A novice grower may find the seedling stage a difficult and daunting task. Even inexperienced growers will be able to manage their cannabis seedlings easily with these three simple steps.
Cannabis seedlings are difficult to maintain, especially for rookie growers. Seedlings can be made easier if you have a solid knowledge of the requirements and seedlings. Three simple steps will help you to grow healthy seedslings.
STEP 1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT SEEDLINGS GENETICS, CONTAINERS AND MEDIUM
It is important to actively search for the best seeds for you. Consider your skills and experience as a gardener, your budget, your grow equipment, and your preferences in taste and effects. Also, consider whether you will be growing indoors or out.
Medium: We recommend that your medium be light, well-aerated with a slightly acidic pH. We recommend using between 20-50% perlite in your medium to aid with soil aeration and nutrient retention. The more nutrients you plan to give your plants, the more perlite you should add to your soil to help with drainage and prevent nutrient lockout.
Be sure to water around the stems of your seedlings and only after the soil has dried completely. (See the section on over-/underwatering below). Also, keep in mind that seedlings (especially autoflowering varieties) are extremely sensitive to nutrients. They should never be planted in hot (nutrient-rich), and they shouldn't be fed until they grow 3-4 sets.
For autoflowering and feminized seedslings, the following are our recommendations for pot selection.
THE RIGHT POTS AUTOFLOWERING CANNABIS SEEDS
Autoflowers should be planted directly in their final pots. Autoflowering plants have a short life span so it is best not to put them through unnecessary stress. Although the exact size of your pot will vary depending upon the strain you grow and the space available, most auto growers use pots ranging from 5-15l.
THE RIGHT POTS FEMINIZED CAANNABIS SEEDS
Transplanting feminized seeds is easier if you have the plants to recover from stress. Easy Start germination cans will help you support robust health right at the beginning. It is important to transplant seedlings before they outgrow their starter containers. When they have enough true leaves to cover their entire container, we recommend transplanting them.
From here, most indoor growers move their plants directly into 12l pots, but you can go above or below that to suit your particular strain and grow setup. You can, and should, up-pot feminized photosperid plants several times to maximize their development.
CANNABIS POTS: A NOTE
Growers have a wide range of options when it comes choosing the right container to grow their cannabis plants. Although it is possible for great cannabis to be grown in plastic propagation pots, there are still some important things to consider when selecting the right pots to plant your marijuana plants.
* Drainage holes
Make sure your pots drain well to protect your plants against fungal pathogens and root rot. If your pots don't already contain holes (or some other kind of mesh to allow runoff), you'll need to puncture them yourself.
* Aeration
One of the functions of a plant's substrate is to serve as a site for air exchange between the roots and the environment. RQS Fabric Pots help plants respire by allowing for more oxygen. This will result in faster and more vigorous growth, healthier plants, better harvests, and greater yields.
* Pot size
Overwatering tiny seedlings in big pots is a risky move as the roots of your plant are not large enough to extract the water from the substrate. Any water left behind in the substrate will drown the roots and cannabis-seeds-usa.org/cannabis-seedlings-stage-the-care-and-rearing-of-marijuana-seedlings/ attract pests and pathogens into your garden/grow space.
STEP 2 - USE THE RIGHT GERMINATION TECHNIQUES
Cannabis seeds must have four things in order for them to germinate: water, warmth darkness, time and warmth. The following methods can be used to germinate your seeds so that you get healthy seedlings.
* Paper towel method
Place your cannabis seeds on a few moist pieces if paper towel. Finally, cover the container with a plastic lid. The container should be kept in a dark, warm place, with temperatures between 20-25 degrees Celsius. To allow fresh air to circulate, leave a small crack in the lid.
* One glass of water
Just drop the seeds in a glass water and allow them to sit in a cabinet for 24 hours at 20-25°C. Once you see the first signs of taproots sprouting from your seeds, they're ready to plant. If your seeds don't germinate after 48 hours in water, switch to the paper towel method. Don't keep the seeds submerged for more than 48 hours or they'll rot.
Once the taproot has emerged from the seed, it is ready to plant. The taproot should face down, so that your seeds are planted at a depth of approximately 3-5 millimetres. Your seedlings will not need to reorient themselves.
STEP 3 MASTERING The Seedling Stage
Once your seedlings are established in their soil, it's time to tackle the real challenge. Cannabis seedlings tend to be fragile. They have no roots, and only a few small cotyledons. These are the first sets of small rectangular leaves. A minor stressor can bring down your seedlings within a matter hours. Understanding your seedlings' needs and how they grow will help you optimize their environment to encourage them to become strong, healthy plants.
THE BASICS: CANNABIS SEEDLINGS OPTIMISING LIGHT, TIME, AND HUMIDITY
Seedlings need specific requirements when it comes temperature, humidity, lighting, and if they are not met, this can result in death. For best results, we recommend growing seedlings in a propagator where you can easily create the perfect environment for them to flourish in.
* Temperature
Cannabis seedlings prefer daytime temperatures between 20-25degC and nights that are about 4-5degC colder. High temperatures can harm your seedlings. They will be stressed and their growth may stop. The sign of heat stress is dry, curled-up leaves. As time passes, you might notice other symptoms in your seedlings, such as pale green leaves or purple stems. Heat stress can also cause weak, wilting leaves with downward folding tips.
Cold temperatures on the other side can cause seedlings to freeze and have a reduced ability to transport, use, and store nutrients, water, and oxygen. This will result in stunted growth and eventually death if not dealt with properly. Wilting foliage, slow growth, and poor plant turgor are some signs that the temperature in your grow room or propagator is too low.
Humidity
While their roots are young and still developing, cannabis seedlings absorb water via osmosis in their leaves. To optimise this process, it's super important to keep relative humidity levels at 40-60%.
Low levels of humidity below 20% will stunt the growth and cause some symptoms, such as yellowed or spotted foliage. High levels of humidity above 60% can result in plants developing wet spots. This can also cause their foliage to wilt/rot and attract fungi, other pathogens, and pests. Keep your relative humidity at half the level once your seedlings have entered the vegetative phase.
* Lights
Seedlings are sensitive to light and will burn under strong HID or LED bulbs. Seedlings can develop crinkled, burnt leaves similar to adult plants when they are exposed to light stress. Alternatively, seedlings that don't get enough light will grow tall and lanky and topple over.
Our recommendation is to grow seedlings under an 18/6 cycle with CFL bulbs that have a blue spectrum for the first 10-14days. This will ensure best results. After they have developed true leaves with at least 2 nodes and healthy roots, you can place them under stronger LED or HID lights to begin vegging.