GC Fam I need some help. I have 8 autos going right now from ILGM. They all sprouted fine and are now ranging from 10-16 days old in age...but the growth seems extremely slow. ALL 8 are exhibiting the same pathetic look. They’re all drooping and some of them are getting yellowed on their first set of blade leaves. Growing 5 of them in a soil starter mix from my local garden store, growing the other 3 in a 50/50 coco/perlite mix. At the moment I am using two HLG100 quantum boards. I have recently raised one of the boards to 34” above the 5 seedlings, and I have the other board at 24” above the other 3 seedlings. Running a 20/4 timing cycle. I have been feeding purified bottled water and/or distilled water as needed when soil dries (every 3 days). pH=6.2-6.8 Temps and RH seem fine (see image). Just watered them last night with a light feeding of cal/mag and FF big bloom+boomerang to see if that helps. One seedling looks like it has slightly “burnt/crisped” blade leaves as they’re growing out. Can anyone diagnose what the hell is wrong with these bitches???
Also just got a water meter yesterday to make sure I’m not over or under watering... so from now on will be using that to gauge my watering volumes to achieve a “moist” soil, not “dry” or “wet”.
Maybe they used up all the nutes in your seed starting mix and coco and perlite. If there are no nutes in the bottled water you are giving them you may have to add some yourself.
Let them dry out Get them out of those jiffy things Good soil 30%perl Watch your feeding And watering. Luck Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk @ I love growing weed
If u been feeding nutes stop!! Your burning it up, or your soil is to hot from the bag Sent from my VS500PP using Tapatalk
Thanks for the replies. I haven’t been feeding nutes regularly, just did yesterday for first time to see if that would help recover. This is my first grow so I have no idea wtf my issue is. Everything seems right, but looks wrong!
Just checked my pH of the distilled water I’ve been using and it was 5.38 that seems extremely acidic for distilled water. Can anyone confirm if that’s good or bad? Seems too acidic for cannabis..?
Yes that is too low and nutes will lower even further. I would suspect the pen needs calibration. Why not just use tap water? Your plant is starving and will not take up Magnesium at that low ph. Mix up a good Grow formula with high N and foliar spray your seedling often without saturating the soil. Ph is not critical for foliar feeding. Higher is ok.
Thanks for the replies. My pH pen is calibrated. I measured my 7.0 reference solution and it was 6.95 so it’s pretty damn close. I then measured my tap water and it was 6.80. Then when I measured the distilled it was 5.38... Going to use tap water from now on.
Oh that's a good number. If your nutes drop your 6.8 tap too low learn to add silica to the tap water first to start it higher and then the nutes will bring it down to proper level. The silica must be added first or it will neutralize the Phosphorous in your fertilizer. So don't use it to raise after already adding nutes. Silica is also very beneficial to the plant.
Pure water like distilled or good RO water has no real pH of it's own and a pH pen won't read it correctly so add nutes to it before checking pH. Those seedlings look hungry and may respond now that you've fed them a bit. Those peat pots suck for starting seedlings in too so get some plastic pots or party cups to start them in. Good luck!
Didn’t know that about distilled/RO water, great information! I will use new cups next batch for sure...
My best purchase for 2018 was the 6 bucks I spent on a 1 liter Air-pot for seed starting. I never top water it. I just soak it in a coffee can 4 hours a day. At transplant time it easily comes apart and roots are properly airpruned for transplanting.
The drops couple bucks Infallible , no cal. 3 drops and you know Just saying, don’t get me wrong,I just ordered a pen, a new need arose But I love the drops Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk @ I love growing weed
They are completely nutrient deficient, your soils are pretty much void of nutes and you're using water without any dissolved solids, that's a recipe for disaster. I suggest buying some decent soil and transplanting the seedlings in to bigger pots. Get rid of those paper pots too, they're not good for the roots
I will trash the remainder of these paper cow pots, sounds like their shit anyway. I have 5 gal fabric aeration pots- I think next round of seedlings I will start directly in the final container... these are autos and I read that’s best for autos. I’ve almost given up on these ones and ready to start a fresh round in good soil + final 5 gallon fabric pot... Let me know your opinions on how to start next round of auto seedlings! Don’t want to fail again. Thanks.
I grow autos in 5 gallon smartpots. I found I was wasting and salting needlessly so much medium (I grow in 100% perlite) that it was better to start seeds in small container and transplant at about 28 days. First I tried solo cups but I was already getting root rot at 21 days, then I discovered the 1 liter Air-pot for seed starting and all I can say is just look at one and let your imagination run. I had an old bag of Espoma Organic seed starting mix and it really works well with the air-pot (perlite fell through the holes) or you can make your own with 50% peat, 50% vermiculite. Perlite is not needed or desired for this application and just causes problems when drainage is not an issue. We are only talking 1 liter here. I soak the airpot in a bucket or coffee can with just the 3 top holes exposed for 4 hours and then remove for about maybe 18 hours. My veg formula can gunk up medium and this way at 30 days I am in new medium with only flower nutes which are much cleaner. To transplant just disassemble the airpot and try to grow in such a way that the roots have been air pruned before transplanting. I soak my seedlings in a mixture of Dyna-gro Foliage pro and Protekt. Any high N grow formula with Calcium will work but I would say adding some form of silica during the first 30 days of a seedlings life (foliar spraying is the most efficient) will get a plant off to a healthy start.