Seedlings failed to sprout after germinating

I have grown before but this is my first attempt using artificial lights (SurGro 200 full spectrum). I wanted to get a couple of extra weeks of growth and then put them outdoors. I germinated 20 feminized Afghan Kush seedlings for 2 days and then put them into degradable pots that you can stick straight into the soil. I think one of my mistakes was putting too much perlite in with the soil. I did a 1 to 3 ratio. We also had two bag seeds that we put in two red party cups but with no perlite. We put them under the light about 12" and they just didn't sprout. We raised the light after a couple of days of no sprouts. The two bag seeds grew great but only five seeds sprouted from the Afghan kush and then they wilted and died. I took them out from under the light and 2 recovered but lost the rest. Just trying to figure out exactly what went wrong exactly. I think it was a combination of too much perlite and the light was too intense and it just sucked the moisture out of the seedlings. The two bag seeds are doing really good, and I think its because they weren't directly under the light but off to the side, but the 2 that recovered are growing slow and seem stunted. Any input from the experienced growers is appreciated.
 

peterstoke

Well-Known Member
the best method to germinate seeds is the paper towel method. you place the seeds on a dish and fold a long piece of non scented toilet paper in half and place the seeds inside the paper then drip water onto the paper towel. keep repeating this drip method about every 10 hours so the paper doesn't dry out. and keep the seeds in a nice dark room until you see the seeds crack and show a sprout. then you want to gently place the seeds in a small plant pot about a inch down into the soil with a tea spoon or some tweezers and a few days later they will pop out of the soil :)
 

peterstoke

Well-Known Member
a 400w light should be about 18 inches away if you are dealing with HPS bulbs. if they are seedlings i would probably put it a bit further away maybe 24 inches? i think the problem you had here was the soil was too damp. and the seedlings couldn't break through the soil. next time you do it make sure you only use a little bit of water. no more than 20 ml for a seedling, and build it up as they grow :)
 

peterstoke

Well-Known Member
remember you want small plant pots to start off with. the smaller the better. let the roots fill out the little plant pot and then transplant them into a bigger pot. and only use a little bit of water. about 20 ml every 3 days for a seedling. You don't want to drown it. That's your problem here. they died because they couldn't break through the soil.
 

peterstoke

Well-Known Member
ok I think they just got too dry and the light mightve been too intense. Its a LED light though so i dunno
if you only gave them a little bit of water when they was seedlings and they was in small plant pots then the light intensity must of killed them. if it's a 400w HPS bulb you want it about 20 - 25 inches away
 

gbis59ll

Well-Known Member
I have grown before but this is my first attempt using artificial lights (SurGro 200 full spectrum). I wanted to get a couple of extra weeks of growth and then put them outdoors. I germinated 20 feminized Afghan Kush seedlings for 2 days and then put them into degradable pots that you can stick straight into the soil. I think one of my mistakes was putting too much perlite in with the soil. I did a 1 to 3 ratio. We also had two bag seeds that we put in two red party cups but with no perlite. We put them under the light about 12" and they just didn't sprout. We raised the light after a couple of days of no sprouts. The two bag seeds grew great but only five seeds sprouted from the Afghan kush and then they wilted and died. I took them out from under the light and 2 recovered but lost the rest. Just trying to figure out exactly what went wrong exactly. I think it was a combination of too much perlite and the light was too intense and it just sucked the moisture out of the seedlings. The two bag seeds are doing really good, and I think its because they weren't directly under the light but off to the side, but the 2 that recovered are growing slow and seem stunted. Any input from the experienced growers is appreciated.
Lol reminds me of my time in 2nd grade

Here's a trick give em darkness until they sprout.
 
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