Do i take seedlings out of humidity dome after they break ground?

Alex17

Active Member
Do i take the seedlings out of the humidity dome after they break ground? I got two seedlings that just popped up above the surface and want to know if i should leave em in there or move them out.

Also, how far above the plants should the fluorescent shoplights be? They are 4' 32w T8 Fluorescents.

Thanks.
 

Deerhunter617

Well-Known Member
Take them out put the lights close enough to the plants but far enough away you can't feel heat from them on plant tops
 

dura72

Well-Known Member
i dont want to sound like im disagreeing with deerhunter but i keep my seedlings under my dome( well actually a heated propogator) for around a week or so untill they're around 2" to 3" high. so jst wondering if im doing it wrong, ive had good success with this method in the past but if deerhunter can answer me as to why i shouldnt i'd be more than happy to change....all knowledge is good...apart from your girlfriend previous sexlife of course!!
 

bostoner

Active Member
I'm germing now and I have seeds that popped inside the dome still (80+ RH) and some outside (40 RH). I let you know by tomorrow which ones are doing better if there is a difference.
 

Purplekrunchie

Well-Known Member
i dont want to sound like im disagreeing with deerhunter but i keep my seedlings under my dome( well actually a heated propogator) for around a week or so untill they're around 2" to 3" high. so jst wondering if im doing it wrong, ive had good success with this method in the past but if deerhunter can answer me as to why i shouldnt i'd be more than happy to change....all knowledge is good...apart from your girlfriend previous sexlife of course!!
You aren't doing anything wrong, it wont hurt anything, it may even be necessary if it's cooler in your room.
 

Purplekrunchie

Well-Known Member
Do i take the seedlings out of the humidity dome after they break ground? I got two seedlings that just popped up above the surface and want to know if i should leave em in there or move them out.

Also, how far above the plants should the fluorescent shoplights be? They are 4' 32w T8 Fluorescents.

Thanks.
I put my shop bulbs right up on them, maybe an inch away.
 

Lord Dangly Bits

Well-Known Member
i dont want to sound like im disagreeing with deerhunter but i keep my seedlings under my dome( well actually a heated propogator) for around a week or so untill they're around 2" to 3" high. so jst wondering if im doing it wrong, ive had good success with this method in the past but if deerhunter can answer me as to why i shouldnt i'd be more than happy to change....all knowledge is good...apart from your girlfriend previous sexlife of course!!
I skin a Deer starting at the Ass. My friend starts at the neck. When it is all said and done they are both skinned deers.
Myself, I use Rapid Rooter's for both clones and seeds. I leave them inside the dome until roots just start to pop out the side. Then I stick them in 16 ounce beer cups. But I place my lights pretty much right down on the dome. If I do not, the seedlings stretch to much. But even that is no biggy. If that happens, I just plant them a little extra deep in the beer cup. I try to stay away from seeds as much as possible though. Because with clones you already have them at sexual maturity right from the start.
If you have seedlings that stretch on you, and they are having trouble standing up on their own. Take a straw and cut it about 3/4" longer then the seedling is tall, split it length wise and place the seedling inside the straw and stuff the straw into the grow medium a little ways. And then lowwer those lights. :)

Most CFL's and fluorescent lights can be placed 2"-3" from the plants with no damage. But remember, a seedling is not a plant yet. (At least in some peoples opinions)
I would keep it about 4"-6" away for a while.
 

Alex17

Active Member
I've got a bunch of cups with seeds in them, and they are all under the dome. So far 3 of 10 have come up. So i need to know what I should do; leave the dome on for the 7 that haven't come up or take it off for the 3 that already have. Will taking the dome off hurt the ones that haven't come up yet?
 

yonig

Member
USE THE DOME if your afraid. my biggest mistake was letting them dry out. in a dome you know it doesnt happen. keep in in a dome untill you feel its time to move em. as long as its getting light they can stay in there forever.
 

Alex17

Active Member
Thanks Knuck.

I've got 5 that have broken the ground now so it looks like they are fine without the dome.

The little seed leaves on one of them are kind of droopy, does that mean the soil is too wet in that cup? I spray em all the same amount.
 

Nullis

Moderator
That's the problem with just spraying: you're probably only getting the top of the soil wet, while the rest could be quite dry. Just water them sufficiently when they need it.
 

Alex17

Active Member
how much should i water the little seedlings? I don't want to overwater em.

Are you saying the leaves are drooping because the soil is too dry and not too wet?
 

Nullis

Moderator
I am saying that only spraying them down like that makes it a bitch to determine if they are too dry or too wet. The top of the soil shouldn't be constantly wet. The rest of the soil shouldn't be constantly dry.

It is common for people to have this fear of over-watering, which causes them to under-water or do things like this. Over-watering happens when the soil is sopping wet constantly; from improperly draining or water logged soil or from the containers sitting in stagnant water. Water hasn't very much dissolved oxygen in it, and plant roots breath oxygen. Any oxygen in the water will be quickly depleted by the roots and by aerobic microbes, so the roots literally 'drown', unless there is an air pump bubbling that water and replenishing the oxygen. With no oxygen in the medium the door is open to anaerobic (mostly very nasty) microbes to proliferate and the potential that the plant will acquire a disease is increased.

You want a proper cycle of watering. You water sufficiently, until the mix is entirely drenched and you get some run-off. Then you wait until the top inch or two (depending on container size) has mostly dried up, and you water again.

You need to stick your finger down into a container and feel how deep the moisture goes. If your medium started off wet and you continue to spray the top of it, chances are it will remain thoroughly wet. If you allowed it to dry out and then began to continuously spray the top of the soil, then the soil at the bottom of the container could be quite dry.

You can spray the plants or foliar feed once or twice a day (at lights on/off), but just water normally as I described and don't spray the soil to saturate it like that.
 

Alex17

Active Member
So its okay to water them even though they just broke the ground like yesterday?

I'm sorry if i sound like an idiot, I've just seen a lot of people saying just to spray the top of the soil and I wanna make sure I get it right. I am just worried about watering and then it staying wet for so long because the little tiny root systems they have not being able to take up enough water and then they drown.

I am using Fox Farms Light Warrior, by the way. Just so you know what kind of drainage I'm getting.
 

Nullis

Moderator
People are going to tell others to do a lot of the pointless or even damaging things that they do. Some people can do what I'd consider to be all the 'wrong' things with their plants, still end up with something of a yield and conclude their methods are sound, thus recommending them to others (unfortunately). And if you ask five people how they grow you'll end up with ten different answers.

But I assure you; seedlings are delicate yes, but [most] cannabis plants really aren't so sensitive. Light Warrior is a good draining medium. Even so, if the mix is still wet/moist on top it doesn't need to be watered or sprayed. I would still wait a day or even a little longer, and then water them thoroughly until I see run-off. The medium needs to dry out somewhat on top, don't wait until it is bone dry but it should be somewhat dry. There will still be plenty of moisture deeper into your containers, and you want your roots to stretch out and seek it themselves.
 

kpm2335

Member
humidity promotes root growth in early seedling stage, so in my opinion it would be beneficial to keep the seedling in the dome until root structure is formed ( couple days to a week after that remove the dome as really high humidity is not good for vegitative growth.
 
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