5 weeks 3 days old. And now have some lighting going on, on the leaves

[Three Berries]

I have a cheap pH pen. They are OK but you need some 7.0 solution and calibrate every time. Also they should be stored in the 7.0 solution. Mine has a cap you pour a little into.

Strips take a trained eye and can go bad if not stored correctly.

 

[flyawayclyde]

I have a cheap pH pen. They are OK but you need some 7.0 solution and calibrate every time. Also they should be stored in the 7.0 solution. Mine has a cap you pour a little into.

Strips take a trained eye and can go bad if not stored correctly.

I did order some calibration solutions, a 20pck.
So I can recalibrate my pen again. I do know that the strips need to be stored with care. And I will of course use them as a baseline to be used with the pen. To at least, get me closer to where I need to be, versus fumbling around in the dark waiting for a problem to show up, such as just happened.

But to answer my question from from above. I need to bring my PH up now, to counter the soil bring it down?

 

[Jules1976]

Miracle grow soil is 20-20-20 I think which is very rich for small plants most regular garden soils you can buy are very hot next time try a cannabis blend I use bio-bizz light mix it's a great soil with not too many nutrients for baby plants

 

[Three Berries]

I use FF soil and don't add any nets until it's well into veg. Potassium or magnesium bicarbonate are both relatively safe bases for raising pH. Ammonia too as it degrades to nitrogen but is very reactive like an acid in the opposite way. Great for doctoring a solution.

 

[Slartibart4242]

I was trying to stress the point of you have a lot of variables in the equation and trying to advise you to reduce the number of variables for your grow to better learn the plants. I think you said you are using earth worm castings mixed in with miracle grow soil and are also using a bottled nutrient. Ignore the bottled nutrients as they aren’t needed for soil unless you have a depleted soil.

Your plant is massively stunted at this point, to the point where you aren’t going to have a big harvest. You could start a plant today and flip it into flower two weeks from now and end up with more bud on that new plant than your current plant will produce.

for one in soil there is no need to PH your water if your well water is at 7.5 PH. That is barely alkaline and the soil is going to buffer the water PH. Your current issue is you have a very hot nutrient soil that has essentially clogged the veins of the plant, making it hard to pass water and nutrients through the plant. You could flush the heck out of your soil to try and get rid of all the nutrients that you’ve built up. But most likely it’s not going to entirely fix the problem.


for growing corn there is a saying “knee high by the 4th of July” which is a guide to how good your harvest is going to be for the year. For a plant that is now 6 weeks old, depending on the strain you should have a plant that is 12”-24”s tall. Yours is maybe 6”-8”s tall. I mean you can keep growing it if you have the space, but I would really start over from this point of sprout a couple more beans. Mistakes are nothing more than learning experiences you are destined to repeat until you learn. I would start with a seed starting soil that is low in nutrients and then get another soil other than miracle grow because it is a hot soil. Transplanting is used to add new soil and nutrients to the roots. But a bag of ProMix at Home Depot is like $7 and will give you great results. You can mix in some more vermiculite or petite if you want to increase the water retention but I would hold off on the worm castings for the time being. I wouldn’t add more worm castings into the soil into you are doing your final transplant a couple weeks 1-2 before you switch to flower. Every time you transplant you need to give it a few days to a week to recover from the transplant before you switch to flower or top the plant.

Clearly you have an aptitude for this and you seem like you want to learn but I would really just write off that first plant. Three months down the line you are going to be much happier if you sprouted that extra bean or two.

start with a simple baseline of variables and then tweak as needed. Earth worm castings make a great top dress and tea and will definitely be used eventually and bottled nutrients are great for a depleted soil. You just started with something probably hotter than TGA Subcools Pro Mix. If you are keen on making your own soil I would look over his recipe, but I warn you it is a hot soil as well, so i would just use a good bagged soil to start. Even Fox Farms Oceans Forest is a hot soil and really shouldn’t be used until you transplant for flower. But to each their own on preference.

Believe me when I started out I made a lot of mistakes. But I’ve learned something over 10 years.

the only other question I have is when you said your lights are 30”s high is that above the ground, the top of the pot, or the top of the plant? Just so we can help you dial in your lights. Too much light early can also stunt a plant.

