New problems, could use a hand!

So I went and got new soil and pots for my new sprouts that I'm #$%#*- pumped about by the way!!! Anyways I use ocean forest for my veg, and happy frog for my seedlings.... I think the local hydro shop sent me home with a bag of happy frog infested with pests!! Last night I was looking at my sprouts in their new pots and soil only to notice a almost invisible tiny clearish looking insect I could tell how many leggs antennae or anything else it had as I put my finger on it to kill it and with its small size I lost it... I'd say it was about the size of this period "." On my phone screen this mourning I went down to water and found a few all along the black rims of my new pots, now my veg room (8x10) is set up with a vanity closet against one wall and a table for my bigger plants I'm not seeing anything on my bigger plants however upon thorough investigation I found a few spotted leaves and a little faint yellow trail of streakish spots along another(ill post pics) I'm freaking the freak frack out!! I've never had a pest in the last two yrs anyways I'm thinking these might be spider mites!? Anyways I have been having another problem that I'm sure must be something I'm doing but I had in the past had an issue with Ph I got some drops, and found my small plants were in 4.0 or lower runoff!!! Thinking it was the peat pellets I flushed roots and potted Into happy frog wich I've been using since then into ocean forest well I'm watering with well water at 7.0 at the tap, and my soils were at 6.5-7.0 (runoff) in all my investigating today I found a yellowish salty build up around the drain holes in my pots, and the dried soil also has this residue on it at first I was thinking it was the soil a few days ago but now I'm realizing I have a run off of 4.0 or lower again!!!! My plants soil is turning to acid!!! Why are all my soils slowly turning so acidic!!??

Attachment 290123 Attachment 290124Attachment 290124 these are the current set up on the veg table... 5 plants

One vegging in the middle, and four small ones in the outskirts of the 1k watter as they seem to like it better than the 400w fluresant cabinet lights I have fAttachment 290125our seedlings in the cab the 4 seedling in the cab have the new soils and as I said what appears to be spider mites the sticky traps seem to have consumed most of them already though surprisingly, as I haven't seen any Attachment 290125tonight...Attachment 290125

I don't know what's happening with these pics there being all goofy on me here... the first post showed the veg table with the pot and 4cups(seedlings) and the pics on the right are the cab were I was finding spider mites I think anyway and this William show you the yellowing leaves on my vegging plant that I mentioned originally.. this is also the plant that's Ph is 4.0 or lAttachment 290126ower

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Im wondering if that last seedling pic is sign of light burn? It is about 32in from the light but is in the outskirts of its concentration...

Ok so hopefully this will help to identify my problems.. can someone give some insight anyone seen this? This is the same yellow streaking/spots on the older ones they star as little light dotted streaks and turn brown, I wanna adress this before it progresses.. I have also found my Ph issue to be ongoing... I repotted my big girl, because its soil was at 4.0 or less, with repotting into fresh ocean forest that was at 6.5ish and the tap water(well water) is 6.5 after rotting and flushing I was at 5.0!? What the hell, I potted my seedling in the same manner but into happy frog I watered for the first time, after potting 5days ago when potted they were at 6.5 now they are at 5.0!!??? I don't get what I'm doing thatsturning my soil to turn to acid!? Also all the dirt looms like it has salty residue on the top layer when dry as well as the soil around the holes show build up of yellowish salty looking residue around drain holes... any input!???

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Stop transplanting them #1 YOUR going to kill them by doing that.

#2 if your having PH issues, pull out a cup of water from the tap, test the PH, let it sit 24 hours, then test it again. THAT is the variation in your PH, and that is EXACTLY WHY every sticky guide on basic soil growing tells you to let your water sit for 24 hours.

Sorry if this is coming off brash, I have a big heart for plants, it just about killed me when my first good seeds died from my 'over loving'

Ya see I'm not a noob like that bud lol all my water sits for 48 hours before being used and is tested multiple times when my water sits if anything at all after a longer period of time its Ph actually goes up not down...

And trust me I'm just as over loving prone too and repotting is a good way to keep even root grown and won't hurt anything at safe intervals I'm not repotting for fun and I didn't break dirt off or anything like that I was actually transferring for its final Depot for flower, but I wanna stabilize it for ten days or so before actually starting flower...

I'm glad we found that out. Bad news is you can't use your water any more to feed your plants. See, pure water PH is NEUTRAL which means it won't increase or decrease over time. The only way your waters PH can actually increase without the aid of an outside chemical (nutrient, or perhaps rust if its in a metal container?) is radiation. The good news is the radiation has to be limited to your water source alone, if it were atmospheric the plant would adapt to the surroundings - So this outside mystery source is the culprit of your PH issues (if your truly letting your water sit for 48 hours and the PH is increasing, you need to do further tests to your water source.... If however you were blowing smoke up my butt because you thought I didn't know a damn thing about PH as an eletrical engineer, your wrong, chemistry is all part of it :) )

Chem 101 Water PH - pH Scale

The only way to battle this is to bring in water, I wouldn't trust rain runoff -

As for the repotting - If I'm mistaken and you only repotted once, I apologize - It just seems like there has been multiple potting this week. As to repotting not hurting the plant, that's not actually true. Shaking alone can stress/shock your plant, have you ever seen a plants roots grow THROUGH perlite? (I have) The plants roots attach to the sides of the buckets, in all honesty, if buckets were just a touch more porous, I guarantee those roots would find a way through. So yes, EVERY SINGLE TIME you transplant, you are ripping hairs out of the roots, which can lead to stress/shock and multiple stress/shocks can kill your plant.

Even the pros recommend only 1 transplant. Some even suggest you start in your finishing bucket (I disagree, I think you should start in solocups and then goto 3 or 5 gallon)

Now, I'm here to help. Don't blow smoke up my butt, I won't blow it up yours.

