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After a soak, the seed cracked with a tap root poking out. I decided to let it grow a little longer so I square-wrapped in damp, cheap paper towel. Meanwhile, I soaked a Rapid Rooter in a mix of RapidStart (1 drop), 1 teaspoon of coconut powder and 1 teaspoon of powdered aloe vera and tap water (left out for 24hrs).
PH: Mid-high 7s I can't remember the exact reading. Either way, it was too high
PPM: 159
I used PH down and brought the mixture to 5.9. After 24hrs the tap root was over an inch long. I squeezed out the access water and split the Rapid Rooter down the middle, just enough to accommodate the tap root. Placed seed in the RR with about 1 CM from the top of the hole. Closed the hole with torn piece of Rapid Rooter.
I started the Dark Devil in a jar of purified water.
I filled a Solo cup with pre-washed, pre-buffered Coco Coir (will update with brand name). I buried the Rapid Rooter until it was level with the top lip of the cup. Lastly, put the cup in my tent.
Lights off, exhaust on, humidifier on when the relative humidity drops below 40F. Temperature fluctuates between 75F and 80F. I turn on the fan every few hours to break up any heat pockets if they exist.
Update 1: Got some great advice in the comments about seedling care from @Frigault and decided to hold off on nutrients for next watering. I've read before that nutrients should be introduced as soon as a seedling is above ground but it does make sense to wait especially since I've fried a seedling before (a full grown plant dose at that). The youngster hot a little taller on last check and her first set of real leaves are open.
I didn't get around to soaking the Amnesia Auto yet. I knock that out tonight.
Cana-Cheese is finally above ground so I've begun a 18/6 light schedule. She's looking pretty good too! I watered with a 1 teaspoon of CaliMagic and next I'll start with a super low dose of GH's trio with a low dose of Armor-Si. I'm a bit unsure if I need to let the Armor-Si sit for a while after adding like I've seen done with the powder so I think I'll play it safe and wait unless I find out otherwise. Also, I'm a bit afraid of her stretching so I'll lower the lights a few inches to see what happens.
A moment of silence for Dark Devil Auto. After a 24hr soak, the seed never popped (with the cute little root that sometimes looks like a goldfish tail). Just floated like her sisters did up to plant heaven.
I'm torn between taking a chance with my last one or trying a different strain. I did manage to get a Banana Blaze all the way to flower until she bit the dust. Going by advice gone bad, I fed her too high a dose of nutrients and she never recovered. When they say "listen to your plant", do it. Lesson learned.
I think I'm off to a good start. This is the roughest part of a grow for me so far. One thing that I learned from my past killings was to not get obsessive and that's the approach. I've got a way better understanding of feeding now. I was confused about feeding charts, thinking that it was mix and feed.
Even though I checked the PH and PPM (incorrectly a few times) I'd consistently fry my plants to near death, bring them back with plain, proper ph'd water and then re-fry the next feeding. It hadn't dawned on me that the nutrient mix while being in the optimal PH range, mixed in right order and correct measurements, my PPM/EC was way too high for the stage of the plant. Yikes, I was feeding a toddler 3 double Whoppers with extra everything. And XL fries.
You burn and learn I guess. The little girl was starting to look hungry so I took a shot and fed light nutrients with some hydrogen peroxide (will update the chart soon getting sleepy). I also punched a lot more holes in the bottom of the solo cup. Few hours later her leaves perked up like she was giving me a high five. Leaves are looking good too with a PPM of about 211. It's going to be a warmer weekend so I figure I'll crack another seed and put my 5 gallon pot to use. Possibly a photoperiod?
WHAT??? I swear, I gave it two feedings (following Dr. MJ Coco's high-frequency fertigation schedule). Right now, I'm feeding once every 12 hours. I've also decided to give my two grows project names. Canna-Cheese is "Rokakaka". Is that a Jojo reference? Sure is. My Amnesia grow will be called "Alinesia". Inspired by a good friend of mine who constructively introduced me to this level of the world of cannabis.
The biggest lesson I've learned so far is to NOT ignore PPM/EC. Like, for real. Dead ass. I've finally figured out that my mistake was that I had the ratios and PH correct but my EC was disastrous. I was under the impression that once you've mixed the nutrients and got the PH to the right level it was a done deal. Nope, with the EC numbers I was feeding, there's no wonder I was burning my plants to a crisp. Then flushing and burning again. That's been corrected and it seems I'm on track.
Now I mix a batch of nutrients in order and then pour that mix into a squeeze bottle. The mustard and ketchup kind you can pick up from any discount store. With the squeeze bottle full of nutrients, I just add that to how much distilled water I need for a good soaking of the medium (coco and pearlite). I add the nutes, stir and check EC. When I get to my target, I balance out the PH and water to run-off. I wait a few minutes to let most of the waste accumulates then test the EC when it's around 400 points off from my starting EC, It's back into the tent to sun bathe.
