Old Soil???

Experienced/Novice grower here... It's been a while since my last post.

My last grow finished in the spring of 2015 and left me with enough of a personal supply of good bud to skip a year. Well, now my supply is running low so it's time to start a new grow.

Unfortunately, it seems I've lost my touch, or something.

Using the paper towel method I successfully germinated several prized seed bank seeds and put them into FF Happy Frog soil and into my mini grow cab. Since the cabinet is in the basement where the temp is typically cool and regularly drops to 50-60°F, I use a 17watt seedling heater under the pots to keep them warm with a makeshift humidity dome. The interior of the cabinet generally stays well above 70°F and often hits 90°F+ when the 4x24" T5 light comes on. I'm running a 20/4 light schedule, though I initially started them at 24/0.

I started with two Afghan regulars, a Purple Trainwreck Fem, a White Widow Fem, and a Dynafem Critical. They all germed with up to two inch taproots before I put them into small pots of FFHF soil with a plastic baggie over each pot. 2 or 3 sprouted normally and looked like they were on the way to growing, then suddenly they stopped. They didn't even get to the first pair of leaves before they seemed to just die.

I figure it was probably over-watering. (I still haven't gotten that right yet, it seems.) But subsequent attempts with much more careful watering have failed in the same way. I currently have one very stunted Purple Trainwreck growing very slowly, a Dynafem virtually not growing at all, and nothing happening with anything else. I've gone to using bagseed just to try to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Could it be that old FF Happy Frog soil goes bad? I had about 1/5 of a 2 cf bag sealed up sitting in a cool dark closet in the basement over the last two years since the last grow. I also have about the same amount of FF Ocean Forest from two years ago also sealed up in the original bag.

I prefer to grow during the winter months for both security sake and to free up my time over the spring/summer. However, if I fail, my supply will eventually run out and I'll be at the mercy of the black market.

Any help is appreciated.

You don't need to put a plastic bag over seedlings. You risk dampening off. That's where the stem rots and they die. Over watering contributes/is a cause as well. I would skip the paper towel, soak the seeds for eight hours and then plant straight into damp soil. Use a sprayer to keep the top moist and wait for them to sprout. No need to put them in a dome or cover with a bag. That's for clones. A seedling already has a root that will seek out moisture and provide it to the seedling.
The soil doesn't necessarily go bad but could start growing things you don't want in it. You can bake that soil in the oven at 180 - 200 degrees until the center reaches 180 degrees to sterilize it.

JoeyV said:

Experienced/Novice grower here... It's been a while since my last post.

My last grow finished in the spring of 2015 and left me with enough of a personal supply of good bud to skip a year. Well, now my supply is running low so it's time to start a new grow.

Unfortunately, it seems I've lost my touch, or something.

Using the paper towel method I successfully germinated several prized seed bank seeds and put them into FF Happy Frog soil and into my mini grow cab. Since the cabinet is in the basement where the temp is typically cool and regularly drops to 50-60°F, I use a 17watt seedling heater under the pots to keep them warm with a makeshift humidity dome. The interior of the cabinet generally stays well above 70°F and often hits 90°F+ when the 4x24" T5 light comes on. I'm running a 20/4 light schedule, though I initially started them at 24/0.

I started with two Afghan regulars, a Purple Trainwreck Fem, a White Widow Fem, and a Dynafem Critical. They all germed with up to two inch taproots before I put them into small pots of FFHF soil with a plastic baggie over each pot. 2 or 3 sprouted normally and looked like they were on the way to growing, then suddenly they stopped. They didn't even get to the first pair of leaves before they seemed to just die.

I figure it was probably over-watering. (I still haven't gotten that right yet, it seems.) But subsequent attempts with much more careful watering have failed in the same way. I currently have one very stunted Purple Trainwreck growing very slowly, a Dynafem virtually not growing at all, and nothing happening with anything else. I've gone to using bagseed just to try to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Could it be that old FF Happy Frog soil goes bad? I had about 1/5 of a 2 cf bag sealed up sitting in a cool dark closet in the basement over the last two years since the last grow. I also have about the same amount of FF Ocean Forest from two years ago also sealed up in the original bag.

I prefer to grow during the winter months for both security sake and to free up my time over the spring/summer. However, if I fail, my supply will eventually run out and I'll be at the mercy of the black market.

Any help is appreciated.

Click to expand...

It is generally recommended to use organic soil within 3-6 months. 1 year for chemical salt amended soil.

During the time it is in the bag microbes start eating the nutrients and wetting agents dry up.

Also the the lime or oyster shell buffer will have activated and start to break down.

But if you are overwatering that is the immediate problem.

MichiganMedGrower said:

It is generally recommended to use organic soil within 3-6 months. 1 year for chemical salt amended soil.

During the time it is in the bag microbes start eating the nutrients and wetting agents dry up.

Also the the lime or oyster shell buffer will have activated and start to break down.

But if you are overwatering that is the immediate problem.

Click to expand...

I didn't even think about the actual breakdown/decomposition of the soil. That's a good point. I was thinking of nasty stuff creating a home. I've been sterilizing soil for years but usually fresh soil to ensure I have a sterile medium for germinating seeds. But I agree that the OP's issue is with too wet a medium and environment. The seeds should still grow even in old soil.

xtsho said:

I didn't even think about the actual breakdown/decomposition of the soil. That's a good point. I was thinking of nasty stuff creating a home. I've been sterilizing soil for years but usually fresh soil to ensure I have a sterile medium for germinating seeds. But I agree that the OP's issue is with too wet a medium and environment. The seeds should still grow even in old soil.

Click to expand...

I learned it on the pro mix site. Premier horticulture actually. They have a learning center with tons of info.