So your seed finally broke the ground, and you have a young plant, which is as healthy as it gets. This is the beginning of vegetative stage, when cannabis grows foliage and expands its root system

Young cannabis seedlings are very sensitive to three things: low RH (relative humidity), high temperature, and UVB radiation (280 - 315 nm), which we try to curb as much as possible.

If we grow exclusively indoor, then we don't really have to worry much about the last one as most of the growing lights, including standard MH, HPS and CFL fixtures, aren't capable of producing UVB spectrum.

However, we need to make sure that we don't bombard young plant with a light, that creates too much heat, which is why CFLs and LEDs are preferred over MH and HPS lamps.

In the same time we need to keep RH over 70% for most of the hybrids and over 80% for certain sativa varieties to keep the evaporation pressure low. The higher the pressure, the higher the risk of dehydration, especially in high temperatures, which is a REAL risk for a young plant.

If you live in a dry/arid climate, where low RH is a constant, then I advise you to get a humidifier, that should be on for most of the time. But if your conditions are naturally humid, then you're fine as it is.

Cannabis can be also vegged outside from day one, which quickly hardens the plant. In equatorial climates with high UV index you can grow your plant outdoor all year round. But even further north – think Spain, Italy, Arizona or California – you can start it outdoor as early as February.

However, in this case precaution should be taken against sun burn. Plant should be shaded for the first 5-7 days, and misted with water 2-3 times a day. Optimally, it ought to also be brought indoor during the hottest hours. But if you want to transplant it outdoor eventually, that's the way to go!

As far as watering in soil is concerned, indoor plants growing in stable environment should be watered ligtly once a week and sprayed with it at least once a day, in the morning or in the evening. The rule of a thumb is, that if the soil is moist (even a little), we put the watering off.

Too much water is counterproductive in this stage as cannabis grows root much faster if it has to look for it at the bottom of the pot!

We start watering more often after the plant hits the 3rd or 4th node, which usually takes 2 weeks, when root is large enough to utilise more water.

In this stage I also recommend using no fertilisers at all!

Stay tuned for the next bit, and support Hive account@canna-curate by upvoting and resteeming this post 🌿

Written by: Hive account@conradino23
Photos by: Hive account@jonyoudyer (Steem Og)

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