toooooo cold here to make that work.

Have the babies in the tent under 1000W HPS- only way to keep them warm and safe. I know this isn't ideal as a MH is better suited for this stage of the game- but I've read I can do the whole grow under the light I have.
Edited: There is now also another 600W HPS in the room. 6.5 X 6.5 tent.

Had really good germination rates using water/ and paper towel method. The blueberry is still a tough one to get going for me. The two Diesel strains seem to be going gangbusters.

I do notice that the stems are stretching straight up now that everyone is through the dirt. The light is currently about 1.5 -2 feet above the babies. I'm worried if I get them any closer they will suffer from the heat.

I think I read somewhere that if it isn't too hot for the back of my hand it should be OK.
Ave temp in tent is 73 degrees and that is with ballast inside, light and a 600w oil heater. Have lights on 24hrs.

I'm really doing a lot of documenting this time so I can learn and compare the results with my previous attempts.
There are also 3 bushy little ones in addition to the babies.
Any and all comments/advice welcome.
 
:yay: I'm here to spread some 420 cheer. Mind if I pull my beanbag chair for this, bud? Greenest of the green hoodoo to you.

:peace:,

7ge:stoned:
 
Welcome, pull up a chair. Smoke 'em if you've gott 'em.
 
How cold is it? In a small. confined space, a T5 should be able to keep things warm enough. It is hard to keep a large HPS close enough to seedlings and small plants to prevent stretching and also prevent light damage. I would run a heater with a T5 rather than put a large HPS on babies. Make sure your space is well insulated.
 
I was always told to keep the lights FAR away their first week and gradually lower the light to within 12-16in from them over the span of a week.

I ran my babies under a 400w HPS last run and they didn't seem hurt by it.. Although it was only a 400w, a 1000w could be different...
 
Although it was only a 400w, a 1000w could be different...

I have helped growers that have done a complete grow from seed with a 1000 watter. No problems were observed, the only thing was the light was higher above containers in order not to cook the seedlings.
 
Thanks duck, Now I know if I ever jump to something bigger, I won't cook my babies...

I actually thought they loved the HPS from veg/flwer with the 400w.
 
OK- so I got a pair of T5 28w's set up for the seedlings. Everyone seems to be doing well. Got 10 to germ out of 17 tries. They are 13 days old now, so I'm hoping maybe one or two will still pop- but not counting on it.

I've noticed there is some bright green algae appearing on the perlite and on the soil. I don't think I'm over watering - they are getting about 10ml via spray right now. Will this hurt the seedlings?

I also have a question about "alternate nodes" - what exactly does this mean?

I notice that my older 3 which are in week 4 - are starting to grow lots of new branches where the old ones are. Really filling in and looking bushy. I've never had this happen before- normally mine grow up - probably because I've never had anything but florescents in the past. I think this is a good sign!

Here are some pics from 3 days ago: Sorry about the lighting since the room outside the grow tent is only about 45 degrees I don't want to take them out simply to get better pics. Now that I've got two lights, I'll be able to turn off the HID for photos.
 
NO IT WON'T hurt the girls, when you go to xplant, plant them up to their first set of true leaves.
RE: alternating nodes= every set of true leaves is a node. When they're no longer shooting symetrical growth (i think that's the word I'm lookin fur....) and branching out asymmetrically, as in a staggered fashion, that's alternating nodes....
 
You are getting a lot of stretch on those babies. You really need more light or need to get the light closer. I also wouldn't be watering them with a spray bottle and I would water until I see some water coming out the bottom of the pot.

Using a spray bottle, most of the water is probably staying on the surface. also, 10 ml of water is only 2 teaspoons, not very much water. I have to disagree about the algae--it is not good and can harm your plants. Does your soil have good drainage? If not, that could be the cause of the algae growing--algae is never a good thing.

Alternating nodes are a sign of sexual maturity and doesn't happen until the plant is 4-8 weeks old. Even though your plants are on week 4, they look like they are quite a ways off from alternating nodes as they are still quite small.
 
