Starting a autostrain (lowberry)grow now, first grow, need some help/tips

[hypernovax]

ok first of all i didnt start germing yet

I received my order today lowberry seeds from Cannabis Seeds, Lowberry, high THC Cannabis Seeds

i plan on germing 7 of them and using this method
germinating auto seeds pictures
right now before i start to germ them, how warm does the water need to be?
its pretty cold here like 65f in my room and thats prob not good enough, so my question is
can i put them in a bowl of water next to a light bulb for heat? or does it have to be dark for soaking?

what about the cracking part? I dont fully understand that, it seems kind of dangerous, like am I supposed to crack the seed open after soaking it(according to those instructions) is this safe?

this is going to be an outdoor grow however i will start th first 2 weeks or so under CFLS (2 x40w, 2 x 26w, 4 x 24w) for 7 seedlings, i will be using bottoms of 2liter cola bottles( 5"-6") as their first pots then transferring pots as i transfer them outside.

I got some cheap generic german potting soil,(I live in JORDAN btw) bcause it was all i could get, it says it is pre fertilized, and says the ph is 5.5-5.6

I dont have a ph meter or anything yet, will this be a problem? should i try to up the ph?

I got some 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer, which also contains some vitamins...
will I need this and when should i use this? on the potting soil bag it says to re-fertilize after 6-8 weeks.

I will be starting them off in a cardboard box with the cfls for the first 2 wks or so, well the box is
20 inches tall
21 inches long
and 12 inches wide

Im going to put the lights horizontally from the sides, the box is 20 inches tall, how many inches high should I put the lights?

this is where i will start them off(7 seedlings), the box is spray painted white on the inside,
Is there anything wrong with this, not enough space? flame hazard? remember its only for seedlings first 2 weeks


Please help me with all of these questions so i can get my grow started asap, THANK YOU


I have 7 6-7" real pots to transfer to when i move them outside

 

[hypernovax]

can i get the first question answered real quick so i can start germing, thanks

 

[hypernovax]

ok I need to know if it has to be dark while soaking them? as i want to put a light bulb next to them to keep them warm

 

[roughnice]

READ THE GROW FAQ'S at the top, they would tell you the answers to most of your questions right away.... but to germinate just put them inside a damp paper towel, fold it over on top of the seeds, and put it in a plastic bag. then put it somewhere dark (two paper plates...) and place it on something warm if you can, like a computer tower or an internet router.

 

[hypernovax]

ok i have a problem ALL OF MY SEEDS R FLOATING WONT GO DOWN, is this bad

 

[hypernovax]

bump..........

 

[frostythesnowthug]

Ok here goes...

The water you use to pre-soak the beans should be room temperature, soak them until they sink, or for around 10hrs( I ALSO USE THE SCALPEL METHOD AND SCUFF THE SEED GENTLY ALONG THE SEAM, WHICH HELPS THEM ABSORB WATER AND MAKES THE SEED SHELL EASIER TO POP OPEN)
Just because a seed doesnt sink, doesnt mean its screwed - many seeds have a wax like coating on them that helps them stop drying out, and protects them from bacterial infection..Scuffing the seeds, helps the water penetrate the coating, allowing them to absorb water easier.
If a seed doesnt sink after 10 or so hrs, you have 2 choices, plant it and wait til it pops, or give a a gentle scuff,whilst holding it in tweezers, then re-soak for a couple of hours then into paper towels etc til they pop...

DO NOT MANUALLY pop seeds, there really is no need....You just stand the risk of smooshing the seeds, damaging the embryo or firing the lil fucker somewhere in you house...and trust me , they can be pretty tricky to find once theyre on the floor, and its a pity to lose those valuable beans..

Once you have soaked, either put the seeds into soil 10mm deep, or use the paper towel method to germinate them...
Use sterile, PH'd water, NO SMOKING while you handle the seeds, Nicotine kills seeds.
you should try to maintain a temp of around 21-23*c while they are germinating,
You can put them near a light bulb, just cover the baggie or plate or whatever you have them in with some aluminum foil or paper to block the light and make sure its not too hot.... on top of a computer/tv etc will do fine, or in an airing cupboard.

That compost ph is gonna cause problems, it needs to be nearer 6.7ish..
Also depending on how high the Nutes in it are, it may be too HOT, for seedlings..
I think i would try flushing the soil for a few days before you put the sprouts into it.
But yes, you want to try to raise the PH...there are a bunch of tips on here on how to do it...Just use the Search button.

