Help a discouraged newbie please!

Hi, I am having trouble getting beyond the seedling stage and am very frustrated. The Grow Lounge suggested I post my specs here and try to get some help in what I may be doing wrong. Basically, I can germinate and get the seeds to come up, they get a little leggy, then they stop doing anything and die off over a few days. I am dong something very wrong, but I donâ??t know what. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Hereâ??s what I have:

Germinated in paper towels, planted ¼� down in soil: 4parts organic soil, 2 parts perlite. I've also tried adding peat moss.

I have tried big pots, small pots, and seedling trays. All with the same luck.

Under 135W cfl for seedling stage, 6â?� above. I have a 400W MH for veg, but never get that far.

Water: PH 6.5 watered every other day or so when things seem dry.

Room Temp: 77-82

Fan blowing over the tops.

No nutes at this time, but an occasional watering with 1 drop superthrive per gallon water.

The only thing I can think of ,is the light being a little high. But that wouldn't kill it.
You must be doing something majorly wrong. Or something your using is killing them.
Is your water super hard?
What is your PPM reading? If you know.

hmm, everything seems fine, maybe soil is the problem, but I've never had that much trouble with even cheap soil. It's a pain, but maybe try some regular old top soil with vermiculite? I don't know, the stuff you are using should work just fine. How many times has this happened? Maybe god's trying to tell you to go hydro? Don't get discouraged! keep tryin' it'll come to you in time, It could be just crap genetics from seed.

Best of luck

Something really wrong is going on..it has to be either soil or lights, I say this because when I first tried to grow I didnt even take the pH of my water, I just poured it and let it sit and water the soil and within a few days I had a sprout..so if I can do this without even any form of HID light or anything you must be doing something really wrong. Try to get a mixture...doesnt have to be soil..I hear all soil contains nutrients so I'd just go with like what ready-set-gro said..1/3 perlite, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 peat moss and wait and see what happens. And this time try to water the sprouted seed in a small pot and leave it out of the light. Seeds dont need light to pop out of the soil, once it does then put under light..If I could get the embryo leaves to show from the sun through a window then I know you can get those seeds to grow with your good lights. I say this because they can grow just as long as the lights arent too close, I dont think youngin's need all that light :p.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jdog7000

The only thing I can think of ,is the light being a little high. But that wouldn't kill it.
You must be doing something majorly wrong. Or something your using is killing them.
Is your water super hard?
What is your PPM reading? If you know.

---

Jdog, I have no way to do a ppm reading, but I have been using distilled water at about 6.5ph.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 4x5

How many times has this happened? Maybe god's trying to tell you to go hydro? Don't get discouraged! keep tryin' it'll come to you in time, It could be just crap genetics from seed.

Best of luck

---

This has happened with about 20 seeds now. 12 I bought from Dr. Greenthumb in Canada--Nirvana x Shiva. The rest just bag seed of unknown heritage.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by orangeman

Something really wrong is going on..

---

Thanks for the response, oj. You're right... something is really wrong! I only have a couple of good seeds left, and some more bag seed, so I will wait to try your suggestion of the perlite, vermic., and peat moss. At some point wouldn't I have to transplant into more of a soil mixture?

take the pot ur growin with seedling,take another pot same sizeand mix,weigh its dry weight,wen the pot ur growin weighs that amont water.i do seed starter trays,i put 50% perlite on bottom,5o% poting soil on top,i just wet each cell compleltly and plant,put into dark until sprout,then put under light.i check to see if there 1/2 dry 1/2 way down befoe i water again,complely weting cell.after a coulpeweeks goes to 4inch sq. pots with 2 inches of styrofoam in bottom of pot.i start out first two waterings,30-40 sprays from qt. sprayer bottle=about 1-1and 1/2 ounces,then on 3rd water on the tranplant flood,ever watering after that,40sprays,ever water until transplant.with 6-8 oz cups. i use 30-40 sprays. to start off,. and hold there for while,until water needs to be increase by 1/2- 1 tablespoon at a time,for me=10-15 sprays from a qt. sprayer bottle.

You are possibly over-watering. Try starting with a sterile medium. Try jiffy pots or other starter cube in a tray with a cover. After soaking them at first, do not let them sit in standing water. You don't want to overdo the Superthrive but a drop in a cupful won't hurt.

It's not the water then.
Maybe it's the soil?

picture please.. we can solve this with a picture..


: )
cheers

What is your light cycle that is the only thing i can think of because every thing else is right!

