New Member same old slow growth problem

[BigWillyDee]

First off, let me say thank you for a great forum with tons of info...i look forward to posting here.. now down to the problem..

i started these seeds (5)mayhem (5)nl two weeks ago in seedling flats w/bark plugs... where they were terribly over watered.. almost criminally.... i transplanted them about five days ago into these 16oz cups with ocean forest/perlite and haven't watered them since the transplant... they are starting to grow and turn more green but i am wondering if they will ever be normal size or are they doomed to be stunted for their entire life... i really don't want to start over but i also don't want to waste my time with some runts..

How long has this problem been going on? 10 days

What STRAIN are you growing? mayhem & nl

What was the establishing technique? (seed or clone?) seed

What is the age of your plants? 14 days

How Tall are the plants? 2" (they were potted deeper due to stretching)

What PHASE (seedling, vegetative or flower) are the plants in? seedling/veg?

What Technique are you using? (SOG, SCROG etc) regular

What size pots are you using? (Include how many subjects to pot) 16oz

What substrate/medium are you using? What brand of soil mixture are you using?(percentage of perlite, vermiculite...etc?) ocean forest/perlite 70/30

What Nutrient's are you using?How much of each with how much water? How Often? *Knowing the brand is very helpful* none yet a little super thrive when i transplanted

What is the TDS/EC/PPM of your nutrients used? NA

What is the pH of the "RUN-OFF"? who knows i'm a newb

What method of pH test was administered? Using Strips? pH pen? i'm buying one very very soon.. (i'm thinking of getting one that i can just stick in soil and does ph/ec...any suggestions on which one? i'd rather spend money and get a top of the line meter)

How often are you watering? too much in the beginning not once in the last five days

When was your last feeding and how often are you feeding? see above

What size bulb are you using? 400w mh

What is the distance to the canopy? 2.5 ft (was 3ft)

What is your RH Factor? (Relative Humidity) don't know have gotten a ???whatever you call that..i am assuming its rather low (the room is not sealed its just in a corner of a room)

What is the canopy temperature? 77-84

What is the Day/Night Temp? (Include fluctuation range) 77-84/65-70

What is the current Air Flow? (cfm etc.) no exhaust

Is the fan blowing directly at plants? yes (but its a light setting) the leaves have have gently but constant movement....is that good?

Is the grow substrate constantly wet or moist? not anymore

Is your water HARD or SOFT? couldn't tell ya

What water are you using? Reverse Osmosis (RO)? Tap? Bottled? Well water? Distilled? Mineral Water? was using distilled at first but have switched to tap water that has been sitting out

Has plant been recently pruned, cloned or pinched? no

Have any pest chemicals been used? If so what and when? no (when should i start spraying neem)

Are plant's infected with pest's? nope

well there you have it here are some pics to go along...please let me know what you guys/gals think

thanks

 

[BigWillyDee]

i can't post pics?????? can you just use your imagination??

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

You need to lower your light closer to the seedlings. Maybe 12-18 inches. Use your hand to check and see if the seedlings are going to get too hot.

Gentle breeze is good.

Temps ok.

Ph meters you stick in the soil stink. Buy one that can test liquids. Checker ph meters are really, really cheap. When you want to check soil ph, water/fertilize till the soil is completely soaked. Wait a couple hours. Pour a little distilled water on the pot till you get a little runoff. Catch this and test ph. You can also use the meter to adjust the fert water ph after adding everything.

Always water the containers after transplant to settle the soil mix.

 

[BigWillyDee]

ok i got it

 

[BigWillyDee]

You need to lower your light closer to the seedlings. Maybe 12-18 inches. Use your hand to check and see if the seedlings are going to get too hot.

Gentle breeze is good.

Temps ok.

Ph meters you stick in the soil stink. Buy one that can test liquids. Checker ph meters are really, really cheap. When you want to check soil ph, water/fertilize till the soil is completely soaked. Wait a couple hours. Pour a little distilled water on the pot till you get a little runoff. Catch this and test ph. You can also use the meter to adjust the fert water ph after adding everything.

Always water the containers after transplant to settle the soil mix.

are you sure about 12-18 inches? can i just lower it now or do i need to lower it gradually? i heard a few people say 3+ft for a 400w during seedlings? also my temps will drastically raise when i lower it i would assume...

a buddy of mines goes to school for agricultural studies and he uses a field scout d-54 soil probe....he say all you gotta do is stick it in the soil and you get an accurate ph/ec reading...its like 800 bucks though so i guess thats why soil growers use the liquid testing meter...my hydro store sells hanna meters??? anyone heard of them?? are all the good and accurate soil probes that expensive?? i'll never grow hydro thats why i asked

you notice the weird leaves on the 2 mayhem plants..?

thanks

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

The reason your seedlings were leggy was because the light was too far away.
You don't need to gradually lower it...just do it. Use your hand to test if too hot at the seedling tops. You will have to water more frequently because the warmth of the bulb will dry the containers out. More light = more grow

 

[BigWillyDee]

ok well the light was lowered to about 16" .....do you think the growing will pick back up now? no long term damage or stunting?

