Hey guys, I’ve trying to get some seedlings to take on and grow. I’ve tried just miracle gro soil, they’d get so far then die. I’ve tried fox farm happy frog, same out come. I’ve tried starting just a seed in rockwoo, I got one to take root and grow. It’s about 2 Inches big, but now showing signs of death. See pic. This little guy is in some soil I mixed up. 25%ff ocean forest, 35% ultimate soil, 15% worm castings 10%perlite, 10%miracle gro potting soil, 2%DTE bat guano7-3-1, 2%DTE 3-3-3 Starter and 1% mycorrhiza......
At first I’m thinking my soil mix is too strong for the little seedlings. Or I think I was over watering, so I only water when the soil is dry down to my middle knuckle (pointer finger). I’m at a total lost for words. I’ve got 4 more sprouted seeds in the same mix, and only one has started growing. Also have 3 sprouted seeds in just soil. And only one of them have broke soil. But that’s all they’re doing. Then they get to the size in the picture and die....... HELP..... I’ve killed at least 15-20 seeds now. That ain’t cheap either.
Hello. I just recently joined this forum. Im seeing many great replies so i dont want to confuse you. I am merely a medical grower like yourself. Ive tried the paper towel method, jiffy pellets, many mixes of soil etc...... for me all of these methods worked okay..... But for various reasons I didnt get the near perfect results others speak of. When i started using "rapid rooters" everything changed. Heres the link:
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The first thing i do is try to keep my mind open to the fact that I may have "mutliple issues" going on. I am certainly no botanist... But after looking at the pics u posted i suspect you might . I see the seeds germed just fine. But looking at the colors of the leaves and dryness at the edges i suspect this plant is already ' Locked out" . (Not taking in nutrients) This can happen for a myriad of reasons. Im a coco grower. I have zero experience with mixing organic blends. However i dont think the germination process is the problem here . no matter what medium i have chosen, the plants seem to lock out for many of the same reasons. I suspect theres something going on in the pot that the plant doesnt like. I suspect somehow the medium has gotten too 'hot' with something.
The only way ive been able to understand what was really going on was to test the PH and EC/TDS/PPM of your runoff from the bottom of your pot or a good "slurry test". Google these things. Its only in doing this that I have been able to figure out what i was doing wrong and keep from making the same errors again, and again.. There must be something in the pot that the plant isnt happy with or it would be 'drinking" and thriving. This can sneak up on you VERY quickly... These meters seem expensive until you have a basement full of plants that get locked out and you have to toss the entire lot.... Trust me. its heartbreaking when you dont have much money to lose.
Generally whenever ive "locked out" plants its been related to a few basic things: ph, lack of calcium or too much EC/ ppm. Ive found plants seem to lock out on me when i get over 1.6 TOTAL EC in coco running a 500 scale) As an example I personally rarely go over .85 EC in flower. Either that or your soil blend could be too "hot" at this point. How do i track this? By regularly testing my runoff or slurry. Once i began using a ph meter with a good Ec/tds/ppm meter my grows exploded. For me.... it all starts with knowing the purity of my water. Then and only then do i ad my nutrients a la carte in exactly the proportions i think the plants require. being able to figure it out yourself is huge and quick. When in doubt.... Flush! I think if you find your runoff will be over the recommended ratios for that medium. If youre beginning with tap water over .3 EC i would possibly consider trying to get an R/O filter. keep it as simple as possible at first. Nutrients accumulate. the only way to track it is with the correct meters.
Imho..... when a plant locks out its time to chuck it. I personally have never ended up with a product i was happy with after that happened. Ive tried to save many over the years and its always ended in heartache for me. It may be possible to turn them around. i doubt it. But if so thats beyond my current skill level.
In short,,,Im not sure whats going on in your soil I would recommend getting these pens and doing regular tests of your runoff and the occaisional 'slurry test" of the medium. I think this is the best way to understand whats going on in there and keep this from happening again. Dont get discouraged! This has happened to us all! Hope this helps. Cheers!