400w too strong for my cabgrow? clones turning yellow and wilting

[mixedwell]

this is my first grow, and i thought i did all my research, but i guess half the fun of this stuff is trying to get it right..


i have built a cab for my indoor grow. its a nice box, about 18x18x32 with a 400w MH on top outside the box w/ remote balast outside as well. theres plenty of room for my girls to grow but i think they're getting cooked! I have a nice fan blowing air and the venting is really nice (i just leave the door open..hey im not flowering yet) and nothng is cooling the bulb. the hood and bulb are sitting on top of the box and so its not too close to the plants. the lights are maybe 28" away from the plants. do you think my 400w is too strong for my setup?

the girls are looking like they're wilting and some maybe turning a slight yelow on the leaves. i was thinking of REvegging the whole thing with a bubbler setup to zing the girls back to life. would changing them from the soil they're in now to hydro hurt them even more?


BTW i have 5 clones, about 4-6" with a couple of leaves. Sour Diesel and Chem Dog. they're in soil now, and i water them about 3Tbsp twice a day just when the soil feels dry.

can someone guide me to the right path? im not sure what im doing wrong.

thanks for the support

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[maryj315]

First off welcome to i.c. Now i am going to to direct you to the growers forum from their click onto the soil section on top their are stickies you will find cloning with jj scorpio its where i started lots of good tips and pics.

You are probably going to get 20 different answers on how to clone and leave more confused than if you go and research for yourself

If you have any question just ask and JJ will try and help or some body else will

Mj

 

[kushism]

Welcome to ICMAG you came to the right place for answers and info.. Bummer about the wilting..

What is the temp at the tops of the plants? what were they vegged under before hand? how long have they been rooted?

re-vegging might not be a bad idea as it would allow them to get back into a vigorous, healthy growth state.. I doubt the 400 is too brite, but i am willing to bet it is super hot.. I would look into cooling the bulb itself.. I had very similar issues my very 1st grow, heat buildup along with soil problems caused me to give up.. But here i am, 7 years later, without soil and loving it.. Switching to hydro would be your choice, but i am not too sure about how bad it will stress the plants.. if i was you i would just reveg until healthy and try again.. Cabinets are hard to master, but cooling and airflow are the biggest factors in super small places.. I might also cut back from watering twice a day, to just once, at least for a day or 2 to see if they perk up any. get yourself a nice digital thermometer and measure the temps in the cabinet.. take 1 measurement at the tops of the plants and take one about 6 inches above.

Hopefully i have given you a few things to lookinto, and hopefully you can figure out what is causing it..

Hope the advice helps, Good luck!!

 

[mixedwell]

great advice guys thanks!


i do believe it may have been too hott in there for the girls. ive switched to my 'emergency light setup' which is 4 CFLs rigged to a reflector about 6400 lumens. im also goin to water them only once a day now. thanks!

i really want to do hydro.. im probably going to switch one or two of the girls to a hydro setup and see whichis better.

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[kushism]

Nice!! Sounds like a you are on your way.. let us know how they do after a few days.. CFL's will be A LOT cooler for ya until you can figure out how to keep it cooler..
if you have any questions, just ask, i will help ya best i can

 

[RockyMountainHi]

great advice guys thanks!


i do believe it may have been too hott in there for the girls. ive switched to my 'emergency light setup' which is 4 CFLs rigged to a reflector about 6400 lumens. im also goin to water them only once a day now. thanks!

i really want to do hydro.. im probably going to switch one or two of the girls to a hydro setup and see whichis better.

-

so much going wrong so soon

Temps are critical - daily watering is asking for disaster, water when thirsty and not until.


and no picts make it even harder.

Love ta help, but you need to get a pic and do some homework. You have a good start going back to CFL's now let's get the plants healthy again.

this is my first grow, and i thought i did all my research, but i guess half the fun of this stuff is trying to get it right..

if ya think getting things right is half the fun,,, ya ought try a good harvest to organize your goals. (set your sights higher)

 

[12gauge]

don't switch them to DWC! your asking for trouble. i've done it in the past, but you have to be experienced to deal with the switch.

you water twice a day in soil? bad idea. but you list 3 tablespoons?!? that is either to little, or if you have tiny pots, too much. either way the soil should dry out between waterings.

So if you have a "normal" sized pot, then 3 tbls 2x a day, on top of being a bad approach to watering them, is probably not enough water. you should flood them until you see some run off and let them dry out over the course of a few days until they need it again (ie the lift test, etc). if this is the case, than the plants are llkely under watered and nutrient (likely N def.)

if you have ridiculously small pots (like 3 oz or something), than you are likely overwatering them. you probably caused root rot and the plants are showing signs of def. and wilting due to the lack of ability of the roots to function properly - in other words they are dying or dead so they cease to function. can't uptake enough water or nutes to sustain the plant.

i also agree that putting them under less intense light while they recover is always a good thing. the 400 is not to intense for rooted clones. the heat it generates could be, but you said ventilation was good, so that is not an issue.

good luck

if all seems to be failing - clone them and start over.

 

[MrMcBean]

Hi Mixedwell, I love the avatar

Well it sure sounds like its too hot.Although 28'' should be a good distance to keep the lights as long as the temps are fine.

I bet that if you just build a PC cooling fan into the side of that box you will solve the problem. Also make holes in the top of the box to allow hot air to escape on its own. (the holes will already take off a few degrees)

As for switching to a DWC I dont see a problem with that. I have done it a few times with different plants. Start out with a light nute solution and very importantly add rooting hormones in the beginning. Stick with the same solution for 2-3 weeks adding a bit of nutes once or twice and top off the water each time.

When you decide to switch take the potted plant and down the roots in water to get as much soil off of them as possible. It is crucial that you get ALL the organic soil matter off of the roots. I know this from experience, a bit of soil can cause major rot. Dont be afraid to trim the roots a bit in order to get all the soil out of them. They will grow back very fast in hydro. I would use a DWC in your situation and make sure the roots are submerged from day 1.

I greatly advise you to try a DWC for a few plants.. if not all You will love the results! Watch out for space issues tho, 4 DWC plants under a 400 watt = massive growth.

take care,

peace

 

[mixedwell]

thanks for the replys guys.. this lil hobby of ours is actually harder than it looks, huh? or am i making it harder than it really is? haha

ok..well im gonna stick with my CFLs til i can figure out my heating problems. my grow box is exactly just that. a box. with a door. im gonna try toying with vents and fans, possibly tackle the DIY cool tube or just make a whole new grow space altogether. i've already seen and read so much about grow boxes here on icmag and i think the ideas are great.

also im sticking with my soil for now cuz the girls seem to like the new mix. i will however grab more clones and start the DWC using the bubbler method just for kicks. i wanna compare which one will grow faster, and then smoke the winner after.

again, thanks for the help guys. i'll post pics once i take them.

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[RockyMountainHi]

. i wanna compare which one will grow faster, and then smoke the winner after.

and what ya goina do with the looser?