my first grow (awww...) :P

sentravapor

hows it doing everyone. im new to the site and growing so i figured why not catalog everything and have some help with the questions i have from some people who know what they are doing.

So far the plants are 9 days from coming above soil.

lights:
2 x 2' T5 bulbs
1 x 1' T5 bulb
1 x 18" T8 bulb
(thinking about adding a few cfls to the mix sooner than later)

soil:
i started it out in a neutral soil less mix.
then once it was a week old i moved it to a bigger pot with (dont judge me!!!) Mircle-gro organic potting mix. i know im gonna be told its not the way to go and i guess i could have searched around at a few more places but honestly it was the best of the selection. i plan on getting something better when i transplant it.

pics:
starting from day 3, last pic is yesterday (day 9)

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Sock

Hey there Sentra, looks like you got a good start, dont really have any advice for ya as I am poking along too at this stuff.

As a first grow under your lighting, I would not say that mircle-gro is bad, heck I am using it and my babies look good...

However from someone that does alot a veg/floral gardening from seed, I would recommend that the less your transplant your babies the better. Heck I went straight from wet napkin germination to 3 gal containers with mircle-gro and they are growing like Jack's Bean-Stalk..LoL..

Good luck Bro,

Sock

sentravapor

hey thanks for the kind words man. I dunno ive always heard from people that grow a lot that they dont like mircle-gro, but IMO the organic stuff looks good to me, just not enough perlite in the mix. i wasnt gonna transplant until about a week before i start flowering to make sure not to stress it too much. the first pot swap was quick and easy and the plant didnt even seem to notice. well see how it goes from here.

a couple grow room pics

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jangel

Good morning sentra.

One thing I have learned is that if you put a plant in a pot toooooo big for it's roots it will have the tendency to not grow as well or as fast as if you put it in a pot just one size bigger. And it also has a tendencey to not get watered as well. You can also have problems with root rot as the area that is too big, with no roots will hold the water and cause problems. You have to wait till you see roots coming out the bottom and then it will just burst into growth when you put it in the next size pot. Also, after you transplant concentrate the watering to the outside edge, not the center where the roots are. This makes the roots seek out the new soil and grow into it. I have 4 sizes of pots, up to a gallon, then into 3 gallon pails, next 5 gal. This does not shock the plant if you do it properly.

Check out the first link in the sig for my grow journal where I explain this. And see how I tormented my plants too! LOL! Just leave that little baby alone and let it grow till it has roots coming out the bottom now. It will not take long. And also read up on soil, organic, etc.

Okay, you have homework! Back to class !

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VonDidly

Welcome! Just thought id say, make sure the Miracle Grow isn't a slow nutrient release type or you may encounter problems further down the line.

Happy growing.

My two cents!

Sock

That's some good info J-Angel, boy was I way off base on this one...LoL
Just my experience from the vegtables/floral dept on transplants, but we are not here for veggies and flowers..haha

As far as watering after putting my little germinations in a 3 gallon pot, I sprinkle a little water around the pup and water from the bottom, as they get bigger 100% water from bottom, seems to promote good roots, need to study up on spraying/nutri through the leaves..

I will gander over you great info and thanks, sorry to steer you in the wrong way Sentra,

Sock

ISO2BWELL

Looking great there Sentra!

Follow Jangel's advice...she won't steer you wrong!

ISO

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sentravapor

switched to 20/4 lighting to attempt at speeding up the veg. growth process. switched from spring to distilled water. i had a stupid question about flushing - when they say flush with 3 times the amount of the pot does that mean all at once? or use only water till that amount is gone? it prolly sounds dumb i know but im bad with terminology. plus i kinda.....dont know that much about all the odds and ends of growth. (by no means does that mean i dont do my research, just some things i get frustrated looking for lol)

Pappy

Flushing is at the last week to 10 days, giving your plants nothing but water. Maybe some molasses with it. This process allows the plant to use its stored nutrients. It also improves the taste and reduces harshness. I think what you are referring to, is leaching. This rids the soil of built up salts from fertilizers and additives. Have the plant and container raised up and pour plain water on the soil. Let the water run out the bottom. If it is a 2 gallon container, pour about 6 gallons of water into it and let the water run through. Depending upon how good the drainage is, it could take a while. I just leached a couple of 3 gallon bags and it took just a couple of minutes. I use lots of perlite so it leaches quite quickly. Hope this helps.

Pappy

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sentravapor

thanks for that. i dont need to do it or anything i just wanted to know ahead of time so if it happens im prepaired.