First Grow problems. help??

hey guys, i got this survey off this site from stitch and filled it out hoping to get some help. i am a first time grower but i've done a lot of research but cant really diagnose the problem my self. can anyone help me?

SOIL:


How long has this problem been going on? 2 weeks
What STRAIN are you growing? northern lights
What was the establishing technique? (seed or clone?) female seed
What is the age of your plants? 1 month
How long have they been in the soil mixture they are in now? 3 weeks
Were they in the same mixture when they were seedlings/smaller plant? If not, what mixture were they in before? no, miracle gro potting mix
How Tall are the plants? roughly 3-5 inches
What PHASE (seedling, vegetative or flower) are the plants in? should be in veg but they still have sproutling size??
What Technique are you using? (SOG, SCROG etc) regular indoor. idk the technique
What size pots are you using? (Include how many subjects to pot) 6 inches, 1 plant per pot
What substrate/medium are you using? What brand of soil mixture are you using?(percentage of perlite, vermiculite...etc?) miracle gro organic choice soil
What brand Nutrient's are you using? miracle gro
How much of each nutrient are you using with how much water? *Knowing the brand is very helpful* 1/4-1/3 solution per gallon
How often are you feeding? i've fed twice now,one after the other
If flowering, when did you switch over to using Bloom nutrients?
What order are you mixing your nutrients? (example: veg nutes 1st, bloom 2nd ect)
What is the TDS/EC/PPM of your nutrients used?
What is the pH of the "RUN-OFF"? roughly 6.5
How often are you testing pH/ppm/EC/TDS?
What method of pH test was administered? Using Strips? pH pen? ph/fertilizer meter
How often are you watering? every other 2 or 3 days
When was your last feeding and how often are you feeding? today,
What size bulb are you using? 2 12watt 6500k cfls, 1 48watt 2700k cfl
How old is your bulbs? not even a month
What is the distance to the canopy? about 7-10 inches from top of plants
What is your RH Factor? (Relative Humidity) i dont have a reader for RH but i run my a/c a lot during each day so that brings it down
What is the canopy temperature? 75-80 usually
What is the Day/Night Temp? (Include fluctuation range) Day: average 78-79 Night: 74 ish
What is the current Air Flow? (cfm etc.) small desk fan
Tell us about your ventilation, intake exhaust and when its running and not running ? i dont really have intake or exhaust fans, just the small one
Is the fan blowing directly at plants? i mostly run them gently on the plants but sometimes just around the grow box
Is the grow substrate constantly wet or moist? mainly moist
Is your water HARD or SOFT?
What water are you using? Reverse Osmosis (RO)? Tap? Bottled? Well water? Distilled? Mineral Water? tap
If using tap water, what is the ppm/EC/TDS of the water right out of the tap?(Only if you have a tds pen)
If using RO,Distilled,mineral water, what is the ppm/EC/TDS without any additives?(Only if you have a tds pen)
Are you using water from a water softener?
Has plant been recently pruned, cloned or pinched?no
Have any pest chemicals been used? If so what and when?no
Are plant's infected with pest's?no

They might be overwatered let the soil dry out completeley in between waterings. And use some perlite for propper drainage, it keeps your soil loose and airy.

my first ever indoor grow was with shultz plant food at recommended dose, i would have to conquer with my learned friend ^^^^^ on this one.

plants do best when left alone i find. too much human intervention actually may be abusive. when she needs water, she will let you know. just follw the directions and let her breathe, d

thanks guys!

Too much water and don't feed it for a month...

my leaves are now turning brown and curling upwards slightly.. is there something else i need to kno or do to fix this? help would be appreciated

Let your soil dry completely before watering again. That should do the trick.


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Let your soil dry out EVERY TIME before watering again (sometimes you feel like you need to do more for the plant, to help it perk up, but its more likely that you need to do less).... Over watering is the MAIN mistake you need to avoid with soil growing, Soil needs to be soaked, then it needs to Dry out 90% before the next water.... EVERY TIME!!!!

Push your finger into the soils surface to see if you can feel any moisture, also lift the pot, to feel the weight of the pot, you will know when the pot has used up the water.
On your next water, use water only (Tepid water if possible), the plant should start showing normal signs again... fresh growth.

I'm not sure on using miracle grow for your plants.... I think i've heard bad things in the past...
I recommend BioBizz Grow & Bloom, they are cheap as chips, about £10 a bottle... and easy-peezy to use (almost fool proof)... If you want your plants to do well, I'd try n pick some up!

If you ever need help with a Biobizz feeding schedule, let me know! PEACE

I was using the same soil on one of my plants to see how it was, i wasnt impressed at all, i was told to ammend it with dolomite lime as it likes to run acid, & it has chicken shit in it! watch for bugs too, i microwaved mine. My plant never liked it so i changed to something else. Ive seen ok results with the normal MG potting mix though, & stay away from the moisture control stuff!

You should not have been feeding either, those plants were too small bro,. next time wait a week or two longer. I know the Organic Miricle grow has enough feed in it to last quite a long time like 4-6 weeks or so. so your probs were Overwatering & Overferting imo! hope that helps!

Also did you read the bag it came in, may help to do that man! Good Luck!

