Can someone help me out?

deejay123

Well-Known Member
Yo RIU! First of all hope you have had a nice christmas!

Cut a long story short ive been getting clones off different people for my grows and they havnt been going to well. When i get them the suppliers never know anything about the strains there giving out and there more or less all bullshit so im going to start some from seed.

Im gonna be starting them off in rockwool cubes and just want some things clearing up. Ive read of various seed websites that for germination you should skip the whole paper towel method and start the seeds. This is what they advise...

Immerse the rockwool cubes in lukewarm water with a pH of 5.6-5.8 until the rockwool is evenly wet. Overnight soaking is not required for starter cubes. Let the water drip off...squeeze lightly to assist. Place the seed in a horizontal position into the hole (this is the easiest method). The taproot can grow downwards assisted by gravity. Alternatively, you can also place the seed into the hole vertically with the rounded end facing up (cannabis seeds sprout by opening the shell at the pointy end where the taproot grows out). Cover the hole with a small piece of rockwool. Choose a fluffy piece of rockwool...you don't want to tightly plug the hole because the seedling has to grow out with ease. Water the rockwool cubes with a weak nutrient solution of 10-15% of the recommended dosage (or EC 0,6) and pH 5.6-5.8. You can also germinate using pure water. Put the rockwool cubes at a warm location. Temperatures at 25°C/75°F or higher accelerate germination. Take care that the rockwool cubes do not dry out or stand in the cold (i.e. at or under 21°C/70°F). They should also not sit in water. Usually the cubes require to be moistened with pH adjusted water every 1-2 days. Use chlorine free water such as mineral water. Within 3-4 days the seedlings should appear out of the cubes. Hot tip: to prevent the cubes from sitting in water put some perlite at the bottom of the tray for drainage.

This Indoor Grow Garden includes reusable trays that can grow the plants for a week until transplanting into a bigger pot. The trays sit beneath 2x2ft 24W fluorescent bulbs for healthy growth. This setup provides light & warmth, it also ensures that fresh air & average humidity levels prevent negative factors from disturbing germination. The lights are housed in the canopy of a sturdy aluminium stand that has an adjustable height (up to 38cm H from base) and a reflective hood to maximize usable light. There are many different models of fluorescent or CFL fixtures on the market to suit every taste and budget. Give seedlings maximum light to prevent stretching and support fast development. Use additional light from a window if available. For best results we recommend HPS lamps from the start. A 70-150W HPS lamp does not use more electricity than standard CFL lamps but provides much more lumens (light intensity). If you are growing with 250-600W HPS then you should germinate or put your seedlings under the lamp as soon as possible to ensure quick and vigorous growth.

It states to put them straight under HPS for faster growth. What are your opinions on this? I do understand what their saying because seeds need as much light as possible...only clones are susceptible to strong light at first right?

And can someone clear up EC for me please? I need to know this now as this is more important now im gonna be starting from seed! Thank you!!!
Deejay
 

chuck estevez

Well-Known Member
you can start them under a cfl until they have a couple leaf sets, then go to mh or hps.

ec, means electrical conductivity. it is another way of measuring what's in the water.the more nutrients in the water will make it more conductive. parts per million is another way to measure.
 

zem

Well-Known Member
HPS is more light, the more light the better the seed grows. seeds can be influenced negatively if light is put too close or if it creates too much heat for the baby to handle. the plant is mostly water, the tiny seedling has not enough water mass in its body to handle high intensity light put too close. but if put at the right distance from a seedling, it will make for much more rapid growth and gradually be put closer to the plants.
EC is electric conductivity of a liquid, it is measured to derive from it the level of dissolved solids in the solution. it is the same derivation as TDS (total dissolved solids) or ppm (parts per million) but with a different unit of measurement. so every meter has a unit of measurement weather EC, TDS, or ppm, it is to conclude how much total dissolved solids your nutrient solution has.
 

