Ok, this is my second grow. My first grow was just some bag seed that I had and I grew three beautiful plants. Never tested PH of the water, really didn't care for them well and for some reason it worked and they grew. Now I'm having problems when I'm actually trying a little harder this time. Here is my set up: 2 AK-48 and 1 Blackjack. 1. 400w MH lighting. 2. A mix of MG Perlite and MG Organic Choice Garden soil(I'm thinking this is the problem). 3. Checking PH with a Milwaukee PH600.(This has kept pretty good calibration so far.) 4. General Hydroponics PH control kit.(This also came with a PH tester that I use to check PH as well. PH shouldn't be the problem) 5. Fan constantly blowing on them.(On low). 6. Fox farm soil trio. They sprouted March 30th and they should have grown a lot more than they have I think. I have only been watering them so far and have not been over-watering I know. I have noticed they have vague yellow speckles on the leaves but still look healthy. I was planning on starting to lightly feed them with Big Grow tonight. 1 teaspoon/1 gallon water.
400w MH Without a cooling unit or anything, that's really close to a seedling most likely what is causing the bleaching, that's overkill for a seedling especially being that close to them.. You put them right into huge pots too, you should have chose to grow them in party cups then transplant when they are better established.
They shouldn't be heat stressed. I can put my hand right above the plants and there isn't much heat at all. Plus with the fan on them they are staying quite cool. I didn't want to put the light too far up and make the plants stretch. It was a quick set up and I'm currently not able to look at them everyday so I went ahead and placed them in a permanent pot.
Well in a bigger pot right off start before they establish a good root system is like throwing a small fish into the ocean, the roots are going to search and search for water/nutrients so they aren't focused on foliar growth they are focused on rooting first, which isn't really ideal. That's why you let them grow in small pots and work up, so their nutrients/water is immediately accessible to them. The hand trick works for more mature plants but for seedlings the light is more extreme to them, they are very fragile, Plus under a 400w MH that close and a fan at mid level can give them wind burn, just a heads up. I am sure they will do like most plants do and adapt to the growing environment and then start growing just fine, they are just struggling right now. Once they get a better root system they will be fine. Good luck brother.
Thanks man. So I probably should just continue to just water ATM? You think feeding them would help or damage them right now?
Well, you have to get a thermometer, but I think the problem is a nitrogen deficiency. Everyone will yell at me for saying that, but I've seen two other grows with MG organic choice and they both had nitrogen deficiency at the sprout stage, same size as yours. So, I would give them Big Bloom for sure, and a 1/2 strength dose of Grow Big. (I don't use the FF line, so I don't know what strength you were planning.) If you can repot them into better soil that would be good. But as microgrower said, your pots are kinda big for seedlings. Their roots might be long and they might incur some stress. If you don't repot into better soil, top dress with worm castings or quality compost if you can. It will help improve the quality of the soil. Please keep us posted!
Damage them, They don't seem to be well rooted enough to feed, I would lift the 400w to 18" away and just water them when they need it and wait for them to fully establish their root system and they should recover just fine. Probably in a week or so.
If he is going to feed I would feed even less then 1/2 if he was really concerned. And I highly agree with you about top dressing if he has no other alternatives. But I would just lift the lights feed water and wait until they bounce back a little, because feeding can go either way, good or bad.
I agree. 1/4 strength of the Grow Big should show some results if they are N deprived. The Big Bloom has micro-nutes & fungi, etc and is recommended for seedlings, so I think that's safe. It's also 100% organic.
Ok, tonight I'm going to raise the light and lightly feed them and see what happens. I will update in the next couple of days. I'm growing them in a separate location from where I live so I only get to tend to them every other day.
Dang man that's pretty rough, plants need care daily, especially MJ if you don't catch mistakes early it can all go down hill fast. Good luck and keep us posted.
I won't be able to check them daily until mid May when I'll be moving. If these plants don't happen to make it, it's not a big deal. I have plenty more seeds. I'm was just attempting a head start. I'm hoping they will change their progress when I come back Thursday.
If the soil doesn't dry out too quickly they might be fine. Just don't flower them until you move in with them. You really need a thermometer. A lot of growers use a digital thermometer/hygrometer (under $20 at radio shack), but a plain thermometer is good.
I have one but I see no reason to use it ATM moment since it's cool in there. I have no way of controlling the temp or humidity right now since they're currently at the top of an old tobacco packhouse. Before it gets too hot I will be moving them in a bathroom of an old country store(closed in the 80s) on our land where I will be able to control the temp and humidity.
I have the exact same problem as you and the same type of soil. Check for root rot, I noticed my seedlings acted like they were not rooted and that was because it rotted right at the stem.
Well the thing is on my first grow I used MG Organic Choice potting soil and they did just fine. This time I accidently picked up MG Organic Choice garden soil. I will check for root rot.
Heavy garden soil may just be our problem. Garden soil is designed to hold water in an environment where evaporation occurs rapidly. Potting soil drains easily.