Juanita in the rain

THC level from self- grown medicine had proven too strong for me. Even those with mid level THC is much more higher than bag seed. As a care giver to my sick mother, I need to be able to get up when needed. With CBD strains, I should be able to enjoy ganja much more often and still feel comfortable about be ready at all time. Spicy CBD had grown big. I germinated two but only one had come up after 7 days. The one that had not come up is still alive but I am popping more seeds just in case. I also popped one Sweet Love to compare. For a sativa, Spicy CBD started out really strong. After 7 days, she is nearly as big as one month old sativa Haze/White Widow hybrid. I am impressed. May be it is because I learned to water seedling less (???) To my fellow nubes, I just want to share how I germinate and handle the seedlings. Note that there are many ways to do things and get the same results. This is the way that work for me. By “me”, I mean I am a clumsy person. Germination – I used hydrogen per oxide to soak seeds for 24 hours. It is faster and I seem to get healthier seedling this way. Concentration does not seemed to matter much. As a guide, I use 1 lid of 3% hydrogen peroxide pour in to 10 lids of water. It is about 3 ml of hydrogen peroxide to 30 ml of water at 40-50 degree C. Up to double or half the dosage seemed to be getting same result. Next is to pour the seeds on a couple of cotton balls. Cover the seed with another cotton ball. Then drain out the water. To make sure that the cotton balls are not too wet, I put in a dry cotton ball underneath the already wet cotton balls. This steps was totally unnecessary for Spicy CBD and Sweet Love. Their tails were already reasonably long after soaking. Having the root grown too long only invite broken root disaster during planting. Selection of vessel. Cups must not be big. Too big of a cup can stunt growth because it leads to over watering. 16 oz solo cup is normally recommended. My favorite cup is, however, 22 oz cups because it have rim at the bottom to help cup stand straight. Opaque does not to let light interfere with root development. Then, I cut the drainage slits around the bottom circumference. Later, during transplanting, it will be easier for me to cut off the bottom of the cup along these slits. To be sure of good drainage, I cut one or two more center holes at the bottom of the cup. To make cuts, I first soften the plastic with a lighter then cut with paper cutter. I think it is safer and easier to make cuts on soft plastic. Some time, just keeping the lighter on one particular place for a few seconds more is enough to burn jagged holes on plastic cups. Seedling does not need food for the first couple of weeks but vegging plant will. So I start with fertilized soil. I use 1:1:1:1 recipe. Worm Casting : Peatmoss : Pumice (or pearlite) : Coconut Chunk (or more pearlite). Then I make a dimple on the cup and put a seed with short root stub in. Then gently fill the soil over the lids. And three to four days later seeds should sprout. First watering – I the seedling, need no water until another 3-4 more days. And less is more. With small starting cup, plant will be transfer later. So, no need to worry about salt build up. And water the plant just a little so there is no run off. I prefer to nurse my seedling inside a light box for three to six weeks. Indica generally grew faster and I keep them inside only for three weeks. Some sativa, on the other hand, refuse to leave the nursery until six weeks old. My opinion is that light setting should be at half strength during the first week. Then the intensity can be increase every day until the seedling is stronger. For those who put seedling outside right away, a dome should be used to protect seedling from creeping, crawling, and flying seedling eaters. I cut up plastic bottles to use as protective tube or dome. It is important to leave good ventilation holes but not so big that strange creatures and take a bite of the young cannabis seedlings.