hydrosoil78

Active Member
clear up EC?- it stands for electrolytic conductivity, how well does the water conduct electricity . TDS is another thing total dissolved solids, there are meters or ways to measure it. Its a way to describe or measure your fertilizers or liquid nutrient mix. I have a couple seedlings now one smaller one almost a foot tall. I make clones and they are all doing well for now. I never measure the pH but I make sure the water isn't cold when I water- like 65-75 degrees like a freshwater aquarium. My seed method is put it in a dirt cup barely covered with soil and water it carefully , don't wash it away. hopefully you have decent water to use then you won't have to worry about the EC or pH, etc.
 

deejay123

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info people! Can i just water them with bottled water until the first set of leaves appear? Then feed after that?

Is it possible to just place seed in a party cup of coco instead of starting them off in rockwool first? Anybody tried that??
 

jondamon

Well-Known Member
Hi DJ

I use coco for seeds!!!!!!!!

Just soak the coco, place a small hole in the centre of the coco filled party cup, I then light it up on 18/6 under a 24w T5HO and wait. That's it!


J
 

chuck estevez

Well-Known Member
Hi DJ

I use coco for seeds!!!!!!!!

Just soak the coco, place a small hole in the centre of the coco filled party cup, I then light it up on 18/6 under a 24w T5HO and wait. That's it!


J
I like this over the rockwool. before planting,I soak my seeds for 12 hrs and see which ones float and which ones sink. floaters are no good.
 

jondamon

Well-Known Member
I like this over the rockwool. before planting,I soak my seeds for 12 hrs and see which ones float and which ones sink. floaters are no good.
I don't even bother soaking seeds.

I haven't had a failure since I can remember.

I used to soak seeds and regardless of sinkers/floaters I would pop them all. Never had one fail on me.

So sink vs swim isn't really a way to tell good from bad.


J
 

deejay123

Well-Known Member
Hi DJ

I use coco for seeds!!!!!!!!

Just soak the coco, place a small hole in the centre of the coco filled party cup, I then light it up on 18/6 under a 24w T5HO and wait. That's it!


J
Yo J!

Thanks for the info mate... Gonna try it in party cups in coco to start them off then. Do you use mild A&B or rhizo solution from the start or just plain water until first set of leaves appear??

Also can i just start them off under one 400W HPS instead of using lower wattage lights? Ive heard the more light the better for seeds. They dont get stressed like clones ive read?

Obviously i wouldnt put it right close to the seeds, about a foot or two away? Thanks for the help brother

Deejay
 

jondamon

Well-Known Member
I use the rooting amounts that I posted in your other thread.

EC0.9
4ml Rhizotonic per litre
1.4ml of A and B if I remember. Track your other threads to see my schedule.

I have used 400w to germ. I just put the party cup at plant pot level with my other plants. So around 1.5-2ft from the lamp.





J
 

deejay123

Well-Known Member
I use the rooting amounts that I posted in your other thread.

EC0.9
4ml Rhizotonic per litre
1.4ml of A and B if I remember. Track your other threads to see my schedule.

I have used 400w to germ. I just put the party cup at plant pot level with my other plants. So around 1.5-2ft from the lamp.





J
Cheers J, i did see that sched but didnt know you could use that first amount on seeds thought that was just for clones? That and the lighting questions cleared up then.

The only reason i get clones is because i would of thought that from seed it takes to long? Is that not the case? I bet they grow surprisingly fast from seed then. Am i looking at around 5-6 weeks from seed until i switch then?
Deejay
 

jondamon

Well-Known Member
It depends entirely on what you want.

Last run I grew 1 delicious seeds fruity chronic juice. Cloned it 4 times and threw away the mother.

Just so that I had 4 plants that reacted the same, that took 8 weeks or so to get her strong enough to supply healthy clones.

The link in my sig had something like 21 days from seed sprouting on 18/6 then flowered at 7" tall. Still had 3ft tall plants and around 12oz from 4 plants.


I would do at least 3-5weeks veg.



J
 
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