Question for expert growers

[cgoforth]

I just dont know what I have been doing wrong. I have had 6 plants sprout 2.5 weeks ago. They dont look much diff than the first time they sprouted. I have floros on them and a fan, 80 degrees. I also noticed that the soil gets dry easily. I water twice a day.

What should I do?

[s12fever]

You need to be more specific,but:

You're using flo's, so you definatly do not need to water 2x daily, i'm using flo's and i water my 6 plants once every 2-3 days. Overwatering isn't good mate, the roots need to go in search for their water, so they can grow

[infiniteawesome]

Originally Posted by cgoforth

I just dont know what I have been doing wrong. I have had 6 plants sprout 2.5 weeks ago. They dont look much diff than the first time they sprouted. I have floros on them and a fan, 80 degrees. I also noticed that the soil gets dry easily. I water twice a day.

What should I do?

How many watts of fluorescent lights do you have them under? How many bulbs and how many watts per bulb? How are the fluorescents oriented? Are they directly above your plants or to the side? How far away are they from your plant? They should only be an inch or so away. Is their some sort of reflector that you are using? It's not necessary but it helps.

If your soil is getting dry, that means it doesn't have good water retention. Does it have alot of wood chips in it? This can stunt growth. Did you mix it with pearlite or vermiculite? This mediums can help hold water and provide aeration to the soil encouraging overall growth.

What is the ph of your water? It needs to be within the 6.8 range or so. What kind of water is it? Tap water needs to be left out at least 24 hours and the ph should be adjusted to 6.8 or so. The best water to use is reverse osmosis water at a ph of 6.8 or so.

What kind of fan do you have on it? It should not be blowing directly on the plant, but rather just above the canopy level so the topmost leaves are blowing, but if it's super young you don't necessarily need a fan until it develops it's second set of fan leaves as when they are young the fan may just dry out the soil and kill the plant. To be honest if it is 2.5 weeks old and not growing, it is most likely dead as the soil probably became bone dry at some point and the plant dehydrated to death.

Answer these.

[s12fever]

Originally Posted by infiniteawesome

How many watts of fluorescent lights do you have them under? How many bulbs and how many watts per bulb? How are the fluorescents oriented? Are they directly above your plants or to the side? How far away are they from your plant? They should only be an inch or so away. Is their some sort of reflector that you are using? It's not necessary but it helps.

If your soil is getting dry, that means it doesn't have good water retention. Does it have alot of wood chips in it? This can stunt growth. Did you mix it with pearlite or vermiculite? This mediums can help hold water and provide aeration to the soil encouraging overall growth.

What is the ph of your water? It needs to be within the 6.8 range or so. What kind of water is it? Tap water needs to be left out at least 24 hours and the ph should be adjusted to 6.8 or so. The best water to use is reverse osmosis water at a ph of 6.8 or so.

What kind of fan do you have on it? It should not be blowing directly on the plant, but rather just above the canopy level so the topmost leaves are blowing, but if it's super young you don't necessarily need a fan until it develops it's second set of fan leaves as when they are young the fan may just dry out the soil and kill the plant. To be honest if it is 2.5 weeks old and not growing, it is most likely dead as the soil probably became bone dry at some point and the plant dehydrated to death.

Answer these.

You go girl ....

[infiniteawesome]

Originally Posted by s12fever

You go girl ....

Well let's see, I'm looking under my belt and I'd have to say I'm a . . . man, yes I'm a man, okay . . .just wanted to verify that . . . yep.

[cgoforth]

I beleive the lights are 100watts together. I got them from a friend, but I am ordering a 400watt hps in about a week. I also do leave my water out over night, and I dont really think its the tap water because I have regular plants that I water with, and they do fine. The lights are right over the plants- bout 3-4 inches above. The fan is facing beside the plant- doesnt blow on them at all. I noticed that the soil I bought did have wood chips in it, but I removed the majority. I have also felt like I've had to water them twice a day because the soil gets so dry between waterings. I must be doing something wrong. It's not too much of a big deal since they were just bagseeds and I plan on ordering white widow and early misty, but I would like to know what I'm doing and get a successful grow under my belt until I attempt it. Any suggestions or advice? What should my plants look like by now?

[Homergrower]

IS the grow area getting good fresh airflow !!!!

[urgr8estfear]

Originally Posted by cgoforth

I beleive the lights are 100watts together. I got them from a friend, but I am ordering a 400watt hps in about a week. I also do leave my water out over night, and I dont really think its the tap water because I have regular plants that I water with, and they do fine. The lights are right over the plants- bout 3-4 inches above. The fan is facing beside the plant- doesnt blow on them at all. I noticed that the soil I bought did have wood chips in it, but I removed the majority. I have also felt like I've had to water them twice a day because the soil gets so dry between waterings. I must be doing something wrong. It's not too much of a big deal since they were just bagseeds and I plan on ordering white widow and early misty, but I would like to know what I'm doing and get a successful grow under my belt until I attempt it. Any suggestions or advice? What should my plants look like by now?

I know what you did wrong.
YOU'RE GROWING IN THE MIDDLE OF A DESERT!
I mean come on man water twice a day because the soil dries out?
Thats waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to quick, especially for those small ones they allmost don't drink anything at all.
I potted my seeds in general pre-nuted potting soil which is a bit humid to begin with and now 19 days later I've only added 100 ml water TOTAL in two waterings. Thats once every 9.5 days!!!!