That's really helpful guys thank you. I think I'm gonna just spend the money on some real soil. Can't wait to do a new grow and do it right! haha

Yeah, save you a lot of hassle, very wise move bro? what are you gonna go for, FFOF or Allmix, Promix hp or? its always a good idea to look throught the journels on here n see whats working real well for others, with the least amount of hassle too! Good luck man!

im gonna be ordering fox farm ocean forest but untill then is mg organic or potting soil the better choice for a few weeks?

Should be ok with either, your doing what i did & it went pear shaped for me too, using the OMG, twas why i switched, to JA Bowers Multi Purpose & that stuff works well, it has a starting PH of 5.5-6.0 & is reduced peat based, the tomatoe specific version works well too, they both have a similar PH to the Canna terra line of soils, Peat Based etc. Semi Soiless i call it, i added some Humas Compost & Perlite, dont forget to add at least 25% perlite minimum, for drainage! Good luck Buddy i hope it all works out for you, & you have made a great choice in soils imo!Seen spectacular Buds from it, i do see alot of growers who progress to Coco, & once they iron out the creases it's as good as any hydro if not better!
Peace.......Scroger!

Just to add i do see people on IC using the OMG with good results, just dont feed with it for 4-6 week or untill the plants ask for food!!

3 things....

1. Ditch the miracle grow crap

2. DO NOT FERTILISE, until plant demands it(usually at the minimum, 3 - 4 weeks(sometimes shorter - sometimes longer), you'll know when it needs ferts, they will grow normally and then start slowing down, a leaf or two might start showing a little bit of yellowing between the veins on the leaf itself. This is when you know it is safe to fert, once you get experience, you won't have to wait for the leaf to yellow, you will be able to see it for yourself. When you do fert, don't use common sense and say to yourself, "Ohh well its starved, so I will give it an extra portion of food." Always err on the side of caution and use half of the recommended strength or even a 1/4, if it needs more you can add more later in subsequent waterings, you can never take away, unless you leach the hell out of it.

(for a first time grower its hard to know what "growing normally" is, GENERALLY, its an inch a day which is usually after they get their first set of 3 fingered leaves)

3rd, Add in perlite, usually i mix 60% - 70% soil/40% - 30% perlite.
I would say reduce watering.... but with the added perlite, you MIGHT be watering just right, ONCE you add the perlite. =) 2 sure fire ways of knowing if you're overwatering, well three, actually,

1. get you a little PH/Light/hydrometer meter from Home Depot, or your local garden supply. They cost like 10-12 bucks, totally worth it. Ignore the PH meter, they rarely work on those damn things. The light meter works and the water meter works great though.

2. stick your finger in the soil up to the 2nd knuckle, if its wet, don't water, if its moist, don't water, if its dry, and you pull your finger out, and no soil is stuck to your finger, like mud. It is time to water.

Once you get this down, you will be able to use what they call the "Lift technique", in which you will be able to LIFT the pot and tell by the weight of it, if it needs water.

After that, it will become automatic, you will just automatically know, Oht, I need to water today, haven't watered in a week. (obviously depending on humidity.)

Here you go buddy! read this thread.:https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=36542

Its got some great shit in it, its long but its a good un! all the best!

LolaGal here on IC uses Organic Miricle Grow Crap lol! She does just fine with it, i dont like it either though! He said he's already ditched the MG, he's just waiting for a few weeks untill the FFOF comes!

Hygrometer you mean hydro, yeah hydro is giving you good advise man.

Yeh, I shouldn't have phrased it in such a manner "Miracle grow Crap". I am POSITIVE that other folks have gotten good results because I've seen the results.

Oddly enough I used to have great luck with MG, I quit using it after buying a few bags and ending up with black flies after transplanting, which had happened to me on a few different occassions on different grows. Other times, the soil was too strong(fert wise) or improperly balanced. So, I gave up.

thanks guys, its great when people actually take time to really help others on this site i appreciate all the helpful info. i just got new seeds and cant wait to start over and see my results now that i know how to take care of my babies properly

What "I" would do...if you're interested. Make my own "soil". It's real easy, and can all be bought a Lowes...at least mine.

1/3 peat moss, 1/3 mushroom compost, 1/3 perlite...along with 1 tbsp dolomite lime (use more if you're using RO/distilled water) per 3 gal pot, and 1/2 cup of that Espoma Bio-tone Starter Plus with mycorrhizae per 3 gal pot. Each ingredient is about $5 so you can get started for not much more than $20 and fill at least 4, three gallon pots.

It's nice and rich, holds and sheds water well, my plants always love it. It will also grow your babies through most of the veg period without added nutes. This prevents "burning" from too much fertilizer. You won't have to feed them for at least a month.

Many people swear by the name brand premixed soils too...they're not available to me. Maybe I'd switch if I had the opportunity to try FFOF or something similar. My mix blows away Miracle Grow soils...

Though...if money is an issue...you CAN use Miracle Grow tomato food for flowering. I have and it works great. Use half the recommended strength. Any decent, full nutrient fertilizer can be used to grow plants.

My grows are half "organic" and half chemical. I grow veg organic and then add chemical ferts for flowering.

Good luck, if you keep it simple...it is...when you complicate it with hydro setups and dozens of additives, that's when things can go wrong. Save that for a few years...after a few grows. Stick with simple and soil for now.


Good luck

yea i'll be going to lowes today, i think im gonna try your mixture and see how my results are.
thanks again!