help with sprouts under mh w/ pics

[MRDiff]

What is your experience level? Novice. Second timer, trying to get it right this time. My concern in the yellowing of the false leaves before they really have 4 real leaves. They started out fine, sprouting between the 13th and 16th but in the past 4 days, I have not seen too much growth. I have adjusted my lights from 3 feet to as close as 2 feet, but the 2 feet seemed to make things worse. Is it possible that 3 feet is still too close for 6 seedlings? Thanks in advance for any help

Your Equipment:
.1) Type and wattage of lights. MH 400
.2) Distance from tops? Almost 3 feet
.3) Reflector type? Batwing
.4) Is there a consistent fresh air supply? yes
.5) Do you have an exhaust fan and a circulation fan? 4" can fan intake at bottom, 8 inch desk fan exhaust at top of cabinet.

Your medium:
.7) Specific brand and type of soil: 1/3 Jiffy Mix, 1/3 Perlite, 1/3 Mushroom Compost
.8) Size of container: Solo Cups
.9) Did you use peat pucks (or similar) to root clones or germinate seedlings? Seeds went straight into soil.

Your nutrients and water:
10) Source of water? Sink. Have been allowing the chlorine to evaporate. PH is about 6.
11) Method of checking water ph. aquarium test kit
12) Method of adjusting water ph. PH Down
14) How often are you watering between feedings, and how much per watering? Once every 3 days or so. One seedling oddly has an overwatering droop.
15) Any additives or tea's? No, still too soon
16) Are your ph levels stable, or do they fluctuate? Stable

Your growroom:
19) Indoors or outdoors? Indoor
20) What size of closet, room or hut? 6 foot tall wood cabinet, 3 feet wide, 1.5 deep about.
21) What are the temps and humidity levels while lights are on? high 70s with lights on, probably mid to low without
22) Have you seen signs of insects in the growroom? No

Your strain:
23) What strain are you growing? (Indica dominate or Sativa dom?) Sativa
24) From seeds or clones? Female Seeds and Seedsman Feminized Seeds
25) Is this an autoflower strain? No

MRDiff Reviewed by MRDiff on 05-23-2010. help with sprouts under mh w/ pics What is your experience level? Novice. Second timer, trying to get it right this time. My concern in the yellowing of the false leaves before they really have 4 real leaves. They started out fine, sprouting between the 13th and 16th but in the past 4 days, I have not seen too much growth. I have adjusted my lights from 3 feet to as close as 2 feet, but the 2 feet seemed to make things worse. Is it possible that 3 feet is still too close for 6 seedlings? Thanks in advance for any help Your Rating: 5

[Rusty Trichome]

My concern in the yellowing of the false leaves before they really have 4 real leaves. They started out fine, sprouting between the 13th and 16th but in the past 4 days, I have not seen too much growth.

Your medium:
.7) Specific brand and type of soil: 1/3 Jiffy Mix, 1/3 Perlite, 1/3 Mushroom Compost
.8) Size of container: Solo Cups
.9) Did you use peat pucks (or similar) to root clones or germinate seedlings? Seeds went straight into soil.

Jiffy mix is a seed starting mix. Usually too fine for longer term growth, and seedling mixes are buffered to a lower ph, if I'm not mistaken. (a ph of around 5.8) Fine for seedlings, but way too low for growth phase. You'll want a buffered medium (potting soil) and keep ingoing water and nutrient mixes between 6.3 and 6.8 ph. The buffers in potting mixes (often called potting soil or soilless mix) will help keep you on the right track. If ph goes outside acceptable range, the plant can not properly uptake and distribute nutrients.

Your nutrients and water:
10) Source of water? Sink. Have been allowing the chlorine to evaporate. PH is about 6.
11) Method of checking water ph. aquarium test kit
12) Method of adjusting water ph. PH Down

Again...too low with your ph. 6.3 to 6.8 including (future) nutrients and/or additives. Since you are using the color coded ph kit, I'd aim for the high end on feeding days. All nutrients I've ever used lower the ph a couple of decimal points. And if you try and ph a liquid tinted with colored nutrients, it skews the results beyond accuracy. (same goes for runoff water) Aiming for the high end before adding nutes should keep you out of trouble.

The rest seemed ok, but which nutrients are you planning on using?

[MRDiff]

Thanks for the reply. Is 1/3 of my soil being jiffy mix going to be a problem or only from a pH stand point, due to the added lime? I was pretty certain peat moss and vermiculite were both good to include in my soil mix. So over the next week or two maybe I should increase the pH of the water to 6.8? Also, I hadn't bought nutrients for this grow yet, but still have some dynagrow and bloom from my last one. I was however thinking of upgrading. I heard good things about the Canna line. Any particular ferts you would reccomend? Thanks again

[Rusty Trichome]

Peat, perlite, vermiculite...all good. It's just the particle size and what it's buffered to that's a problem. (if ph buffered at all)

Once you start with the nutes likely 6.8 would be fine on feeding days.
On non feeding days, and on plain watering days, I'd go with middle of the road. 6.5 or 6.6.

I haven't used Canna line, but it's been around a while and is popular, so I'm guessing it's fine. Most 2 or 3 part nutrient systems are solid. But use caution...some are rediculously overpriced and more a result of better marketing and packaging rather than better ingredients and results.

[MRDiff]

As with most products. What brand is solid, but not overpriced?

About the sprouts; Should I wait til they need to be watered again or should I flush them with a higher ph water? Is a low ph consistent with the lack of growth and yellowing of the false leaves Im seeing?

[Rusty Trichome]

Well, there's Canna, Fox Farms, (which I use) Dutch Master, Botanicare...just to name a few. Some even have a weekly feeding schedule available online, usually on their company website. Retailers usually don't cary the schedules, and on-bottle instructions are not always cannabis-friendly.

The sooner you correct your ph problem, the sooner they'll start to heal. Flush with properly ph'd water, (ph'd to the high end) and a transplant into potting soil if possible.

[MRDiff]

Thanks Rusty. Im out to pick up some Fox Farm soil and nutes as well probably. Should I try to transplant then flush it with the pH adjusted water right after?

[Rusty Trichome]

I'd just water with properly ph'd water, and wait to change soil when you up-pot. (transplant into a larger pot) They're usually good in the seedling mix for 3-5 true sets of leaves, at which point they should be getting a little rootbound anyway. I've heard a lot of good things about Fox Farms. (I've used their nutrient trio for years) I've never used their soils though...

[MRDiff]

Good call Rusty. I transplanted them and flushed just to be sure. The damaged leaves died but new growth is coming in strong.

[Rusty Trichome]

Good job and good luck. :thumbsup