 

[flyawayclyde]

I was trying to stress the point of you have a lot of variables in the equation and trying to advise you to reduce the number of variables for your grow to better learn the plants. I think you said you are using earth worm castings mixed in with miracle grow soil and are also using a bottled nutrient. Ignore the bottled nutrients as they aren’t needed for soil unless you have a depleted soil.

Your plant is massively stunted at this point, to the point where you aren’t going to have a big harvest. You could start a plant today and flip it into flower two weeks from now and end up with more bud on that new plant than your current plant will produce.

for one in soil there is no need to PH your water if your well water is at 7.5 PH. That is barely alkaline and the soil is going to buffer the water PH. Your current issue is you have a very hot nutrient soil that has essentially clogged the veins of the plant, making it hard to pass water and nutrients through the plant. You could flush the heck out of your soil to try and get rid of all the nutrients that you’ve built up. But most likely it’s not going to entirely fix the problem.


for growing corn there is a saying “knee high by the 4th of July” which is a guide to how good your harvest is going to be for the year. For a plant that is now 6 weeks old, depending on the strain you should have a plant that is 12”-24”s tall. Yours is maybe 6”-8”s tall. I mean you can keep growing it if you have the space, but I would really start over from this point of sprout a couple more beans. Mistakes are nothing more than learning experiences you are destined to repeat until you learn. I would start with a seed starting soil that is low in nutrients and then get another soil other than miracle grow because it is a hot soil. Transplanting is used to add new soil and nutrients to the roots. But a bag of ProMix at Home Depot is like $7 and will give you great results. You can mix in some more vermiculite or petite if you want to increase the water retention but I would hold off on the worm castings for the time being. I wouldn’t add more worm castings into the soil into you are doing your final transplant a couple weeks 1-2 before you switch to flower. Every time you transplant you need to give it a few days to a week to recover from the transplant before you switch to flower or top the plant.

Clearly you have an aptitude for this and you seem like you want to learn but I would really just write off that first plant. Three months down the line you are going to be much happier if you sprouted that extra bean or two.

start with a simple baseline of variables and then tweak as needed. Earth worm castings make a great top dress and tea and will definitely be used eventually and bottled nutrients are great for a depleted soil. You just started with something probably hotter than TGA Subcools Pro Mix. If you are keen on making your own soil I would look over his recipe, but I warn you it is a hot soil as well, so i would just use a good bagged soil to start. Even Fox Farms Oceans Forest is a hot soil and really shouldn’t be used until you transplant for flower. But to each their own on preference.

Believe me when I started out I made a lot of mistakes. But I’ve learned something over 10 years.

the only other question I have is when you said your lights are 30”s high is that above the ground, the top of the pot, or the top of the plant? Just so we can help you dial in your lights. Too much light early can also stunt a plant.

30" from the top of the plant . But they are no about 40" from the tip of the plants.
So I don't have a local grow shop anywhere near me, South Texas. Everything I need for this tent I have to get online.
I made up this soil I am using, 3 bags of 3cuft Keith's organic soil, 1 bag of miracle grow, 1 bag of steer manure, 2 cups of perlite per 3gln pot. And like a tablespoon of EWC, in the hole when I transplant the seedling into the pot with the jiffy seedling pot into the hole..
I didn't want to purchase soil online. Because this isn't at all legal here yet, and I am trying to be discrete here as much as possible.
Promise, at home Depot. Okay. I guess I will get some of this then. Because I am getting tried of the setbacks I keep having. It's very frustrating.
Thank you for the advice, really.... Thank you.
Flyaway

 

[Slartibart4242]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/PRO-MIX-Pro-Mix-2-cu-ft-Potting-Soil-Mix/3733135

here is a link to the 2 cubic feet bag at Lowe’s. Sorry I get it from menards but they aren’t all around the USA and I buy the 1 cubic feet bags. But this soil has mycelium in it which breaks down nutrients for the plants. Depending on the time of year you can usually find it at Walmart as well.

If you can’t find that soil you could also get a bag of coco and mix that with the miracle grow to cut the soil. Coco is used in a lot of seed starter soils and found at pretty much all hardware stores now.