Forbes has an article on removing iodine 131 (radioactive gas) which you COULD be effected by in the Idaho area (not sure where you are) but there are several states with similar issues. Forbes Article: How To Remove Radioactive Iodine-131 From Drinking Water - Forbes

Well thanks for actually giving me some actual advice and your time!!! As for the repotting this week it seems like alot yes but only plant only once... I have ten plants right now and I talked about them each so that's probably why you thought this, as for my water I hope you are right but I have had my water tested multiple times and nothing has been unsafe levels... now hers why I hadn't been considering that... when I started the older plants of this bunch, I was using spring water and mineral water(bottled gallons) and they were doing this and then I got my well water tested (before the softener) and after finding it acceptable I started using my water(only taking unsoftened water for use) and the problem is still the same.. but when the problem started and I was using bottled water I was using shit seedling soil that was messing up my plants anyway so it could have been the soil?? Then I made it back to my hydro store n restocked up on my happy frog and oceans, and noticed they were keeping a 7.0 for the first few waters but then started dropping to, but this time u may be right it may be my water I had been dismissing the water because I had the problem in the beginning that appeared to be the same but again if it was the soil it'd explain this... as again its getting worse again in the fact that all my seedlings in happy frog were watered once a week ago and were at 7.0 and yesterday their first water and run off was 5.0!???!!?!?!? I was actually wondering if the soil is bad cuz I found what I think to be spider mites in the happy frog when I brought it in n used it!!?? I was thinking my hydro shop was dealing me some shitty shit but they are a big name shop so I dunno:wtf:

Also I have been trying to stabilize fluxuating humidity issues(humidifier) see my basement is at 30% humidity which blows so I've been using a regular vicks humidifier to try n help, on a time it runs 1hr on 15min off around the clock and it get up to around 65-70 by the end of the hour but drops to 35 in the 15min lol, I'm still sealing my dealings but everything else is sealed, the co2 has been staying in nice but not humidity, the lights are about 30" from plants 1000w mh, and they spots on the leaves has been mostly at the middle of the bigger leaves not seeing it on smaller ones and not seeing it in tips or edges except in a couple spots?? I need to figure out what this is from!!

and also as for the watering, I fill 4 1gallon tea jugs with unsoftened water let them sit for 36hrs then use them over a few weeks so that's why they sit n how I water... I really don't wanna have to start buying water bit if I do have to what water should I be getting?? And where should I be adjusting Ph to if needed?

Also how about this... I have my seedlings(my favs that m really excited about) under my 1k mh, but they are in the outskirts of the light... do you think they will grow better there or under my 300w cfl lights in my cab... the cab usually runs about 80°f and under the light with humidifier running is. 78°f 55-70%rh where is gonna produce the best growth?

Ok please read the last 5 posts lol they all go together I know I'm a maniac lol that's why I'm the indimaniac!!;) anyways here is the Barney's farm tangerine dream, delicious carmello, the delicious northern light blue, and the mandala Satori.. each on3 of them sprouted the same day 5 days ago but haven't grown much but stem their leaves are staying tiny and the second set between them have been just nubs I may just be too impatient as I'm soooooooo excited to see my babies grow!!! But I don't know if they aren't growing because the outskirt lighting of my 1k mh isn't enough or they'd be better off under my 300w cfls in the cab for specs read previous posts!!!!!
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Now these are the older seedlings showing the leaf issues and the big girls leaf issues

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Leaf issues continued...
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its a iron defieciency or a maganese deficiency

I highly doubt iron... as my well water is pure freaking iron lol but how would plants only two weeks old have deficiencies!? Shouldn't the be fine off the happy frog minerals in well water, and cotyledons until around the third node appears??? I could see that being possible in the older one if the smaller ones weren't showing the same problems but beings the young ones have it worse than the older one I was thinking that wouldn't be the case but I've been wrong...

I hate to ask, but have you calibrated your PH meter lately?

The reason I ask is because I just about fried some of my girls in veg the other day - I noticed some spots starting, so I checked my PH and it read at 7.2 so I pulled out my mad science kit and got it back to 5.5 then I checked my clones and they were at 9... adjusted to 5.5 then tested my flowering cycle, it was at 8.5...... tested my ph meter and it was off by 3 points >.>

Had to go back and change everything again lol

Lol wow!! That sucks... no I use drops so I don't have to worth about that issue! Keep trying tho please!!! I need to figure this out!!!

what is your soil mix composed of i ask because from the pics i am seeing some moisture but not much perlite so that could be the issue (roots not getting enough air)
if thats not it then ask yourself what have you done differently from your past grows then go back to how you used to do it
then when everything is good just peace it together until you know what was the problem so that it dosent happen again

I lived somewhere else is all that's different I never had problems like this... I'm using straight happy frog n straight oceans on the bigger one, it what I've always don't it looks moist cuz I had watered earlier when I took that pic...

Hi Indimaniac,

Here's where I'd start..

1. Lay off any fertilizer you may be adding.. from what I read it seems like FF Ocean Forest already has some in it from the additives. I'm fundamentally against this and why I use soilless mix vs. dirt.
2. I wouldn't place too much emphasis on soil pH as I think measuring it accurately is difficult at best. What I do is check and adjust the pH of what I'm putting in every time before adding, water or nutes. Generally what you see is the pH creep up as the water sits in the containers and it's best to take it back down.
3. The idea that you have any sort of uptake problem at this stage is just wrong.. these are way too young.
4. Those ugly leaves on the new ones aren't nearly as important as the next 2 sets.. give it a week here and see how things are looking.

Farmer Rich

Wanted to add a 1K MH is overkill for seedlings and early veg. You may be better off with your CFLs.

Farmer Rich

just let the plant be a plant.. don't mess with it.