Ca/ Mg issues?

[~Shhh~]

10 x seedlings are 16 days old, planted in seedling/ cutting compost watered every 2-3 days under 55w of floro's. 5 strawberry cheesel & 5 hazolope.

Problem started about 3 days back when I think I overwatered the hazolopes, the watering mix is only bottled water and rhizotonic with a lil molasses, havent checked pH as I ususally don't need to adjust in soil- could be another issue. Hadn't checked roots @ that stage and assumed after 10/11 days growing in cups the root system could tolerate watering until run off occurred. Maybe I am wrong but the day after they didn't look so clever, and a couple days after that they started showing signs of a def in the oldest leaves.

I have let the hazolopes dry out thoroughly and will water lightly again today.

The same defs are now starting to appear on the strawberry cheesel which I also gave a good watering a few days back.

There's definitely no pests insects at all, so I a few possible scenarios.....

1. I have over watered both sets of seedlings (doh!) and defs are showing slowly?

2. The seedling compost has been depleted of mg/ ca or something in the 16 days they've been in there as there are similar/same defs on 2 different strains.

3. pH has been too high (will check pH later today when I get my new pen) and as cups were fairly heavily watered this has locked out ca/ mg other element

4. Bottled water with low ca/ mg content? (would have assumed compost/ soil had sufficient amount for seedlings?)

Help with identifying def, how to rectify and possible cause greatly appreciated!!! Don't usually have issue like this and it's doing my head in now.

 

[ibjamming]

pH/over watering...either or both.

How close are the lights? Maybe need them close too?

 

[mean mr.mustard]

Overwatering possibly... definitely a calmag issue though... to answer your question.

 

[bobman]

A couple of questions/suggestions.

2-3 days seems like a little much but it seems like you have a good knowledge of that issue. May want to let them really dry this next time. looks like they are not in too much soil either so that should be easy to control.

could they just be hungry for some food?

i know you said you do not have pests but those white dots on one of the pictures looks like a mite.

 

[madback]

a transplanting might be a start... at least that was my problem. I started using the gallon per month ratio from seed. Those 500ml beer cups are like 0.132 gallon... so two weeks MAX imo...

 

[~Shhh~]

Hey thanks for the answers guys, kinda along the lines of what I was thinking I'm to used to clones!

Ibjammin, the floro's are plenty close...Maybe 4" away from the tops I wanted them to stretch a lil as the stay very short when vegged under floros I find.

Mean mustard, cheers mate I think that's part of the prob for sure bro

bobman, that's why I mentioned there being no visible pests checked with mag glass just in case, the dots sure look like mites and that's the first thing I checked for upon seeing em. I was gonna water the driest ones tonight last watering was 3 days back, but I'll leave these till tomorrow morning and give them a small drink to ease em back into things. They'll also be transplanted then, that way they can get some food from the new soil and I'll foliar feed them some 1/4 strength nutes.

madback, I concur bro the transplant will happen in the morining when I get some mo soil, that's why they're pretty low in the cups I ran out thanks for that formula re transplanting.

I think it's been a mixture of overwatering, too long in too little soil and possibly pH issue... although I know this soil buffers pH pretty well and there is usually no need to adjust it from bottle or tap water. Ah well u live and you learn. When they get under the 600 they get pH'd water so it may well be a lil of that too.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions guys much appreciated.

So would u agree the thing to do would be to give the ones that had a watering 3 days back a and are pretty dry now a lil watering pre x plant tomorrow and a foliar feed with 1/4 strength nutes for some instant food/ca/mg?

I'll leave the others that are still wet an extra day and then xplant em too.

How's that sound to you guys?

Would you recommend I treat the ca/mg asap with epsoms and lime or do you think the foliar would do the trick? And then the roots should spread into the new soil in a few days enabling them to get some food on their own...