First Grow Questions - Day 6!

Every watering with plenty of run off. Smaller pots will do you A LOT better. Start out light with some cal mag and small amounts of base Nutes and go from there.

Here is an update for you guys:

All 5 ladies planted in the soil are doing well. Top of soil is dry down at least 2-3 inches. So far, seem happy and healthy. As was mentioned earlier, the plant in the coco is indeed showing signs of being a bastard, noticeably different than the 5 soil ladies. The coco plant looks a little brighter green, and growth (while initially faster) has slowed compared to the other 5. That said, I’ve decided to feed her for the first time. My formula is 4ml of SCD Bio Ag, 2ml cal-mag, 2ml GH Micro, and 4ml of GH bloom pH’d down to 5.8. I gave her some water (maybe about 1-1.5 cups several inches away from the stem itself. One concern I have about the coco plant is that it seems to actually be retaining moisture at a much higher degree than my 5 soil ladies. I think this is because I added no additional perlite, and instead just used the medium straight out of the bag (it has some perlite added, but likely would have liked more).

Soil is mostly dry as far as I can tell, with maybe some moist soil towards the bottom of the pots. I misted the top soil from about 3 inches from the stem outward to the edges. I’ll likely wait until the morning to water. I am planning to water with a diluted nutrient mix like I used on the coco (except maybe 1/4th the concentration) in the morning. Here are some pictures.

P.S. Sorry for my burple pictures. I’m eagerly awaiting my 260 QB’s from HLG. Let me know what comments/concerns you have — and see if you can spot the coco plant!

my advice to you is to take that seedling out of that pot of coco and put in a solo cup instead. what was the PPM of the nutes you fed? Please do not post any pictures with that light on, they are useless.

P.S. I’ve needed all the warnings about over-feeding and over-watering. I just checked the soil. I’m very happy with the drainage of the HF 66%/Perlite 33% mix. The soil is dry on top down to the first 2 or 2.5 inches, and then darker (moist) below, but barely (after being watered lightly yesterday, and only mistings on the top other times). It seems like tomorrow might be the perfect time to water the soil girls (lightly with VERY diluted nutes and some probiotics).

Since the coco plant seems overly moist in comparison, the growth has slowed vs the other five, and the color is brighter, my assessment is possibly poorer air flow and lack of nutes vs my soil ladies.

My exhaust fan is presently running about every 5 min for 30 seconds. Temps are maintained at about 80, with humidity ranging between 50’s-70’s. That said, what I may do (both to ensure the 5gal soil pots are adequately dried in preparation for their watering in the morning AND to attempt to dry out my coco medium) is turn the exhaust on without interruption though the night tonight. That may kill two birds with one stone for me.

I’m already learning a lot, and in retrospect, I would have kept the mediums consistent and just done the HF/Perlite. My little coco plant is really already lagging behind. However, I suppose that was sort of my intention for my first grow: to learn lessons, refine my techniques, and see what works the best.

jtrizzy said:

my advice to you is to take that seedling out of that pot of coco and put in a solo cup instead. what was the PPM of the nutes you fed? Please do not post any pictures with that light on, they are useless.

Click to expand...

That’s sound advice. Honestly, all the advice that’s been given and from all that I’ve read (plus the ability to make assessments), I’m the most worried about my coco plant and less concerned about planting into large containers, simply because the circulation in the tent (including exhaust), aeration of the soil, and fabric pots seem to be lending themselves well to preventing any excess water. Watering with discretion and care, I think I can prevent issues on that front.

I very well may take that seedling out and put it in a solo. This would give my a chance to add a lot more perlite and help with aeration.

The nutes I gave to the coco just now have a PPM of 325. The soil irrigation I anticipate will be around 200-225

Here are some pics. Once my QBs come in, they should be much better pics.


You can see the difference in size and color of the soil (they basically all look kinda like that) vs the coco.

If you're running autos, don't transplant them...just go with what you have. You can't afford to goof them up time wise at this point. I was under the impression you were growing photo plants; my bad. I think you are of the right mind set in not wanting to set back your autos by doing too many transplants. Carry on, just be careful in your watering techniques.

In terms of the coco grow....yes, feed every day, from day one to harvest...two or three times a day if you can manage it (depending on pot size, feed set up, environmental factors, etc). This is the beauty of coco.

Good luck...

Just an update:

Today is day 7 going into day 8. Here’s a few pics. You can definitely see the deficiencies in the coco plant while the soil plants thrive. I’ve been watering/feeding the coco with a stronger mix, and hopefully she’s still salvageable.

Youve learnt soil treats you better and them big ass pots make watering hard.

Imo start some soil solo cups off, you have got the space and winner stays on for flowering

I do have some more seeds.... hmm. Then again, this is for personal use only, so I may have my hands full with these girls already! I think for my next grow, I’m going to go with soil 66%/Perlite 33% again. I really like the consistency and airflow. Then, maybe use just organic amendments, smaller pots, and do photoperiod. That seems like it may be a good strategy for me to refine my technique, and maybe try out hydroponics later down the line. Anyway, appreciate you guys giving advice. It looks like my QB’s will be arriving Monday. I’m freaking pumped.

Here’s a quick update. Today is day 9. All 5 soil plants continue to do well. The coco plant started going again (but is still well behind) the others, after being transplanted to a smaller container and being introduced to nutes. Of note, the edge of the leaf that looks burned is not... that is part of the dried inside of the seed from when the it sprouted. Here’s a few pics.

PS, could the mods potentially move this thread to grow journals?

Here’s a couple of the back plants during the lights off period and the camera flash only.

Just wanted to give you guys some updates on day 12! P.S. I tossed the plant in coco and got my QB’s in

P.S. that isn’t PM on the leaves, I was sprinkling a little mycorrhizae powder and my fans were still on and it blew it up onto the leaves.