The seedlings are under a 135W CFL, about 6 inches above. I have it on an 18/6 schedule. Some are stretched, I know. That happened before I moved the light way down. This picture was taken right after watering. The plants are over 2 weeks old.

Well of course they dont look the best but they look..healthy. I dont think you should be discouraged anymore :D.

But they aren't healthy at all. The are yellowish, and the stem never gets any bigger around. They eventually die off. Like I said when I started the thread, I can't get past this stage. I looked at my calendar and these seedlings are 3 weeks old.

Well I think it has to do with the water..maybe your overwatering? How much are you giving them, how often are you giving it to them and do you let it get room temp or do you just give it straight out of the sink or water jug? To tell you the truth your making me sad because I cant even see why this is happening to you.

What is in the soil? Where are you getting it from?

You say you water when things get a little dry, every other day, yet the soil looks like it would retain water pretty alright, maybe drainage problems near the bottom? How dry are they when you water them?

Water: Distilled, room temp, PH 6.5 watered every other day or so when things seem dry. I put in enought that it runs out the bottom.

Soil: Organic soil from the nursery... 4 parts soil, 2 parts perlite, 1 part peat moss.

I have also tried Scott's potting soil and mixed in lots of perlite. Same results.

The seedlings are slowly dying off now. Turning yellow, stem gets thinner. It's only a matter of time now.

Don't be discouraged man... don't!!! :)

I don't see what's wrong...

Are you giving them fresh air?

Fresh as in... F R E S H ?


I have no idea what's wrong... hmmm... do you live under a high-voltage power transformer?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by turtle420

Don't be discouraged man... don't!!! :)

I don't see what's wrong...

Are you giving them fresh air?

Fresh as in... F R E S H ?


I have no idea what's wrong... hmmm... do you live under a high-voltage power transformer?

---

No, they do not get fresh air. They do get a breeze from a fan though. And no, we don't live under a transformer! :-) Maybe it's just karma from abusing the drug???

try 1ounce in he seed starter trays,anther cell in tray,try 1 tablespoon.if this dont work,ueither watering at wrong time,or ph,wud be las option,in this case.it will def. work with tap water 7.4,and any miraclegrow,soil, or schultz,,50% poting soil,25% perlite,25% verm,u can later transplant to this mix.for seedlings 50% poting soil ,50% perlite.i use a qt. sprayer bottle to aplie watering,for me 15 sprays from my qt. sprayer=1 tablespoon,also...2 tablespoons=1ounce.write doen how much water ur using.if u really need to,cut out 1 cell of seed tray,fill with dry poting soil,take another cell,the one ur growin in,wen it weighs the same amont as the dry one or very near there water.this should help u figure it out.if u need moe help,just holla-back.we,s here for yo. peace buthead/

Thank you for all the suggestions so far. I still don't know what the problem is, but many of you think I might be overwatering, so I will try your suggestions on watering. I do have a moisture meter that I use, which helps a lot, but I guess I probably do tend to overwater.

Garden Knowm? Where are you???

its probally that they dont get fresh air. Plants release gases out of the stoma on their leaves, over a while ( about 3 weeks) in being in a box with no fresh air they will probally die. I really think this could be your problem having a fan will not help the situation much just blow the air around. if this is not your problem im am seriously going over to your house and growing your plants haha this makes me sad :( :p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Th3 sand m4n

its probally that they dont get fresh air. Plants release gases out of the stoma on their leaves, over a while ( about 3 weeks) in being in a box with no fresh air they will probally die. I really think this could be your problem having a fan will not help the situation much just blow the air around. if this is not your problem im am seriously going over to your house and growing your plants haha this makes me sad :( :p

---

Exactly... fresh air would be good.

Again, not a fan moving air around... no... actually *fresh* air.

Thanks Sand M4n and turtle,

Fresh Air... I would like to try it, but I would have to be lugging pots downstairs and outside to get anything fresh. :-( They do have air conditioning coming into the room, is that good?

Maybe the air is it. Thanks for your suggestion. And come on over anytime, I have a guest room. You could stay for the 3-4 months a crop would take!

dude if ur soil has peat moss in it get rid of it , its to acidic. its burning ur roots. thats why thy are yellow, coconut fibre if u can get it with a 50/50 mix pebbles/ perlite... ph is nuetral to start with

dude if ur soil has peat moss in it get rid of it , its to acidic. its burning ur roots. thats why thy are yellow, coconut fibre if u can get it with a 50/50 mix pebbles/ perlite... ph is nuetral to start with

The soil looks a little .. interesting...
Can't really change that now. Let them dry out a bit, don't keep them moist 24/7

Any air exchange in there? Or atleast the breeze of a fan?

