Seedlings growing very slow + dying leaves

[Woozy]

Hello, im growing the following strains, White Fire Og, Iranian Auto flower, and Iranian OG kush. I started germination end of fed, the first sprout came out at march 5th, i had about a 90% germ rate including all the seeds. All of them sprouted by march 11th. Theyve been growing very slowly since. I think I overwatered them abit, but i eased off watering for a while. My setup is the following, one 120watt Led panel, two 23 watt cfls. 2 PC fans for circulation, mylar lined walls all in a simple storage bin. The growing media is organic soil, i started seedlings in promix seedling starter, fed with aquarium water. Ph of the soil is 7.0-7.5. I top dressed after 2 weeks with a mix of compost and worm castings, about a table spoon per plant, in a 16oz plastic cup. The problem is that the plants are growing extremely slowly, some got better, some are getting worse. Some of the seedling leaves are browning at some points and dying some are not. Whats consistent in all the seedlings is slow growth, i water them every 3-4 days when the soil is dry about fingertip deep. I recently (about a week ago) water with an's beneficial fungi power called piranha.
here are some photos:



http://postimage.org/image/s0t4wr8vr/
http://postimage.org/image/b1k6hhxo7/

 

[Woozy]

more images at http://postimage.org/gallery/112wh83s/156c6d20/

 

[Guest02345]

you need to lower your pH some how. optimal range is around 6.5 for soil. if you think you over watered let them dry out

 

[northstate]

Over watered it would seem to me too. Whats your h2o ph? Water a little less often with ph adjusted water. The sprinkle of castings should be enough, that seedling mix has no nutes in it though. Do you have drain holes in your cups?NS

 

[Bi0hazard]

Check the PH of your drip - and also PH your water before watering.

Check your temps to make sure they are atleast 65°F or hopefully 75°F.

Also if you have no nutrients in your solution - the plant will let the bottom leaves die to get energy to grow at the top. Check into the proper way to add half a dose or 30% of some recommended nutrients to your mix.

 

[Woozy]

Im growing organically, there is compost in the soil mix, so it shouldn't be nutrient deficient, i did let them dry out, seemed to improve them abit, would the ph really affect these plants that much? i will try the tips and will update in a week. any other tips will be greatly appreciated. the temps are constant at 26 degrees Celsius. I do have drainage holes in my cup, 5 holes the size of a nail.

 

[Woozy]

I also have another question, could the aquarium water be burning my plants? aquaponics utilizes the fish waste as a nutrient solution, although it isnt as concentrated as synthetic fertilizers, could the aquarium water be burning my plants causing stunted growth and brown dry spots on the leaves?

 

[Guest02345]

you are using aqarium water?

 

[RetroGrow]

I also have another question, could the aquarium water be burning my plants? aquaponics utilizes the fish waste as a nutrient solution, although it isnt as concentrated as synthetic fertilizers, could the aquarium water be burning my plants causing stunted growth and brown dry spots on the leaves?

It's possible. I would eliminate it and see. But your PH is out of whack and that is everything. Bring your PH down by only watering with 6.5 PH water.

 

[wildgrow]

Hmmm... overwatered and possibly overfed if you started feeding when they sprouted, ph too high. Cant leds 'burn' plants if too close? Maybe too much wattage-whats the dimensions of the box? Hell, Ive been up for 24 hrs-just some thoughts. Hope you get em straightened out. cheers

 

[Bi0hazard]

PH is absolutely crucial at all stages.. If you are out of the needed PH range - the plant will not be able to use the nutrients...

lookup PH Lockout

 

[Woozy]

Im sure the issue is probably the ph in the water, my run off was at 7-7.4 but the actual ph of the water i used was close to 7.5-7.8, aquarium water. my tap water's ph is at 8.0, i guess i should add some ph down, and feed with pure water until the issue gets resolved, i'll update if things get worse or better.

 

[Hammerhead]

You need to lower the ph before you water to 6.5. No food at such a your age. and stop watering so much let the soil dry out.

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

ph or overwatered...

 

[TheNamesCYRUS]

dam.. I thought I suck.. dude give them more light.. there lacking hardcore..

 

[Bi0hazard]

No need to attack others to make yourself feel better? We all started off new to this at one point.

You want your runoff to be between 5.4 and 5.8 if possible - definitely PH down the tap water and check it before using it. Once you correct it, it might take 2-4 days to get out of PH lockout and then it will start growing at regular speed. So it might be a couple days before it shows up - definitely water half the amount you were before.

Poke some medium sized holes in the bottom of the cup with the dirt and put another cup underneath it - so it doesn't waterlog the bottom of the cup - you can check drip off easier and you can see if the bottom is wet or not easier. (see through plastic cups on the inside is usually best and solo cup on the outside.

 

[moonymonkey]

about the watering,you know wen your doing better on how fast the plants are taking up water and are they showing better growth at same time.i lik 5 gallons of soil to dry in 4 days instead of 7-10 meself with better growth. peace moon/

 

[Woozy]

120 watts of leds puts out alot of lumens. waiting a few days for the soil to dry out, then i';ll ph the water and add abit of organic nutes.

 

[Woozy]

thanks for the tips all, really helpful, hopefully things get back on track, this is my second grow, first one went very well,this is my second, i just started trying organic soil, just gotta dial my shit in.

 

[sso]

aquarium water is Very nutrient rich.

specially if the aquarium has no plants in it (btw if you dont have some, get some, the fish will be much happier)

you want to give just plain water at least once inawhile lol.

though it sounds like you should just give the plants plain water for awhile.

too much N can lock out other nutrients.


i use aquarium water too btw, even in flowering, but i also give them plain water inbetween and also use water from 2 tanks (different species)

since its better to have a varied diet.

heh, actually i havent used any bought fertilizer for close to two years.

nicer looking plants, nicer smell and no decrease in yield (the only "problem" i have, is that fanleaves start dropping off pretty soon and by the end, even budleaves are starting to die off, but, budsize remains the same and every thing else (actually just gets more light to bottom..)) (but this only happens in flowering, perfect health in veg)

the only other stuff i use , is occasionally my urine (lets skip that debate, it works for me (fantastic problem solver))