Complete noob, very bad

[Jayce71]

Hi,
I'm very new to this,
I bought a 600w led grow tent kit and 3 seeds,
the seeds germinated in coco soil and looked good at first,
but as soon as I placed them under the lights they all died the next day,
I've tried the 600W at 18" and I've tried a 20w 6500k CFL bulb at 6 inches,
but I think the 600w is too strong and the CFL too weak,
3 things I'm lost on,
1, what's the correct size light for baby plants and what distance?,
2, when should I place them under the lights?
3, should I use the coco soil or somthing else?

thank you

[Canuck147]

Welcome Jayce71 - I've only ever grown in soil so I'm not commenting on that part. You are correct with the cfl's being close to be effective - but - your led was way too close at 18 Inches. Check your manufacturers specs for correct distance - 36 inches probably. Just use the cfl to coax your seedlings up. Good luck.

[Eliot Pryor]

First thing you do is set up bubble-ponics . Cfl's work great on seedlings on up to 16 inches high. As long as they don't touch the light you're good. Get them thriving for 4 or 6 weeks. Then put them under that flower light. Good luck !!

[Jayce71]

Hi, thank you both, I'm pretty sure the coco soil is rubbish, what soil is recommended for babies?
and is a 20W 6500k CFL bulb good enough or do I need a bigger bulb,?

[mathewscott]

Are you thoroughly rising the coco?

[VtGrower]

Don't let the seedlings get dehydrated or too hot / cold ( 70 degrees ). 20 watt for is kinda weak. Try one 26 watt for the first few days and then add another 26 watt bulb. After three weeks it will want even more light. When I last used coco I had started the seed in a peat puck and then placed that puck into the pot filled with coco. I felt the leaf puck held in more moisture than the coco alone.

[Jayce71]

Hi, I'm in the UK, and 26w are hard to find here,
seems that all I can is the 20w 6500k or 26w 4000k,
has it got to be 6500k?
next ones up are all 125w,
is 125w too strong for baby plants?

[Colombo]

I grow in soil but GWE has growing basics at top of page that will help you through a grow. learn each phase and then apply it. The grow unit is no different, research, learn about each piece and then apply it. The more you learn about your investment, the more you get from it, (BIG BUDS). Time and patience make great Gardeners/Growers !Good luck with your next grow!! Welcome the forum!

[Jayce71]

Struggling on the bulbs a little bit,
closest I can find is either,
2x 23W 6500k spiral or
2x 30W 6500k Mini 5U
which would be best?

[Canuck147]

I have the spirals - use them to start the seedlings cuz you can keep em close. Use the hand method for how close to have them - hold your hand a foot away from the light and slowly move your hand towards it until you feel the heat - same goes for the plant.

[Budler]

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/indoor-gardening/indoor-growing-cultivators/växer-led-bulb-for-cultivation-par30-e27-art-60317483/

I use these on each seedling for a few days and once they have their first set of leaves, you should be able to put them under your bigger led light.

I usually keep this led bulbs around 10-15cm high from the babies.

[Jayce71]

Thank you,

[Jayce71]

I went back to the drawing board, bought a starter kit, fresh seeds, new CFLs, and bat soil,
hope it works this time

[Farmall]

Before condemning your coco, did you wash the coco and buffer it with cal Mag?.

[Jayce71]

Hi Farmall, I haven't heard of that before, so I'll look it up, thanks.

[Cronk]

I almost killed my first plants that were in coco. I watered them too much, didn't use cal-mag and flooded them with light too soon. I recommend going back and reading the tutorial on watering and lighting seedlings and growing in coco. Once they've established a lot of root it's difficult to over-water them in coco but up until that point they are at constant risk of being over-watered, overfed, over-lit and deprived of cal. + mag.
There's a guy on youtube that shows how he waters seedlings. It's really so little. Northwest jay is his name and he;s got a lot of good info. There are a ton of others too that show details like this. a seedling also needs very little nutrients for the first two weeks but in coco they need cal-mag from the beginning and all the way through. Farmall is right about buffering, once you do that you may not need the cal mag as much.
I hope you get more seeds and try again

Edit, also pH your water to about 6.0 in coco. not doing this will prevent nutrients from being used by the plant and they will die if not fixed

[Colombo]

I use a shot glass and increase how many shots as the plant grows until transplant( soil) it helps control overwatering. learned from youtube video and it does cut the losses.

[Jayce71]

little update, early signs of life, getting excited.

[Colombo]

"IT" "IS" "ALIVE" Good Growing!

[Jayce71]

ooooh two are taking off like rockets, this is 24 hours later. (Day 3) how soon do you think I should put them into soil pots?
I',m thinking 2-3 more days??

[D.A.A.S.69]

If they were mine I'd give them about a week, if they start stretching to much lower your lights a bit.But I'm sure you know that.
Looking nice, HappyGrowing
And welcome to GWE, 71

[Jayce71]

Problem.
I'm only on day 4 and two of the plants have reached the top already,
time to move them into bigger pots?
I'm planning to keep them in bags to keep them moist for now.