first time grower; should i transplant yet? what can i do to promote faster growth?

hashviking · Apr 16, 2012

hey everyone, well this is my first time grow and i'm wondering if i'm seeing enough growth for the amount of time my seedlings have been in 12 oz cups. I'm thinking a few of the larger ones i should transplant now but the rest seem to be taking quite a bit longer to develop two sets of nodes.. wondering if anyone had any tips on how to generate more growth. my set up consists of 6 23 watt cfls (about 7200 lumens total) all at 6500k and hanging about 3 inches from the cups.. i've ran emergency blanket material all along the main walls surrounding the grow (i'd like to be using mylar or panda film but am broke) and have a large fan blowing indirectly. The soil is generic supersoil but once i transplant i'd like to use fox farm or something of good quality. I haven't begun the nutes yet as i am being cautious of their small size at this point..

also, i've been allowing them to get a decent amount of actual sunlight outside during the daytime to spark some extra growth as I am sure it is a whole lot more beneficial than my 6 low watt cfls.. i would just leave them out there and do a full time outdoor grow but am limited due to the place i'm staying at. Do you guys think its ok to go back and forth between outdoor and indoor, or will this tend to stress them out? they seem to be enjoying the extra time outside so I haven't assumed any harm has resulted from it.

anyways, i guess i'll explain more as i go.. but I would most definitely appreciate any comments or advice (all ego aside, as i understand that i am completely new at this and am only used to being supplied by friends or dispensaries). thanks guys!

here's a few pics i snapped last week, they have since fully established their second/third nodes and are now at about 2 weeks

Hugo Phurst · Apr 17, 2012

You might want to replace 2 of your 6500K with 2700k, to broaden the spectrum.
Sunlight is always good, keep that up.

Good Growing.

HSA · Apr 17, 2012

Hashviking: it doesn't sound like you did your homework? RTFB. I wish that there was an easier way, but if you’re new to this I suggest the following:
1. Read: SeeMoreBud’s book, “MARIJUANA BUDS FOR LESS GROW 8 OZ. OF BUDS FOR LESS THAN $100.”
2. Read: Jorge Cervantes’s book, “MARIJUANA HORTICULTURE THE INDOOR/OUTDOOR MEDICAL GROWER’S BIBLE.”
3. Read: Ed Rosenthal’s, “MARIJUANA GROWER’S HANDBOOK.”
4. You’ll want to read: Mc Carthy’s book, “GROWING MARIJUANA.”
5. You’ll also want to subscribe to, “HIGH TIMES,” magazine. Each issue is chocked full of useful information. .” June of last year had an excellent article on seed propagation.
All these resources are very well written, well illustrated and packed with information that will answer most of your questions before you know to ask them. This will save you and your plants a lot of anxiety. I hope this helps. HSA

progrow1986 · Apr 17, 2012

You do not want to transplant yet. They need to reach 6-10 inches in those cups before you transplant. You want to transplant once the roots have developed a nice "ball" around the dirt in the cups. If you want quicker results, switch from floro to a 400W HPS grow bulb. Also, make sure those cups have a couple of holes poked through at the bottom, it excess water cannot escape and if you don't allow the soil to breath you will develop root rot and that will kill off your plants....

Mine are under a 600W HPS and I generally transplant from clones into 4*4*6 inch containers for about 2 weeks, and then transplant into 3-5 gallon buckets for another 2-3 weeks before flowering. Be patient...

hashviking · Apr 17, 2012

thank you all so much for the reply's and advice you guys I will definitely be posting my progress if you are in any way interested to see how this first timer does.. lol

so i'm thinking i will switch out 2 of the 6500s for 2700s or somewhere in that soft white range, is that something that will promote better overall growth?

i really really want to get this crappy emergency blanket stuff outta here and get some real mylar, thick stuff.. maybe i'll add some plain white copy paper to the various exposed surfaces?

i'm definitely not gonna transplant yet thank you for letting me know, i haven't been able to really check the roots but i do have holes in the bottom of the cups and am not really seeing any sticking out yet.. most of my seedlings are on their third set of nodes so im guessing wait till five nodes or six inches of growth?

oh oh oh and fuck i just realized one of my fast growing ones has like burnt looking tips on its second set of leaves.. there's also this really weird spotty purple stuff near the burnt areas..?? ima post some pics right now let me know what any of you guys think.. like i said it is highly highly appreciated and please do check up on my thread lol thanks!

hashviking · Apr 17, 2012

also i've been watering in small amounts everyday, as i keep seeing the top surface of the soil being crusty.. but i'm just now thinking that the soil probably isn't fully dry underneath and that maybe i should water once every two days? what do you guys think is a good watering schedule? should I be using a diluted solution of water n nutes? i'm thinking maybe they aren't growing as rapidly and are showing signs of burnt edges/yellow coloration from overwatering?..

shap3less · Apr 17, 2012

don't bother with nutes yet, you'll just burn them. water to fully saturate the soil, until you have runoff, then don't think about watering until the soil has dried out. you can gauge how dry the soil is by the weight of the cup dry vs wet. i had some plants in those 12oz cups and i was watering with ~10oz of water every 2 days. i ended up needing to transplant after about 3 weeks i think it was..something like when the 4th set of leaves was showing

hashviking · Apr 17, 2012

does that include the initial rounded set of leaves? ya i thought they were soaking it up pretty fast but i dunno man im starting to see some discoloration on the edges of a couple of them and im wondering if im watering too much cuz it cant be the lights and i haven't given them any nutes..

first time grower; should i transplant yet? what can i do to promote faster growth?

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