Dont use fertiliser until the cotyledon leaves (small round leaves have dried up and fallen off) ..When you start nutes, use very small doses, maybe 1/6th recommended dosage, and slowly build it up...Some strains like nutes other hate them...Alot of Auto strains, do not like too many nutes, so go steady, you dont want to stunt a plant that already has a very short lifespan..
Most autos do not need grow type nutes, as they virtually skip the VEg stage, the soil has enough nutes for the first 3wks, by which time they are generally starting to flower, so you need FLOWERING/BLOOM BOOSTER nutes, also they like molasses alot.
1tsp per litre water - every other watering from 3/4 week....altho outside, molasses can create pest problems, as they love that stuff too.



I would personally grow them out a lil longer than 2 wks under cfls before i put them outside, i wont plant outside until i have a well established seedling with several nodes.
Which will take a lil longer than 2 wks under CFLs.
Make sure that the cfls dont touch the box, and you should be fine, cfls are not really a fire hazard if you use them SENSIBLY..
Also incase you werent aware CFLs need to be 1-2" inches away from the canopy of each plant to make the most of them.
hope thats a help.

 

[apasunee]

he said whilst,,,hu hu....

Ok here goes...

The water you use to pre-soak the beans should be room temperature, soak them for until they sink, or for around 10hrs( I ALSO USE THE SCALPEL METHOD AND SCUFF THE SEED GENTLY ALONG THE SEAM, WHICH HELPS THEM ABSORB WATER AND MAKES THE SEED SHELL EASIER TO POP OPEN)
Just because a seed doesnt sink, doesnt mean its screwed - many seeds have a wax like coating on them that helps them stop drying out, and protects them from bacterial inection..Scuffing the seeds, helps the water penetrate the coating, allowing them to absorb water easier.
If a seed doesnt sink after 10 or so hrs, you have 2 choices, plant it and wait til it pops, or give a a gentle scuff,whilst holding it in tweezers, then re-soak for a couple of hours until the seed pops.

DO NOT MANUALLY pop seeds, there really is no need....You just stand the risk of smooshing the seeds, damaging the embryo or firing the lil fucker somewhere in you house...and trust me , they can be pretty tricky to find once theyre on the floor.

Once you have soaked, either put the seeds into soil 10mm deep, or use the paper towel method to germinate them...
Use sterile, PH'd water, NO SMOKING while you handle the seeds, Nicotine kills seeds.
you should try to maintain a temp of around 21-23*c while they are germinating,
You can put them near a light bulb, just cover the baggie or plate or whatever you have them in with some aluminum foil or paper to block the light.

That compost ph is gonna cause problems, it needs to be nearer 6.7ish..
Also depending on how high the Nutes in it are, it may be too HOT, for seedlings..
I think i would try flushing the soil for a few days before you put the sprouts into it.
But yes, you want to try to raise the PH...here are a bunch of tips on here on how to do it...Just use the Search button.

Dont use fertiliser until the cotyledon leaves (small round leaves have dried up and fallen off) ..When you start nutes, use very small doses, maybe 1/6th recommended dosage, and slowly build it up...Some strains like nutes other hate them...Alot of Auto strains, do not like too many nutes.
Most do not need grow type nutes, as they virtually skip the VEg stage, the soil has enough nutes for the first 3wks, by which time they are generally starting to flower, so you need FLOWERING nutes, also they like molasses alot.
1tsp per litre water - every other watering from 3/4 week....altho outside, molasses can create pest problems, as they love that stuff too.



I would personally grow them out a lil longer than 2 wks under cfls before i put them outside, i wont plant outside until i have a well established seedling with several nodes.
Which will take a lil longer than 2 wks under CFLs.
Make sure that the cfls dont touch the box, and you should be fine, cfls are not really a fire hazard if you use them sensibly..

 

[frostythesnowthug]

?????? LOL, i dont follow Ap, but it is late and i'm a lil mashed

 

[hypernovax]

Ok here goes...

The water you use to pre-soak the beans should be room temperature, soak them until they sink, or for around 10hrs( I ALSO USE THE SCALPEL METHOD AND SCUFF THE SEED GENTLY ALONG THE SEAM, WHICH HELPS THEM ABSORB WATER AND MAKES THE SEED SHELL EASIER TO POP OPEN)
Just because a seed doesnt sink, doesnt mean its screwed - many seeds have a wax like coating on them that helps them stop drying out, and protects them from bacterial infection..Scuffing the seeds, helps the water penetrate the coating, allowing them to absorb water easier.
If a seed doesnt sink after 10 or so hrs, you have 2 choices, plant it and wait til it pops, or give a a gentle scuff,whilst holding it in tweezers, then re-soak for a couple of hours then into paper towels etc til they pop...

