SOIL Starting my second battle soon. Questions + tips? advice?

[realhuuuman420]

Hey all, after the massive success that my first plant brought with an astonishing 1.3 grams of dried herb and an incredibly powerful high, I am now about to do my second run.

Please help me with the battle plan before I put it in.

I think it was Bluey who suggested making a custom fabric pot since I cannot get my hands on a 'real' one. Attaching a picture. // My apologies, that was Gingerbeard.

Here are my questions:

1. Put seed straight in, or start in jiffy peat first? Soil too hot? (BioBizz ALL MIX) so, turns out I am not able to get my hands on the Light Mix from BioBizz, and had to either get the All mix or risk some random local brand. I found some threads on Reddit where ppl said that this is too hot for autoflowers.Considering that everyone tells me to put the seed straight in to avoid any further transplants due to stress, will it be OK with the All Mix? It is supposed to have a PH of 6.2, contains basically all nutrients for the first few weeks, and has a high EC. My previous seed also contained a heavy mix of nutrients but I have no clue how much. But the previous one started out just fine, it was afterwards when I fucked it up.
2. BioBizz says to 'moisten' the soil and leave standing for 36h before using. What the hell does 'moisten' mean - should I water it, or just slightly spray?
3. So I put the seed in - cover with dirt, tighten it up a bit. Spray with water - how much?
4. Put plastic cup over the seed right after I put it in the soil?
5. Start the 20/4 light schedule right after putting the seed in, or only after it pops out?

Indoor temps currently are at ideal average 24C and should only go lower from now. I'll be getting also some products in case of spider mites and other pests and will be ready there, plus another small fan for the inside, as you guys recommended.

Any tips, advice, anything?

Thank you!

[Gingerbeard]

Bluey grew drugs in his pants, too?
Yeah. About that Biobizz. You are going to need to do some flushing before you get going. I'll recommend two flushes. Like this.
Your seedling will have a rough start if you go direct. Grab out, say, a Solo cup (with lots of hole in the bottom) of soil. Flush that under running water for, maybe a minute. Then go flush your pants until the water runs out. You look like you have about a 3-4 gallon ass. Two gallons should give you some good runoff.
Dig a hole in the dirt in your pants about the size of the Solo cup and fill it with the well washed Solo cup dirt.
Put your seed in about an inchish deep hole. Backfill the hole.
Watering needs to be done slowly and gently to avoid seed floaters. My method is to gently pour water in the palm of my hand and let it seep in. Seedlings need nothing but straight tap water unless you have super nasty tap water.
I have found that as long as the water is fresh, you cannot give too much water to a seedling. Only too little.

[Rootsruler]

HAHAHAHAHA! 3 or 4 gallon ass........

[realhuuuman420]

Shit, that was you! So sorry Ginger, I did not bother to check my inbox. You are the mastermind here!

So it's hard to judge the size of this ass. It's not very heavy, the soil is pretty light and airy. I got a 20L bag and it felt like it weights maybe 5-8kg. The pants weighted at around 5.5kg, or 1 gallon.

Is this too little? I mean i've seen people grow monsters in solo cups, so I guess it does not matter that much, right? I'm not aiming for a massive yield. On the other hand, it seems to be wider than the pot I used previously.

Well aaanyway - I'll water it till I get a good runoff.

SO just to be clear. As soon as I flush all this soil, I can plant? Or should I wait let's say a day or two so that it all dries out?

And if yes, when should the first watering be? As soon as the seedling pops out?

Could I get a rough watering schedule? I plan on 100ml of tap water (filtered) every 3 days for the first week - so 2 waterings. Should I up this to 200ml in the 2nd week?

EDIT: what about my questions with the clear plastic cup over the seedling - all good there? how long should I keep this dome?
And the light? Start it as soon as I plant or wait for the seed to pop out first?

[Rootsruler]

Hit these guys up.

Super Affordable Basic Planters and Grow Bags for a Beautiful Garden (247garden.com)

They should be able to ship to wherever you are so that you have a proper cloth bag pot.

I'm assuming you're growing another auto seed? I would go with a 5 gallon. 3 gallon would be ok if you were salt fert feeding but you're going organic so you need all the biomass you can to feed the plant.

As Gingerbeard said, your soil will be too hot for your seedlings roots. I hate flushing soil as many use the technique incorrectly but in this case he's right to tell you to do that. Follow what he said to get your seedling going although I would flush the solo cup soil and plant the seed in their first, sprout it, then transplant into its final home. At this stage I like to use a product from Advanced Nutrients called Voodoo Juice. It's one of the few amendments they offer that doesn't have a bunch of filler. It's just pure liquid bacteria with nothing else added. I use this the first couple weeks after my seeds have sprouted. It will get your microbial community going.

