New Grower What did I do wrong?..........

[Powderfinger]

Outdoor grow. Midwest U.S.

Successfully germinated three Think Differently seeds using the paper towel method. The weather forecast looked good, so when the roots of all three were peeking out about an eighth of an inch, I put them in five inch seedling pots that I had filled with a mix designed to prevent damping off including some perlite and just a little high quality potting soil(no nutes). Wetted the mix and then planted about a half inch deep. This was done Saturday morning. As of tonight, none of them have broken the surface. Temps here have run from the high 40's at night to a high of 82 degrees today.

The seedling pots get about three to four hours of direct sun a day. I haven't over-watered.

Out of curiosity, I took a paperclip and scratched around; uncovering one seedling. It doesn't look good as it hasn't extended any additional root since I planted it.

Curiously, a freebie given from the retailer has sprouted and looks fine.

Should I have transitioned these more gradually from indoors to out(they germinated on top of the water heater) and then went outdoors with a temperature range of 48-75 degrees.

Thanks in advance.

Powderfinger

 

[blessedinwashington]

Have patience Powder. It is a bit early to put outside as I am pretty sure your nights are cold right now, right? Perhaps you could put something over them with a dome type cover. I put an inverted clear plastic cup over mine if I want it to be a bit warmer.

 

[Sauce]

Any idea what the run off of the soil was? Also, 1/2 inch is pretty deep. i think 1/8-1/4 is best. Just means gotta give it more time.

 

[Powderfinger]

Any idea what the run off of the soil was? Also, 1/2 inch is pretty deep. i think 1/8-1/4 is best. Just means gotta give it more time.

Sorry, no idea. Just know it's a seedling mix that is supposed to prevent "damp off". I've been watering with purified tap via reverse osmosis.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Powderfinger

 

[Son of Hobbes]

Sorry to hear about your misfortunes bro!

Not 100% on what you've got going on; but two things caught my eye:

s of tonight, none of them have broken the surface. Temps here have run from the high 40's at night to a high of 82 degrees today.

The seedling pots get about three to four hours of direct sun a day. I haven't over-watered.

1. Mid to high 40's for seedlings may cause stress/shock/stunting. It's not 100%, but it's a possibility. Generally, more established plants take the cold a lot better, but with brand new seedlings, that may have gotten a bit chilly for them.

Would take the advice the other fellas gave you here and either cover them up or start your seedlings indoors until they are a bit established. We just got snow here in the States yesterday; so cold weather's still out there brother!

2. 3 to 4 hours of light per day isn't enough. Those seedlings are looking for sunlight; if you are only give them 4 out of 24 hours a day to reach for the sky; you're limiting their growth. Is there a particular reason they are only getting a couple hours of light?

You could try covering the pots with plastic to help hold in the heat and humidity while they try to sprout (if they are still viable.)

We'll help you get this figured out bro; I know it's frustrating but every failed attempt is knowledge gained of how to do it better again the next time around. Keep your head up and we'll get you growing some lovely ladies!

How about a picture of the pots and the environment they are growing in? We may be able to give you some advice based on how the pictures look; sometimes what one person sees isn't what 10 other people see, know what I mean?

 

[Muddy]

Sorry, way to early to be putting seeds/seedlings outside. Germination of mj seeds requires consistent soil temperatures in the mid 80s. When started indoors plants do best when transplanted outdoors when they are more established and have at least 4-5 sets of true leaves. By then they are big enough and have established a root system that can deal with the lower night time temperatures.

 

[AndyBotwin]

I agree with the others & I can tell you first hand that the cold is rough on those little gals. I grow indoors in a basement without climate control and I have a few plants that are seriously stunted due to low temps early on. And I was even running lights 24/7 so I had better conditions than your outdoor grow. Unfortunately, my Think Different plant ended up the shortest and seemed least tolerant to the cold out of them all (along with another DP strain). I don't know if that's just dumb luck or not, but in the future I will not be running any Dutch Passion gear unless I know it's going to be warm!

