2weeks into growing

[itzsquirrel]

Dunno what this is. Looked on line and nothing exactly matches it. The 2 plants on the left are ok, yet not as old. The one with issues popped through the soil feb 1st. However I measured the soil after watering and it was 7ph. I heard this is a bit high so friday I will get some ph dwn. Is this cause the high ph? These pix are in my gallery as well.

 

[itzsquirrel]

Nothing? In the third pic the edges are starting to turn pale green. The soil is dry the forst 1/2 inch. I am going to let it dry out a bit more. Second grow and the first one didnt go too well but did get a bit of a harvest. I want this second one to take off as I want to get a mother and clones and possible a male for fresh seeds. I am using Kellogg patio plus outdoor soil. Only thing in the cab differnet is I had a 2 light adapter on the side lights. Those as 65k 23w blue spec with a single 27k 23w in the top middle. Any help?
Any recommendation on a form of ph down? I heard lemon juice. How much would I need with a ph of 7?

 

[ColBatGuano]

They look overwatered, and having a reaction to the high pH. They're droopy and puckered. They may also be having a K or Mg deficiency, but I think the overwatering and pH flux is what's doing it.

Have you ever grown in this soil mix before? If it was the soil you used in your previous "didn't go too well" grow, why did you use it again? It doesn't look well amended for drainage, and that could be part of your problem. You need to get some drainage amendments in that, like perlite or vermiculite. You also need a ph fixing amendment like dolomitic lime.

I suggest you hit the Organic Soil forum, and have a look at a sticky thread at the top called "Organics for Beginners." That will tell you how to make a much better soil mix for your plants.

 

[itzsquirrel]

They look overwatered, and having a reaction to the high pH. They're droopy and puckered. They may also be having a K or Mg deficiency, but I think the overwatering and pH flux is what's doing it.

Have you ever grown in this soil mix before? If it was the soil you used in your previous "didn't go too well" grow, why did you use it again? It doesn't look well amended for drainage, and that could be part of your problem. You need to get some drainage amendments in that, like perlite or vermiculite. You also need a ph fixing amendment like dolomitic lime.

I suggest you hit the Organic Soil forum, and have a look at a sticky thread at the top called "Organics for Beginners." That will tell you how to make a much better soil mix for your plants.

Yes same soil as my first grow, but that whole grow I had trouble with temps. 83-85 and plus at times. I was dwn to only using 1-2 lights to help keep temps down. According to the sick plant pix my previous grow was heat stressed. Also I will admit i didnt have a ph meter then. I will checl out the other forum. Thanks. Also when would they be ready to transplant. CAn you do it too young and hurt them? Just today i had another seeddling break surface so now I have 4 plants. I am building another cab so they will get xferred and this cab will be a mother /clone room. with the other being a dedicated 1/2 veg 1/2 flower. Thanks again.

 

[ColBatGuano]

Yes same soil as my first grow, but that whole grow I had trouble with temps. 83-85 and plus at times. I was dwn to only using 1-2 lights to help keep temps down. According to the sick plant pix my previous grow was heat stressed. Also I will admit i didnt have a ph meter then. I will checl out the other forum. Thanks. Also when would they be ready to transplant. CAn you do it too young and hurt them? Just today i had another seeddling break surface so now I have 4 plants. I am building another cab so they will get xferred and this cab will be a mother /clone room. with the other being a dedicated 1/2 veg 1/2 flower. Thanks again.

There isn't really a set time or stage where they are ready for transplanting. However, the safest time to do it is when they are almost root-bound. You may not be able to know this unless the plants are otherwise healthy. If you wish to transplant as a corrective measure, then anytime would be the right time. It is best to transplant when the soil is dry, and light. It is less likely to cause the root ball to fall apart.

FWIW, I've made a few mistakes in transplanting before, which resulted in torn-off and damaged roots--and my plants always came back to thrive. The most important aspect of your setup is your soil mix. Without a good soil mix, you will continue to have problems every time.

I hope you do check the Organics for Beginners sticky--the advice there will help make your grows go better and your plants healthier. I grow organically, and I don't really have to do much more than water my ladies when they need it--all the way to harvest.

Get your temps down about ten degrees and you'll be in a better place, too.

 

[GreenDream]

Need to know more to properly diagnose the problem.

pH 7.0 is definitely too high. 6.5 is borderline for soil.

Although, your problem looks more like over-fert to me. Just my guess based on the excessive leaf curl..... again, I need to know more to properly diagnose.

 

[southpaw]

Overwatered... the "top half inch" tells you nothing about how wet the rest of the rootzone is, especially in soil, where there isn't much root growth high in the container.

Let those containers dry out completely, then water with a very, very light version of whatever ferts you are planning to use for veg. Kellogs has enough organic goodies in it (from what I just read up on, at least) that I personally would just go with a nice worm casting tea. Don't even think about transplanting them again until they hit 8-10", let them build a root ball worth transplanting first.

 

[itzsquirrel]

pots are 5.5inches high 6inches across. <--If that helps. Tested the soil about 2 min after watering and was 7.0 The oldest one (on the right) was feb 1st broke soil. so the 13th i watered once using earth juice grow in a mild solution according to their label which is 5ml per gal water. I havent watered in 2 days. tomorrow being day 3. Should I flush em? I watered all 3 the same time. The others are starting the same thing. leaf points turning pale green. This friday I will hopefully be able to get a new soil medium. Plan on using the one listed in the thread recommended by ColBatGuano. My temps are staying about 2-3 within ambient temps. now they drift around 73-79. occasionally hitting 82-83. It is starting at the4 bottom of the plant so I am thinking it is soil related. soil, nutes, watering, etc.

