Novice Grower in Seedling Stage - Need some advice about soil

[TheGhettoGrower]

Hello to all,
I'm a first-time grower in need of a bit of help. A week and a half ago, I germ'ed some seeds using the paper towel method, not expecting any of them to sprout. To my surprise, about 75% of them cracked open and developed their taproot. I planted the seeds in soil a week ago and have had mixed results. Unfortunately, I have made a newbie mistake and planted them in Miracle-Gro Potting Soil. Out of 15 seeds planted, 2 have formed a set, 1 only has embryo leaves, 5 or 6 more are up but look very sickly and the rest haven't sprouted in any shape or form. I am growing indoors and here is my setup:

6 in fiber pots
Miracle-Gro Potting Soil, 21-7-14 ratio
2 40W "Cool White" Flouro (set 2 in above the tallest sprout)
Pots are in 4 in deep plastic trays to prevent water damage

Now, I've been watering them every other day when the pots are dry. One of my sets have a yellow discoloration on it and I'm thinking they are getting burned by the nutrients in the Miracle-Gro. Here are some pictures:

"Healthiest Looking Plant":


"Burned Set":


"Sickly Sprouts":


Now my questions are:
Can I move these plants from the Miracle-Gro to a different soil without damaging the plant (and how do I go about doing this?)
Recommendation for a good, cheap, easily accessible soil?
Any way I can salvage those sickly looking sprouts?


If any expert growers see something I don't and have some advice, I'm all ears. Really, I want to see if I can keep these plants alive and grow them through the winter and learn from my experiences while I set-up for the real grow come spring-time. Thanks for the help!

 

[Mrgreenfinger]

yo buddy

i would nt worry to much bout the potting soil as its such a small amount........u could if u really wanted move them gently out the soil trying not to maul any roots but its a delicate process which usually ends in tears........dont worry about the slight burn mark...uv probs just dropped a bit ov water on it......leave them for atleast a week b4 u give up on any.....ur always going to run into one thats no playing game..lol.....prop her up if she needs it.....try not to let them streatch too much.....buy some potting soil from ur local grow shop......get one with little nutes in it...a used to use light mix from bio bizz b4 switching to nft......the best advice any1 can give u as a beginner is dont be adventurous!! keep it simple and stick to what the label says

 

[PSUAGRO.]

MG soil is not your issue.....your overwatering.....40w floro???T12??? <<if so that's another problem

 

[TheGhettoGrower]

yo buddy

i would nt worry to much bout the potting soil as its such a small amount........u could if u really wanted move them gently out the soil trying not to maul any roots but its a delicate process which usually ends in tears........dont worry about the slight burn mark...uv probs just dropped a bit ov water on it......leave them for atleast a week b4 u give up on any.....ur always going to run into one thats no playing game..lol.....prop her up if she needs it.....try not to let them streatch too much.....buy some potting soil from ur local grow shop......get one with little nutes in it...a used to use light mix from bio bizz b4 switching to nft......the best advice any1 can give u as a beginner is dont be adventurous!! keep it simple and stick to what the label says

Thanks for the tips. Makes sense that it's a burn from the water since I'm watering from the top....

MG soil is not your issue.....your overwatering.....40w floro???T12??? <<if so that's another problem

I felt like I was watering too much, but every day when I checked, the soil was dry to the bone. I'll let them chill out longer before watering them again. Say once every three or four days?

And yes, 40W Flouro, T12. I used this guide to start: http://www.greenmanspage.com/guides/closetfarmer.html

In the guide it said to use 25W flouro, so I'm guessing the ones I'm using are a little too high-powered? What would be recommended other than expensive lighting like MH or high sodium?



Thanks for the help all. First time I've grown anything, so I'm a novice grower all around.

 

[Coho]

Next time use jiffy starter mix. About no nutes and cheap. Just for starting in little 4x4 pots.

 

[PSUAGRO.]

Thanks for the tips. Makes sense that it's a burn from the water since I'm watering from the top....




I felt like I was watering too much, but every day when I checked, the soil was dry to the bone. I'll let them chill out longer before watering them again. Say once every three or four days?

