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New Grower New grower, ready to learn, & need help...lot’s!!!
- Thread starter Rodi0318
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@Rodi0318 Welcome to AFN 
You will get a lot of different opinions on how to do things here. So buckle up and lets Rodeo 
.
Jiffiy pellets are too low PH at 5.0 so don't use them anyway.
Paper Towel Germination
I know that a lot of growers swear by it and their proof is the fact that many plants survive the technique but unless seeds are old or have been stored poorly soaking seeds is not needed and can drown them. Then because they need the instant gratification of seeing the tap root they germinate them in paper towels. If you look at a tap root under 200x magnification you will see the “root hairs” that grow laterally out from the tap root. These become the plant’s uptake roots. They will grow into the fibers of the paper towels and are ripped off every time the seedling is move or the towel is opened – ouch. Then when transplanting it is very easy to bump the tap root tip and damage it or kill the seedling – Why?
Put the fresh or properly stored seed ½” deep in a Rapid Rooter, Root Riot, rock wool cube or similar or right in the soil. Don’t use Jiffy peat pots the PH is too low. Keep moist – not wet, and ~78°F, 60% humidity with your lights running on 18/6 and they will germinate if viable. Most strains will germinate in 5 to 7 days. Some strains take longer than others. The African sativas can take 21+ days so be patient. 5 plus year old seeds may require special treatment.
I use a weak solution (10% of week one chart.) of Mega Crop, kelp, and Humic Acid to moisten the starter cube and keep them moist. I like my babies to have food the minute they can take it in. I grow hydro in rock wool so spoon feeding is my normal thing. I have grown in everything except coco.
You will get a lot of different opinions on how to do things here. So buckle up and lets Rodeo .Jiffiy pellets are too low PH at 5.0 so don't use them anyway.
Paper Towel Germination
I know that a lot of growers swear by it and their proof is the fact that many plants survive the technique but unless seeds are old or have been stored poorly soaking seeds is not needed and can drown them. Then because they need the instant gratification of seeing the tap root they germinate them in paper towels. If you look at a tap root under 200x magnification you will see the “root hairs” that grow laterally out from the tap root. These become the plant’s uptake roots. They will grow into the fibers of the paper towels and are ripped off every time the seedling is move or the towel is opened – ouch. Then when transplanting it is very easy to bump the tap root tip and damage it or kill the seedling – Why?
Put the fresh or properly stored seed ½” deep in a Rapid Rooter, Root Riot, rock wool cube or similar or right in the soil. Don’t use Jiffy peat pots the PH is too low. Keep moist – not wet, and ~78°F, 60% humidity with your lights running on 18/6 and they will germinate if viable. Most strains will germinate in 5 to 7 days. Some strains take longer than others. The African sativas can take 21+ days so be patient. 5 plus year old seeds may require special treatment.
I use a weak solution (10% of week one chart.) of Mega Crop, kelp, and Humic Acid to moisten the starter cube and keep them moist. I like my babies to have food the minute they can take it in. I grow hydro in rock wool so spoon feeding is my normal thing. I have grown in everything except coco.
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@Rodi0318 Welcome to AFN
Jiffiy pellets are too low PH at 5.0 so don't use them anyway.
Paper Towel Germination
I know that a lot of growers swear by it and their proof is the fact that many plants survive the technique but unless seeds are old or have been stored poorly soaking seeds is not needed and can drown them. Then because they need the instant gratification of seeing the tap root they germinate them in paper towels. If you look at a tap root under 200x magnification you will see the “root hairs” that grow laterally out from the tap root. These become the plant’s uptake roots. They will grow into the fibers of the paper towels and are ripped off every time the seedling is move or the towel is opened – ouch. Then when transplanting it is very easy to bump the tap root tip and damage it or kill the seedling – Why?
Put the fresh or properly stored seed ½” deep in a Rapid Rooter, Root Riot, rock wool cube or similar or right in the soil. Don’t use Jiffy peat pots the PH is too low. Keep moist – not wet, and ~78°F, 60% humidity with your lights running on 18/6 and they will germinate if viable. Most strains will germinate in 5 to 7 days. Some strains take longer than others. The African sativas can take 21+ days so be patient. 5 plus year old seeds may require special treatment.
I use a weak solution (10% of week one chart.) of Mega Crop, kelp, and Humic Acid to moisten the starter cube and keep them moist. I like my babies to have food the minute they can take it in. I grow hydro in rock wool so spoon feeding is my normal thing. I have grown in everything except coco.
WELL.
I totally have already placed my seeds in jiffy pellets! 
Hopefully, things still progress. Thank you for all the info. It’ll come in handy during my next grow!
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Fertigate with 10% nutes at PH 6.4 as it will help with the low Jiffy Pellet PH.WELL.
What nutes do you recommend? I have not purchased any yet. I’m considering Fox Farms or General Hydroponics.
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Mega Crop by Greenleaf Nutrients is very straightforward. I started using it after seeing results on here from others who use it. You can possibly get a free sample of it on their web site. You may want to add their Cal/Mag Pro also. Welcome and good luck with your grow
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I use GreenLeaf Mega Crop, Kelp Extract, Bud Explosion, Sweet Candy and CalMag Pro.
In the past I have used DynaGro, Advanced Nutrients, House & Garden, GH, Fox Farm and others. GreenLeaf is the best value bar none. After you get a few grows under your belt there are some things you can do to tweak the formulas a bit but that is for down the road.
IMHO it is best to use a vendors entire line ONLY. They spend millions of dollars developing nutrients to work together to achieve the best possible results. It is all about Liebig’s law of the minimum. When you understand this you will understand why you should not mix-n-match your own. The only exception to this rule is when you have deficiencies (it won't happen often if using nutrients correctly). There are a couple of additives I do like and use: Azos and Mykos are microzae and beneficial fungus, Botanicare HydroGuard protects roots in Soil/DWC. Other than this I use a vendors entire line only on their schedule for what I am doing. As to the strength, the vendors charts are a beginning point and for many strains or phenos it is too strong but not all strains or vendors. So I have a system where I start seeds at 1/4 strength for the first week then 50% for the next and I continue to increase by 10% each week until tip burn is observed then back off 10%. This gets you to where the plant likes it not just blindly following a chart.
In the past I have used DynaGro, Advanced Nutrients, House & Garden, GH, Fox Farm and others. GreenLeaf is the best value bar none. After you get a few grows under your belt there are some things you can do to tweak the formulas a bit but that is for down the road.
IMHO it is best to use a vendors entire line ONLY. They spend millions of dollars developing nutrients to work together to achieve the best possible results. It is all about Liebig’s law of the minimum. When you understand this you will understand why you should not mix-n-match your own. The only exception to this rule is when you have deficiencies (it won't happen often if using nutrients correctly). There are a couple of additives I do like and use: Azos and Mykos are microzae and beneficial fungus, Botanicare HydroGuard protects roots in Soil/DWC. Other than this I use a vendors entire line only on their schedule for what I am doing. As to the strength, the vendors charts are a beginning point and for many strains or phenos it is too strong but not all strains or vendors. So I have a system where I start seeds at 1/4 strength for the first week then 50% for the next and I continue to increase by 10% each week until tip burn is observed then back off 10%. This gets you to where the plant likes it not just blindly following a chart.
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There is a promo on Mega Crop - 2lb bag for $3 plus shipping
