First Timer: Problem with Young Plants

[mickeymac911]

Seeds germinated well and fast but that plants have stalled around 1 to 1-1/2 inches for around two weeks. I'm using multiple daylight cfl's as well as a four foot warm/cool fluorescent tube. Soil was Miracle Grow organic potting soil, supposed to feed for up to two months. Leaves are rigid but curve drastically downward. Watering has been moderate, watering every couple days with good drainage and clean bottled water. Any suggestions?

mickeymac911 Reviewed by mickeymac911 on 07-30-2009. First Timer: Problem with Young Plants Seeds germinated well and fast but that plants have stalled around 1 to 1-1/2 inches for around two weeks. I'm using multiple daylight cfl's as well as a four foot warm/cool fluorescent tube. Soil was Miracle Grow organic potting soil, supposed to feed for up to two months. Leaves are rigid but curve drastically downward. Watering has been moderate, watering every couple days with good drainage and clean bottled water. Any suggestions? Rating: 5

[Rusty Trichome]

Too little info for a diagnosis, but what's your ingoing water ph? Just because it's bottled does not necessarily mean it's ph balanced. Is there a problem with your tapwater?

No nutes for the first month or so using Miracle Grow, then half-strength nutrients and watch for their reaction.

If your water ph is within range, copy-n-paste the troubleshooting form, and fill it out as best as you can. (a link is in my signature)

[mickeymac911]

First Timer
Indoor

Your Equipment:
.1) CFL's, tube fluorescents, 80 watt total tube; 1000 watt equivalent daylight CFL's
.2) Distance from tops? about 4 inches
.3) Reflector type? reflectors around bulbs
.4) Is there a consistent fresh air supply? Yes
.5) Do you have an exhaust fan and a circulation fan? Yes
.6) What are the bulb wattages, kelvin ratings, and schedule? 26 watt (100 equivalent) CFL 6500k 16/8 schedule

Your medium:
.7) Specific brand and type of soil: Miracle Grow Organic, no nutes added
.8) Size of container: 16oz
.9) Did you use peat pucks (or similar) to root clones or germinate seedlings? no

Your nutrients and water:
10) Source of water? bottled, ph unknown
11) Method of checking water ph: none
12) Method of adjusting water ph: none
13) Specific brand and N-P-K ratio for each bottle. List dosages (quantity per gallon) and current feeding schedule.
14) How often are you watering between feedings, and how much per watering? Watering every other day as soil becomes dry, no feeding yet
15) Any additives or tea's? (Superthrive, CalMag, molasses, Mother's Earth...) No
16) Are your ph levels stable, or do they fluctuate? Not sure
17) What is your ingoing water's ph? ...your runoff ph? Not sure
18) Do you foliar feed? If so, with what, how often, and at what time do you spray? no

Your growroom:
19) Indoors or outdoors? Indoor
20) What size of closet, room or hut? 8x8
21) What are the temps and humidity levels while lights are on? ...With lights off? on~78-85 off~65-70
22) Have you seen signs of insects in the growroom? one or two knats

Your strain:
23) What strain are you growing? (Indica dominate or Sativa dom?) Indica
24) From seeds or clones? Seeds
25) Is this an autoflower strain? Unknown

I am beginning to think the lights were producing too much heat so we have tried turning some off. The young leaves are browning and yellowing at the tips and curving downward.
How important is water Ph, i haven't even considered it before this post?
__________________

[crabbyback]

As Rusty said, your problem is water pH. Everything else looks good.

MJ is very picky about pH so if you want her to pick up and act right, you've got to give her the correct water.

First, why are you using bottled water? Unless you know that your tap water is bad, use tap.

Second, you have to have a way to test the pH. I suggest a digital pen tester ~$35+ online. If that's not possible, the least expensive option is pH test papers. I've not used them so can't advise you there.

Then you need a way to adjust your pH up and down; there are commercial preparations that are reasonable, which is what I use. You can also use household preparations, but I don't have experience with them.

If you will fix the pH problem, I believe your plant will reward you with an explosion of growth.

Good Luck.

[crabbyback]

The correct range for pH for soil is 6.3 - 6.8.

[Rusty Trichome]

Thanks for the vote of trust, crabbyback. (but never miss an opportunity to double-check facts if possible. :thumbsup: )

A cheap (temporary) solution is to go get one of the aquarium ph test kits. There are two types available. One for saltwater (what I used to use for my 8.0 wellwater) and the freshwater kit. (lower range than the saltwater kit, but is good for lower ph water) Eventually you'll want a reliable ph pen (not a Hannah...unreliable) so you can monitor for changes in the runoff ph, too. (can't check runoff with those test kits)

Can also take a cup of tapwater to the aquarium store, and they'll test it for ya, which will help determine which test kit you should buy.

How long have they been in the same soil? How many internodes do they have? Which nutrients are you going to use when the time comes?

[mickeymac911]

Thanks for the information guys. I've switched to tap water and will look for a ph test pen asap. The plants have been in the same soil for about 3 weeks. The soil drains very well, is it possible the nutes have been washed out? What nutes do you recommend that are easy to attain and use?

[Rusty Trichome]

Any hydro shops in your vicinity? Not knowing what's available in your area, you'll have to do some legwork, or make some phone calls. Most get a 2 or 3 part system from the same manufacturer. (a bottle of grow nutes, one of micronutes, and the bloom nutes) Fox Farms, Botanicare, General Hydroponics, Canna...are but a few. Make sure to get the nutes for soil, not hydro if applicable. I use the Fox Farms trio, but get what you can find. I know Botanicare and Fox Farms have schedules available online for ease of use, and clarity. Great for newbies.

Do you already have transplant pots for when they need 'em?

Regardless of where you get your water, you'll want to know the ph and adjust accordingly if need be...Pronto.

[mickeymac911]

Looks like my tapwater ph is about 6.8 I'd like to bring it down a little and I will keep a close eye on it. The plants seem to be doing better but growth is still slow. They have been in cups for roughly four weeks now, should I start with the nutes? Also should I mix a different soil for transplant into bigger pots. I have the pots and plenty of MG organic soil mix left but I am wondering if mixing my own soil would be more beneficial. If so what is a good mix? Perlite or rocks? I appreciate your time and assistance on this guys. Trying to figure all this out.