Seedling lighting advice (White Widow & Blue Mystic)

Nirvana White Widow & Blue Mystic Grow

Im going to have four 45W 5500K Daylight CFLs hooked up for about 4 plants in a 2x4x7 tent. I also am going to have a 600W MH/HPS light.

Im planning on having seedlings under CFLs until they are strong enough to take a 600W MH for veg. how long should i have my seedlings under the CFLs after germination until I can put them under the HID without having to really worry about burning them?

I plan on germing my seeds and then putting them directly in a peat pot filled with FFOF until the roots break through the pot, then transferring to 5 gallon buckets.

Also how much do you think I should water them while they are seedlings in peat pots w/ FFOF soil and some added perlite? Thank you

I wait around 7 days or until the first true leaves have broken through before I put them under a 400MH to veg. They then go under a 600 for flowering.


Going from cfl to 600w I would wait around 10-14 days and start with your light around 24" above the plants lowering it every few days until your at optimum distance.




J

those 4 CFL will get a you a good way into vegg, as long as growth is fast you can keep the CFL going. 45w CFL do get kinda hot so probally 5 inches above plants maybe more, just put your hand on top of plant to see how hot it is, if its even slightly "hot" move the lights up, remember these plants will be sitting under them lights for hours

Apologies for hijacking this but I have some seedlings that have been growing for a week now and I wondered if I should put them under my 400W HPS yet. I don't have any CFLs and I am planning to veg and flower under the dual spectrum HPS.

They have their first true leaves, albeit they are tiny. The are currently sitting on my windowsill but I'm worried they will grow tall and spindly if I don't move them to the tent soon.

I have good ventilation so I can keep the temps down to around 70F, does that sound about right? Seedlings are about 1.5" tall at the moment. There are some pictures on this thread: https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/499975-250w-400w-my-tent-3.html

Id rather not veg with the CFL's for longer than i have to because im working with a time constraint and am trying to get the largest growth in a shorter amount of time than it would take with the CFLs so i want to start with my 600W mh aw soon as possible and probably veg for around 4-6 weeks depending on how tall they get. I know these strains take about 8-10 weeks to flower and will probably double in growth so i have to keep that in mind

how often should i water seedlings? or should i use a spray mist

First FFOF is too strong for new seedlings. use a seed mix until roots are well established. FF makes a starter mix that they recommend. As to how long under the fluorescents . They will do fine for a couple of weeks. then will need more light and light penetration for the lower branches of the plants. Be sure to add more light over a couple of days so as not to shock the new plants. Also FFOF drains quite well and doesn't need extra perlite unless your mixing it peet or another medium. Good luck with your grow.

oldandbold said:

First FFOF is too strong for new seedlings. use a seed mix until roots are well established. FF makes a starter mix that they recommend. As to how long under the fluorescents . They will do fine for a couple of weeks. then will need more light and light penetration for the lower branches of the plants. Be sure to add more light over a couple of days so as not to shock the new plants. Also FFOF drains quite well and doesn't need extra perlite unless your mixing it peet or another medium. Good luck with your grow.

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Thanks but there are a lof of mixed opinions about whether FFOF is too strong for seedlings or not. Some say it is, some say its not and that their seedlings grow just fine in it so im unsure. I will probably buy a bag one bag of light warrior to mix if needed but i dont think so. I think i will just do FFOF right from seedling

I would start them under the 600 immediately so you don't have to worry about light stress when you switch from CFL to HID. You just have to keep it higher above ther plants is all. I think it's 3-4ft for a 600w.

d4money1 said:

Thanks but there are a lof of mixed opinions about whether FFOF is too strong for seedlings or not. Some say it is, some say its not and that their seedlings grow just fine in it so im unsure. I will probably buy a bag one bag of light warrior to mix if needed but i dont think so. I think i will just do FFOF right from seedling

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You don't wanna start the seedlings in anything with bat guano in it. If FF has bat guano in it, I would strongly advise against starting seeds in it. Light Warrior is perfect for starting seedlings.

Beansly said:

You don't wanna start the seedlings in anything with bat guano in it. If FF has bat guano in it, I would strongly advise against starting seeds in it. Light Warrior is perfect for starting seedlings.

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yeah im thinking of a 50/50 light warrior and ocean forest, i heard this is best

If you don't want to believe FFOF is too hot from some of us who have been growing for 30 years, then call Fox Farm and ask them. Thats what I did when I stressed my clones by putting them in FFOF.