When to remove the dome and begin fertilizing

[nlong2106]

Hey everyone my seeds are 11 days old as of today. Almost every single cell has about 3 plants inside. Some cells failed but others did great. I’m going to wait for the sprouts to get some more roots before moving them to an empty cell. My main question is I’m planning on removing the dome tomorrow if that’s okay and when should I start fertilizing with my espoma organic fertilizer it’s a 2-2-2 that I’m going to dilute 1/4th strength. I’m using coco nuir as my soil. I appreciate all responses!

 

[johnny108]

Remove the dome. Just don’t let a fan or wind blow on the sprouts- it will dry them out.
I’ve found it’s easier to transfer sprouts sooner, rather than later- fewer roots are damaged and the plant isn’t so established in one place, already.
Fertilizer usually isn’t needed until the first true leaves appear, but coconut coir has no nutrients, so a 1/4 solution should be safe.
Personally, I would use an eye dropper or syringe to fertilize one cell, and watch it for a few days, before fertilizing every thing.

 

[nlong2106]

Remove the dome. Just don’t let a fan or wind blow on the sprouts- it will dry them out.
I’ve found it’s easier to transfer sprouts sooner, rather than later- fewer roots are damaged and the plant isn’t so established in one place, already.
Fertilizer usually isn’t needed until the first true leaves appear, but coconut coir has no nutrients, so a 1/4 solution should be safe.
Personally, I would use an eye dropper or syringe to fertilize one cell, and watch it for a few days, before fertilizing every thing.

Got it. See I tried to do that the other day but I think the sprouts are a bit too fragile. I did about 6 and 5 look in rough shape. Should I give it maybe another 10 days before I move them?

 

[StoneCarver]

My main question is I’m planning on removing the dome tomorrow if that’s okay and when should I start fertilizing

That's not a simple question to answer as there are a lot of variables involved. Depending on how high your humidity dome is, you can leave it on for awhile. Your soil does look dry. I like to use a mister/atomizer for watering seedlings. I find the soil tends to absorb the water more quickly/easily that way. It doesn't matter if the mister knocks the seedlings over. They'll stand back up. Sometimes, if I know the soil is real dry, I'll mist first just to get the top layer of the soil wet. Then, I'll pour water to fully soak all the soil in the cell. Sometimes, you have to coax the soil to absorb water particularly when the soil has dried out enough to reach a hygrophobic state.

 

[GreenDragon]

My advice is to remove the dome AND the heat mat. It's the combination of the two that is drying your soil out. The heat mat forces moisture up where it then condenses on the cool dome lid. Also the mat is no longer needed after germination. If you are having problems getting and keeping the soil wet because it has become hydrophobic try this: Fill the bottom tray with water containing one drop of dish soap until the seed trays starts to float. Let sit for an hour or until the trays are fully saturated, then drain the excess water out. You should find it easier to regulate moisture content going forward.

What is their destination? I assume from the number of cells they are slated for a garden bed or similar, and it will be July (in Florida!) when they are ready to transplant out. I would begin acclimating them to the Florida heat, sun, and humidity as early as you can.