Using Miracle Grow organic (not really liking the texture of this stuff) the plants are about 2 months old but only maybe 5" tall. I water them every day to every other day, if I don't the soil turns to what feels like foam (due to it's texture) and ends up completely dry. I have holes in the bottom of the cups and a tray i fill with water that they sit in. I figured it would help by "wicking" water through the bottom of the cup into the soil, somewhat helps but the water in there dries out fast. Anyways every time I check them it seems like more bottom leaves are dying and falling off. Today I just ripped off the dead or dying leaves and noticed that new leaves were growing where the dead ones came off. I was reading maybe it could be my water pH? I use water right from the tap which I thought had a pH of 8 (now I know that'd be bad for plants, what is ideal?) but I tested it with a pH strip and it looks to be somewhere between 6-7. I tested some Poland Spring water and it read about 6. I have some distilled water I use for my cigar humidor and that read near 5. I only have one retailer that sells fox farm and I'm going to try to go there and by some soil and ferts if I can. Hopefully that will help, but any other suggestions?? My plants should already be in there flowering cycle but I'm stunted in veg.
Sounds like you are overwatering, in addition to any pH and/or nute problems. You also mentioned they are in "cups", so something relatively small, even after two months. I recommend you transplant them to bigger pots and if possible do not use Miracle Gro (even the organic MG has nutes in it, albeit organic nutes). Don't let them sit in water to wick up -- that is a fast track to root rot. When you water, water thoroughly, then let the soil dry out fairly well. This will stimulate root growth (they will grow deeper/wider in search of water) and allows oxygen to get to them, which they need (right, the leaves need CO2 but the roots need O2). Get them set up well and then monitor the pH in the new pots.
Well the thing is that if left for 2 days, or even a day, the soil will dry up to nothing. I will pour water into the cups and then after its absorbed, I stick my finger in the soil to see how moist it is. When I do that I often see that only the top layer of soil is wet, and where I dug out with my finger is totally dry. It seems like the soil does not hold water, much if at all. My space is very very confined and I am housing 3 small plants in there with two 27watt ccfl daylight bulbs. I have plenty of air circulation and ventilation, so I don't think that is a problem. What is an ideal growing temperture for these plants?
You need way more light than that. Ideal temp range for growing MJ is 70-80F. Larger pots should do a better job of retaining water. Mix perlite in to the soil to help it retain moisture and prevent it from getting compacted.
ok, so I dont think heat is a problem then i have plenty of that. The light bulbs consume ony 27watts each, but the light output is 100watts, so I have 200watts of light output. I really need better soil, this MG stuff is just too pourus. I'll have to check into that Fox Farm retailer.
A scoop of Vermiculite will give great water retention in addition,dont use more than 25% of the overall volume though.
Two months and only 5" tall? Been growing mine for not even 3 weeks and they are 7" tall. You need more light for those plants, the day lights are great and all but invest in a HPS and use the CFL's as well (better spectrum). I got a 150 watt HPS and 200 watt's of cfl's daylights and they are working great for two plants. Need to transplant them though so the roots can spread out as well. If they get confined they will turn upwards and look for more water/nut's and then when you go to transplant, it might not be as easy. As far as the soil not soaking up the moisture, what soil you using? And btw, Miricale grow is horrible.... get something like Pure Blend Pro veg... I will swear by that stuff b/c its all organic. They gotta be big enough so you dont kill em though... Post any pictures of them?? Might help.
The 100 watts is the incandescent equivalent. You actually only have 54 watts of light output. Sounds like you are over watering and you probably need to transplant those plants in bigger pots.
Two months, 5 inches tall. My friend, your plants are rootbound in their containers. The biggest problem with this, aside from slow/no new growth, is that the plants will consume water VERY fast. Rootbound plants = bad. Get them in bigger pots, use Black Gold soil (the orange bag is the best) or Fox Farms. You'll need more light. If you don't have space I suggest making space somewhere else. Not having enough light will only make your harvest smaller. Heat can easily be handled with some PC fans if you're in a small grow area.
Your entire grow room is to be in a PC case? Am I missing something here? how could a computer case possibly be wide enough for this application?
I stopped by the local Fox Farm retailer and all they had was the huge like 35lb bag of Ocean Soil I asked if they had smaller ones and they told me no, so I ended up not buying it. Is there a smaller one? What should I use for soil? I'm running out of options
It is though,cool is'nt it?If a weed can grow through a crack in concrete you can grow MJ in a PC case.
Did you read my post that is literally 2 posts above the one I'm quoting? Black Gold. No time release ferts. Orange bag. It's working GREAT for my plants. The first layer does get compacted; take a fork and cultivate it, then water again. You can also add 2 drops (yes, DROPS - don't add a lot) of a biodegradable dish soap to your water and it will help the water penetrate the soil better. Make sure it's biodegradable. It'll say on the bottle. The orange bag of Black Gold soil cost me $5 per 17.6 litre bag. That's a little spendy, yeah, but totally worth it. The stuff in the purple bag (which cost $10 for almost 3 times more soil) is cheaper, but not as good. Water penetration isn't as good as the stuff in the orange bag. The purple bag stuff works fine though, just requires a little work. The red/pink bag = evil. Stay away. Time release ferts in it, and even though they aren't TOO strong (all of my plants survived the nute burn and it seems to have stopped), it does slow your growth down and take away from time your plant could be growing a half inch or more per day.
Where can you get Black Gold? It doesnt seem like there are any retailers near me according to their website.
Are you in the US? If so, what coast? On the west coast we have a store called Fred Meyer. They have it. If you're anywhere else that same store is probably called Kroger's. If worse comes to worst try a local grow shop. They're bound to have at least one good soil for this.
Keep in mind that dish soap does work but remember during the first few weeks some ppl use additives (live enzimes)for root develpment and soap with enzimes dont mix,so use one or the other but never both.
The only grow shop I know of, sell's Fox Farm, but only the big 31lb bags of soil. I still need to locate bigger pots to put them in, but not so big they won't fit in the area.
Cool indeed. I just don't see how there could possibly be enough room though. The thickness of the case is what I have the hardest time understand. Wouldn't the plant have to grow as a rectangle?
some PC Grow Cases are slightly bigger than your everyday computer case. my computer-loving friend has a case that is gigantic because he has so much shit in it...so you could take that and convert it to a grow box i suppose. i have see some pics here and there, but never a grow journal from start to finish, which i would really like to see.