Fertilizing seedlings!

I use seedling soil with 30 percent perlite and vermiculite, my seedlings seem to want a fertilize as soon as the first true leaves start to form!

Is this recomended, others would for veg crops but most say wait a few weeks, might my seedling soil be very low in ferts hence me needing to add a futher weak dose?

Seedlings don't need fertilizer. Some seedlings get burned just by being in a medium with small amount of fertilizer (like Fox Farms Ocean Forest).

Fox farms or fox farms seedling soil, i only use seedling soil for seedlings not full on compost like fox farms if thats what you are saying?

So all the tomato, cucumber, pepper etc etc seedlings they start in nuseries that get fertilized when the first true leaves show, how are they not burnt?

Just saying it seems my seedlings in my seedling soil need a small dose of ferts to get them going, i did it to one last week and it is lush and green, now i am repeating it to a few more to confirm my findings.

I know people say dont fertilize seedlings but in seedling soil with 30 percent perlite i say you should. Peace

well i would use something with a npk ratio of no more than 2-2-2

i feed mine 1/4 teaspoon jack's classic per gallon at 5 days old...havent had a strain not like it....used to be I would wait too long....just give it lightly and gradually increase...thats what has been working best for me...hope it helps...I start in light warrior...

wait till they are a month old or theres a 90 % chance they will die

Kingrow1 said:

I use seedling soil with 30 percent perlite and vermiculite, my seedlings seem to want a fertilize as soon as the first true leaves start to form!

Is this recomended, others would for veg crops but most say wait a few weeks, might my seedling soil be very low in ferts hence me needing to add a futher weak dose?

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I think most people prefer to wait awhile not becasue they don't think the seedlings want it, but simply because seedlings are so delicate that there is a high chance of burning them. So people prefer to play it safe and whait a while. As do I.

Illumination said:

i feed mine 1/4 teaspoon jack's classic per gallon at 5 days old...havent had a strain not like it....used to be I would wait too long....just give it lightly and gradually increase...thats what has been working best for me...hope it helps...I start in light warrior...

Click to expand...

This would be my thinking or situation too, a light dose cant burn them and they seem like they need it, a lot do do it this way.

What do you mean "my seedlings seem to want a fertilizer"???

I have no idea how they do this...telepathy ya think?

I give mine NOTHING for 3 weeks except timely watering...using nuteless soil....

Think I should listen closer for my seedings little squeaks of hunger?

Telepathy no, light green leaves, purple stalks, stunted growth, leaf twisting, goes away with a light one of fert so would assume thats what they are telling me, my seedling soil seems very light and lighter with perlite when it comes to nutes. Not seen any leaf burn yet.

Yep, a light fertilize at the first true leaves seems to green things up nicely, why not fertilize seedlings?

Seems like seedling soils start a lot lighter feeding plants than marijuana so makes sense that it would need some nutes and trace elements to bring it up to the right strength.

When people tell you not to feed the seeding, its usually because its assumed your soil medium will have everything the plant needs for the first month. And for the most part that's very sound advice. However, if the medium doesn't have nutrients in it then yeah, feed them. A good safe fertilizer is worm castings. Foliar feeding works faster then applying to the soil, but adding to soil imo is easier. I once ran a test to see how much worm castings it takes to kill my my plants.. I used MG seed staying mix, applied 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The 10% has best growth, 15% was ok, 20% gave me nute burn

I wait at least 2 weeks, most folks agree there is enough nutrients in a quality soil to last at least this long... but you seem to be sure of yourself so do what you want and see what happens. You probably won't kill your plants.

Kingrow1 said:

Fox farms or fox farms seedling soil, i only use seedling soil for seedlings not full on compost like fox farms if thats what you are saying?

So all the tomato, cucumber, pepper etc etc seedlings they start in nuseries that get fertilized when the first true leaves show, how are they not burnt?

Just saying it seems my seedlings in my seedling soil need a small dose of ferts to get them going, i did it to one last week and it is lush and green, now i am repeating it to a few more to confirm my findings.

I know people say dont fertilize seedlings but in seedling soil with 30 percent perlite i say you should. Peace

Click to expand...

sounds like your reading your plants needs well.. start them off slowly with 1/4 veg nute every other water I'm sure they wont mind

Well to all i seem to have to do a one off feeding when the first true leaves show through, keeps my seedlings green. Those that dont fertilize probably dont use a seedling soil, or one as light as mine but mine is no different to the standard garden shop variety.

I wasn't saying start ferts straight away just a one off dose when they are small to get them green and going, otherwise i have a lot of purpling and light green leaves not lush deep dark green.

I did this at about 1/4 strength and it seems to have worked great.

It is recomended on tomato veg sites to apply a weak fert to seedling upon the first true leaves but not marijuana, i had no problems doing it so why not, might solve a lot of problems growers have?

It depends on what in your seedling dirt. Or if your grow in something like rock wool like I'm doing. I start'em by put'em in just rock wool and plain ph'ed water that's good till they need watering again at that time I'll give'em maybe 250 ppm of AN sensi grow for the first feeding. oh ya I just put'em in

I always nute my seedlings.

When i grew in coco i used to start with an EC0.6 to presoak the coco. I was feeding everytime i watered in coco which is soiless. All i can say to those of you who use a soiless mix that DONT fert is your plants could be alot bigger and greener if you did.

I now grow Hydro and again nute from day 1,



J

I can agree with maybe adding a little something if need be in a soil with absolutely no nutes or trace minerals. But most of the people telling you not to do it have planted their seedling in ffof or happy frog or something of that sort.

I feel the EC of seedling soil might be below 0.6 or 600ppm i think that is so adding 200ppm more to my soil should bring it up, i feel like most seedling soils are light on nutes. My seedling bag is one third the strength of my flowering compost and holds a lot finer grain.

Why would seedling soils be geared at heavy feeding plants as then it would burn the light feeding plants or seedlings.

''I do feel that a small one of fert is needed in seedling soil when the first true leaves show especially if you have a purple stem!'' There are those who say otherwise but i cant agree after trying it for myself and thinking about it logically. My lettuce seedling takes a lot less ferts EC ppm than my marihuana seedling! Peace

Ok so after much research i finally have some answers. Seedling soil contains little or no ferts just like a jiffy cube or peat pellet. The reason for this is because seedlings and their roots will burn very easily when first germinating.

Ok so seems easy but when the first true leaves form then the seedling is absorbing nutrients from the soil to sustain itself! So basically a seedling is no longer a seedling when the first true leaves form. At this point it needs nutrients, still in that seedling soil, wondering what all the purple stems and leaves are about? The plant need fertilizing!

People may say dont fertilize seedlings and they are right, upon the first true leaves forming they need fertilizing one way or another. Now maybe some may transplant straight to a nutrient rich soil but i have to fertilize my seedling soil at this point as the roots still havent filled the pot and i cant transplant.

Basically whoever thinks seedling soil and seedlings (first true leaf stage) don't need fertilizing is totally wrong, dont care what anyone says but it is fine or recomended to fertilize seedlings after they show the first true leaves. If your soil is doing the job for you then great but the rest of us need ferts.

Seedling soil was designed to be soiless, sterile and of little nutrient value so as to avoid burning the first roots as they form. After this its ok to add a weak fertilizer and will notice stems and stalks loosing that horrible purple discolouration.

I will write a germination guide to go with my soil guide next and recomend that you do fertilize seedlings in seedling soil. Peace