Pictures below! Hi, this is my first grow and I'm learning a lot through trial and error, and I'm having issues with my plants. They are 5 weeks old and for about 2 weeks the leaves have been turning yellow from the bottom of the plant upwards, and some leaves have brown spots that look almost like burns. Some plants have lost one or two sets of leaves. Here's what I can tell you about the situation: I started them in moisture control soil (big mistake) and couldn't water them for the first week and a half because they didn't dry out. At about 2 and a half weeks I replanted them in a mixture of 30% perlite and miracle grow garden vegetable soil. Since then I can water every couple days. I'm not sure why this is happening. It could just be that it's time to transplant them to a bigger container. They are in cups right now and will be put in 2 gallon buckets. I was thinking maybe the spots of the leaves are from water on the leaves being burned by the lights? Or maybe it's a nute problem? I haven't used any nutes, the only source is from the soil I used, and I don't re-use the water runoff. There are 8 plants under 3 - 2,700k cfl's and 3 - 5,600k cfl's and they sit in a sunny window, and I keep the lights on 24 hours. The lights are 2-6 inches above. I have a box fan blowing on low towards them. In a few days I will be moving them into a closet with the same lights, plus a few more bulbs and one generic flourescent grow light. I've also included a picture of the roots. Any input or advice based on your knowledge and experience would be greatly helpful... I can't stand to lose any more leaves!
Ph problem. SOIL u r using maybe. Or water ph. Looks like it needs N. But so young Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Your 5 week old plants look an awful lot like my 2 week old plants from seed. You may want to reconsider your growing parameters. Outdoors is best when you can't afford HID. Also I will mention you can grow outdoors and use supplemental indoor lighting like your current set up. I have had two times the size of your plants from 2 week old plants grown under sunlight and a constant indoor 23w cfl (just upgraded to a 43w bulb and I'm expecting greater results). Even started 12/12 outdoors would yield more than that in just 11 weeks. Also wanna mention your clear containers are a bad choice hide those roots man! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
They're so small because their growth has been stunted 2 times. Like I said, it's my first time and all I can do is learn from here with any advice I can receive. Thanks for the help.
Transplant and get bigger lights! also it looks like a N def, which is also responsible for slowing growth down i believe
Hey new grower too, I had similar issues and i had my cfl setup too. They started out in rockwool ( gifted plants to me) but i am highly against rock wool when possible to avoid. so i transplant into normal potting soil, no good there either so i got some fox farm ocean and grow big bottle. And someone mention the nitrogen, which is right you will need more "n" during veg. Also I kept them in an open place with airflow, and they got MUCH better, seriously went from the grim reaper to kittens and rainbows k? also when i was using my cfl's i did 3 days on and 6 hours off, sounds weird I know but she flourished, perked back up, got her colour back, new growth, crystal hairs and everything. And always learn from your mistakes which sounds like you're doing. Either way just keep testing shit out, and you'll be fine. Good luck!!
Not sure about the spots, but like the other guys said, when the leaves turn yellow from the bottom up, that's typically a nitrogen deficiency.
Go to the best nursery in your area and buy the best soil you can. Normally I'd suggest organic amendments, but since this is your first grow the easier the better. Look for the brand names, Coast of Maine, Hampton Estates, Fox Farm, Roots or Kellogs. (These are the brand I'm familiar with, but just about anything is going to beat Miracle grow IMO.) Transplant into much larger containers filled an inch to the top, don't be cheap. Bury those plants up to an inch below the cotyledon leaves and you can ditch those pipe cleaner supports. Transplanting into a better soil in a larger container should provide those plants with enough nutrition to give you a month to investigate what nutrients you need. Learn what the pot feels like weight wise to judge how often you water, A dry pot is much lighter than a still moist one. Once you start using nutes go easy, most suggest 1/4 manufacturer's suggested feeding and work your way up a bit. Feed sparingly, I'd suggest waiting until you see signs of deficiency to do so. No offense but your previous heavy hand with the water is easily carried over to feeding habits.
I ended up pulling them and I'm starting over. Poor babies, victim of a noob That's okay though. I found what most people are saying is the N deficiency, which I suspected, but when I got to looking at a chart of the various deficiencies, the possibilites seemed endless. I'm trying new soil this time and will add some nutes, make sure I transplant on time, etc. I will update in the future if anybody is interested Thanks guys.