bout to put seedlings in 2 gal containers****

steve1214

Member
Hey guys. I have 20 seedlings in cups under t5 florescents. Tmrw I'm putting them in 2 gal buckets under a 1000 watt hps.
Should the light distance be about 3 feet?
When I water should I soak the whole container or just around the seedling?
 

BigJoint7

Active Member
I'm not too sure about the light distance the most ive used is a 600w hps and it was always 18 inches above my canopy. I placed my arm where my canopy was for 30 secs to determine how close i could get without it getting too hot.

Also you should soak the whole area of the soil evenly just untill it begins to drip out the bottom of your container, you don't want to over water them!
 

missnu

Well-Known Member
Well I personally water the whole container, and then wait until it gets close to dry again...but if you wait to move them out of the cups for a few more days it will probably be easier...
 

steve1214

Member
Well I personally water the whole container, and then wait until it gets close to dry again...but if you wait to move them out of the cups for a few more days it will probably be easier...
Hmmmm .... Yea my other grow was clones and I never started with seeds before. I feel like seedlings don't draw a lot of water so if I soak the whole container it will be wet for a long time and possibly cause fungus. My containers will have 1/3 perlite so the water will drain well though
 

RetiredMatthebrute

Well-Known Member
you havent told us how big the seedlings are...

make sure before you transplant that the seedlings have developed a good root mass to hold the soil together when transplanting, this makes it much easier on you and the plant.

once you set them into their new home you should water the entire pot thoroughly, then wait to water again till the pot is relativly dry, or light when you pick it up. you want to water in well because you just transplanted, this helps to settle in the new plants to the container and also make sure any spots in the soil that are really dry get wet, otherwise the soil may become hydrophobic and not absorb any water later down the road, these dry pockets can cause potential problems and make part of the container unusable for the plant roots.

a small seedling in a 2 gal pot should be able to go around 5-7 days without watering if you water till you have good runoff. (depending on the heat and enviorment too)


overwatering of plants generally happens during the seedling stage when they are in small cups starting off because people think they need to spray the plant 10 times a day and end up drowning it. as long as you water it and leave it alone, dosent matter how much water you pass through the pot when you water, but you always want to try and get a nice even soak of the soil to keep all parts damp and usable for plant roots
 

steve1214

Member
you havent told us how big the seedlings are...

make sure before you transplant that the seedlings have developed a good root mass to hold the soil together when transplanting, this makes it much easier on you and the plant.

once you set them into their new home you should water the entire pot thoroughly, then wait to water again till the pot is relativly dry, or light when you pick it up. you want to water in well because you just transplanted, this helps to settle in the new plants to the container and also make sure any spots in the soil that are really dry get wet, otherwise the soil may become hydrophobic and not absorb any water later down the road, these dry pockets can cause potential problems and make part of the container unusable for the plant roots.

a small seedling in a 2 gal pot should be able to go around 5-7 days without watering if you water till you have good runoff. (depending on the heat and enviorment too)


overwatering of plants generally happens during the seedling stage when they are in small cups starting off because people think they need to spray the plant 10 times a day and end up drowning it. as long as you water it and leave it alone, dosent matter how much water you pass through the pot when you water, but you always want to try and get a nice even soak of the soil to keep all parts damp and usable for plant roots
Thank you.
 
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