And yes, 40W Flouro, T12. I used this guide to start: http://www.greenmanspage.com/guides/closetfarmer.html

In the guide it said to use 25W flouro, so I'm guessing the ones I'm using are a little too high-powered? What would be recommended other than expensive lighting like MH or high sodium?



Thanks for the help all. First time I've grown anything, so I'm a novice grower all around.

Are you trying to go full cycle with t12 shop lights?? If so that's big NO i'n my book....

Your link's author thinks "25w four foot tubes are most likely the optimum lights, period" UMMM lol....first of all I've never heard of a 25w four foot T12 bulb and his writing has "novice" written all over it...

I've grown with T12/T8/T5 and all hids/some led(doesn't mean shit!!)......T12 can start a seedling, but falls short quickly....MJ is a C3 plant needing moderate to high intensity light, and even under optimum conditions, I saw light deprivation symptoms under the T12.......T8 are way better than T12, and T5 are slightly better than T8.....

Seems to me your in a budget......your options:

4 bulb 4ft T8 fixture (homedepot $49/sylvania) / six bulb 4ft T8 high bay fixture(homedepot/$79) needs to be wired..easy
Replace half of the T8 bulbs with zoomed florasun(petco/$15each!) and the other half with regular white bulbs(6500k/5000k/2700k) whatever....scrog and/or train them to get decent results...no more than three plants

150w hps ($80 bucks/amazon) ....in the winter no venting needed.....max two plants and decent results

70w mh/ 70w hps flood lights (homedepot/$50each) their multitapped (120/208/240/277v) pick the appropriate volts for your wiring and attach a plug/ easy to do===ceiling or wall mount them, can even jimmy them to hang/ best way..add more as needed...remember to remove the glass front cover when they get bigger(more light), or keep it on for heat issues.....still no venting needed in the winter(depends how many you add)......pretty damn good results from multiple light sources IMO...

Cfl's......buy the biggest/most you can afford and stick them everywhere..lol......they get hot in large #'s....still depends on how many you add....cheapest route and smallest yields...

let your soil dry out .........buy a cheap moisture probe(lowes/hd).....any light source you choose/ if your hand feels uncomfortable on the canopy, so are the girls!!!! adjust it accordingly.....good luck

 

[TheGhettoGrower]

Next time use jiffy starter mix. About no nutes and cheap. Just for starting in little 4x4 pots.

Thanks for the tip, I'll look for it next time I plant some seeds.

Are you trying to go full cycle with t12 shop lights?? If so that's big NO i'n my book....

Honestly, I hadn't thought about going full cycle with them. More of a trial and error kind of thing, but I now know I won't be using them for much longer (hopefully)

Your link's author thinks "25w four foot tubes are most likely the optimum lights, period" UMMM lol....first of all I've never heard of a 25w four foot T12 bulb and his writing has "novice" written all over it...

Yea, there's so many "guides" out there, hard for me as a novice to know which ones are legit and which ones are shit. I'll abandon that site and look for some better guides while getting some advice from the good people here.

Seems to me your in a budget......your options:

Yes, I'm on a pretty tight budget until the new year, so I'll have to wait to buy new lighting then. Hopefully my plants can live and grow over the next two months. I like the idea of the 70w mh/hps flood lights. Will have to save up to get the fixture's and bulbs. Thank you PSUAGRO for all of the detailed advice on lighting. Much appreciated.

 

[THC&STDs4All]

everything you need to know can be found on this website. i say stay away from guide on other sites. you can find a guide(or whatever you want) by credible people that you can actually look into their work. RIU!

 

[TheGhettoGrower]

everything you need to know can be found on this website. i say stay away from guide on other sites. you can find a guide(or whatever you want) by credible people that you can actually look into their work. RIU!

Yep, will definitely be using this site for all my growing needs.

One more question to all:
I've heard differing reports as to how long the lights should be on during the seedling stage. Currently, I have them on for 24 hours a day. Is this overkill and should I switch to 18 light/6 dark? Or should I keep going at 24?

Cheers!

 

[Coho]

I like 18/6 but many like 24. I am in the plant rest camp.