Mephisto Genetics Germ twice as many, cull half, question

[lunarman]

I have seen @Seabass do this and decided I'd give it a go because I'm still no pro in the all important seedling phase. I just aborted a month old grow because they were runts from too much watering early on. I have totally dialed back how much water I use for seedlings and also getting more air in the mix too. But I wanted a safety net in growing out twice the seedlings and keep the best.

I germed 16 and will keep 8. Its 8 different strains times 2. Hoping to end up with 8 great specimens of each strain. 15 actually germed which is great. And they are now in solo cups a day old and getting the seedling treatment now. Minimal water is working out. I'm very impressed with how they all look and I think it might not be obvious which ones are best and the keepers.

Basically what do you look for when picking a 10 day old seedling to keep?

 

[Vicent Van Grow]

I have seen @Seabass do this and decided I'd give it a go because I'm still no pro in the all important seedling phase. I just aborted a month old grow because they were runts from too much watering early on. I have totally dialed back how much water I use for seedlings and also getting more air in the mix too. But I wanted a safety net in growing out twice the seedlings and keep the best.

I germed 16 and will keep 8. Its 8 different strains times 2. Hoping to end up with 8 great specimens of each strain. 15 actually germed which is great. And they are now in solo cups a day old and getting the seedling treatment now. Minimal water is working out. I'm very impressed with how they all look and I think it might not be obvious which ones are best and the keepers.

Basically what do you look for when picking a 10 day old seedling to keep?

The first thing I would say is it is a good idea if you can afford it, this would cost me literally hundreds of pounds in Mephisto beans. I had these same problems when moving from using cuts for nearly 2 decades to starting from seed. My answer was to use a substrate specifically made for cuttings which I purchased at the local garden centre, this not only takes a lot of the over watering problems out but any issues with feed you may have as most comes pre fert. The second point I would make is if they are all different strains then some may just genetically look perkier than others at the seedling stage, some strains are known to look unhappy until certain points in their life cycle.
Finally we could get onto the pheno types, the biggest producing pheno is not always the best tasting, in my experience it is usually the other way around but it is just genetics and look. So its up to you really, if they all look healthy you could just pick the biggest, I don't know of any major signs that one would be much better than another so early but this is just my 2 cents I certainly ain't an expert. Good luck which ever route you take tho mate.

 

[lunarman]

The first thing I would say is it is a good idea if you can afford it, this would cost me literally hundreds of pounds in Mephisto beans. I had these same problems when moving from using cuts for nearly 2 decades to starting from seed. My answer was to use a substrate specifically made for cuttings which I purchased at the local garden centre, this not only takes a lot of the over watering problems out but any issues with feed you may have as most comes pre fert. The second point I would make is if they are all different strains then some may just genetically look perkier than others at the seedling stage, some strains are known to look unhappy until certain points in their life cycle.
Finally we could get onto the pheno types, the biggest producing pheno is not always the best tasting, in my experience it is usually the other way around but it is just genetics and look. So its up to you really, if they all look healthy you could just pick the biggest, I don't know of any major signs that one would be much better than another so early but this is just my 2 cents I certainly ain't an expert. Good luck which ever route you take tho mate.

Thanks man. I have changed my substrates as part of addressing my over watering tendencies. I have tried coco and coco blends and now using peat and I like it. Its so light and airy. Basically I can get a better read off how moist the substrate is with peat for some reason. Others love coco for this but not me. I also cut more holes in the solo cups for air. Sides and bottom of cups. That is working out real well for me too as things dry faster. Thanks for the points on genetics and phenos too.

 

[slowandeasy]

Personally I think it is hard to judge an Auto seedlings outcome, unless it is a stable strain or you have ran it before. For example, an Illuninauto strain will have many phenos. Throwing away a "smaller" plant is not always wise. Also, I have never seen you try straight Coco. You always have some added crap or a mix. Have you truely ever tried Coco by itself? Not with Biochar or peat mixed in. Coco is far superior and requires more frequent watering, because it is more Airy vs Peat. Whatever works best for you, that is all that matters.

