help with sprouts under mh w/ pics

Thought I would update the thread to show all but one of my seedlings have recovered. This is them about approximately two weeks. Problem now is I planted 2 more seeds when I noticed the originals werent doing so good. I have 7 plants now under my MH 400. Can my MH and HPS 400W handle the grow all the way through with 7 plants or should I try to give one away to a friend or something?

Edit: Also forgot to ask, in about 3 days I was thinking of adding 1/3 the recommended dose of Foxfarm Grow Big. But then again, the Foxfarm soil says it can feed up to a month. Some advice here would be appreciated. Thanks

Glad to hear they're doing good. :thumbsup:

Too soon for nutrients, per their size. Would give 'em another week or so before even thinking about nutrients. Have you downloaded and printed the Fox Farms weekly feeding schedule available from their website? If not, it's a good idea to do so.

Number of plants will likely be limited only by available footroom in the growspace, but I used to fit 6, 3 or 5 gallon pots under each 400w HPS. (I'm under CFL's for growth phase and 1000 watts of HPS for flower, now-a-days) But I'd do 'em all if you can fit 'em in the growspace. The longer you wait though...the harder it is to cull them. :jointsmile:

Another question as my plants continue to get larger... I read that for each foot of height you want about a gallon of soil space. I want them to max out at about 3.5 or 4 feet, as I have six feet of vertical space. Can I get away with using 2 gallon pots or do I need to finish with atleast a three gallon pot? Im asking now, because Im going to order all the pots I will need shortly on ebay. Thanks guys.

Anybody have experience with double potting? Would it a good idea to double pot a 1 gallon pot on top of a two gallon to achieve a large enough container without taking up the space of the 3 gallon pot itself? Im realizing Im limited to space as far as depth and width go (32 in x 12 in). My height is fine at 6 feet.

My personal opinion, I'd go with the three gallon. Keep in mind, the tighter you pack 'em in, the less branch space (and air circulation) they'll end up with.

Also, don't forget about reflector height (size) and the buffer space necessary between bulb and plant, and the pot depth. Some leggy sativa dominate's might still reach your upper limits, so training might be necessary if that's the case. :thumbsup:

So growth has been good, but I am having a few of the lower leaves turning yellow and dropping slightly. Is it time to upgrade to larger containers? I ordered some 1, 2, and 3 gallon pots but they probably wont arrive until tuesday or wednesday. Check the pics and let me know what the possible issue could be.

I germinate in similar sized pots as your cups, and usually I'll wait till the leaves start overhanging the edges of the cup before transplanting to a gallon container. Those are still pretty close to the lower limits though. (at least in my garden)

Likely, the nutrients in the soil are fading.
Either you can transplant a tad early knowing the FF potting mix will keep delivering the nutrients at least for a few weeks, or you can mix a 1/4 strength batch of Grow Big, and give some to one of the plants that look the 'worse'. (did you go with the Fox Farms Trio?) Try the nutes on one, and make sure applying it was a good thing.

The main problem with adding nutrients in the Solo cups, is it's a drag having to mix a half-gallon batch, adjust the ratios, and only use a portion of it for feeding. Once mixed, it doesn't store well.

The main problem with transplanting early, is the necessity to water deeper and over-applying the nutrients to such a small plant. Not overdosing per se, but the smaller the container, the quicker the plant uses what you give it, according to plant size. (tiz easier to monitor and regulate the nutrients) In larger pots with seedlings or youngsters, it's easy to fall into a routine of feeding the pot, rather than feeding the plant. That can screw-up a garden in no time. (overfeeding and overwatering)

In other words...it's your call. :thumbsup:

New pics. Growing right along. The oldest batch turn one month tomorrow. Im hoping to veg 2-3 more weeks, then start flowering in July. One of the White Widow plant's leaves seem to be narrow compared to the others. Is this a deficiency or just a characteristic of the pheno?

Sativa and sativa dominate strains often show long, slender fingers on the leaves. If leaf structure is fine, it's normal. :jointsmile: If pinched where the fingers meet the petiole, and leaf margins were curling in that spot, there would be a problem.

Are you sticking with the MH for flowering? HPS is the best HID system for flowering (IMHO) but a full spectrum MH or a conversion bulb would do in a pinch. The conversion bulb a special bulb that burns HPS spectrum in a MH ballast. (I believe they also have 'em for the other way around, HPS to MH) Do not try to use a HPS bulb with a MH ballast, or vice-versa.

Have you checked to see how many larger pots you can fit in there?

Looking good though. :thumbsup:

Switching over to the HPS 400 for flowering. As far as space, I over estimated a tad, as expected. So, I can fit three 3 gallon pots and two 2 gallon pots. Can I complete two of the plants in a two gallon container and sacrifice some yield? The plants all seem to be doing well, and I already had to kill two others. I was thinking of LSTing at least 2 of them. Last grow I tried that, I didnt anchor the stem at the base and it caused a stunt in growth. Any suggestions of LST besides wiring the stem to the container?