Its fine. Slight Soil Compaction and
overwatering. Soil compaction happens even when it seems like it shouldn't, trust me. Mostly just let the pot dry.
I'd personally start over and use 2 bags (mg) perlite 32 qt total for every 60-90qts of subpar soil. Id start all seedlings in a 1-2 gallon pots. That soil looks poor.
You'll wanna transplant on day 13 or day 29 on into final pot if you use the perlite. Careful as soil does like to fall apart. I noticed easier transplant when the soil was considerably moist.
The common alternatives are vermiculite, peat moss, coco coir, wood chips in small amounts and with other things like EWC, or even lava rocks.
Of course seedlings need food. They might not need much, but they do need something. The energy in a seed is only enough to sprout. Unless the soil is used, there should be nutrients in it. If the plant isn't feeding on them, PH is the first thing to check.
Not to be rude, but there is a number of things wrong with that statement. The cotyledons will feed a healthy plant for up to 4 weeks. The plant relies heavily on them for the first 7-14 days. And while pH locks nutes out, it would also kill a seedling or at the very least severely disfigure it. This plant is just too wet. Thats why it looks pale.
Anyways expanding on what i was saying,
My current runs roots (4 bulb t5 in a really cold room) reached the bottom and proliferated substantially within 2 weeks. They are 18 days old on 15/9 and now 14/10. They are only 2.5-3" tall, but the roots are about 10-12" deep. And the first 7-8 days were in a 5 oz solo cup. Their stems are almost as fat as a pencil. Did i mention I started with a bag of stay green garden soil. Not potting mix. Garden soil. Its worse than any real potting mix, mg organic included. I'd rate it a 3/10 as a soil, but with the perlite its 7/10.
This reinforced my understanding.
Any bag of brand name potting mix can grow huge healthy plants (lbs) with a basic amendment recipe (listed below), as long as grow room and grower are permitting. It can be over the top for some people though. All of this
IS NOT NECESSARY. But I highly recommend it.
What you'll want to fix 3cu ft of shitty bagged soil. Works on good soils and can be used on 2cu ft bags as well.
(in order or importance)
25-40 qts perlite (aerates the soil, promotes drainage, prevents over watering to a degree, increases total volume, will cost about $10)
4-10 cups ewc (adds microbials and micronutrients, another anti compaction ingredient, and plants just love them, may need to buy online about $10)
1-2 cups garden epsom salts (mag def/bud rot prevention about $4)
1 cup limestone powder (ph adjuster, $5)
Diatomaceous earth (pest control, most effective imo that is a soil amendment, will stop the inevitable fungus gnats or soil mites before they start, may need to buy online, about $10)
1-2 cups neem oil or neem seed meal (insect hormone disruptor, form of repellant, common but may need to buy online)
1 cup insect frass (insect shit for natural plant immunities, may need to buy online)
1/2-1 1/2 cups crab meal (another insect repellant/immunity booster, may need to buy online)
The rest of the my shopping list usually goes:
almost any plant tea (like stump tea)
rather weak veg nutes of a formulation to my standards, used sparingly
whatever the highest quality (imo) formulation of bloom fert being carried at wherever i'm shopping
micros if they aren't in the fert or tea
I know this is probably sounding over the top, but this recipe almost always makes some past decent soil, a little hot, but veg plants always take off. I hardly feed till bloom, and get very nice returns. The plants root and yield like hempy, but you have the soil as a ph buffer.
If you buy the amendments, there should be enough of each for at least 6 cu ft, meaning 6 8 gallon pots. With your lights thats 3 grows at 8-12oz a run to an average grower, probably closer to 15 ozs if you have talent. IMO, Well worth $40 on amendments, $10 on soil, and $20-40 on nutes.
Sorry, it kinda feels like im thread jacking, i'm a little medicated, but this is my advice. IMO this impoves any amatuer soil grow by about 3 levels and often even increases yield.
But yea sorry for the long and probably 95% unnecessary post.
Anyways,
Peace out girl scouts.