 

[Seabass]

I have seen @Seabass do this and decided I'd give it a go because I'm still no pro in the all important seedling phase. I just aborted a month old grow because they were runts from too much watering early on. I have totally dialed back how much water I use for seedlings and also getting more air in the mix too. But I wanted a safety net in growing out twice the seedlings and keep the best.

I germed 16 and will keep 8. Its 8 different strains times 2. Hoping to end up with 8 great specimens of each strain. 15 actually germed which is great. And they are now in solo cups a day old and getting the seedling treatment now. Minimal water is working out. I'm very impressed with how they all look and I think it might not be obvious which ones are best and the keepers.

Basically what do you look for when picking a 10 day old seedling to keep?

@YourMumsNewFella nailed it all. Certainly not the most cost effective technique. Basically is the juice worth the squeeze? I only grow a couple plants at a time and never grow out runts or mutants so the couple bucks for a seed outweighs the week long wait to regerminate.
As far as selection of 2 perfect seedlings, I cull the smaller. Credit to @TaNg for the technique

 

[Seabass]

Personally I think it is hard to judge an Auto seedlings outcome, unless it is a stable strain or you have ran it before. For example, an Illuninauto strain will have many phenos. Throwing away a "smaller" plant is not always wise. Also, I have never seen you try straight Coco. You always have some added crap or a mix. Have you truely ever tried Coco by itself? Not with Biochar or peat mixed in. Coco is far superior and requires more frequent watering, because it is more Airy vs Peat. Whatever works best for you, that is all that matters.

Good to see you around @slowandeasy
Always dropping wisdom

 

[lunarman]

Personally I think it is hard to judge an Auto seedlings outcome, unless it is a stable strain or you have ran it before. For example, an Illuninauto strain will have many phenos. Throwing away a "smaller" plant is not always wise. Also, I have never seen you try straight Coco. You always have some added crap or a mix. Have you truely ever tried Coco by itself? Not with Biochar or peat mixed in. Coco is far superior and requires more frequent watering, because it is more Airy vs Peat. Whatever works best for you, that is all that matters.

you're right on all fronts Slow. I never did 100% coco or coco/perlite. That could be why it never worked out well for me. And I have a half brick still so I'm going to try it down the road. I am liking the simplicity of HP promix and no added crap so the same logic should apply with coco. I'll do it for sure, and I"m sure I'll have to admit you were right all along!

 

[Vicent Van Grow]

you're right on all fronts Slow. I never did 100% coco or coco/perlite. That could be why it never worked out well for me. And I have a half brick still so I'm going to try it down the road. I am liking the simplicity of HP promix and no added crap so the same logic should apply with coco. I'll do it for sure, and I"m sure I'll have to admit you were right all along!

From my experience coco/clay pebbles is the most superior coco mix and over the years I have tried them all. It will effectively stop you from over watering ,double so if you use a root pouch. If you can over water using 60/40 coco clay from gold label I will eat the largest cola I grow on my next harvest (this is after the first 2 weeks in the seedling substrate)

 

[slowandeasy]

From my experience coco/clay pebbles is the most superior coco mix and over the years I have tried them all. It will effectively stop you from over watering ,double so if you use a root pouch. If you can over water using 60/40 coco clay from gold label I will eat the largest cola I grow on my next harvest (this is after the first 2 weeks in the seedling substrate)

That would be pretty much Impossible to overwater. I don't use large pots, and Coco is Airy enough by itself...but a 60/40 mix would be a great idea for larger pots. Coco/Perlite 50/50 actually doesn't dry out as much as you think. I actually like it, because it drains better and does require a little more frequent watering...which I prefer.

 

[slowandeasy]

you're right on all fronts Slow. I never did 100% coco or coco/perlite. That could be why it never worked out well for me. And I have a half brick still so I'm going to try it down the road. I am liking the simplicity of HP promix and no added crap so the same logic should apply with coco. I'll do it for sure, and I"m sure I'll have to admit you were right all along!

The thing with Coco is that it is Hydro with a medium. Adding stuff like Biochar and peat makes it worse draining. I am not saying you will like Coco better than Peat. But if you try it again, don't add Peat or Biochar. Perlite or Pebbles are fine, they are inert and help drainage. Good luck