DO NOT MANUALLY pop seeds, there really is no need....You just stand the risk of smooshing the seeds, damaging the embryo or firing the lil fucker somewhere in you house...and trust me , they can be pretty tricky to find once theyre on the floor, and its a pity to lose those valuable beans..

Once you have soaked, either put the seeds into soil 10mm deep, or use the paper towel method to germinate them...
Use sterile, PH'd water, NO SMOKING while you handle the seeds, Nicotine kills seeds.
you should try to maintain a temp of around 21-23*c while they are germinating,
You can put them near a light bulb, just cover the baggie or plate or whatever you have them in with some aluminum foil or paper to block the light and make sure its not too hot.... on top of a computer/tv etc will do fine, or in an airing cupboard.

That compost ph is gonna cause problems, it needs to be nearer 6.7ish..
Also depending on how high the Nutes in it are, it may be too HOT, for seedlings..
I think i would try flushing the soil for a few days before you put the sprouts into it.
But yes, you want to try to raise the PH...there are a bunch of tips on here on how to do it...Just use the Search button.

Dont use fertiliser until the cotyledon leaves (small round leaves have dried up and fallen off) ..When you start nutes, use very small doses, maybe 1/6th recommended dosage, and slowly build it up...Some strains like nutes other hate them...Alot of Auto strains, do not like too many nutes, so go steady, you dont want to stunt a plant that already has a very short lifespan..
Most autos do not need grow type nutes, as they virtually skip the VEg stage, the soil has enough nutes for the first 3wks, by which time they are generally starting to flower, so you need FLOWERING/BLOOM BOOSTER nutes, also they like molasses alot.
1tsp per litre water - every other watering from 3/4 week....altho outside, molasses can create pest problems, as they love that stuff too.



I would personally grow them out a lil longer than 2 wks under cfls before i put them outside, i wont plant outside until i have a well established seedling with several nodes.
Which will take a lil longer than 2 wks under CFLs.
Make sure that the cfls dont touch the box, and you should be fine, cfls are not really a fire hazard if you use them SENSIBLY..
Also incase you werent aware CFLs need to be 1-2" inches away from the canopy of each plant to make the most of them.
hope thats a help.

thanks for writing that up! it really helped. well I wish i could do longer than 2 weeks but that will depend on how big they get as I posted the size of the box im starting off in, and im gonna be squeezing 7 plants in there, if they dont get too big after 2weeks ill go for 3

 

[hypernovax]

Oh, another question

once the seeds germ and I pot them, do I leave them without light until they sprout, or do I put them under light right away?

and if some seeds germ before others do I pot them straight away, or leave them with all the other seeds until theyre all germed

 

[frostythesnowthug]

Ok, here's what i do..
once your seeds pop, and they have a tap root around 5-10mm pot them,
Put them approx 10mm under them soil, moisten the soil a lil, i cover the pot with shrink wrap to retain the moisture and put them under my hps in a spot that is slightly shaded by the other plants,once they poke out of the soil and are trying to grow,move them to a better spot to get the most from the light..(important note: once they poke through the soil and the cotyledons start showing- remove the shrink wrap,and keep the soil slightly moist))
Ok so youre using CFL, so you can put them straight under one those.... when i use CFLs for sprouts, i start off 2.5" away and once theyve been under the light for a day or two, then move the light closer..You wont get too much stretching unless you keep the light more than 2.5" away for more than a couple of days...

Pot the seeds as they sprout tap roots..If you leave them unpotted for too long, whilst you wait for the others to pop, they could die, or get bacterial or mold issues.

Dont hold sprouted seeds in your fingers, use tweezers that you have sterilized with boiling water.

 

[frostythesnowthug]

thanks for writing that up! it really helped. well I wish i could do longer than 2 weeks but that will depend on how big they get as I posted the size of the box im starting off in, and im gonna be squeezing 7 plants in there, if they dont get too big after 2weeks ill go for 3

If you get the lighting sorted properly..IE use a reflector and use sufficient amount of CFLs (which it sounds like you are) You should get pretty decent results in a couple of weeks, it is also kinda strain dependent...for example i have some Biggie smalls growing that veg VERY SLOOOOOOOWLY...and 2 wks after they poked up they had hardly developed...But you should be ok with autos as they tend to grow steadily if a tad slowly or the first 3 wks, then they rocket up.
I dont know about lowberry so i dont know their growth details, but i do grow alot of LR2,and they are similar in characteristics.