 

[Jules1976]

I would consider what the member before said and start over as you might have better results like the guy says even if you managed to grow to full term the yeild would be bad how bad can't tell you but you still have a long way to go to full term not sure it will be worth the effort starting again might be more cost effective what ever you decide best of luck

 

[flyawayclyde]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/PRO-MIX-Pro-Mix-2-cu-ft-Potting-Soil-Mix/3733135

here is a link to the 2 cubic feet bag at Lowe’s. Sorry I get it from menards but they aren’t all around the USA and I buy the 1 cubic feet bags. But this soil has mycelium in it which breaks down nutrients for the plants. Depending on the time of year you can usually find it at Walmart as well.

If you can’t find that soil you could also get a bag of coco and mix that with the miracle grow to cut the soil. Coco is used in a lot of seed starter soils and found at pretty much all hardware stores now.

I would consider what the member before said and start over as you might have better results like the guy says even if you managed to grow to full term the yeild would be bad how bad can't tell you but you still have a long way to go to full term not sure it will be worth the effort starting again might be more cost effective what ever you decide best of luck

Thank you all.

 

[Slartibart4242]

And you’re welcome Flyaway. We are here to help. We want you to have the best grown weed that you can grow.

when you get a chance can you take a picture of one of your lights? From my basic search they look like they are the burple colored LEDs with a veg and flower switch but I just want to make sure I have the right info before I make suggestions to the height they should be at. I have never used those ones in particular, but I did have a MarsHydro for a couple grows that was very similar. Also are they 240 watt true power?

In that era of LEDs many companies would post the “max potential” of the light as the wattage. And by this I mean they would use 3 or 5 or 7 watt LED diodes, but then they would use a driver the under powers the LEDs. so a light that was “300 watts” would have 60 5-watt diodes that were only powered to 50-60% so it would only draw 150ish watts.

 

[flyawayclyde]

And you’re welcome Flyaway. We are here to help. We want you to have the best grown weed that you can grow.

when you get a chance can you take a picture of one of your lights? From my basic search they look like they are the burple colored LEDs with a veg and flower switch but I just want to make sure I have the right info before I make suggestions to the height they should be at. I have never used those ones in particular, but I did have a MarsHydro for a couple grows that was very similar. Also are they 240 watt true power?

In that era of LEDs many companies would post the “max potential” of the light as the wattage. And by this I mean they would use 3 or 5 or 7 watt LED diodes, but then they would use a driver the under powers the LEDs. so a light that was “300 watts” would have 60 5-watt diodes that were only powered to 50-60% so it would only draw 150ish watts.

Yes, you are correct in the being Burple style lights, 240 watts, 2 switch's one each 'veg" & bloom.

 

[Slartibart4242]

Okay. So your lights have 5 watt diodes and they are running at 40% wattage. But the actual draw is 240 watts per light.

So if you are starting new seedlings I would start with the light about 28”-32” inches above the pot. As the plant matures in veg you are going to want to keep it 18”-24” above the top of the plant. But let the plant grow from seedling up for a couple weeks before you start moving the light upwards. Once you get to the flower stage you’ll want to keep the light 12”-18”s above the top of the plant. But remember when you first flip to flower the plant is going to stretch 50%-100% in 2-3 weeks. So really during this phase I keep the lights closer to the 18”s and once you actually start getting pistols that’s when you keep the light closer to 12”s above the top of the plant.

How many plants are you trying to grow? A single one of your lights is good enough for a single plant or two. I believe they are rated for a 3.5’ x 3.5’ veg footprint and a 3’x3’ flower.

 

[flyawayclyde]

Okay. So your lights have 5 watt diodes and they are running at 40% wattage. But the actual draw is 240 watts per light.

So if you are starting new seedlings I would start with the light about 28”-32” inches above the pot. As the plant matures in veg you are going to want to keep it 18”-24” above the top of the plant. But let the plant grow from seedling up for a couple weeks before you start moving the light upwards. Once you get to the flower stage you’ll want to keep the light 12”-18”s above the top of the plant. But remember when you first flip to flower the plant is going to stretch 50%-100% in 2-3 weeks. So really during this phase I keep the lights closer to the 18”s and once you actually start getting pistols that’s when you keep the light closer to 12”s above the top of the plant.

