I use FFOF (50% OF, 50% Perlite) and yes I had to wait 3 weeks before I started using nutes. Not sure if you have heard of them but you may want to check out "smart pots", they are pots that are made out of fabric instead of hard plastic or clay. Provides better aeration for your soil, I ran an experiment on 3 gallon smart pots vs the standard pots and found that the plants in the "smart pots" really took off. Plus the "smart pots" have a lower profile (couple of inches) than the plastic ones.

the pictures of your plants look fine, my do the same thing, hard to worry when you have great looking plants with aggressive new growth and lite yellowing at the bottom. :hippy:

Smart Pots