Well, they are looking sicker and sicker now. I've tried all the suggestions. They are not going to make it. Time for everyone to smoke a bowl in memory of them...

Why not try to pick a different area to grow? From the previous posts maybe the lack of fresh air is the prob..

i have been very successful in the early stage. The plant has no roots so it feeeds through the small leaves. If you are blowing the fan onto those leaves it is drying them out before it can absorb the water. Young gals cannot have ANY air blowing on them. Try covering for the first week and take off in fresh air about 20 minutes a day. Then as time goes on, extend that time till they are all growd up and ready for veg stage. Good luck man

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pepper

You are possibly over-watering. Try starting with a sterile medium. Try jiffy pots or other starter cube in a tray with a cover. After soaking them at first, do not let them sit in standing water. You don't want to overdo the Superthrive but a drop in a cupful won't hurt.

---

This is EXACTLY what I do with 100% seedling survival. I would keep watering them with distilled water, using 1 drop superthrive per gallon.
Once you can see the sprouts come up, take the cover off so you don't get fusarium or pythium (damping- off, a really common cause of seedling death). Only water by pouring into the tray so the peat pellets soak it up from beneath, so as not to disturb the plant's VERY delicate first roots.

Only use bagseed for your first grow! You WILL make mistakes. It's healthy.
Stinky

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by asintx

Turning yellow, stem gets thinner. It's only a matter of time now.

---

"Stem gets thinner"? Man, you've got a fungus problem. That is the classic symptom of damping-off. Does the stem also darken, starting at the soil line?

Fresh air and sterile medium, as well as lower relative humidity and very little temperature fluctuation.

You might try using a fungicide if you can find one gentle enough for seedlings. Neem oil is a good one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by asintx

They do have air conditioning coming into the room, is that good?

---

Well, the a/c units typically have a outside-air open/close vent... open it up if possible.

Darn dude... I have no idea what's wrong.

Maybe Gaia is re-vibrating into the 5th dimension and The Rift is just starting under your house... :confused: :confused:

It's just, I have no idea what's wrong... .????


Darn man... sorry

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stinkyattic

"Stem gets thinner"? Man, you've got a fungus problem. That is the classic symptom of damping-off. Does the stem also darken, starting at the soil line?

---

I have tried two totally different soils with the same results, so I don't think it's a fungus.

As for airconditiong, it's central air, not a window box.

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions on my dying seedlings. The two suggestions I've used are moving the plants outside during the strong sunlight hours for fresh air; and I cut down watering considerably. When not in the sun, they are 20" below a 400W MH light. (18/6).

I thought the seedlings were all but dead, I smoked a bowl in their memory, but apparently I was premature.

After a few days the seedlings are actually starting to grow a set of leaves. Pictures aren't that great, but I wanted to show the week's difference. Obviously I still have a rather sick crop, but I am encouraged to see a small amount of growth. See photos.

What do y'all think? Is there hope?

If I get them to the transplanting stage, should I bury some of the leggy stem? Or would that kill them off?

Yes man! There definitely IS hope!

Man, if there's no way of getting fresh air in there, I know there's a "CO2 bucket" that generates CO2.

It will not work to have a perfectly controlled, measure-ppm grow room, but I'm positive it'll help you pump some CO2 into that room.

If I remember correctly, it lasts about 3 months...

Let me do a search to see if I find it:::
Sorry man... didn't find it.

I'll try again in the future. Man, it was this bucket, that you put in your grow room, and it generated CO2 24/7. Wasn't that expensive.

But I don't know... I wouldn't want you to go all crazy with the "fresh air" idea, only to have it turn out that I was wrong and that wasn't your problem.

But keep at it man... keep at it!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stinkyattic

This is EXACTLY what I do with 100% seedling survival. I would keep watering them with distilled water, using 1 drop superthrive per gallon.
Once you can see the sprouts come up, take the cover off so you don't get fusarium or pythium (damping- off, a really common cause of seedling death). Only water by pouring into the tray so the peat pellets soak it up from beneath, so as not to disturb the plant's VERY delicate first roots.

Only use bagseed for your first grow! You WILL make mistakes. It's healthy.
Stinky

---

Thank you pepper, I am going to try this method with bagseed: Small pot with the organic soil/perlite mixture, and I have made a plastic dome out of a clear plastic water bottle. I will keep them in the dark until they sprout, then take off the dome, and put them under CFL with no fan for a few days and see how it goes. I'll report as things develop.

you always need a fan.
Seedlings can practicly die. And still grow huge buds if taken care of.