first timer with problems.. please help

ok first off, my first grow, ive invested hundreds in to this operation and so far nothing has gone smooth.. i ordered 10 seeds from nirvana and im on my last 2.. 3 of them didnt even germanate and the others seemed to turn yellow dry up and die.. ive got a 400w hps that i havent even used yet.. what im using is the 65w cfl floodlight from home depot.. ive been keeping the plants about 2-3 inches from it on 24 with good ventalation (window open and 2 fans running 24/7) out of all my plants they never got to more then a few inches tall.. started all with the paper towel method and then planted in jiffy pellets, havent used nutes so i dont know why they are turning yellow on the tips then brown and dry.. to me it looks like the light is burning them, also the perlite i mixed with "hyponex topsoil" (wal-mart) has turned a golden brown, which also make me think they are too close, but every where i read it says they should be inches from a cfl.. is this for more mature plants or seedlings too?? was also wondering if i just got a bad batch of seeds.. i was tight on money so i went with nirvana, could this possibly be the problem?? seems like im doing things right, it just isnt goin the way i thought it would.. could some one please spare some advice.. here are some pics of my last 2 babies.. one of them was doin good untill i left for the weekend and it dried up and fell over.. but it perked back up but doesnt seem to be doin any better.. thanks to anyone who can help

I think your light is ok, I personally get my sprouts off 24/7, as soon as they pop, to 20/4. At about 5/6 nodes, I go to 18/6. I have always seen better root mass with some darktime. I'm in no way saying 24/7 dont work...but for my gardens, I use the above light pattern.

One of the reasons I gave soil the boot from my gardens, I always had a hard time getting a decent PH from it. I'm strickly ProMix, PBP nutes, and havent worried about PH at all since then.

I'd add a bit of dolimite to her, maybe mix it in water first, and water her with it...but looks like your to hot ph wise. Maybe a 1/4 strength feeding.

Maybe use spring water or distilled till she perks up. Good luck man!!

If they aren't germination or are dying off soon after then it sounds like overwatering to me....but they don't look overwatered. You are right....they look burned. But cfls shouldn't burn them from several inches away. You got me.....hope you get it worked out. :(

How about a pic of this floodlight for starters ?
Im willing to bet it's too hot . I'd try a cpl. 23 watt / cfls to start em .
Jiffy pellets work but have voo doo p/h issues - refer - to Stinkys thread on them , I now use rapid rooters too . This is a start in the right direction /.
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:

here is a pic of the floodlight.. these were plants about a month and a half ago that already died.. maybe ill go pick up some of these 23w cfls your talking about, could i get them at wal mart or home depot?? and what else would i need to power them??.. also i was thinking maybe it could be humidity?? i dont have anything to measure the humidity but i think i will go buy one. the water im using is tap water and the ph is around 7 and the ph is about the same for the soil there in.. im waiting for rhino seeds to re-stock there seeds so i could get some more seeds..

your problem is your dirt, walmart topsoil is shit, look at all that leftover bark mulch mixed in with it... those plants look like they are suffering from a BAD pH problem and possibly nute burn as well.... you need to start seeds in seedling starting soil , NOT jiffy pellets, their pH is TERRIBLE, and then transplant into better dirt, even miracle grow is better than that shit.. I think the floodlight is not your major issue, as long as it's in the blue range and doesn't run too hot it should be fine.
That one plant that looks like it has good structure, bushy and short internodes even though it's burnt, says to me that your light is adequate.

that light is floro? never seen one like that.

ok so my soil could be the problem.. ive been in search of good soil but ive came up empty.. ive gone to home-depot ive gone to osh and ive even gone to the local nursery.. i keep hearing about 'fox farm' which is what i wanted to get but cannot find it.. and as for the nute burn ive not added any nutes, unless your talking about nutrients that are already in jiffy pellets or the soil..? could anyone give me the name of a good soil that would be safe to use.. that i could find at any of these stores?? and next time should i plant the germinated seedling directly in to the soil?? and thanks everyone i think im finally getting to the root of my problem

well to start with the jiffy pellets may not have NUTES in them but they have ACID, peat is pH ~4.5, ,where you want pH=6.8!!!
I don't know what nutes are in that soil, but I DO know you can get 'seedling starting mix' at any garden store and be a lot better off!
Yeah, if you do that you can plant the popped seed directly in the soil, only 1/4" deep, and keep the soil surface evenly moist until it sprouts.
Shit... somewhere under 'indoor' I have a grow log with pics of a setup for seedlings in soil... it's under 'miss stinky's first grow log'...

thank you stinkyattick im gonna go look for some of that.. and i just ordered somemore seeds so hopefully they will be here soon.

word.
don't you have any bag seeds to practice on in the meantime?
you know, the whole canary in the coal mine thing... if the bagseeds survive to their 5th node, it's safe to plant the 'real' ones?

And Fox Farms can be mail-ordered. It might sound silly ordering dirt through the mail but it's been done and nearly every online grow shop offers it.

thats what sucks is i never find seeds in the dank i get.. im in northern california and there is lots of good weed but no seeds.. ive been hopeing to get a nug full of seeds but never happens.. so i jus gotta order the cheap seeds.. and on ordering soil, it seems to me the shipping would cost more then the product sense bags of soil have some weight on them but i think im gonna check that out..

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Originally Posted by JonDro

thats what sucks is i never find seeds in the dank i get.. ... so i jus gotta order the cheap seeds.. ..

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so buy a bag o schwag to practice on

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Originally Posted by JonDro

and on ordering soil, it seems to me the shipping would cost more then the product sense bags of soil have some weight on them but i think im gonna check that out..

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have yo considered coco? it's VERY light and cheap to ship and gives you no problems... i heart coco... plus your name is jondro and soilless=hydro, lol.... you should be a coco grower.... :D