The good thing is that the cold seems to put the plants into suspended animation, so there's a good chance that your seedlings are still viable. Cover them with some sort of humidity dome and get them into a place where they are warm (seedlings like 80 degrees or more). Is there any chance you can bring them inside and put them on a window sill or under some CFL bulbs? Unless you can get the soil warmed up at least into the 60s, you're not going to see much growth. And as SoH said, more light is crucial since autoflowers have such a short lifespan. They won't slowly veg along for months the way a photo plant will.

Hang in there bud, you're not alone!

 

[late]

Go to a regular gardening store. First, look at the seedlings, like tomatoes. You want to put plants outside
that have gotten a good start.

Here's how. Get a bottle of seaweed nutes. You only want seaweed or kelp, the 3 numbers should all be 1 or below.
Next get a starter pot that holds 8-16 ounces. I usually pick 12. That's a good size. Most will be smaller,
they aren't babying something valuable.

Now get a cheap grow bulb. You want something that is 30-60 watts. No more. I have 2 of them, both screw into
a regular desk lamp (Walmart has cheap desk lamps, they might even have grow bulbs). I start with the 30 watt.
The seedling doesn't need the light, it's for some GENTLE warmth. It is incredibly easy to cook a seedling.

When you water, take a cup of water that has not been treated (I get bottled water in a 5 gallon jug) and take a cup
out. Shake the seaweed (it shouldn't need it, but you never know) and then take a knife (the same kind you use to
spread jam on bread) and dip an inch or two into the seaweed juice. Then put it in the water and stir. You really
don't need much, and it really does help.

Gently pour the liquid into the starter pot, wait 2 or 3 days before you do it again. You don't want it to go dry
in a dry environment, or rot in a humid one. Judgement call, but not hard.

When the seedling is at least 3 or 4 inches tall, then you can plant (if the nights aren't cold).
When you do, water it. Then take scissors and cut the bottom of the pot off, holding it sideways.
Then in one smooth move, put the pot into your prepared hole. Add some compost around the plant,
gently press down, and you're done. The soil should already have a lot organic compost, there are several
compost recipes here you can look at. I buy a locally made organic compost for all my plants. As you
may have guessed by now, I garden. Right now I have some Cuban basil in grow tent. Try finding
that a thousand miles from Cuba.

If you can get to your grow easily, once the plant gets to be about a foot, I'd start adding liquid fish fertiliser
to the watering. But now we are getting into things that depend on the specifics of how you are growing.

 

[Powderfinger]

Thanks dudes! Appreciate all the kind advice. Here's my #1 obstacle...... Mrs. Powderfinger

Ya see..... while she's not anti-cannabis, she's a bit neurotic/anxious, even paranoid about the grow thing. I tried it a few years ago in the backyard and she busted me right before harvest. So, I have to be super stealth right now and as a result, have the seedling containers inside some large flower pots which currently sit atop our potting table out back. That's the reason for the limited, direct sun. My plan is to get the plants large enough to then take to my folks place where I plan to plant them out back along a stream...guerrila grow.

Sad.... I know. But I have no connections for herb, am tired of smoking dirt weed when I do score and enjoy growing my own.

Again, thanks for all the help. I'll certainly heed your advice to the best of my ability; given my draconian circumstances. :tiphat:

Powderfinger

 

[AndyBotwin]

Powder, I completely understand your situation. My wife is fine with me partaking and occasionally does herself. But I grow downstairs in a space that she never goes in (and I've asked her to never go in). If somehow the worst happens and I get busted, I want her to have plausible deniability. She's not dumb and I'm sure has a pretty good idea what's going on, but it's a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy when it comes to my growing. I have a veggie garden that I am always tending to, so that explains my purchases of nutes and things like that, as well as my time outside puttering around. For what it's worth, autos are great for stealth growing in a yard, especially the shorter strains. Throw one in with your tomatoes and peppers and nobody will notice unless they are a gardener themselves.