Still new soil.
Sounds like you are a having a hard time believing that directly sowing is superior. I agree that 2 plants is not a true test. However they are in the exact same environment. Yes it could be a better pheno. However, I am positive that it is doing better simply because the seedling has FOOD sooner than in a cup. Once the seedling grows into the Kis Soil it takes off fast. It clearly hit the Kis soil. So if I wait 3 more days to transplant and it takes 3-4 days to start to take off, that puts the cup a WEEK behind in growth already. Rootmaker or not, being a week behind is a huge disadvantage. I agree that Rootmakers do develope a nice root sytem that is set up to branch out. But a week behind is a week behind and directly planted has had ZERO slow down at all. That being said, I believe you can absolutely do worse directly plantting seeds....IF temps are not ideal or you are hand watering too much. The Juniors keep the soil perfect for root development and it wicks from the bottom, forcing rootgrowth towards moisture...which is ideal. Top watering a seedling in a big pot of Soil can def slow things down. This is why I have always transplanted until recently. Keeping your temps up and having space to directly start are the 2 main problems. If you have ideal temps an use Earthboxes, directly planting will be superior to trsnsplanting...even Rootmakers. I wouldnt directly plant if I wasnt confident that my environment was ideal. I will do another set of seeds this way to prove my point. Been doing this a very long time, Autos benefit from rapid growth more so than Photos. Directly planting with proper moisture levels will provide a Auto a healthy/rapid start, allowing the seedling to never slow down. Root health and growth is vital for Autos, so the environment has to be ideal or dirextly planting can slow root gowrh down. Peace, slow
Yes, been doing some Candy Cane training. Have to admit, that was the best ACCIDENTAL purchase I have made. I was just looking at them and accidently hit BUY NOW. Figured it was worth a shot, instead of canceling it. I have been using them ever since!! I really like that technique, thanks @MrOldBoy. It works perfectly for the Juniors too. I like that you can re adjust so quickly and really tailor the shape to your desire. Much better than my green ties. I do use a scrog on my photo clones, but Autos from seed in Juniors do very well with Candy Canes. Clones grow differently than planrs from seed. The branching is different. Peace, slow
I think @Organic Sinse has a decent amount of knowlege about the benefits of directly planting. This is my first time directly planting into soil. So even tho I have a ton of experience...I have none with directly planting Autos in soil, but a ton with Coco. However my Coco pots are much smaller. Pot size is a big factor on how warm the medium stays. This is why I say that Directly planting in Soil is ONLY beneficial when you can keep your medium warm. It is much easier to keep Rootmakers in a Hotbox with Heating pad the optimal temps. So that route is best for many. But with Juniors I rewlly feel like it keeps the medium perfect moisture for root development, if you have the warmer temps for the first 10-14 days. After that you can drop the temps. But 80-85F is ideal for them at the beginning. I am pretty confident that it is actually the ability for the seedling to reach food sooner more than anything. If you start in cups or Rootmakers with Starter Soil, they dont have much food. So by day 9-10 they can safely reach the Kis Soil if directly planted. But trsnsplanted seedlings I wait til day 12 and then they take 3 to 4 days to take off. Autos have an internal clock, so a week is a big deal IMO. I will do 2 new Roc Bud Inc seeds for comparison...will be here Sat. Im not saying that the Transplanted plants wont do as well, but from this observation the Directly planted seed is going to be week ahead in total growth time. Peace, slow
Actually I just did a side by side Clone experiment. I did 4 in Starter soil in 5oz cups. I did 4 in Coco in 9oz cups. Today all 4 Starter Soil clones had roots blasting out. Only 1 of the Coco girls has roots showing. The cup size makes a difference on the speed of rooting. But I was pleasantly surprised that the Soil clones rooted so quickly. Cloning is all about MOISTURE level in your medium and temps. Same as seed starting 80-85 is optimal temp. I actually wouldnt use them for cloning. I like my 5oz cups best for cloning. You basically want to squeeze the majority of the moisture out of the cup, plant with some Cloning gel, and keep the stem packed tightly. In 6 to 7 days you have roots in 5oz cups. Use a solo cup and it will take 10-12 days.