When I transplant I like to fill the pot up to the point that when I place my solo on it the soil line of the solo lines up with where I want the soil line to be in the bag. I back fill around the solo compressing the media lightly so that there are no air pockets in the soil. Once everything is backfilled to my satisfaction I slide the solo out leaving a perfect impression of the cup. I slide the plant out of the solo and into the hole and compress the soil around it to make sure the roots make contact with the surrounding soil. This is also a good time to amend the transplant hole with some mycorrhizae.

[Gingerbeard]

What's wrong with growing in pants? You a bag purist or something?
That bag has pockets for storing ties and quick access to check the roots.

[realhuuuman420]

Thanks a lot, much appreciated.

So, the point of wanting to start it all in the final pot is that I won't have to do any transplants. If there are transplants involved, I might as well use a jiffy peat - that was honestly the one good thing in my previous grow, the seed sprouted like a champion without any issues and penetrated the mesh with ease. So if transplanting will be necessary, then I'd very much like to stick to what I already know and have seen. Trying to keep the unknowns to a minimum here!

[Rootsruler]

Hahaha!!

[Gingerbeard]

I can't give you a watering schedule because I am not there. No matter what you say, your environment is unique. Anyone who gives you a watering schedule is telling you what they do based on their setup. It is time to pay attention to what your plant is telling you it wants in its environment.
Remember to go back and check what BioBizz says about adding nutrients. It is a hot soil and doesn't need anything for veg, if I remember correctly. Follow along with what they recommend. Otherwise, start with quarter to half strength nutes. One or two waterings.
Lift your dry pants. That is what it feels like when you need to water. Let your pants sit for a day after flushing. That is what your pants feel after a good watering.
Keep the seedling moist. If you are unaware of the method, one way to sprout seeds is between moist paper towels. Figure people keep their seedlings wet for a week or more before going to soil. As long as the water is fresh, your seedling can stay wet.

[realhuuuman420]

Right, I was just looking for a rough benchmark, not an actual schedule. Like for example lifting my pants up won't do much when I watered 100 or 200 ml, yknow? And my scale is not THAT accurate.

About BioBizz - somebody on Reddit asked them about feeding for autoflowers. They replied to use the All Mix schedule while using their Light Mix. So.. yea, something like 1/4 of the recommended. They say to start feeding when the plant has a couple of leaves and is -XY inches tall - that's what the "week 1" means in their nutrients tables. So I'll go with that and take extra precaution by waiting a while longer, or until the plant tells me it's hungry.

I am going to put the seedling straight in the soil from the solo cup (so, flushed extra well). In case it gets dry after a day, I will just spray the soil to keep it moist until it pops out.

At what point do I remove the 'dome' - e.g. the plastic cup over the soil? When the seedling outgrows it?

[Gingerbeard]

Dome? I don't use no stinkin' dome! Never have. People say they use them so their seedlings don't dry out. I have never had the issue.
Spray? I don't use no stinkin' sprayer! Unless you sit there and squirt for a minute or two, you are only wetting the top of the soil. Just don't drench and you should be fine.

[Gingerbeard]

Rootsruler This thread petered out and I do not remember what happened at the end.
Point is, you can do amazing things in your pants! Or, you can grow big things in your pants! Or, you can grow big bushes in your pants.
Creme de la Pants - GrowWeedEasy.com Cannabis Growing Forum

[Rootsruler]

Lol! Tmi.......

[Gingerbeard]

I am looking at your avatar. What do you consider TMI?

[Rootsruler]

A girl rippin' a hit from some quality glass?

[Bluey]

A big ass grow. Cool. I like it.

Fabric pots? No, I have never recommended them.

[Gingerbeard]

Yeah, but, Creme de la Pants? Get it? Get it?

[dirtymike]

Now I know what to do with my old pants. I want have to cut the legs through.

[realhuuuman420]

48 hours after sprouting! How am I doing?

Cannot for the love of god keep the RH above 60%... using wet towels, humidifier. Exhaust fan + light is enough to push RH down too much. And I cannot fit another humidifier inside.

Did not water yet as the soil is still rather wet from when I flushed it. And that was like 4 days ago, maybe 5.

Temps are okay. ~23C with lights off and 26C at most with lights on. Got the small fan pointed at the wall to give the plant a lil breeze, too. Not sure when to put the second fan in and where?

[Gingerbeard]

Is it my screen or is there something going on with the leaves? Pictures 2 and 3 look like you have yellowing in the new leaves and the cotyledons look mottled.
Otherwise, you are right in not watering. Your pants are plenty wet. Make sure your ass is not flat on the ground/drip pan. Fans will help get that dried up.

[realhuuuman420]

It's not your screen, it's my phone camera - it wasn't set up correctly. The color actually looks the healthiest I've ever seen - a dark-ish green (as opposed to very light green, almost lime, that I saw in the previous plant)... The only thing I'm slightly worried about is how one of them cotyledons is kind of swirling downwards? But from previous experience that's normal IIRC.

Brings me so much joy that the first leaves are growing symmetrically. The first one was at this point completely fucked up already - the leaves were growing in a spiral, all distorted and weird.

