The Tropicana Protocol

Herb-ert Welcome to my first grow. The approach is based on requested and learned knowledge rather than personal experience. At this point, I want to thank the helpers. I initiated germination in a glass of water. The water had been standing for 24 hours and was now at room temperature. The seed spent 13 hours in the water (3 hours submerged after the seed was tapped). The seed had not split or developed a root due to this pre-treatment. It looked the same to me as before. After that, I placed the seed directly into the seedling soil. It’s a 9cm pot filled with regular peat-free herb seedling soil from the hardware store, up to 2 cm below the rim (ingredients see photo). I gently pressed the soil down after each quarter pot volume, not compacting it. The seedling soil was completely moistened with 24-hour standing water (from a spray bottle) until light drainage occurred. Then the pot was left to sit for 3 hours. In between, I vigorously drained the excess water over the bathtub with a long arm. After that, I dug a 1.5cm deep hole with the disinfected handle side of a teaspoon. Since the seed showed no development yet, I dropped it into the hole without orientation. I gently covered it with soil (not pressed) and did not water again. I decided this because the soil seemed moist enough to me. I then placed the pot with the seed in a black, opaque box from Ikea, along with a water bowl. This is probably not necessary, as I think the seed in the soil doesn’t really care about the humidity outside. So I mentally categorize it under over-mothering. Since it’s only 20°C in the grow tent without a lamp, I placed the black box slightly elevated next to the heater. I had tested this for 48 hours in the previous days. This way, I can maintain a temperature between 24 and 25°C. The box is opened a crack for air exchange. The seedling broke through the soil surface 63 hours after being placed in the soil (77 hours after being put in the glass of water), relatively suddenly. 6 hours later, it started its first light cycle in the grow tent at a height of 3cm. 18 hours of light. The light period is set for the night, and the dark period for the afternoon. Until the first leaves are green, it’s in a Tupperware with loosely placed cling film. I hope to maintain high humidity this way. The lamp is 16cm away at 20% dimming, providing the seedling with 130 PPFD. It was measured with the Photone app using a paper diffuser I made from 80g/m² paper. In my tests, the app + diffuser was never more than 5% off from the lamp manufacturer's specifications. I chose LED (full spectrum + red) as the profile since the Sanlight Stixx specifies an increased far-red component. Ventilation for fresh air/CO₂ is on. However, the intensity is relatively weak (about 70m³/h) as I try to maintain humidity and temperature in the Tupperware. No circulation fan since the seedling is shielded by the film. Throughout the process, no additional watering was done. The temperature in the Tupperware has stabilized between 24 and 25°C. The humidity is around 75%. Full of anticipation, we are now heading into the first week of vegetation. 😁