THG -Thanks for the advice.
I just got them under the T5's and close a few days ago. As you probably remember they were under HID to start. I'm in a rather remote place so it sometimes takes a while to get supplies. Under the new light they are growing larger leaves and not getting taller. I also watered from the bottom tonight and they all got a good drink. I've killed a few plants by overwatering in the past and so maybe am a bit too cautious. Soil & perlite so drainage is good from what I can see. So when they are due for their next drink I'll let it run through. The older plants are 8" and 10" and should have been moved into bigger containers about a week earlier. They had good healthy roots when moved so I think they will bounce back soon. Really filling out on the lower parts this week, with lush grow tips. Also leaves are now quite wide.

When I transplanted them I buried them in soil up to the first set of leaves. With these longer stems will that still be OK when I move them into 3 gal pots? I see 7greeneyes recommends that as well. What are your thoughts?
 
Getting the T5s close will make a world of difference. I just love them for vegging. Getting more leaves and not growing much taller is exactly what you want--it means more bud sites and we all know what more bud sites means.

Yes, bury them up to the first leaves. And.......we all lose plants....sometimes we know why, sometimes we don't. I have a couple looking sickly and I don't have a clue why. LOL--I am new to this organic soil thing and am as green as any other newbie out there. At least you knew why you were having problems.

I think when you are just getting the upper part of the soil wet and not letting it run through, it does not encourage the roots to grow deep. Soil and perlite sound like they should have decent drainage as long as the soil is not clay. I deal with clay soil outside in my flower and veggy beds and it needs a lot more amending than just perlite.
 
Is it best to transplant them all at once (they all look good and strong just some are bigger than others). Most have at least three sets of true leaves. The real difference is height. But then again I have a variety of strains going so they aren't likely to be uniform.

I'm thinking the sooner I get them into some bigger pots where the roots can flourish, the better.

Advice?

NOTE: Town ran out of perlite- transplanting delayed
 
OK- quick decision point. Seedling are at 17 days and look like they want to be transplanted. Problem- no perlite to mix in with my potting soil. There is none in town- it is on order and will be here Wednesday. At that point they will be 20 days old. Last 3 were moved at three weeks and roots were quite full and maybe even a bit "rootbound". I really wanted to move these babies sooner- also had to wait for the soil I bought to defrost!
The others are simply in soil/ vermiculite but the more I re-read guidelines I'm thinking I really want some perlite in there for drainage.
Hoping for advice from the more experienced.

UPDATE EDITED: Ended up taking 4 of them and transplanting. Still 5 to go.
 
Last little ones are going to be transplanted today- if perlite arrives in town.
Have a little bit of what looks like leaf burn? Could that be from the compost tea I'm giving them? It was only a tiny bit 1.25 ml.
The rest looks super healthy though.
Appreciate any comments or feedback.

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Well since I've got my thermometer and PH testers I'm able to track how things are going. Having the right tools for the job makes all the difference.

The "teenagers" are doing fine. Lots of branches coming in and they are up to about 14". Some of the fan leaves are GIANT. I've never grown anything this healthy so far. Some are 7-8" long and almost a foot across!

The babies are doing much better since I got them under a fluorescent. At two weeks I wanted to transplant them but our town is OUT of perlite! Was told they could order me some. So I pick 4 babies and moved them with what I had left and had 5 that were supposed to get transplanted on Wed. However, two day later and still no perlite. Going to a new town today to get some. Will be away for almost 24 hours and am worried about being gone that long.

Have a little strangeness on a few of the leaves. Anyone able to diagnose?
It doesn't seem to be spreading at all.
I've started leaving leaves on the plant (the first few that have now yellowed).


Comments? Advice?
Let me know what you think.
 
And now hopefully the pictures! Can anyone help me to figure out how to do the cool text next to the photos like on Roddy's thread?

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I think they are looking quite nice and happy. I don't see any leaf burn and wondering what you mean by "strangeness"?
 

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