strange death of lower leaves...help??

I am a first time grower. i havent grown any kind of plant in my life, so im using the internet to guide me. =) i am roughly 3 weeks into growing. My 2 seedlings are about 4 inches. one is more like 3.5 inches. Both of these plants recieve light from a wide spectrum flourescent bulb. It is a commercial light, not a growing light. I believe it is a low wattage like 15-40,(not sure at all) yet still, these babies have grown. The soil is simply miracle grow. Its in my bathroom, so it gets some humidity when i take a shower. other than that an misting the plant with a spray bottle, i try to keep the plants as dry as possible(to maximize resin output). No plant food is being used. Yet. The are on for 20/4 hour light cyle.

Now, i have a series of questions. I will post pictures of the two plants. There are 2 pics to each plant. The first plant has two leaves turning yellow and brown at the tips, and appears to be dieing(the brown part is crunchy and fell off). I am not talking about the cotyledons. I am referiing to the leaves that grow immediately after the cotyledons. Both have turned brown and died at the tips. Explanations?????

There are also white dots appearing on my plants. More on the second than the first plant. i occasionally see small skinny orange bugs, that i squish upon notice. I assume these bugs are the culprit? what inseticide should i use that is safe yet effective?

And also, are these plants at the height they should be??? I am concerned about stunted growth from overwatering or the bugs.

Answers to these questions would be much appreciated.

sincerely,
-G
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You can use "Seven". I have found this product to work great and not affect any growth. You can find it at Wallyworld, Meijer, lowe's, etc....

Thank you for that =) ill pik that up next time i go grocery shoppin. WalMart is a blessing

I would still be grateful if anyone could give me answers to my other listed questions. =)

-G

or when i go to lowes. I have a friend who got it from walmart though so its worth a try =)

To be honest, it sounds like spider mites. They are more than likely the little red bugs you are finding.

When the leaves start to die at the tips, it is usually a sign of "nutrient burn". Many will suggest that it is a "nitrogen" problem but I would start small and try to flush your plants or get rid of the miracle grow and transplant. I've had great sucess in the past with miracle grow but the success without it is even better. And one other thing, dont sparay the plants with water unless you live in a very hot climate. They need to breath and if the leaves are drowning, then the plant is sufficating. These are simple problems that most begginers have, so dont sweat it.

What type of Miracle Grow soil are you using?

i was using miracle grow "seed starting" mix, then i transplanted into the standard potting mix. Because of the lack of soil(due to my tight budget) i had to mixx the two soils for one of the plants. This is where i took in potting soil from outside(mistake), which would explain spider mites.

I have since given the plant a flush and the problem didnt spread, but i was just wondering if it was a disease or something.

Speaking of disease, i have come into possession of a clone yesterday, that has a powdery white mildew on it. How should i treat this properly?

That could be a number of things but more than likely it is mold or a spider nest. Prune that part of the plant if possible.

Being that you have soil from outdoors mixed in with your store bought soil, it would probably be a good idea to feed them a low dose of nutes. I would reccomend 1/4 of whatever the nutes reccomend. It really is a toss up though since you used mix soils. Jus give them a lot of light and not too much water and they should be fine after you get rid of the pest problem.

Try to get your hands on some decent soil and be sure not to compress the dirt in the medium, let the water pack it as you water. The looser the soil, the better, allows more oxygen to get to the roots. When you water them, make sure some water starts to come out the bottom holes and do not water again until the top 3-5inces are dry. You have to make sure the bottom of the medium stays wet but not so wet is cause root problems.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Good luck!!!!