How many plants are you trying to grow? A single one of your lights is good enough for a single plant or two. I believe they are rated for a 3.5’ x 3.5’ veg footprint and a 3’x3’ flower.

I have 2 , 3glln pots in the tent, running 2 fixtures.

Flyaway

 

[Cycad]

Your 'Hydro Crunch' "280 W" lamp actually consumes less than 100 watts input power and its efficiency is around 85% so in reality, rather than in your dreams, you are running about 85 watts per lamp. And how many plants are you trying to grow? I am just going to go away now because I am scaring the dog laughing too loudly...

 

[drsaltzman]

Your 'Hydro Crunch' "280 W" lamp actually consumes less than 100 watts input power and its efficiency is around 85% so in reality, rather than in your dreams, you are running about 85 watts per lamp. And how many plants are you trying to grow? I am just going to go away now because I am scaring the dog laughing too loudly...

Guy's trying to grow medicine for his wife with what he has available to him.
How about instead of laughing, you actually help someone?

 

[Slartibart4242]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hydro-Crunch-80-in-2-Light-Multiple-Colors-Finishes-480-Watt-LED-LED-Grow-Light/1000476815

So I’m guessing you purchased something like the kit I posted above. Which I am going to be honest is kind of an odd setup. The tent is 4 x 4 so not really big enough to run both lights, but too big to really just run one light during flower. So it’s really up to you if you want to run both. But during veg you could just run a single light and cut down on your electrical bill.

 

[flyawayclyde]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hydro-Crunch-80-in-2-Light-Multiple-Colors-Finishes-480-Watt-LED-LED-Grow-Light/1000476815

So I’m guessing you purchased something like the kit I posted above. Which I am going to be honest is kind of an odd setup. The tent is 4 x 4 so not really big enough to run both lights, but too big to really just run one light during flower. So it’s really up to you if you want to run both. But during veg you could just run a single light and cut down on your electrical bill.

Yes, I did get that kit. But at the other big box store. And I was running both lamps, because someone else told me, they barely had enough power to light the area adequately, and I was running both lamps with both modes on at the time.

 

[flyawayclyde]

Guy's trying to grow medicine for his wife with what he has available to him.
How about instead of laughing, you actually help someone?

Thank you.
I read that, and just shook my head. All I want to do is provide her some decent medicine, without looking like a criminal down on the strip, and without spending a fortune on it.

 

[drsaltzman]

So all was okay, up untill 4 days ago. A real nice healthy green color.
I know my temps are on the high side.
85* to 89* RH is low around 30% or so.
Am using a blend of MG, Keith's organic soil, steer manure, EWCs, and perlite. 2 HydroCrunch 280w LED lamps.
4inch intake, 6inch exhaust, 31inch tower fan and one 6inch pole mounted fan. I started too notice some lighting of the healthy green I have had, and an ever so slight yellowing of the lowest most leaves. I watered yesterday for the first time in 3 days, and the soil was dry for it. I used bottled drinking water. Because I didn't want to ph down my well water last night. I noticed the yellowing was ever so slight before I watered. I had thought it was my nutes, from the previous watering 3 days before. Hence the bottled drinking water use. No nutes, straight water, no over feeding.
I raised my fixtures this evening, in case it was light burn.
What y'all think?
Flyaway

Flyaway,

The plants aren't leggy, so I don't think lack of light is your current issue.
The lights are underpowered for flowering so you'll have to make some adjustments when you get to that phase.
Maybe one plant per light, and keep them close.
When you say 5 weeks 3 days is that from when you put the seed in the soil?

 

[flyawayclyde]

Flyaway,

The plants aren't leggy, so I don't think lack of light is your current issue.
The lights are underpowered for flowering so you'll have to make some adjustments when you get to that phase.
Maybe one plant per light, and keep them close.
When you say 5 weeks 3 days is that from when you put the seed in the soil?

5 weeks 3days. When I had a little sprout break the surface.