First version of this box, had bad ventilation. Just wasnt expecting how hot the room got. lol live and learn. Second box will be better able to handle the summer temps. 100+ outside.

Let me know of anything else you need to know. Oh they are 24/0 lighting, but i want to switch to 18/6 in a week or so. Save electricity.

 

[ColBatGuano]

No you shouldn't flush them! They certainly don't look like they need watering. They look like they need a lot less watering. Baby plants can go up to 10 days or more without needing watered. They don't drink much when they're small. Quit feeding them until they look like they need it. They probably won't for awhile. Your soil only needs a little light compost tea to keep the micro organisms happy. Always use bottled nutes at no more than half of what the bottle says to use for any given stage of growth--at least until you are more familiar with them.

 

[southpaw]

Seconding CBG. Just let them be for a few days and let those containers dry out. A four inch plant in a gallon of soil doesn't need to be watered often at all.

Growing (especially in soil) is a distance race, not a sprint. Relax, the plants will be fine.

 

[OMountainMix]

My hubby says water when they are slightly droopy and then water carefully, tracking when they are happy again, and carefully developing a watering schedule. He also says that with soil, it's better to have a mix with a lot of perlite, the more the better, b/c it prevents drainage problems. Cutting down on light may also hurt your yield. If you're worried about temp, you need to control it. Uncontrolled temp means no good harvest. We had done two small test grows at our current spot and I was resistant at the time and we didn't do it proper. I totally understand why now, it makes a huge difference. Also, really using the right nutrients and staying on top of things is what makes the difference overall. I remember one of the WORST things you can do with soil is overwater. I don't miss all that transplanting and soil and what not. Hydro has been much easier although it has all kinds of pitfalls, which of course, can be prevented by being vigilant.

 

[ColBatGuano]

Hydro has been much easier although it has all kinds of pitfalls, which of course, can be prevented by being vigilant.

Really? I feel 180-degrees the opposite. I've been delighted at the ease-of-use of organic soil growing. Hydro was a pain in the ass to me. I guess we all really do have our own trials and tribulations around here!

 

[itzsquirrel]

Thanks, However it is a little unnerving doing nothing and watching the leaves get worse on the bottom. Actually these leaves are way bigger than my first grow. But the first grow did make it to harvest! So this time the cab is a little better dialed in. now onto the soil part. I am researching that as well. Wonder if I should use my current soil just mix in some perlite? She (fingers crossed)started getting real bushy at first and didnt seem to grow towards the light anymore, so i rasied them some to make em a little taller. Recommendation on the compost tea part? I will split my current batch of food up so it will make it half strength of what it is now. Thanks again

 

[ColBatGuano]

Have a look at the compost tea sticky thread in Organic Soil. Just don't let it overwhelm you--there's a lot of stuff going on it that thread.

Also, bushing out is generally what you want in veg. They'll shoot upward during their "stretch" period when you enter bloom.

It is also not such a bad thing if those bottom leaves die and fall off, so long as the problems don't move up the plant. You might eventually prune those bottom leaves anyhow.

 

[itzsquirrel]

Ok all I am doing is just checking on them and the leaf edges on the upperleafs are starting to curl upwards and turn just like the lower ones. I am sticking my finger along the side of the pot to check soil. Just so I can get a feeling of when it's dry. Should I mix the soil with say about 25% perlite to help with drainage? I also swore the soil got a compacted after watering. Still learning how to read and what ingredients to look for in soil, so I am not sure if the soil I am using has decent drainage properties.

Once the other cab is running I am going to try the organic recipe. Thanks again, again.

 

[ColBatGuano]

You should ALWAYS amend your soil with perlite or some other aeration matrix for growing cannabis--unless is comes that way. Cannabis needs lots of oxygen to get to the roots. If it's too wet, the plant can't breathe. While it isn't necessary, part of the reason cannabis growers buy somewhat pricey mixes like Fox Farm's Ocean Forest, is because it has good amendments in it. Even still, you have to add more perlite to that stuff, too, or mix it with another product, like Light Warrior, to get a well-aerated soil. There isn't really anything wrong with the mix you purchased, but it needed perlite and maybe a bit of dolomitic lime added to it first. Lime fixes pH.

 

[OMountainMix]

That's exactly what my husband says. He says it's hard to get to much perlite in the soil. I recognize the name light warrior, too.

 

[OMountainMix]

and i love hydro, frankly. my hubby says that soil is the only way to get the best flavor, but we're getting way better yields on hydro and it's way less messy if you're careful. but being careful is the way to go no matter what you do and everyone has said the latest round tastes better than ever. then again, i started adding sweet in veg, too.

 

[itzsquirrel]

I tried tranplanting the older one and couldn't. Root ball was pretty good sized. I could see the roots that already made it to the drain holes in the pot. I had some soil that I ammended with about 25% perlite. I just used that to replace the soil that got dumped out. Payday I need bigger containers. I didn't water them for like 4 days. The die leaves slowed down. When they started drooping more and the pots felt real light I watered the oldest. In about a day some leaves perked up some. I cleaned up some of the dead foilage and topped the second one while I was at it. I will post pix in a day or 2. Thanks again