Accidenty left newly planted seeds in the dark for 16 Hours

Hi everyone,

I planted seeds two days ago. For the first day, they were on a normal 18/6 light schedule. The second day, my timer malfunctioned(or I did) and the seeds stayed in the dark for 16 hours. Did I ruin them?

they will be fine just put them back on the 18/6 cycle.

Seeds should be kept in the dark until they sprout anyways. I plant my seeds in 9 oz solo cups and then cover the bunch with one of theose Glad ovenware trays that is black. It keeps moisture in and light out. You do not need to light seeds.

Serapis said:

Seeds should be kept in the dark until they sprout anyways. I plant my seeds in 9 oz solo cups and then cover the bunch with one of theose Glad ovenware trays that is black. It keeps moisture in and light out. You do not need to light seeds.

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really? Wow, I've never heard this. I don't mean to doubt you at all, but can anyone else confirm this? Should I not be putting my plants under light until they sprout?

not that you shouldn't put them under a light, but they should definatly be under the soil which is in the dark... but yes, a seed requires dark to sprout but should have light present when it does sprout

ok, cool. I have them planted in 5 gallon pots now. I'll just keep em on 18/6 and hope for the best. Thanks for relieving my stress folks.

Personally I like to keep my plants under 24 hours for the first 2 weeks, seems to get them started faster but I could be wrong...

If you planted beans two days ago, they aren't even sprouted yet, they don't need a light schedule yet.

Punk said:

If you planted beans two days ago, they aren't even sprouted yet, they don't need a light schedule yet.

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EXACTLY, and planting a seed in a 5 gallon bucket is just asking for problems trying to maintain PH and you are going to waste a lot of water trying to water a 5 gal pot for a seedling. I start my seeds in a 9 oz solo cup with organic seed starter. After about 14 days after sprouting, I pot up to a one gallon container. The next logical step is a 3 gallon, unless you plan on taking the plant outdoors. You are of course free to plant how you wish, but it sounds like you could use a growing guide to read.

Serapis said:

EXACTLY, and planting a seed in a 5 gallon bucket is just asking for problems trying to maintain PH and you are going to waste a lot of water trying to water a 5 gal pot for a seedling. I start my seeds in a 9 oz solo cup with organic seed starter. After about 14 days after sprouting, I pot up to a one gallon container. The next logical step is a 3 gallon, unless you plan on taking the plant outdoors. You are of course free to plant how you wish, but it sounds like you could use a growing guide to read.

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i've read plenty of guides that suggest starting seeds in their final containers as transplanting can disturb the plant. Wasting water isn't a huge concern and I have a PH meter, so I can make adjustments easily.

the reason i do it is because of what he said ^ ive always known im stressing the hell out of my plants by even picking up the pot and moving them, so i figured id cut out the transplanting.

so far so good, its just the top of my ffof gets a bit dry i think for seedlings, so i would say its probably best to at least let them get sprouted in rapid rooters or a cheap alternative starter before adding them to the soil, unless you want to constantly mist the top with ph'ed water every 1 1/2 hours to make sure it doesnt get too dry on the top of the soil like i am heh.

live and you learn, my first soil grow so im sure ill be learning alot.

I agree that starting in 5 gallon containers is [usually] a horrible idea. I personally wouldn't even think about using anything over a liter to start seeds, those 9oz solo cups are perfect for the purpose. Watering properly, etc. is going to be bitch in something that big. Not saying 'it can't be done', but I see folks having issues with their seedlings all the time on here and many of them are trying to start in pots that to me are way too big. With a more appropriately sized container you can water until you get run-off, and you'll know you can most likely water again in 2-3 days at least. With a 3 or 5 gallon pot it is going to soak up a shit load of water, and with no roots there to use it it is going to stay quite wet even when the soil surface dries out... sounds like a hassle to me.

Not to mention that unless you have feminized seeds that is a hell of a lot of potentially wasted soil. Even then, shit can still go wrong. Starting in a 4-5 inch deep container is just a good idea for so many reasons. Transplanting is not that big a deal. A healthy plant should have no issues whatsoever going into a larger container.