Slow growing or alright?

[tandykins]

Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor

Growing Medium: 50/50 Coco Coir/Vermiculite
Watering/Feeding Frequency: Once every 4-5 days.
Nutrient Strength (PPM/EC): ? Half-strength of bottle recommendations.
PH Levels: ?
Temperature/Humidity Levels: 25C 60%
Air Flow/Fans etc.: Fan
Lighting Type (CFL/HPS/MH etc.): CFL
Total Wattage: 120W (eq 500W)
Plants Age: 11 days
Cannabis Strain: Bagseed

 

Okay.  This is my first attempt of any kind to grow my own.  To me, my seedlings look pretty healthy.  I'm just curious about their growth rate.  This is day 11 and they seem small to me.  I germinated them on wet paper towel in a ziplock bag but did not plant them in coco coir until they already had seed leaves which I know is generally a no-no.  Did that stunt the growth by the 4-5 days it seems to have or would that not have made a difference? Or am I just wrong and are these exactly where they should be?  Hrm.

 

The photos are of the same seedling at day 6 and day 11 for comparison.

 

Edit: Oh and light is on 24 hours at this point.

Edited March 22, 2013 by tandykins

[tandykins]

I was intending to upgrade to more CFLs, but can't really afford anything else unless you've got a low-priced suggestion.

 

I am intending to get a soil pH kit.  I have a water one for my fish but haven't tried it yet.

Bit early to worry, seedlings do take a while to kick off.

 

Bit of a advice - Get a pH test kit and check your nutes (not that it looks like there's a pH problem), theyre cheap and are worth their weight in gold, hope you get a few girls. 

 

edit - just realised your using cfl's, are you going to upgrade to something that will work? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but 120W CFL is no where near the equivilent of 500w of HID lights, despite the sales pitch.

[tandykins]

Sunlight is outside with my nosy neighbours, Chainlink see-through fencing and the primary school next door.

Your fish pH test kit should be fine, so long as it measures between about 5-7. Check the nutrient solution.

 

There really is no substitution for MH or HPS. Even a poor quality 400w HPS will do the trick for a small area, shouldn't cost you much (grow lush ones are cheap) and will be cheaper that buying several CFL's and then replacing them when you find that they dont really produce buds.  Oh yeah, sunlight is cheap also. BTW good lights generate heat which you will have to deal with.

[tandykins]

x.x $50/bulb is not what I call cheap.  I can't afford it, unfortunately.

Your fish pH test kit should be fine, so long as it measures between about 5-7. Check the nutrient solution.

 

There really is no substitution for MH or HPS. Even a poor quality 400w HPS will do the trick for a small area, shouldn't cost you much (grow lush ones are cheap) and will be cheaper that buying several CFL's and then replacing them when you find that they dont really produce buds.  Oh yeah, sunlight is cheap also. BTW good lights generate heat which you will have to deal with.

[Faith]

Your 2 babies look okay to me.  Don't try to rush them.  I killed a few seedlings last year.  Let them take their time a little

 

I would be very careful not to over-water them spesh in the bigger pots they are in>> it can give them nowhere to go and slow them heaps, well it did mine

 

Peace to you and good growing. v

[buzzo]

You are using a totally Hydroponic Medium.

 

Getting the PH correct is critical....Soil P.H. test is useless....I use El cheapo $15 dollar PH meters from ebay.

They are accurate to 0.1 and like all PH meters you need to check the calibration frequently.

 

Get the meter that has the packets of test solution supplied with...mix it with 250ml of distilled water and if you keep the meter clean before you put it in the test solution, it won't corrupt the solution itself.

 

You will also need to use Coco specific nutes.....or be prepared to make your own cocktail and make sure it has around 1 ml per liter of CAL/MAG.

Personally it's best to just use a good 2 part Coco specific nutes.

 

Also don't use cheap Coco...Make sure it's buffered...Good quality Coco is buffed with Trichaderma & Calcium & magnesium.

Nulife and Canna are trusted Coco mediums. NEVER USE BUNNINGS BRICK COCO!

 

If you are going to stick with Fluro's make sure you use the Cool white for VEG and Warm for flowering EG...6500K for veg and 2500K for Flower or close to it.

 

Nearly all newbies underestimate the Amount of Airflow you need...particularly if using HPS or MH.....a cool tube is essential.

 

If you want sucess you can't afford to do thing on the cheap in this game....Unless you have plenty of experience.

 

Good luck and don't be too dissapointed if you fail the first time, get back on the bike and have another go.

[tandykins]

Please don't assume that I'm doing this cheaply because I'm a tightass.  I'm doing this cheaply because I'm poor.  I'm doing the best that I can right now.  I intend to improve my setup.

[haze420mist]

Hey have u done screen printing before? Edited March 23, 2013 by haze420mist

[tandykins]

No.  It's not something I've tried.

[haze420mist]

Just thought cause you seem quiet arty. Ever heard of it worth a try?