Thanks for posting. I am not sure about tent and light configurations just yet. I am setting up a second hand Tent and CFL station in my shop this winter to try it out. The equipment was gifted to me by an old Catholic School buddy who was expecting a visit from his probation officer. Jokes of course...he wasn't eligible for probation.

I plan to use it for young rooted cuttings versus seedlings. It is possible the heat is causing some problems for you but I would venture to say it more likely the slowdown typically associated with winter or the plants are cycling to more root growth to support an upcoming growth spurt.

I have used F.E. before and as long as you can get over the smell it works great. I would figure in a high heat/humidity tent that smell would have the added benefit of keeping insects and pretty much everything else away. Using it on new seedlings is something that I don't have any experience with. I hope Emily reads this post as she has proven herself quite adept with seedlings and she may be able to answer best.

i believe Protek is a silicon additive which helps strengthen the cellular structure of the plant so not necessarily a fertilizer but certainly with continued use is something that can improve the plant in a long game strategy.

Rubra and Obtusa are the two main species. Perhaps you are thinking of Plumeria Alba which is a narrow leaf? I think they are also called West Indies Jasmine. Obtusa has rounded leaf tips and are evergreen to semi evergreen. Rubras are essentially everything else with color. There are 20 or 30 different species. I don't have too much of an interest in the species classification and I think its becoming less and less important as many popular varieties are hybrids.

Haha! Thanks the-first-kms2. Let me know how the tent set up goes for you. I guess I didn't think about the smell from the FE. Something I should consider.

Hi Ryan,

Thought I'd post some pics of where I am with two month old seedlings under T5 lights. Have 25 of them.

They are a month younger than yours and difference in size among them quite noticeable. Have Aztec Gold, Mardi Gras, Moir Pink, Pink Pansy, Royal Hawaiian and "Mystery". The Mardi Gras and Aztec Gold as you'd guess are the best performers and Mystery the worst. Like you I feed them FP and Protekt.

This feels and looks like a sixth grade science project but a lot more fun.

Nancy

Hi elucas101, I intend to put them out in full sun probably starting sometime in the spring. Looking forward to it actually...less maintenance. Thanks for the tips. I'll stick with the foliage pro and protek to minimize the types of fertilizer going into the soil. The hydroponics guy I talked to mentioned that the HPS light I use is mainly for flowering opposed to growing. But it's working for the seedlings so I'll stick with it for a while. The older seedlings are about 3 months (August 29 2016 planted date). The tallest is about 5 or 6 inches which I think is pretty quick based on what I've read so I'm hoping they aren't growing TOO fast! Also I have 2 or 3 that have multiple branches, which I've read leads to the plant not flowering well. But all looks well so far. I'll keep all you posted!

Hey Nancy! Your seedlings look awesome. What are they growing in? I gave an update in the message above on my seedlings. Mine are growing pretty fast which is cool, but I guess there is a point where it may not be too good for the plant. All my seeds were from eBay or Amazon. I bought from both but didn't track. They are all mystery seeds cause I have no idea of the parent plant. Trying to get a mardi gras cutting now through eBay. But we'll see. It IS like a science project!

Ryan, if I could figure out a way to send you one of my Mardi Gras seedlings I would! But fear the postage would outweigh the value of the plant, and more fun to grow your own too. My Mardi Gras are by far the fastest growing and most vigorous. I bought from Brad's Buds and Blooms and in addition to the Mardi Gras have Aztec Gold, Moir Pink, Royal Hawaiian, Pink Pansy, and some "mystery seeds". The Mardi Gras are now about 9" tall, with lots of branching. Looking for homes for some of them among friends. Please keep in touch- will be eager to hear how yours continue to do.

That would be awesome. I'm in San Diego, where are you located? All my seeds are mystery so not sure even slightly what they may be. They are between 4-7 inches now. The ones growing most vigorously is in the picture. It's already branched 3 times and a little one on the way. Does mine look leafier that yours for some reason? Maybe type of plumeria strain? I just took out my HPS light and now running completely CFL 6500k bulbs.

I'm on the Oregon coast, but I'm from Encinitas. I think yours look much leafier than mine (and taller too), but mine are a month younger so maybe compare in another month or two. Here's a couple of mine. The one on the left is 10" tall with 3 branches and one on right is 9" with 5 branches. One is Mardi Gras and the other is Aztec Gold. I don't know Ryan I like yours better than mine! How tall is the one you have pictured? Looks huge.

That one I approximated (I'm not home to measure) maybe 10" or so. I don't know, I think yours look much sturdier. Looking at mine closer it looks leggy. But most of them seem to stand ok on their own. Wow! 5 stems. Can't wait to seem them blooms. Another 2 years to go!

Just a quick update. I've been using Foliage Pro for about a month now and noticed my seedlings were getting really leggy. Long skinny growth, almost vine like. Since FP has a high nitrogen content, I'm wondering if this may be the cause? Other variables to consider is the use of artificial lights and bring grown in a grow tent. Anyone notice the same issues when using FP?

I think for now, I'm going to lay off the FP and stick with SuperThrive and ProTek.

Also has anyone cut a seedling, maybe 1/4" of the top? Wondering if it will survive and grow new branches around where the cutting was made? I did that to my adenium seedling, which had a really long leggy top of about 5 inches. I cut about 3 inches from the top and 2 new branches grew next to the cut. But after the 2 new branches grew, the plant overall stop growing, however the root system appears to be ok and no signs of disease.

-ryan