Slow growth problem.. do I change photoperiod?

Hello I'm a little new to this and this is my first grow. I've been having problems with the PH of the sustrate and my plants have been growing very slowly, so slow they're in their 25th day of veg grow and they tallest one is only 12 cm tall.

Theyre meant to grow for a week more, but I dont think they will be taller than 15 cm.
I'm not sure if I should let them stay in veg for a few more weeks, with the problem that I dont have a lot of time and the bill will also raise.

Please I need some advice on this I dont know what to do.

Thanks!!

Take a close look.
If the Branches are directly opposite each other where they leave the main stem, let 'em veg a while.

If they have started to alternate, go ahead and flower.
If healthy, they can double in height during flower. :)

But fix your issues first.
Flowering is stressful, if they are not happy in veg., trying to bud might kill 'em.

Aloha,
Weezard

Thanks a lot weezard, here is a picture. This leaf was green and lovely two days ago, this is how it is now.

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/1135/p4020048.jpg


I've been told it was magnesium problem, so I put in some epsom salts and dolomite. I also added a layer of humus on top.

I'm thinking the best thing to do is to buy some good soil from a grow shop and put the plants in there, the problem is that theyre already in their last 7 L pots, wont the old soil stay in the roots?

Thank you so much

It looks like you have a lot of salt build up. And possibly over-watered, And there's definitely some nutrient issues. You can go to walmart and but a cheap pH tester kit in the Fish section.

If you are using nutes you should discontinue them until the plant is a little healthier.

You should only water every 3 to 5 days or when the planter feels light depending on the size of your planter. If you have a scale. Probably a bathroom scale, just depends on size of planter. Let her dry out for a few days, to where you can stick your finger into the soil up to the 2nd knuckle and your finger come out dry. Once she is dried out put her on a scale and weigh her, take note of it. Now water til you get 1/4 runoff and re-weigh, take note and use these as references for watering.

Hope this helps!!

And that's another thing. You should have started them in 16oz Solo cups and done a graduated transplant. This could also be a factor in its slow progression. As the plant starts in a smaller pot it has time for the roots to become healthy and become root bound, After it becomes root bound you transplant to a 1 gal, then a 3 gal and so on. You may have caused stunted growth by starting her in such a larger container.:(

That picture is one for the plant abuse section. Here's my take, short and sweet:

1. Listen to Weezard and TPJ. Make them comfy.

2. Get a bag of Fox Farm Ocean Forest. Transplant immediately removing any old soil possible without damaging roots. Easy does it. 10 - 14 days in FFOF with straight pHed water. You can use an aquarium meter kit but note it will not be accurate when you add nutes due to discoloration of water. There is a work around for that too. No nutes or feeding until week 2 or 3 of flower.

3. Remember, the damage will never heal. Look to new growth to determine success. Also remember that any changes to environment, root zone or feeding takes 3 - 5 days to be expressed with the plant.

4. Leave it alone between watering (every 3-5 days in veg, a bit more in flower). Use the extra time to read up. The stickies here are good enough. See GanjaDigger for a very nice subject specific search engine that can help as you research. 420mag also has a very respectable FAQ section.