Soil suggestions for seedling

[Troggy_420]

hey just wondering if anyone has any soil suggestions for starting my seedlings I'm in Canada so fox farm products are out of the question. Promix organic is what I have now and I'm just wondering if this looks like it will do the trick or if not point me in the right direction

 

[Dr. Who]

ProMix Veg and Herb = Your golden!

 

[SouthCross]

That'll work. I use the Promix flower with no problems. Same looking bag but overall blue with a picture of flowers on the front. I've seen the tomato stuff too.

Add a couple of perlite per gallon. You should be good to go.

 

[Troggy_420]

Sweet thx guys. Will add perlite. Do you add water ass you add the perlite to make sure the soil is damp throughout? Or just after the seed is planted do you add a little to the surface

 

[SouthCross]

Mix it dry. Then water the pot till it gets about 20% run off. If you pour in a gallon of water. 1/4 should run out the bottom.

You can plant the seedling in the moist soil. Because the plant is small. It'll take about 5 days for it to dry enough to water again. Repeat the above step.

 

[Troggy_420]

You want it that moist for planting an already germinated seed? Or germinating the seed directly in the soil?or same for both

Mix it dry. Then water the pot till it gets about 20% run off. If you pour in a gallon of water. 1/4 should run out the bottom.

You can plant the seedling in the moist soil. Because the plant is small. It'll take about 5 days for it to dry enough to water again. Repeat the above step.

 

[SouthCross]

You want it that moist for planting an already germinated seed? Or germinating the seed directly in the soil?or same for both

Either way. They both need to be maintained in a moist soil. They can't dry out.

Seed to soil or seedling to soil. Think of the first drench as spring rain. The top of the soil will dry the fastest. The area where the seed/seedling is. As the pot dries, the plant will seek the water lower in the pot.

 

[Troggy_420]

Either way. They both need to be maintained in a moist soil. They can't dry out.

Seed to soil or seedling to soil. Think of the first drench as spring rain. The top of the soil will dry the fastest. The area where the seed/seedling is. As the pot dries, the plant will seek the water lower in the pot.

Thanks man, very helpful

 

[SouthCross]

When you first water the Promix. It's gonna seem like it'll never drain. Keep watering the pots till it does. It'll take a bunch of water. After that, it's not so bad. You can add half as less to get run off.

 

[Troggy_420]

Thanks man, very helpful

what size of pot do you recommend I start with (was going to use red keg cups)

 

[SouthCross]

what size of pot do you recommend I start with (was going to use red keg cups)

My method is to germinate the seeds in a paper towel. Covered plastic dish with a vent. Placed on top of the water heater. IR thermometer says the top of the water heater is 80-85°f. Temperature checked inside the bowl, around 77-80.

Once the seed cracks and you can see the white of the tap root. It go's into a prepared growdan cubes. (Knock off Rockwool cubes, same spun rock)

The cubes were placed in a sandwich bag of PH adjusted water. Placed next to the seeds in the dish. Same temperature.

After the seeds are placed in the cubes. The cubes then go into an up side down ,clear plastic tote. It's 9" deep. Probably 12" long. 8" wide. White lid. Holes drilled in all sides of the clear part. I have a little grate of some kind that came out a slow cooker. I set the cubes on that, then place them on the white lid. It keeps the cubes space on the bottom.

Stick the clear part over the top. Set it back on the water heater. Once the seed pod grows past the surface of the cube. Reaches out the hole. The container go's directly under a 300 watt LED. Distance about 30-35" from the light. On top of the prepared one or two gallon, fabric pots.

When the sprout shows a tap root out the bottom of the cubes. They come out the mini green house and are planted in the soil.

Then it's the waiting game...

 

[SouthCross]

Never touch a seed with your bare hands. Use alcohol cleaned tweezers to move the seed around.

 

[Troggy_420]

My method is to germinate the seeds in a paper towel. Covered plastic dish with a vent. Placed on top of the water heater. IR thermometer says the top of the water heater is 80-85°f. Temperature checked inside the bowl, around 77-80.

Once the seed cracks and you can see the white of the tap root. It go's into a prepared growdan cubes. (Knock off Rockwool cubes, same spun rock)

The cubes were placed in a sandwich bag of PH adjusted water. Placed next to the seeds in the dish. Same temperature.

After the seeds are placed in the cubes. The cubes then go into an up side down ,clear plastic tote. It's 9" deep. Probably 12" long. 8" wide. White lid. Holes drilled in all sides of the clear part. I have a little grate of some kind that came out a slow cooker. I set the cubes on that, then place them on the white lid. It keeps the cubes space on the bottom.