Granted, I'm not sure if this is the "right" way to mix but it cuts out a lot of work involved and saves storage space for me. If any of you can see this method of nute mixing as possibly problematic please let me know. Otherwise, I'll keep my eyes peeled and report back here with what happens.
Sunday: A whole lot of growth this week even with the defoliation. I'm seeing more hair so I think I'm officially in flower or would this be pre-flower? The 2nd light came in and she exploded again.
Tuesday: Ohhhh snap! What do we have here? The girl's growing some hair (pistils!!! 👉👉). I'm currently feeding her the max mix of nutrients for her stage and it's been going very well. I'm starting to smell a tiny bit of stink mixed with the typical plant smell. I don't know how smelly Canna-Cheese gets but since it has Cheese in its name I'm siding towards breaking out the carbon filter sooner than I thought.
I love fan leaves but they were getting out of control so I did some defoliation. Hand plucked the weaklings at the bottom and some of the fans that were covering up the middle. Now everything is getting light. I've also got another SP 150 on the way because I think she's going to be a thick girl.
@DreamOn, Thanks! I'm hoping this one goes better than the last few run attempts. My last one got all the way to flower and I burned it with too heavy a nute feeding. I'm pretty sure it didn't help I was trying to LST in the flowering stage.
@Sweet_Seeds, Much appreciated. I haven't been having too much luck with the Dark Devil Auto seeds. I haven't been able to get 3 passed seedling. I massacred one, three didn't germinate. Hopefully this last one will be the one.
You can flicker that seed shell that is blocking photosythesis if ut fall if good. If not no worries. By flicker i mean gently tap it away from attached point.
Don't us nutrient buddy. Not now. But a cal mag is ok si it get locked in coco. But wait till the first true leaf are fully developpe and you have a few inernodes going. Cotyledon is were all seedling takes its energy from.. when the cotyledon slowly show sign of yellowing thats when you begin nutrient feeding. Around week 3 post germination some time later. Start of by small amount first with every watering ratter then going back and forth from water to nutrient solution. Its better to give less more often...
@Speezy, hydrogen peroxide is a good way to keep roots clean. Keeps bugs and fungus away too. Can be used as foliar pray . Use is small dose it makes wonders. Also provides oxygen to the roots has it breaks down.
Next time drop your seed in a glass of water. Let it sit 48 hoirs dint touch it even if it crack open. Then n the 48th hour pit it in a premoist not soak potting soil dont water let it work its way in the soil and they will always pop. I dont water my seedling for 10 days unless 2-3 inch of the top is drying the plant needs lots of oxygen at this point. Take hydrogen peroxide and dilute solution to 0.3% and water with this instead. It will provide oxygen to the root. So if using 3% solution. Take 100ml to 1 liter of water max. Anywhere from 10ml should be plenty tho. this is how you save overwatering fast. Seedling are very weak. I alway water with a small amount of peroxide every niw and then very beneficial..
@Speezy, yes in very small dosing . 10ml per liters. Is very beneficial for growth. At around 250ml per gallon it can be used for waching freshly harvested canabis. And at ariund 250 ml per liter it can be use to litterly kill all gnats larvea (without yellow sticky trap tho they comme back later) i would go past 1part h2o2 for 4 water. As a foliar sray. Anything under 100ml per liters has had now damadge in all my horticulture experiance to any plants.. its also dislodge powdery mildew.. making ut a powerful houshold tool.. talking about 3% solutiin. Other solutiin can be used. 30% and such but it need to be diluted 10 times more.
I'd advise reading on the peroxide for gardening... Many hydroponic use peroxyde in there hydro sokution to keep it clean. And in coco you are pretty much hydro.. so cannot be bad only beneficial. Other then cleaning roots and bringing oxygene its has nothing else. No nutrient or anything.. 250 ml in 1 gallon water can bring ph down from just a little at high dose (1 part to 4 parts (around 1.0 down). So test ph. If solution is anywere from 5.8 to 6.5 its perfect. Unless having spidermites infestation or gnat fungi (larvea) i would go past 100ml per litter. (I have used 250ml per lliter in 16 dying plant from gnat larva eating the roots creating overwatering been feed 7.8 ph water for 1 month aling with a spidermite infestation ) 1 watering every 2 days for 1 week and on the 8th day everything was living again. Plants look like 1 week old sewdling after 6 weeks of growth that hiw bad they were
Last update for week 3 and I can't believe it's been almost a month with little to no problems. Just a quick note, I topped her at the end of week 2 and her growth didn't slow down a bit. So much for the "you can't top autos" theory. I can't front though, I was so scared to top that I could've made some pretty good fertilizer. Anyway, charging into week 4 in great shape.
Speezy