[Gingerbeard]

The cotys are fine.
Keep on truckin'!

[realhuuuman420]

Hey there, another quick update because I do not want to leave absolutely anything to chance or ignorance. If there is a problem, I want to fix it ASAP.

It seems there is actually a bit of discoloration or something? Not only that, but the leaves seem to be slightly curving. Please tell me I'm just overthinking it?

Humidity is screwing me over big time. Three wet towels, humidifier, but my exhaust fan is just crazy and drops the RH to 48%. With exhaust off, it easily stays at 75-80%.

Light is as far as I can hang it. Could the light be too strong still?

Should I put a plastic dome over the plant for a while to keep the RH higher with exhaust on?

[Bluey]

Your seedling looks fine to me.

A plastic dome will help with humidity but it needs to be well ventilated and it will add to the stretch as it won't be getting any breeze and stands a good chance of falling over because of that. The light levels appear fine

[Rootsruler]

I've done runs where my RH never passed 50% and I was fine. Try and get it a little higher, like around 60%, but don't spend a ton of time or money doing it. If you only keep it at 47% like I see on your hygrometer you should be fine. It seems your area is excessively dry. I would invest in a larger humidifier you can sit outside the tent and vent in the humidity.

I love AC Ininities products so my suggestion would be to pick up one of their humi's. It has a probe so you can set whatever level of humidity you want and it will work toward that without your having to intervene other than to keep the reservoir topped off.

I have their T3 version. It'll hold 4.5L in its reservoir which is a little over a gallon. Their T5 will hold 9L and their T7 holds 15L or a little more than 3 gals. In the area I was in the humidity in the lung room was stable at around 45%. I would have to refill the reservoir maybe once every couple of days. Humi was set at 60%.

[realhuuuman420]

I promise this will not be an every day thing, but aren't those spots getting worse, and the leaves ever so slightly more curly?

There's definitely some spots there on both leaves.... nutrient toxicity? Did I not flush my ass well enough?

[Gingerbeard]

If your pH is good, ride it out. The newest leaves look healthy. The spots could still be from the hot soil.

[realhuuuman420]

Thanks, Ginger! Since I posted, the new leaves grew and are now double the size they were on the last pics, and they look healthy so far. Haven't tested the pH since planting, but there's no reason for it to have changed at all, so that should be ok. I'll test it before watering for the first time to see if I need to pH the water.

Still relatively damp-ish, the soil. So, still waiting, fans blowing.

[realhuuuman420]

Good evening! Do the new leaves look somewhat deformed or weird? This is 6 days after sprouting or 8 days after planting.

Still haven't watered, as you can see, the soil still looks damp/moist from the flushing. Feels not so wet as before, but definitely not dry. rH still the same, lowest at around 48%, but able to keep it mostly above 55ish. Temps seem to stay at 26C maximum with lights on, 23C with lights off.

Well it certainly looks healthier than my previous plant. At this stage, that one was shorter, leaves were smaller, and curling/spiraling like insane.

[Gingerbeard]

Are you smoking Sativa? You need to switch to a nice, relaxing Indica.
You are looking good. Even the white (I hope) beard hair is typical around here. The spots from posts #8 and #9 have grown out and nothing new has emerged. Whatever that was is taken care of.
If there is nothing you can do about temperature and humidity, don't worry about them. Keep a mental note for the future, yes. Don't stress what you can't do anything about.
Did I miss it? What are you growing?

[Rootsruler]

Agreed. They look fine. Your RH and Temp are within acceptable ranges. If you can smooth out the temp and humidity swings even better but if not don't sweat it. You're close enough that you'll be able to pull some decent weight out of her. Try and get used to using the light pot method to know when to water your plants. Seedlings and sprouts usually only require about a watering a week due to their small root system.

[realhuuuman420]

I'm not smoking anything currently. That's the issue
Alright, I'll take it easy. Thanks, both of you! <3

[realhuuuman420]

Good evening!

Just a quick update and some porn - I think we're doing fine! Slightly concerned about some discoloration (check the close-up pic of one of the big leaves) but not worrying about it too much just yet.

Got a question, though. Today, we had an electricity outage, and because of it, the plant missed 8 hours of light. How should I deal with this?

I thought that, since these were the last 8 hours, and next the light would be turned off, that it would be dark for too long (16h in total) before it would resume its usual 18/6 schedule. So I turned it upside down - now the light turns on instead of off, and the schedule is reversed. Is this the best solution? Or should I simply keep it on the usual schedule, even if it means 18h of darkness? No idea how much stress can this cause - it probably will not happen again during this grow.

Anyway, here it is. Day 16. Ready for harvest yet?

EDIT: Forgot to mention I watered 3 days ago with ~350ml of water, hence why it may seem somewhat damp.

[Bluey]

Typically its best to manage for heat. Do your light schedule to suit ambient conditions. In my experience flipping from veg to flower requires much more than one extended dark period.

[Gingerbeard]

They're autos. Don't worry about the light thing stressing your plants.