Stick the clear part over the top. Set it back on the water heater. Once the seed pod grows past the surface of the cube. Reaches out the hole. The container go's directly under a 300 watt LED. Distance about 30-35" from the light. On top of the prepared one or two gallon, fabric pots.

When the sprout shows a tap root out the bottom of the cubes. They come out the mini green house and are planted in the soil.

Then it's the waiting game...

Having a hard time finding a warm place in my house, defiantly going to check the temp of top of water heater I think this year it's going to be straight to soil after germination the paper towel way, I want to keep it simple as possible. Didn't know you had to be that carful with a seedling as to even cleaning your tweezers prior to picking up seeds. Good to know. If you were to put geminated seed straight into soil would you put a low power fluorescent above it before it ever pops out? Or wait till its fully out of the soil.

 

[SouthCross]

Having a hard time finding a warm place in my house, defiantly going to check the temp of top of water heater I think this year it's going to be straight to soil after germination the paper towel way, I want to keep it simple as possible. Didn't know you had to be that carful with a seedling as to even cleaning your tweezers prior to picking up seeds. Good to know. If you were to put geminated seed straight into soil would you put a low power fluorescent above it before it ever pops out? Or wait till its fully out of the soil.

Don't wait for it. Keep it on. On the light schedule, once the sprouts are placed under the light or as soon as they emerge from the soil. Keep the light on for at least 24-36 hours straight. During this time. The sprouts will grow true leaves. They go from using the food within itself to using light. Stretching for light occurs around this time.

Good time to adjust the light height if you haven't got it dialed in.

If the sprout stays an inch off the soil. Doesn't look vibrant. Raise the light. If it stretches past 3" tall, lower the light. Move the light in inches. 3 to 5" at a time.

Aim for a sprout height around 2-2.5" high.

After the 24-36 hours. Switch to whatever light schedule you want. Continue to watch for stretch after the first dark period.

 

[SouthCross]

Keeping things clean, ups the success rate. Our hands are nasty. There's a chance it'll cause a problem. Better clean then a messed up sprout.

 

[Troggy_420]

If they are going to be grown outside at end of May would u suggest keeping light on 24/7 to veg them as big as possible. Or will this trigger then to want to flower once I put them outside and the light schedule is different. Also can you recomend somthing that I can use to feed my seedlings once they are a couple weeks old, there is organic fertilizer in the organic promix, hoping not too strong for seedlings but enough to feed them for the first bit, thanks again your a real help

 

[SouthCross]

If they are going to be grown outside at end of May would u suggest keeping light on 24/7 to veg them as big as possible. Or will this trigger then to want to flower once I put them outside and the light schedule is different. Also can you recomend somthing that I can use to feed my seedlings once they are a couple weeks old, there is organic fertilizer in the organic promix, hoping not too strong for seedlings but enough to feed them for the first bit, thanks again your a real help

I veg using the Gas Lantern schedule. But 24 works. It's the feel you get off your plants. You're personal style of growing.

Basic promix has enough fertilizer to support a plant about 6" tall. If anything, use compost tea before then. Around week 4, they catch and begin to take off. Then you use a fertilizer. Half strength. No fertilizer before then. The plant isn't big enough to use it all.

Lots of issues pop up if fertilizer is applied when it's less then three weeks old.

 

[abe supercro]

as socro suggests, dat pro mix has low moisture retention qualities upon initially watering mix dry.

 

[Troggy_420]

Was amazed how the promix In a keg cup shrunk to half a keg cup when watered, had pretty decent size drain holes and in some it still wanted to pool and not drain without help, so I had to mix some more damp soil in a bucket to top cups off, hope it's cool I planted seedlings with tap root going through mesh of peat pod, I'm sure if I tried removing it it would of damaged it, if you were to damage the tip coming through mesh would that be game over for seedling?

 

[SouthCross]

Was amazed how the promix In a keg cup shrunk to half a keg cup when watered, had pretty decent size drain holes and in some it still wanted to pool and not drain without help, so I had to mix some more damp soil in a bucket to top cups off, hope it's cool I planted seedlings with tap root going through mesh of peat pod, I'm sure if I tried removing it it would of damaged it, if you were to damage the tip coming through mesh would that be game over for seedling?

Equate damage to the plant as time. Cannabis is ferocious but injury slows it a bit. Depending on damage, it might cause 3 days to a week of recovery. Especially smaller plants.