New leaves coming out "wrinkled" and small.

I bought one of those Ph meters that you plant in the soil and followed the directions, but I don't know... it is only measured as 4~8 and mine came up as aound 6, but it didn't seem to move much. My hunch is that my PH is not off the charts weird cause 1) I never did much to the soil at all and 2) The other plant is a healthy color.
I am posting alot of pics here. What you will see is 2 grow containers. The first is the 15 inch square, 3 foot high cabiner with a 70w HPS converted security light (bulb old?) and the second is thing I made from a phototron shell. I cannot use the crappy fluorescent fixtures so I just hung some CFL. I have 5 hanging, 3 are about 75W equivalent, and 2 are 100W equivalent (from 3 fixtures, 2 Y-converters) I do not know if this is enough light. I know more is better, but how will this work for vegging? Okay?
The cabinet contains the 2 bagseeds that, as you can see started flowering yesterday I think! My first time to ever see this! I am like Madonna! I feel like a virgin touched for te very first time! Anyway, is it my imagination or is it starting to perk up a bit? Maybe? I bought some nice, organic fertilizer and will feed it soon in addition to the mild fertilizer taste I gave them 2 days ago from some old flower miracle-gro crap my mom had that I was too afraid to go stronger with.
I look forward to comments. Thanks Stinky and Rhizome. You are kind to help out so much. If I an ever return the favor...:smokin:

Let's see, mirrors are not desirable in a grow. Flat white is far preferable.
Soil pH meters are far less accurate than a liquid test, but if that's what you've got, be sure the soil is moist or it will read inaccurately.
"Around 6" is not good. You need to be above 6.5.

OKay, So Do I add lime? Is that right? As for mirrors, I will go out and get some spray paint, glossy I guess? On the Ph test, I got it muddy-ish as they said on the directions and tried several times. Each time the reading was around 6. The meter only has 4 lines. cheap little thing.
What about the amount of light? Any knowledge of that. My guess is that I have about 7000 lumens scattered in a circle firectly around those plants, since I lower the lights as close to the plants as possible.

Flat white. Or put up white posterboard. Or mylar camping emergency blankets. When you go out for paint, for God's sake get a liquid indicator!!! :D (My midget army is still standing by... hahaha)
Light? As much as you can! :D
From what I see in the pics, light is not a problem for ya. The stoutness is good.

Okay. I did it. Here is the result (see pic). Now, I'm a little color blind, but it looked to me like it is somewhere between 5 and 6, closer maybe to 5. So I'll say around 5.4 which would be maybe too acidic. Do you agree with my view of the color? So I need to make less acidic I guess. Suggestions?

Also, I painted the panels of the Phototron white on the inside, so it is all white accept for some trim in there. An improvement anyway. I will get to the rest soon.

So do my plant's symptoms of the leaves curling up TOWARDS and INTO the sides -are they consisent with the diagnosis of too acid of a soil? If not... Well, it must be something else. Also, there is the other plant's health to consider...

Bingo, your soil is a little low.
Huh, I never saw that kit before. The one I'm used to is the GH one, bottle of liquid that actually reads in closer intervals. VERY VERY accurate, for a liquid test. It's VERY cheap and you should pick one up next time you are at the hydro shop.. you have to go there anyway to get some plant pH up.
Was that a liquid or one of those pellet things that you can only use once? ecause I see some crud in the bottom of the tube. But at least you know what your problem was! (Rhizome is always right BTW! It's his superhero skill- infallibility in matters of horticulture, lol!!!)
Okay, the way that I would deal with this if I were you would be to pick up some pH UP and using your test kit, make up a gallon of solution to flush with that actually reads 7.0- on that kit, green. Make the solution very carefully, add SLOOOWLY, almost drop by drop, stopping the moment it turns green. This is called titrating to the endpoint, the endpoint being your chosen pH.
You can use this solution to pour through your soil. Catch the runoff of that soil drench and test THAT. It should not be green any more.
Adjusting soil pH is an art. And you are about to become freaking Van Gogh. (Ear surgeon skillz not required)

Wow, what a learning experience this is! That test was a little one-shot pill deal where you dissolve some soil in the tube and add the powder from the pill.
I will visit a place and get what you suggest.
This "flushing" business. I think I read that that involves adding 3 times the content of the pot in water. Is that right? Or are you saying I shoulld just do a gallong? I have a 4 gallon pot by the way.

General Hydroponics pH Control Kit

This is the stuff you want. The indicator you can buy alone for CHEAP. But you need up/down too.

You read right about flushing. 3 x volume.

Soil in the tube isn't nearly as accurate as testing the RUNOFF. That's standard practice. You get a far better profile of what overall conditions throughout the pot are, what the roots are seeing, you know? Anything that is available including undesirable salts contributes to the pH this way. Plus soil from the surface of the pot is never indicative of conditions deep withing the pot, where root activity is and there is less oxygen, so chemicals could potentially exist in different forms.

UPDATE; Last night, I flushed with lots of tap water and then flushed with a mild solution of some organic fertilizer (I don't know why, but I did).
I went to the Hydro store today and bought a PH liquid test which comes with PH up and PH down with it. I will check PH runoff today, but one thing... The guy who works there told me he diesn't thing that soil showing a ph off mid 5's is a problem, but rather is good since the soil in the root area SHOULD be pretty acidic (to sort of balance out "neutral" tap water). I don't know if it is true or not, but he didn't feel it was the PH. He guessed it might be genetics, but said it could be too much food or even not enough food. Some help there, huh!
ANyway, I think it is looking a little better today. Maybe the tap water flush helped a bit?
Thanks for everything, Stinky! Has the midget army been called off yet? Am I safe?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

BEFORE I SEND MY MIDGET ARMY OVER THERE TO PUNCH YOU IN THE KNEES!!!!!!

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NOT a pretty sight to be sure....:D