I'm on my second grow, one plant each time. I grow in a 2x2x6' tent with an Area 51 RW-150 LED light and an overpowered fan/filter for the space. The seeds for both grows were different Indica strains. The first time I mixed my own soil of 1/3 peat, 1/3 compost and EWC, and 1/3 perlite. Also added were Espoma tomato tone, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, rock dust, etc. The plant was topped once and ripened at a tiny 15". After 8 weeks veg and 9 weeks flowering, the end product was excellent and the 14 grams was more than I expected from such a small plant. Toward the end of flowering the leaves were yellowing and this was resolved by using a compost tea. On grow two, I decided to go with a pre-mixed soil to see if it worked better. I went with a mix of Fox Farms' Ocean Forest and Happy Frog, along with compost, perlite and the same amendments. After 5 weeks in the veg stage this one is only about 10" without topping. It looks as healthy as can be, just not getting tall. Many, many people post in this Organics forum that they use basically the same soils and never feed their plants, only water. Am I missing something or is it just bad luck? Thanks, Oulde Tymer
I would imagine it's due to the amount of light you are giving them? The yellowing at the end of flowering is normal, and just one indicator of how close to being done your plant is.
Well, that's what I thought originally but there is very little inter-nodal space in either grow. My LED puts out 100w in veg mode and 150w in flowering mode.
These were 2 different Indica strains? You would need to grow the same strain in different soils to come to any sort of a conclusion. Wet
I would say If the plants were happy than it was most likely your genetics. Every seed is going to be different. Do yourself a favor and and stick with your soil mix. Just make sure you incorperate a liming agent with the plain peat and give it the proper cook time. Even though your room is small, I would add some more light.(maybe 2 nice cfl's) And I would try using a bigger planter. For a room your size, I would use a 15-25 gal container. More roots, more fruits...lol BM
I think the LED could be helping the tight inter-node spacing. I have seen it myself when I dabbled with LED before, but am not sure if that was due to the light being so close during early veg or the actual spectrum's/whatever of the LED. I agree with Big Medicine about trying to add in a few CFL lights. Even if it won't help to grow a much taller plant, it'll help with the lower nugs during flowering. How far away is your light from the plant? +1 Clones would probably make it even better.
I have heard that LEDs cause tight inter-nodal spacing, but the plants never elongate. My LED is 18" above the "canopy". I'm going to try supplementing it with some compost tea and alternate with kelp and alfalfa meal tea. That may or may not help but it shouldn't hurt. Should it?
I vote that its your lighting. More powerful lighting will give you bigger plants. I have zero experience with LED's but 100 watts is 100 watts. j
Sounds like the number one problem with LED's to me. They seem to stack really nice nodes but don't actually grow plants all that well. I experimented with a single 100w panel and threw it away after one round. I got better results with CFL's. I suggest getting an HID of some kind I run a 400w MH light in my 2x2x4. Bham Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
I think LEDs can be great, but 100 watts (like jerry111165 said) is only 100 watts. Plant would like much more to grow bigger.
Lower your light? I run 2 600w HPS much closer to the canopy than 18". Isn't that supposed to be one of the benefits of LED lighting? Being able to put them right on top of the canopy?
Oulde Time, I'll try to be succinct. Soil Temperature. Too cold equals poor and stunted root growth. The biomass below the soil line directly dictates what happens to the biomass above the soil line. If your container is resting directly in contact with the floor, raise it up ~1"-2". Ensure the soil temp is 68F or >. Ensure your ambient air temperature is a minimum 72F. Less than 86F is ideal. That will also ensure your soil temperature is "good". Soil density and porosity. Others might comment in detail but bottom line; too dense equals poor root growth. Poor drainage and less than ideal porosity equals poor root growth. The plants root system is a primary indicator of what is occurring above the soil line. Look at your environmental conditions while considering other inputs to poor growth. HTH's.
To a point. They usually have a focal range and the closer they get the smaller the footprint. So more light + closer would be best.
Anything less then 400w hid is going to severely reduce quality and yield. You can get a nice starter light on amazon that will support MH and HPS for around $160. Trust me, it's a wise investment. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Umm 8 week Veg and it was only 10inches? With an a-51? What size pot are you using would be the edition that I would ask/I am surprised no one asked
Since you changed soils between runs, did either soil get a chance to mellow before you planted into it? Other than light, which has been addressed, maybe the microherd didn't get a chance to establish and colonize before the plants went in. I would venture to guess this could potentially cause a slow start/stunted vertical growth.
That's a possibility with the second plant. I let the soil cook for 3 weeks but did not stir it up. The first plant's soil cooked for 4 weeks and was well mixed. I guess maybe I'll chalk it up to genetics since I'm growing Indicas for pain relief. At least they are nice and bushy. OT