new set up... Need advice if you have time

Hey all have a few questions if some experience has a min to read. I am not new to growing bud but recently went from a foil lined closet with 6 larger clf's growing good bud from bag seeds to a 6x6 2 400 hps/mh. I ordered seeds and received them but am having a heck of a time with germination and seedlings. Candy kush, bubble gum, auto pounder with cheese and thc bomb. All autos.. Out of 20 I'm left with about 10. Weak germination and slow seedling growth. I have the room constant 75 with ventilation I start in dirt on solo cups with holes drilled in them. Any one else struggle with this?

what mediium are you using?

At first I tried a seed starting mix but the dirt wouldn't even get wet it stayed dry and the water would just run thru it. I switched to an organic potting soil from my local garden store. They make it so I doesn't have a brand name

I'm have trouble up loading pictures. But I got a t5 grow light and got them under it behind the frame is now covered with cardboard I got the ocean forest dirt and some boomerang come back formula.. Just put some critical super haze and Amnesia in water about to try the paper towel. Thanks for all the info guys and any other tips are much appreciated

nice plants bro...ya the paper towel method imo is EFFICIENT...i mean what doesnt pop in the paper towel method just aint gonna pop..period..again thts how it is for me...sure there are othere opposing stories...from ur environmental data u described ur pretty ideal for them beans to pop...might just be a bad batch.what company did u order from mind i ask?.have a dank dAY

BY THE WAY is tht foil still up bro..if it is ,,,dump tht shit..2 many issues with tht..hot spots ,leaves burning..flatv white paint if u r not tryna spend any money ..i use panda film now..just the best for my situation...really clean giood durability...in my beginner dayz i went to kmart in the hunting section and bought emergency blankets...stuff works good 2...but my point is u dont have a ghetto ass setup so dont go ghetto on the foil man.its worth doing it ryt ...theres always a poor mans way of achieving good results with cannabis growing,u know what i mean..go with the emergency blanket if funds r low or white flat paint...have a good one brother

are the seeds all damp and mushy like some kind of fungus has got to them ?

Seed starting can be very hit and miss I do find the best way is to just give them a week or 2 in coco or soil paper towels work but the down side is you can damage them when you pot them up

What seed bank did you use as I`ve had very mixed results depending on how well the seedbank stores their stuff and some people are happy to send you industrial hemp seeds saying their whatever you wanted them to be

Most of the time now I try to buy in bulk from the breeder or use a seed bank I know keeps in fresh stock

Also what`s with all the tin foil dude ? Mylar or white plastic would do a better job and not conduct electricity sounds kinda dumb but I`m sure water at the bottom and a nice wall of metal that go`s up to the electrics is not the safest thing in the world ?

Just watch out for heat and you may find you need to feed a bit more later into the grow

I ordered them from Herbies and my problem turned out to be the seed starting dirt (miracle grow seed starting soil) and my lights. I switched to fox farm ocean forest dirt and put the super silver haze and amnesia photo period fem seeds i had left from my order in a paper towel. They popped in to the dir.t i separated a small area and added a t5 florescent all is good .I use foil because about 14 years ago when i was 16 i got an ed rothensol book read it and he said foil has the most reflectivity. so i got a bunch of cardboard, foil silver backed duct not duck tape and 6 200watt cfl bulbs bag seeds from brick weed to some nice bud. well now im 30 and have my shit stright house good job bills paid. i looked at my wife one day and said i wanna up grade... she said ok .........20 min later in my truck........2 hours later.............drywall 2x4' 2 600 hps mh dimmable ballasts and ordered seeds and did the dam thing....well trying to use those hid lights from the start fucked me....i should have done some more research... here’s what’s left out of my 20 ($150) in seeds. sorry my reply took so long been working alot

A

B

good shit my man..my situation was quite similar in life dude..been thru alot of shit and growing kind of fell in my lap..turned out to be good at it and found that i found something i really love with all my heart doing..in one of my friends famous word...If u r good at something.DONT let any one deter you from it...got my shit together,,house paid,kids taken care of ,wife happy lol...and upgraded my room...anyhow..im glad for u tht things are working out and im thhe same way dude i work it seems non stop in construction but its worth the end game...gotta have a plan..tht shit will fuck ur body up young..im 34 and already feeling it lol/...anyways man..u need any pointers if i have the knowledge im more then happy to help spread it to ya..and i hope vice versa..just cuz ur new to this doesn't mean theres nothing i cant learn from ya..take it easy brother and tty nex time...grow pics look good bro

I pop my seeds in shot glass of ph balanced water in a dark place. I generally get germination in about 3 days. I know nothing if autoflowering seeds. Just a question though: Why are you wasting space on autoflower?

Are you packing the soil too tight?
I used to do that back in the day, and had slow growth issues.

On that note, use lots of perlite and use a warming mat. New developing roots need lots of oxygen, and the warmth aids germination & root development. More root, more fruit.

Yep like others have stated, use the paper towel method for sure.

Miracle grow will kill your seedlings everytime. Learned from experience haha. Sounds like you've got it worked out now, good luck!

Actually the autos didnt do to bad weight and bud wize but im going to add a 6 x 2 tent and get some prime photo and just clone and rotate then change out my mothers every few years use my room for flowering have a 4' t5 grow light and a 250 400 mh\hps switchablen some fans a timer just lying around from the journey here so any one know about mother keeping