Another thing, try to ensure a good ph level of your ground soil..Its V important with Autos, as any time they spend stunted, or trying to combat PH issues, the less time they spend growing, and it can diminish yield considerably...Their life is short, its your job to make it as easy as possible for them to concentrate on growing big juicy buds.

3 wks in the box, would probably be better, just to make sure you have a well developed base before they go into the ground.

Just my .2

 

[hypernovax]

the soil i have is 5.6, i should prob get it up to 6-6.5 well do you know any household items that can do it? baking powder? and how much I can add to increase one point, i cant seem to find anything besides using lime and i dont have any of that

 

[hypernovax]

after having them soaked for 12 hours i put them between cotton for 24 hours so far and only 2 have tap roots, well maybe i should not have but i split all the rest manually with success, now my question is the 2 seeds have very small tap roots coming out should i plant them now or wait for the root to get bigger?

 

[hypernovax]

checked th seeds after th 32 hour mark of being btween cotton, and i was satisfied,6 of them have small tap roots, however i have it under a incandescent not dirctly, its wrapper in a clear plastic bag then paper then 3 black bags, ok everytim i fel th cotton its just plain out warm not hot not cold, just plain average warm(def higher than room temp), is this ok? 6 seeds have sprouted tap roots so im guessing it is...

 

[frostythesnowthug]

There are various ways to increase PH, Baking soda works, but its more of a quick fix and isnt great for the plants in the long term..Lime is much better, thats what i use, or you could buy some PH up from a Hydro shop.
When i had ph issues, i just emptied the pots out very carefully, spread the soil medium, and spread a palmful of lime through the soil, take a sample of soil, and check the ph, if its still too low, add a lil more lime... go steady with it tho, just add it til youre happy with the ph and repot.
Alternatively some people mix lime into their water and add it to the soil evry couple of waterings... i dont like this method, cant explain why, i just dont trust it as a good measure of getting consistant ph.
There are other ways to improve ph, do some research, you should find the info easy enough..

If i remember correctly, i think hydrogen peroxide is another solution, but dont quote me,I'll update later if thats incorrect or whatever..I'm having a weird assed day, and my minds a lil confuzzled at the moment.


You shouldnt really have split the seeds manually, theyll pop when theyre ready..but yeah i'd let the taps get 1/4" long before i plant them..but planting now wont hurt any.

well if they popped so far i guess the germination temps cant be far off, maybe try a slight bit warm, like on an internet router, or on the pc case if its on continually.I have found that diff seed strains will germ better under diff conditions...
Ie if theyre from a hot climate, they could need a slightly warmer germination temp, or rather a warmer temp assists better germination rates....but as a guide, 21-23*c usually works.

Just ensure the baggie or whatever is always MOIST,warm and dark.Its critical that they have enough moisture and are never allowed to dry out,but also that they dont sit in a puddle of water,cuz that can cause rot, or bacterial infection...for example, wet the paper towel, then WITH CLEAN HANDS, squeeze out some of the excess, and youre ready to rock n roll with the rest of the germination process.

Hope thats a help bro.

 

[hypernovax]

thanks for all the help frosty,

bad news though, i ran into a problem with people coming in my room and I had to keep moving the seeds back and forth
also I had it too hot it was about 80 degrees in my room + them being under a light bulb (about 10 inches away) so it was probably over 100degrees then in the night i had to move them outside on the window and it was like 50 degrees outside an i moved them back and forth a few times as i had no other choice, after i started moving them back and forth alot it seems the roots stopped growing, well i potted them because I couldnt have done anything else I had to leave them outside in pots for 24 hours so it was pretty hot in the day then cold in the night well i finally movd them in a box under a few cfls theyve been there about 48 hours so far and the cfls are making the box really warm but i guess thats good, well im very convincd theyre all dead but Ill see if they sprout or not, oh well atleast i have 7 more seeds to experiment with

 

[badman2424]

after all that help u let your girls die, i am sad!!!

 

[hypernovax]

well maybe theres some chance theyre alive? maybe??? u think all the temp changing and shocking killed them? most likely anyways

but I had no other choice my room was getting raided (dont ask)