First time grower help with seedlings

Hello fellow ganja lovers...After lengthy researching I've finally decided to take the plunge and grow my own stuff. I currently have a 4" x 2.5" x 7" tent setup with a 400 watt hps and 6 inch inline fan with a carbon filter. Now I've been following a guide and was advised to use promix as my growing medium. I will be growing purple kush automatic as I wanted to go with an auto flowering strain for my first grow due to lack of resources in producing seperte veg and flower room. I have two 12 inch pits and 2 8.75 inch pots. I wanted to begin germinating the seeds however somethings in my guide are unclear. First question: after the seeds are germinated will the plant be stressed or grow improperly if I place the germinated seeds into the 12" inch pots which will hold the promix or should I place seedlings in something smaller?

Next question: should I place the seeds into thoroughly watered promix, slightly watered promix or completely dry? And my guide mentions that so long as I use promix I don't need to worry about PH is this true or not?

Last question (at least the last one that I can think of now lol): In terms of lighting all I've got is a 400 watt hps and truthfully my budget is tight and I can't afford any more lighting as I still must buy nutes. Now I know seedlings don't really need light but my guide says that I could use my 400 watt if I keep it 4-5 feet away. Is this true or would it cause the seedlings damage?

I really hope the great educated and experienced growers can help me out through my grow and I'd love it if you all could provide input to my questions... It is truly appreciated.

Seedlings can be started in any amount of medium. The only issue (especially for inexperienced gardners) is watering. The more soil a new grower sees the more water they think they need, and that sometimes causes issues. YTou spent probably around $500.00 already so $20 or $30 bucks for a few cfl's won't kill ya. A seedling will do just fine for a couple of weeks under just one or 2. Then when the roots are firm and you see good growth it is time to put on the HID. What ever soil you choose you will have to monitor ph to avoid nutrient issues when adding nutes. You should also soak the medium and let it drain for a good half hour and add inert perlite to it. Then plant your seedlings. Place under a cfl or 2 and watch 'em go! Good luck +REP for 1st grow.

Thank you for your reply brother I honestly appreciate it. I think I will opt out and buy some cfls for the first two weeks. If I put the cfls in a desk lamp and put the lil babies under it that would be all good? I want to thank you so much for answering all the other questions I truly appreciate it. So again to double check with the medium before I plant the seeds I soak it thoroughly and let the water drain out then plant the seeds? Thank you so much once again bro truly appreciate it and a +REP to you for the help my friend.

ya, a desk lamp can work or you can get a clip on socket and Y adapter at a hardware store. Don't forget the perlite about 20% or so added to the soil. It helps provide oxygen and retain moisture.

Oh and yes, soak the soil completly and let it drain. I always start my babies in a 4" pot and when they are ready I transplant into 3 gal bags and that is how they finish. 1 transplant the whole cycle. Adding food is dependant on how much is in the soil to begin with. Having never used Pro-mix I would not know what that is. I use FF Happy Frog soil so I know when to start feeding. Never start feeding with full dosage. Sart at 1/4 dose increasing by 1/4 dose every 3rd feeding. Anyway, if you have more questions feel free to ask.

Thank you so much bro your continued help is truly appreciated. I must ask something about the soil...Promix is a soil-less-mix that is made up of peat moss, vermiculate, and perlite in that case would adding perlite be necessary?

I ended up purchasing 2 desk lamps and 2 13 watt cfls - I believe blue light- (and the desk lamps could only take 13 watts) would that be sufficient for one seedling? And later on if I wanted to do about 3-4 more seedlings would that be enough light for the seeds or should I just go a bit higher right now (that way I'll return what I've purchased). I didn't get to see your posting but the clip on the socket was looking like a much better idea lol.

Im on my 1st auto grow my self. And love it.now my autos started preflower at arounmd weeks.so mine didnt get any nutes till i saw preflower . Then i feed quarter strength veg nutes. When flowerss started istarted giving bloom nutes,cal mag,etc.btw this is my first go with autos just learning as i go.but did get another on last seed order.

View attachment 2348167 I got these 2' T5 tubes that daisy chain together and they're like $15 or less at the grocery store (fred meyer). I should get some better bulbs, but they seem decent and you can just buy another one and plug it into the existing lights when you want more. You can chain like 15 of them together.

Sorry dbl post, accidently hit my back button and resubmitted.

They're stringy because I had them in the window sill for a few days before putting them under the lights, once under the lights they just started growing green faster than they can stand up.

giftedhermetic said:

Thank you so much bro your continued help is truly appreciated. I must ask something about the soil...Promix is a soil-less-mix that is made up of peat moss, vermiculate, and perlite in that case would adding perlite be necessary?

I ended up purchasing 2 desk lamps and 2 13 watt cfls - I believe blue light- (and the desk lamps could only take 13 watts) would that be sufficient for one seedling? And later on if I wanted to do about 3-4 more seedlings would that be enough light for the seeds or should I just go a bit higher right now (that way I'll return what I've purchased). I didn't get to see your posting but the clip on the socket was looking like a much better idea lol.

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If you have a retailer near you I would suggest going with a Fox Farm product or Roots Organic. Get a grow and some experience under your belt before fuckin around with soil less mediums that require you to do all the feeding. Save you some heart ache in the end.

I GROW GREAT GANJA said:

If you have a retailer near you I would suggest going with a Fox Farm product or Roots Organic. Get a grow and some experience under your belt before fuckin around with soil less mediums that require you to do all the feeding. Save you some heart ache in the end.

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I disaree i started out with pro mix.he said he was growing auto with might be problem. For his first grow. but ive tried ffof . Dont likeit cant start seedlings in it. So i use my pro mix .and have no problems follow nute line..grow dank. No disrespect intended. IGGG. Just mho

Could you link me to your setup. ( tent, light, carbon filter, ducting, fan ) I'm thinking of buying a tent with a mh/hps 400 watt horticulture light.

Kybudz said:

I disaree i started out with pro mix.he said he was growing auto with might be problem. For his first grow. but ive tried ffof . Dont likeit cant start seedlings in it. So i use my pro mix .and have no problems follow nute line..grow dank. No disrespect intended. IGGG. Just mho

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It's all good Ky...it is a discussion forum and if people have no differences in opinion it kind of defeats the purpose.

I personally don't use the FFOF for just that reason. I use FFHF exclusively. I love it and I know exactly what to add and when for the most part. Every plant in every grow has it's own personality. But it is easier to diagnose issues that do occasionally arise because I know exactly what is in the plant.

Also, I have seen many successful growers that use pro-mix and other soil less mediums. But IMO a newbie may end up having more issues that may cost them more money or worse yet, a plant or whole grow. So, my suggestion was to eliminate as many 'what ifs' and guess work for the OP as I could offer.