Germination
Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry. These conditions will cause your seeds to fail. There are no old seeds in your order. All seeds are fresh and each batch is germination tested before they are sent out.
Some growers like to soak their seeds overnight before putting in paper towels. I have found that this not necessary.
***It is important to not drown your seeds. If you soak your seeds do so until they sink and no more. This is usually around 12 hours. So overnight is a good rule of thumb but no more. Placing your seeds after a soak directly into your moist soil or medium almost always yields 100% germination (if the soil stays warm enough- at least around 75 degrees).***
These seeds are precious and expensive. I would not risk planting directly into soil or other mediums.
The following steps work for me with the absolute best success rate and they are what my germination tests use.
*I learned this method from Mephisto Genetics and it works great for me.
Germination Tips
Step 1: Take an old video game or DVD case and cut the center disc holder out.
Step 2: Roll off about 16″ of toilet paper or use one-half sheet from a paper towel.
Step 3: Lay the seeds in the middle and fold the paper into a square.
Step 4: Mist the paper until it is completely saturated but not soaked and dripping.
Step 5: Put the paper and seeds into the DVD case.
Step 6: Wrap the DVD case in a cotton T-shirt so the temperature stays stable.
Step 7: Put the DVD case on top of your router or grow tent (if the light is on) so it stays between 75-80 degrees.
Start checking for a tap root in 24 hours. Wait until the taproot is 1/2″ to 3/4″ long before planting with the taproot down.
Tip: If your seed hasn’t opened up in 5 days, lightly sand the surface of the seed with a fingernail emery board and put it back in the DVD case.
Make your hole about the depth of a new pencil’s erasure section including the metal erasure holder. So about 1/2″ to 3/4″ deep. Sprinkle some type of mycorrhizae into the hole. Use tweezers to hold your seed and gently push the taproot into the base of your soil. Very gently cover the hole with fine soil or coco. Use a sprayer to mist the top of the soil until it’s moist about 1″ deep.
Seedlings
Autoflower seedlings don’t need much of anything. They don’t need lots of water and they don’t need nutrients. The seeds are packed with enough nutrition to last the seedling into its 2nd set of true leaves.
If you are planting in soil, you most likely have enough nutrients that come with the soil to last you into flowering. If you are planting in coco/perlite I recommend researching your grow at the Coco for Cannabis site.
Many experienced autoflower growers start their seedlings directly into their final containers. This is because autoflowers will flower early (resulting in lower yields) if the roots become stressed (i.e. rootbound or transplant shock).
However, I have found that no root distress happens if the seedlings are transplanted when the 3rd set of true leaves appear.
Therefore, I highly recommend planting seedlings in red 16 oz Solo cups. Just take a stack of them and drill holes in the bottom for drainage.
These cups help the beginner grower to not overwater during the seedling stage. Overwatering, especially in soil, will cause stunting and reduced yields.
Transplanting
Use a Solo cup as a measuring device by digging out a hole in your final container and making sure the solo cup fits in the hole.
Remove your measuring Solo cup.
Mist the hole with water so it’s moist and then dust with mycorrhizae the bottom and the sides of the hole.
Soak your plant with water so the soil stays together while transplanting.
Spread your fingers so your seedling slips between them and turn your Solo cup upside down so your hand catches the top of the soil. You may need to give the cup a squeeze or tap to help it out.
Put the empty cup aside and support the rooted soil gently while you flip the seedling over and place it in your pre-made hole.
From the edges of your final pot push the soil towards the seedling while you support the seedling soil. This helps the mycorrhizae to stay in place so it touches your seedling soil.
Gently pack the soil. Gently water in the transplant with about a 1/2 cup of water.
You can put a sandwich bag over the cup until the sprout emerges to keep it from drying out!
Container Sizes
This depends on the size of plant you want. In soil, smaller pots (say 1 gallon) produce smaller plants. 3-gallon pots produce larger plants. In coco/perlite you can go with a smaller pot but you will be watering much more often. The same goes for soil at the flowering stage.
Soil
I have found many commercial soils, including Fox Farms, are too high in nitrogen for autoflowers. The sweet spot for soil, for me, has been a lightmix by Roots Organic. Specifically, Roots Organic 707. Call around and see if you can find this soil. If it’s not available in your area, ask for a lightmix that is light on nutrients. Especially nitrogen.
By the way, for massive flowers, super-fast growth and protection from over-watering, check out growing in Coco/Perlite.
Fertilizers
I can’t recommend Greenleaf Nutrients line of organic fertilizers enough. Start with MegaCrop and you won’t be disappointed. (Visit Greenleaf Nutrients and see if you can get a free sample…)
Lighting
I’m loving Meiju Quantum Boards purchased from Alibaba. 240 watts per 2’x4′ growing area. 3500 Kelvin.
When the seedlings are very young, I dim them way down using the Io adjustment screw (yours may come with a dimmer). Even then, I keep the light around 18″ from the tops.
I ramp up the wattage as the plants grow.
During flowering, I am at full blast but still 18″ from the tops.
I run them 24/7. That’s the beauty of AutoFlowers! If you want to save some on your electric bill you can run them 18 hours on and 6 off but don’t go any lower than that.
In Summary
You’re going to do great. Just don’t overdo anything.
Visit www.growweedeasy.com to learn all about growing cannabis. It’s a great resource.
Visit www.cocoforcannabis.com to enter the coco growing world.
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