I start seeds dropping them in a shot glass of water for 24-36 hours, then a Rapid Rooter, once the cotyledon leaves appear I turn on a T5 light and set it about 2-4" above the sprouts. At this point I water once a day with straight PH'd water using a 20m/l syringe to keep the rooters moist. The sprouts stay in the Rapid Rooters until I see roots out the bottom, then they go into a 50/50 mix of perlite and coco in a 3" biodegradable pot.
Once they are in the 3" pot they get 1/4 strength nutrients. They stay in the 3" pot until the leaves reach the side of the pot or I see roots at the bottom, whichever comes first. Then they go into their final home, which is the cloth pot for the auto pot system, so the plants are relatively small.
I top water in the auto pot until the leaves reach the side of the cloth pot and then I turn on the system That usually takes about a week-10 days. I grow in coco using CX Horticulture nutrients. It's an easy transition from the 1/4 strength nutrients for sprouts and seedlings to a stronger solution. I measure the EC of the 1/4 strength nutrient solution and start from there and go up. I try to transition from 1/4 strength to 1/2 during the hand watering but it depends on the plants. When I turn on the reservoir I'll start a stronger solution. Once the plants are in their final home I top water with a little runoff. I sit my cloth pots on a pedestal with a tray while I'm top watering. I use the knuckle test to determine when to hand water. I hope you like the system. A two-pot system will work nicely in a 2x4 tent.