 

[GET MO]

theyre yung, should be fine...

 

[BigWillyDee]

well thanks for all the help you guys, i'll post up progress in a week....got my fingers crossed for some serious growth spurts...

thanks again

 

[MynameStitch]

I would not lower your lights, plants are not stretching so they are fine!

Since you transplanted they will grow a little slow, cannabis grows slowly after transplanting and hit growth spurts when they root around 75% of the pot.

Your cotyledons are starting to yellow, in about another week you need to start feeding them weekly.

Do not use superthrive anymore unless transplanting.
Those cotyledons mean food is getting low and then the plants will be needing to feed from the soil and after that is used up you will need to feed them.
pH pen or pH test strips is the way to go, if you got the money defiantly pH pen and some calibration fluid is a must!

So just give them a little time they will pick back up!
When it does come time to feed, remember not to listen to the hydro guy or do not listen to the feeding directions per say on the back unless made for cannabis.

Always go by how big your plant is and how much light you have when knowing how much to feed your plant.

 

[BigWillyDee]

well i gotta tell ya i lowered the light yesterday and there was a definite growth spurt...it was also the day i watered and i guess released the nutrients in the soil so.....i was keeping it up higher because, honestly i read it in somas book...but they seem to like it

i use ocean forest and i heard it has enough nutes in it for the first month especially at this stage...i do have grow big ?? i think thats what its called from fox farms... i was thinking it was too much though..

 

[Hazelnuts]

I'm running a 400w with seedlings(not anymore though), had them about 14" above the plants, they LOVED it. I guess it's a question of genetics

 

[MynameStitch]

All strains are different. so some can handle fox farm some can't yours seem to handle it fine.

Yes around 25 days they run out of nutes which in about week it will be around that area.

If you notice crispy leaves or slight curl upwards the light is too close, reason why you don't want to put it that close is due to many reasons and one is seedlings don't need a lot of light and they are still in the same stages as seedlings until another week.

They can only take in as much light as the size and plentiful of there leaves.

 

[BigWillyDee]

well i think next time i'm going to use a differant soil for the seedlings just to be safe...i hope they take off soon and become plants...they got off to a very slow start,,

 

[guineapig]

I think lowering the light will really improve the situation......

Another thing to remember is that if you buy any water that says "Distilled" on the label, i can assure you that the pH will be very alkaline (usually around pH 8 when we want a pH of around 6.3).....i have made this mistake in the past and the seedling growth was very stunted until i started testing my pH.....testing pH is a very good
habit to have......

Hope all is better now!!!

kind regards from guineapig

 

[BigWillyDee]

I think lowering the light will really improve the situation......

Another thing to remember is that if you buy any water that says "Distilled" on the label, i can assure you that the pH will be very alkaline (usually around pH 8 when we want a pH of around 6.3).....i have made this mistake in the past and the seedling growth was very stunted until i started testing my pH.....testing pH is a very good
habit to have......

Hope all is better now!!!

kind regards from guineapig

yeah, i actually was using distilled water until i read an old post by stitch about it....i'm going to the hydro store today to get a ph pen (its a blue lab Truncheon meter....is this a good one?)
http://www.n-g-w.com/ngw/gardening_...H / EC / TDS Meters __ Solutions&type=product

anyway i have some funny looking leaves and maybe a high ph is twisting the leaves a little

 

[MynameStitch]

I agree with guineapig about the light; but you just always got to be careful when using that high wattage on small plants keeping the light too close......

He is correct about the distilled, but it also depends on the brand; some brand will tell you it's distilled and it's not; so you got to find a company that is honest and test the pH when it needs be.

Fox farm is pH balanced and should come out at 6.3- 6.5 area, if not then your water is changing the pH....

So a pH tester is always important tool to have.

Yes trunchon makes a good pH tester; just make sure you get some calibration fluid with your meter and re-calbrate it every 2 weeks tops.

 

[BigWillyDee]

ok well they didn't have the meter in stock so they ordered me one..until then i bought the test strips...they cost a grand total of 12.99... i wonder if i really need the meter it was $135 anyway.....................i tested the tap water...6.5 so that seems to be in order.....

here is a couple of pics of two days of growth with the lights lowered..it looks as though things should take off soon...stems are really fattening up...i really enjoy watching these little seedlings grow...the pics are before and after