Just can't figure this out

[pokherking]

I have searched and searched but can't seem to find someone with the same conditions and problems, i will list off my whole story.

- Bag seed(same bag) / germinated very well
- they were started in small pots in miracle grow potting soil
- Under 6 4ft. fluoroscents/ 4 cool white,2 full spectrum sunshine
bulbs, sunshine bulbs are 5000k,2250 lumens
- lighting is 24/7
- In closet 3 ft. wide,9-10ft. tall, 8 ft. long (approximate)
- ventilation out but not in/ door opened few times a day
- Temp 78, Humidity about 35%
- No nutes added
- plants several inches from lights
- water every couple days (when pot is dry and light)

My Ph was high, around 7 or so, which is what they were fed with for the first couple feedings of water.Then for the next few feedings i was giving them bottled water with a Ph of 6.4 i beleive.Now i have my water corrected but haven't given them any yet seeing as they don't need it yet.I first thought this was a nute problem due to the nutes in the MG potting soil, so i transplanted into larger pots(see pics) using a soil with no nutes."Garden club" is the name brand and it says it has rich loam,sphagnum peat moss and sand. So my leaves started browning and yellowing a few weeks ago and seems as if it's still happening after the transplant.The growth on top is nice and green but the lowers leaves apear to be just dying off.i have tested the ph of the new soil a few days after watering with a soil test kit and the ph is around 6.0-6.2.Growth would appear to be really slow as well.If anyone can help please !! i think their gonna die if i dont correct whats wrong i will attach pics, thanx again !!

-Pics -
first 2 are of what best pics i can get of the leaves(camera died)
next 2 are how they are set up(exhaust up top)
i beleive the lady on the far right isn't a lady because she grew so much better than the others ???

pokherking Reviewed by pokherking on 12-05-2007. Just can't figure this out I have searched and searched but can't seem to find someone with the same conditions and problems, i will list off my whole story. - Bag seed(same bag) / germinated very well - they were started in small pots in miracle grow potting soil - Under 6 4ft. fluoroscents/ 4 cool white,2 full spectrum sunshine bulbs, sunshine bulbs are 5000k,2250 lumens - lighting is 24/7 - In closet 3 ft. wide,9-10ft. tall, 8 ft. long (approximate) - ventilation out but not in/ door opened few times a day Rating: 5

[stinkyattic]

First thing to do: Relax. Those plants were recently REALLY healthy, you've just got a little tip burn going on and the early stages of a pH lockout. They look GREAT otherwise.
Bottled water can be a problem. Bottled drinking water can have higher sodium in it than you wnat, and distilled water is lacking in calcium and magnesium. Tap water than you have adjusted to pH 6.7 is better in soil in almost all cases.
Your new soil is not good. Peat moss, if not treated before packaging with lime, will come out of the bag at a pH below 6.0.
Your job is this:
Make up a 5 gallon pail with tap water adjusted to pH 7 - 7.2.
I assume the plants in your pic are all the plants you have, so that amount of flush solution will be adequate.
You are going to use ALL of this adjusted water to flush your plants well.
Collect the runoff as you are flushing and just keep testing it and testing it until the runoff tests at 6.8-7.0. Yes, this IS a little high, BUT the peat will continue to break down and drop your pH back into range (6.5-6.8), possibly even within hours.
Now mix yourself up a watering can with a complete grow fert, a good one that MUST contain micronutes. Mix it only at 50% of the manufacturer recommendation and adjust the pH to 6.8-7.0. Water well with this until it starts to run out the drain holes. Catch some runoff and check the pH again. It should be in range or VERY close to.
Now to prevent the problem getting worse while the plant is readjusting to a better soil environment, if you have some micronute solution (I use GH Micro or Algoflash), mix up a weak solution of that and do a light foliar feed. If you don't have those things, 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of Epsom salts will at least help the Mg deficiency, but this doesn't do a thing for the rest of the micros.
Anyway good luck on that... yeah... that one on the right is a looker but I distrust tall plants as potential males.

[pokherking]

Advice from the expert, sweet ! I will get right on that stinky and let you know how it goes, thank you so much

[pokherking]

so i did everything you described and it all went good,HOLY CRAP they have exploded with growth, it's incredible ! the thing is, i want to start them on flowering cycle here real soon, cause i am limited with space how shall i go about the transfer of veg nutes to giving them bloom nutes ?? I also can't seem to find anywhere that says how to switch the lights over ? do you just go to 12-12 immedietly or do you gradually change the light cycle ?? Thanx again, much, much appreciated !!

[MVP]

When you flip over to the 12/12 light cycle it is best introduced with a 24 hour period of total darkness (to unmistakably signal the plants "it is flower time") then an immediate change to 12/12... not a gradual one. Make sure they grow enough nodes before flowering, since they appear to be from seed not clones, or you will be disappointed.

[klondike_bar]

i havent tried the 24h darkness, but you definitely want just instant switch to cause plant panik.

[stinkyattic]

you definitely want just instant switch to cause plant panik.

^^^ :tin foil hat: ^^^
Whatever.

You can do 24h darkness, up to 3 days actually but it's not common or necessary, or you can just decide when you want 'night' and 'day' to be, and stick everything on a timer.

I'm glad the plants perked back up.

Are you flowering under those same lights, or different ones?
If you are going to use tubes, expect to be string-training to keep them short, be certain you have the correct bulbs (all in the 'indoor lighting' section what wavelength you want), and you'll want to add another couple fixtures.

But you know a HPS is better... A cheap 400HPS is under $150 from Inside Sun last time I checked. You want to get going on the HPS no more than 2-3 weeks after you turn the lights back and stretch slows.

Final check: Have you pinched them, and if so, was it at least 2 weeks ago? The recovery time is crucial so as not to lose yield.

[klondike_bar]

^^^ :tin foil hat: ^^^
Whatever.

lol. not sure if you agree or not by saying that, so ill quickly explain

its like switching to hps which helps simulate fall light. it makes the plant suddenly believe that summer instantly imploded into fall, and that its gotta put out resin as fast as it can in order to make seeds before the frost can get to it.

id assume that instant timing change is the same or similar

[pokherking]

Yes i will be using those fixtures but yes will be changing the bulbs, i only used those things cause i had access to free ones and i can get more for free, i just have to buy the bulbs, i would love to run an hps but with the limited space and exhaust issues i opted for the fluorescents.I am just trying to keep it real small and simple for now.As for pinching, no i never have done that, i was wondering if you knew a link to read up on pinching with possibly pictures describing it ???? Another thing, is i have a family member coming by for the day from far away and didn't want them to see my babies,i was just gonna put them carefully into large totes for their dark period as to hide them from my family member, should i leave the lid open a bit or put holes in it so the plant can breathe(it will be in there for it's 6 hour dark period) Thanx again !!

[pokherking]

can anyone tell me if this is gonna be ok ???? i wanna put my 5 plants into large rubbermaid totes for 6 hours during their dark cycle, but should i leave the lid open or will they be ok if i leave the lid closed and they can't breathe ????????? Any suggestions would be great thanx