First time grower - Seedling help!

G

GreenThunder42

Member
Hello Everyone!

I am hoping to get some help with my growing that seems to be stunted.
The following plants were germinated 14 days ago in paper towel. From there I put them in peat pellets where the tap root grow out of within only a few days. From there I put them in a 1Gallon smart pot. Since being in the smart pot I have been trying to only water 50ML every few days to ensure I dont over water. I am having a hard time figuring out why they look like this and if I can fix them at this point. My plan was to put them outside in June but I am unsure if that is going to work out at this point with how slow they're growing.

Any feedback would be great, I have been trying to keep the temps around 22c and 70% RH.
https://imgur.com/a/rSRtj55
 
GreenThunder42 said:
Hey! Its ProMix HP soil.

For this size of plant, should I be making the soil around the burried Jiffy Pellet super wet then leaving for several days?
Click to expand...

I've been using ProMix HP in recent grows, though I'm germinating in the medium and using .75G pots for both germination and until they're ready for transplant into their 5f final sized bags.

What's worked for me is this:
-Prep the HP before putting it in the pots (at both .75g and 5g stages). Water the soil well and mix well before putting it in the pots. The soil should stay properly damp for about a week in .75-1g pots. I generally don't need to water at all that first week.

-After the seeds germinate, I give 1 week for the plant to gain a bit of size and get its first non-cotyledon leaves. If I water during that time, I use pH'ed water but no feed. I don't use predetermined amounts of water. But probably something like 1/4 of a liter or so if the soil is drying down. I water the whole pot though not just around the seed (I want moisture throughout the medium so the plant's roots will seek it out and expand).

-After that first week I feed lightly (.2-.3 EC), pH'ed. I'm now pH'ing down to ~5.9-6.0. I don't do it to runoff, but close...I want the pot to feel heavy. Once the pot lightens up again and the soil within the top couple inches is dry, I water to a little bit of run-off. While in the 'small pots' I maintain this pattern with some run-off, for me the cycle is about 4 days between feed/water.

-Each week I bump up the feeding a little. So if I'm at .2EC, next week is .3EC, week after that is .5 or .6, etc.

-Once the leaves have reached the 'edge' of the pots I transplant into their full sized pots. Prep the soil the same way with enough water that the soil will clump when you compress a handful. When the soil dries out (pots get light, feels dry down a few inches), I water/feed again. The first week or so I don't worry about runoff in the big pots. I'm starting at 1 to 1.5 gallons per water/feed per watering and after the first week or so, I'm feeding them more Veg EC and I'm also feeding and watering to 20% or more runoff.
 
LeastExpectedGrower said:
I've been using ProMix HP in recent grows, though I'm germinating in the medium and using .75G pots for both germination and until they're ready for transplant into their 5f final sized bags.

What's worked for me is this:
-Prep the HP before putting it in the pots (at both .75g and 5g stages). Water the soil well and mix well before putting it in the pots. The soil should stay properly damp for about a week in .75-1g pots. I generally don't need to water at all that first week.

-After the seeds germinate, I give 1 week for the plant to gain a bit of size and get its first non-cotyledon leaves. If I water during that time, I use pH'ed water but no feed. I don't use predetermined amounts of water. But probably something like 1/4 of a liter or so if the soil is drying down. I water the whole pot though not just around the seed (I want moisture throughout the medium so the plant's roots will seek it out and expand).

-After that first week I feed lightly (.2-.3 EC), pH'ed. I'm now pH'ing down to ~5.9-6.0. I don't do it to runoff, but close...I want the pot to feel heavy. Once the pot lightens up again and the soil within the top couple inches is dry, I water to a little bit of run-off. While in the 'small pots' I maintain this pattern with some run-off, for me the cycle is about 4 days between feed/water.

-Each week I bump up the feeding a little. So if I'm at .2EC, next week is .3EC, week after that is .5 or .6, etc.

-Once the leaves have reached the 'edge' of the pots I transplant into their full sized pots. Prep the soil the same way with enough water that the soil will clump when you compress a handful. When the soil dries out (pots get light, feels dry down a few inches), I water/feed again. The first week or so I don't worry about runoff in the big pots. I'm starting at 1 to 1.5 gallons per water/feed per watering and after the first week or so, I'm feeding them more Veg EC and I'm also feeding and watering to 20% or more runoff.
Click to expand...
Amazing! Thank you for the detailed post, I will 100% utilize these details and start doing this!
 
GreenThunder42 said:
Amazing! Thank you for the detailed post, I will 100% utilize these details and start doing this!
Click to expand...

I'd pay attention to @hotrodharley too. He's a knowledgeable resource here. The idea of watering less often but a bit more thoroughly is the heart of what we're both saying. Remember if you're only watering a very little amount, it's not soaking in down deep where that plant's tap root and other major root structures are growing (downward and outward).

I'd personally look to streamlining the number of steps/up-pots you're doing.

Right now you're doing :
-paper towel
-plug
-small pot
-large pot

I think you could trim out at least one if not two of those. Less chance to mess things up with fewer moves and less disruption of your plants' growth during the formative & important part of their lives.
 
LeastExpectedGrower said:
I've been using ProMix HP in recent grows, though I'm germinating in the medium and using .75G pots for both germination and until they're ready for transplant into their 5f final sized bags.

What's worked for me is this:
-Prep the HP before putting it in the pots (at both .75g and 5g stages). Water the soil well and mix well before putting it in the pots. The soil should stay properly damp for about a week in .75-1g pots. I generally don't need to water at all that first week.

-After the seeds germinate, I give 1 week for the plant to gain a bit of size and get its first non-cotyledon leaves. If I water during that time, I use pH'ed water but no feed. I don't use predetermined amounts of water. But probably something like 1/4 of a liter or so if the soil is drying down. I water the whole pot though not just around the seed (I want moisture throughout the medium so the plant's roots will seek it out and expand).

-After that first week I feed lightly (.2-.3 EC), pH'ed. I'm now pH'ing down to ~5.9-6.0. I don't do it to runoff, but close...I want the pot to feel heavy. Once the pot lightens up again and the soil within the top couple inches is dry, I water to a little bit of run-off. While in the 'small pots' I maintain this pattern with some run-off, for me the cycle is about 4 days between feed/water.

-Each week I bump up the feeding a little. So if I'm at .2EC, next week is .3EC, week after that is .5 or .6, etc.

-Once the leaves have reached the 'edge' of the pots I transplant into their full sized pots. Prep the soil the same way with enough water that the soil will clump when you compress a handful. When the soil dries out (pots get light, feels dry down a few inches), I water/feed again. The first week or so I don't worry about runoff in the big pots. I'm starting at 1 to 1.5 gallons per water/feed per watering and after the first week or so, I'm feeding them more Veg EC and I'm also feeding and watering to 20% or more runoff.
Click to expand...
OP, print this out and put it by the plants.
 
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