Expert help needed on seedling question. +rep, please help

Hello All,

First off, Ive already had a successful harvest. I was using a 40 gallon rez DWC and had 4 WONDERFUL ladies. It proved VERY difficult chnaging 40 gallons each week (I had to do it 4 gallons at a time with a pump due to my location and house set up).

This is my second grow and I switched to 3 (5) gallon buckets.

A couple of facts bout my grow.
1. PH is perfect 5.8-6.0 I have a digital PH meter
2. I soaked rockwool in good PH water 24 hours before adding germed seed
3. Water level is below my net pot.
4. 3 x 3 x 6 tent with 400w HPS ballast
5. Temp is 80 below the lights, buckets are 18 inches below lights (I have an adjustable shelf to move away forpm the light as they grow.
6. I am using General Hydrponics nutes
7. Lights are on 22 hours.
8. Using Nirvana fem seeds


2 weeks ago I germed 3 fem seeds. All cracked and I put in my rock wool and then in the hydroton in my bucket. Only one became a seedling.

I germed two more beans and they sprouted but died. This time I soaked my rockwool in 25% nute solution.

What am I doing wrong? My seeds crack and then end up dying in the bucket.

Why are my seedling dying?
What can I do diffently when a CAREFULY take the germed seed and put it in the rockwool?
Should I soak in PH corrected water or a nute solution?

I'm confused becasue 1 seed is 2 weeks old and doing GREAT!

I would grow them in the cube until they were established then move them to the net pots. Keep the cube moist but not wet and allow it to drain. If it sits in water it will wick the water and drowned your seedling. Once it is established, but it in your net pots with hydroton. Keep your water level touching the bottom of the net pot and hydroton until roots come out of the net pots. Then drop your water level to 3" below the nets.

No nutes until you get them into the net pots aside from maybe a drop of super thrive or any with B1. Go easy on the nutes, about 400-450 for a week then bump it up to 600-650. Your plants should go BOOM.

What strain from Nirvana? Rockwool moist not wet. Also what brand is your rockwool? I ask because I used it for my first couple of grows and Always had problems. I now use Rapid Rooter plugs which are PH neutral and have never had an issue.

Also did you give them any nutes? and if so what brand do you use?

Seconding the Rapid Rooters! A Clone:

BendBrewer said:

Seconding the Rapid Rooters! A Clone:

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Niiice roots. do you use clonex?

I think your rockwool was too wet, you have to shake them to get the excess water out, a salad spinner works great. good luck

you can soak the rockwool in1/4 strength ph'd nutes, but ph'ed water is just fine. the seed has plenty of food to survive for a while.

Niko Bellick said:

Niiice roots. do you use clonex?

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Thanks and yes.

Go to go golfing.

Cheers!

Thank you all! + Rep

BendBrewer said:

I would grow them in the cube until they were established then move them to the net pots. Keep the cube moist but not wet and allow it to drain. If it sits in water it will wick the water and drowned your seedling. Once it is established, but it in your net pots with hydroton. Keep your water level touching the bottom of the net pot and hydroton until roots come out of the net pots. Then drop your water level to 3" below the nets.

No nutes until you get them into the net pots aside from maybe a drop of super thrive or any with B1. Go easy on the nutes, about 400-450 for a week then bump it up to 600-650. Your plants should go BOOM.

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OK. I use the general Hybdrponics nutes. they say 440 PPM in seedling.

This last time I put the rockwool in PH water and 25% (440PPM) nutes. That didnt work. last time I grew I didnt use any nutes in seedling.

wiseguy316 said:

you can soak the rockwool in1/4 strength ph'd nutes, but ph'ed water is just fine. the seed has plenty of food to survive for a while.

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When I soak the rockwool I pout it in a sandwich bag with PH 6.0 water and let it soak fro 24 hours.

Niko Bellick said:

What strain from Nirvana? Rockwool moist not wet. Also what brand is your rockwool? I ask because I used it for my first couple of grows and Always had problems. I now use Rapid Rooter plugs which are PH neutral and have never had an issue.

Also did you give them any nutes? and if so what brand do you use?

Click to expand...

It was Nirvan Master Kush (2 beans) and Bubblicious 2 beans, all four Fem and all 4 died.

I have a bottle of Growth technology Clone solution and seedling nutient. Can I use that? The direction sare for cloning not for seedling so Im unsure how much to use. it states 5-10Ml per liter of water. Should I put 5 mil in a litre of water and soak the rockwool?

I use GroDan rockwool.

wiseguy316 said:

I think your rockwool was too wet, you have to shake them to get the excess water out, a salad spinner works great. good luck

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This could be the problem. In fact I am alomost certain

I took rockwool out of the water, shook it off A LITTLE, then inserted my bean.

I'm lacking a salad spinner. Should I just shake the rockwool dry?

Also it seems like my lights dry out the rockwool quickly. Should I keep the beans in the rockwool and NOT add to my net pot for a day? My last (successful) grow I put the bena in the rockwool and the rockwool in the hydrotron.

just hold the rockwool cube flick your wrist like 3 times until the excess water it gone. no lights are required until thee seedling sprouts. so the rockwool may just need a squirt from a spay bottle each day to keep it moist. after you have nice healthy roots coming out the bottom and sides transplant it into the hydroton.

you don't want it dry, but rockwool is very easy to saturate. dont squeeze it either.

wiseguy316 said:

just hold the rockwool cube flick your wrist like 3 times until the excess water it gone. no lights are required until thee seedling sprouts. so the rockwool may just need a squirt from a spay bottle each day to keep it moist. after you have nice healthy roots coming out the bottom and sides transplant it into the hydroton.

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Wait a second, so after i take the germed seed and put it in rockwooll where should i keep it? How long? 1 day/ 2?

I put directly in the tron and 5 grew my first grow and this one only 1 of 6 grew, so i think you are right.

keep the germed seed in low light (couple cfls, 3 ft away from an HID light) for as long as it takes to have roots coming out if it all over. i can't say how long that will be make a week.

you talked about the rockwool drying out, you may have blasted it with too much light.

wiseguy316 said:

you talked about the rockwool drying out, you may have blasted it with too much light.

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This sounds like what happened. Between this and overwatering. Since I had them in the Tron with water below it.

I have my 5 gallon buckets on a shelf. Could I put the rockwool seedlings in my tent on the shelf? they would be 45 inches from the light. Tent stays around 80 degrees. Should I just put the rockwool in a tupperware conatiner?

This is new to me. I used to just stick it in the Tron and let it grow.

Ill keep an eye on it and when I see roots transfer it.

put them in a container with some perlite on the bottom so it can still breath