When to start feeding seedlings ?

Hello

I did use the search ... chances are though I didn't correctly word it.


I want to know when to fertilize seedling or my new plants. How old or how tall etc before you start to fertilize them. I do not plant to feed them full strength but I need to know when do I start. I have them in a soil designed to start seeds or clippings.

They are real pretty and they look healthy so far!


Thanks

The majority say 2 weeks.

Start off with a weaker mix, say 3 or 5/ml per litre, instead of the 10ml/litre that bigger plants can cope with. you'll soon know if its too strong, just back off a little and you'll be fine.

2weeks if very little fertilizer in soil,,if theres enough to last 4weeks like in some then its obvious how long you should wait,,,,,,,,,,start with about a quarter strength,,,,,,,,peace

atleast the end of week 3 from seed and no prenuted soil.half strenght for the first time and feed every third watering.that works for me.

I use pretty weak fast draining mix for my seedlings.
I'm all organic so when the first "true" leaves appear, the jagged ones, and the soil has pulled away form the side of the pot (the soil needs to be watered, root growth necessity). I feed a diluted (sometimes I get crazy and use almost half what the directions say) mix of seaweed extract.
When the next set of leaves are on and rocking (three leaf, jagged) I pump it up with A table spoon of bat guano and tablespoon of boxed Organic fertilizer (Whitney Farms, Sweet Earth) soaked and watered (RO) in.
The time period between these two events may less than a week, I water with pure water between so as to not overload the soil.

wait til your plants have a little size you can always 1/4 strength them and back up if the look overloaded

I fed at about 2-3 weeks into germ and overdid it. The root structure and plant is so small at the point that it is VERY easy to overfeed. I might not be in the majority here but I'd say wait until you have at least 3 or 4 nodes then feed at 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended dose (at most)

What's everyone's favorite fertilizer? I have yet to find bat shit available in any local shops (though I expect to see plenty of them flying around very soon). I was going to use a dilute solution of Miracle-Gro, but I'm not sure that it's got the right ratio of nutrients.

So far my little babies have the first real leaves (the jagged leaves) and that's it.

first of all, it totally depends on what you start with. with prenuted soil, you have to be very careful not to overload, and it's very easy with plants only a couple weeks old. it's much easier to start with soil that is barely - if at all - fertilized. Promix, for example, is buffered and is lightly fertilized. This makes it easier to gradually build up the nutes. And for the love of god stay away from gradual release.

I use botanicare pro grow and bloom. I strongly prefer organic fertilizer, and since it is so widely available I see no reason not to use it. What is best depends on both your strain and your medium.

I don't know what strain, as these are seeds gleaned from my last purchase. The soil is a mix of Miracle-Gro (not the water retaining new stuff) and highly composted dead tree that we used for some baby cedars that didn't make it (not much root growth through the pot, so I figured it wasn't spent). At this point I figured that, like almost any other plant, it would be easy to burn the babies, so it's just water and I'm actually just bottom-watering instead of pouring from over the top of the plant. They seem to be happy.

As for the Botanicare, that appears to be a product for hydroponic gardening. Will it translate to outdoor potted grows?

I like using organic myself, which is why I went for the composted stuff and we've set up a compost heap on the property. However, our compost is new and hasn't quite yet gotten going.

That's an interesting watering technique. I suppose as long as it wicked sufficiently it would eliminate dry spots from water "channeling" through the soil.

The Pro Grow is for both hydro and soil, and the bloom is actually designed for soil or only the last few weeks of a hydro grow. I use it in organic soil / perlite / dolomite lime / pinch of guano mix that seems to work pretty well. I go easy on the guano until I'm transplanting into larger pots as it is a bit much for seedlings. I keep hearing about Fox Farm nutrients, but have no experience. I guess I would do some web-crawling to get some clues for what might work for you.

I've heard great things about fresh compost. Because its mild, you can more exactly tailor the flavor of your soil. Someday past apartment living this will be a reality for me.