seedling problems. over watering and... ??

[dankleader420]

ok, so my plants are about a week old and there is a lot of drooping on the first set of leaves. (over watered them) i am pretty sure about that one. but now they are starting to turn a dark color on the leaves and i dont know why.
I am growing them in this "Premium seed starting Jiffy Mix" soil and have not fed them any nutes or anything. they are under a 2' flou., two 6500K 26w CFLs, and two 2700K 26w CFLs. i tried to take some pics but its kinda hard to see. but does anyone know what this is or how to fix it?

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii7/dankleader420/DSC08350.jpg
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii7/dankleader420/DSC08353.jpg
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii7/dankleader420/DSC08355.jpg
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii7/dankleader420/DSC08347.jpg

sorry if the pics are huge. but yeah.. anyone know what to do? the second plant is starting to do it too, just not as bad yet.

[Level25Noobmaster]

Hey, I think I can help you! I started growing mine about 1 1/2 weeks ago. I encountered the same exact problem! I am also using eight 26 watt 6500k CFLs (but im not using 2700K) This is how I resolved it:: Stop Watering. lol easy as that. I let my soil dry out and my leaves perked right up in just a few days. The dark color appears normal and should be nothing to worry about. Its more than likely an illusion due to the outer part turning yellow. Speaking of that, (this may not be a problem for you) I had a problem with my leaves being a bit pale, yellow color. What I did was feed it my diluted urine - 10 parts water to 1 part urine. I know that sounds disgusting but the leaves turned green in a frame of 2-3 days (urea is high in nitrogen. It saves money too)!! So my seedlings are doing great!! One more thing: The size of your stem IMO looks a little stretched compared to your leaves. Make sure your lights are as close as possible without burning and you have a fan blowing. A good breeze strengthens the stem if that wasn't already obvious lol Hope that helps!! good luck!!!

[Mr. Clandestine]

Your soil looks like it holds moisture really well. I've never actually used a Jiffy mix before, but I use their pellets pretty frequently. If it's anything like the pellets, it's loaded with peat. All the water retention can eventually suffocate the roots on tender seedlings, and young cannabis roots can be pretty fragile.

You might think about transplanting into slightly larger containers, and "cutting" your soil mix with some perlite. Should make a world of difference for your roots.

Level25Noobmaster: Love the screen name! :thumbsup:

[dankleader420]

thanks guys. yeah the piss sounds kinda filthy but i might give it a try, seeing as i have no money at all. haha. glad to hear the same thing happened to yours and they turned out okay :thumbsup:

and yes it seems to me that this soil holds alot of moisture really well. it has vermiculite (sp?) and peat moss. I didnt have perlite at the time so i dont have any in there, but now i have some. how should i go about adding that to it? and how much should i add?
also as of right now it has been about 3 days since i have watered and the soil is still pretty moist. but it seems to have "hardened" and its hard to stick my finger down into. what can i do to help it soften up?

oh and i have heard that hydrogen peroxide helps give oxygen to the roots. is this true? and if so how should i use it?

[Mr. Clandestine]

Hey chief,

For a primarily peat/vermiculite (you spelled that right :thumbsup:) mix, I'd go with about a 30% perlite mix to really help lose some of the sogginess. Also, peat based mixes can lower your pH quite a bit, so be sure to keep your eye on the levels. Might not hurt to add a little bit of dolomite lime to the mix. But check the pH of your current soil first, just to be sure.

Urine contains ammonia and pretty high levels of urea, which can be a bit harsh if you don't dilute it enough. A bottle of deodorized fish emulsion costs like $4, and will last you a long time. Plus, you can find that stuff anywhere.

I'm not really sure what the recommended levels are for H202 in soil, but I use it when I don't have any beneficial bacteria that could be killed by it. I think I remember reading that 30ml/gallon of 3% pharmaceutical grade peroxide is a pretty standard dose. I usually just add a cap full per gallon of water, and have never seen any ill results because of it.

Good luck to ya! :jointsmile:

[dankleader420]

should i wait to add the perlite until i transplant? and then just mix it with the new soil in the container im going to transplant into, right?
also, the soil i am using has "added lime for pH balance" so i think its alrigiht. i dont have a ph tester or anything because no job and no money at all right now. but soon.

just one last question. how much water should i use to water? should i water til it runs out the bottom? or should i just use a little bit of water?

[Mr. Clandestine]

should i wait to add the perlite until i transplant? and then just mix it with the new soil in the container im going to transplant into, right?

Correct, sir. Make sure the peat mix is nice and broken up before throwing in the perlite. Should be a nice, soft mix... no clumps.


also, the soil i am using has "added lime for pH balance" so i think its alrigiht. i dont have a ph tester or anything because no job and no money at all right now. but soon.

Beautiful, then hopefully pH won't give you too many problems. When you have an extra $5, get you a liquid pH test kit. They come with a vial, a color-coded chart, and a dropper bottle with a solution in it. Testing is quick and easy, and while not the most accurate way to gauge pH, it gives you a good general idea.


just one last question. how much water should i use to water? should i water til it runs out the bottom? or should i just use a little bit of water?

How much depends on how large your pots are, how quickly the plants take up the water, how quickly water evaporates, etc. General rule of thumb is to water when the top 1.5-2" of soil feel dry. Stick your finger in the soil to check. You can also gauge by the weight of the pot... just water one pot until it barely produces some runoff, pick up the pot to get an idea how heavy it is when well-watered, then pick it up again when it's almost entirely dry. There will be a significant difference, especially if you're using larger pots. In soil, cannabis likes to go through consistent wet/dry phases... just as long as neither are taken to extremes. It'll usually let you know if you've watered too much, or not enough.