Cannabis Seedling Growing Slowly with Droopy, Oddly Colored Leaves - PLEASE HELP!

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davidandrew194

Member
I just started my first grow 2 weeks ago. Everything seemed to be going great. However, I have noticed recently that one of my seedlings looks skinnier and darker in color than the other. I can also see streaks of a light green color running through the leaves as well as some drooping. On top of that, they seem to be growing slower than expected. I did not think they were growing slow until I started looking at images of other grows at 2 weeks. These seedlings are 14 days old and they look like they could be maybe 8-10 days old. I will post 2 images. These two seedlings sit side by side. One seedling looks relatively healthy (albeit slow growth), and the other almost looks sick. I typically water them once in the morning and once at night. With that said, I wait for the medium to dry out before I water the second time. It is typically dry up to a knuckle deep before watering again, which is the recommendation I see on other forums. I have been online for hours and I cannot figure out if I am overwatering or underwatering. I have not begun to feed the plants with nutrients as I am told that Fox Farm Ocean Forest should carry the plant to the 3rd or 4th week.

Please note that I PH my water between 6.0 - 6.5 with a General Hydroponics PH Solution.

Additionally, I do have an Inline Duct Fan with ducting to ventilate the grow tent - as well as a 4" fan very gently blowing on the seedlings.

Strain: White Widow Feminized Autoflowering Seeds from ILGM
Pots: 2 Gallon Fabric Pots
Soil: Fox Farm Ocean Forest
Temp: 72 Degrees Fahrenheit
RH: 40-50% (it is very dry and cold where I am located so humidity is difficult to keep up even with humidifier)
Tent: 3x3
Light: BLOOMSPECT SL1000 LED (height and dimness set per manufacturer recommendations)

Note: You can't really tell in the images but the darker seedling has MUCH skinnier leaves and is very wimpy compared to the brighter green seedling.

Light Schedule: IMG_0859.jpg24/0 IMG_0857.jpgIMG_0858.jpg
 
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inth3shadowz

Well-Known Member
Ditch the water PHing and don't judge by the "knuckle" method. Just pick up the pot and if it feels really light, give it a good soak (not too much in OF you don't want to get rid of all the goodies in the soil). Then don't water again until the pot feels about 1/4 of that weight.
 
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davidandrew194

Member
inth3shadowz said:
Ditch the water PHing and don't judge by the "knuckle" method. Just pick up the pot and if it feels really light, give it a good soak (not too much in OF you don't want to get rid of all the goodies in the soil). Then don't water again until the pot feels about 1/4 of that weight.
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Based on the images and description - do these look underwatered to you?
 
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inth3shadowz

Well-Known Member
davidandrew194 said:
Based on the images and description - do these look underwatered to you?
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If you're in a 2 gallon pot...I'd feed maybe like 1/4 gallon of water NO PHING maybe a little more, slowly. Then feel the weight. Now check it everyday until you feel it is much lighter, then repeat. I like using a long spout watering can because it lets me pour evenly instead of just flooding lol
 
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davidandrew194

Member
inth3shadowz said:
If you're in a 2 gallon pot...I'd feed maybe like 1/4 gallon of water NO PHING maybe a little more, slowly. Then feel the weight. Now check it everyday until you feel it is much lighter, then repeat. I like using a long spout watering can because it lets me pour evenly instead of just flooding lol
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Thank you for the advice! Maybe this is the problem. Can I ask why you recommend no PHing? Everything I have read and watched recommends PHing the water for nutrient uptake. I hear that one of the beginner mistakes is NOT PHing the water. My tap water sits at a PH of about 9.1 which is very alkaline.
 
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inth3shadowz

Well-Known Member
davidandrew194 said:
Thank you for the advice! Maybe this is the problem. Can I ask why you recommend no PHing? Everything I have read and watched recommends PHing the water for nutrient uptake. I hear that one of the beginner mistakes is NOT PHing the water. My tap water sits at a PH of about 9.1 which is very alkaline.
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Hmmm, buy one of those drop pH testers off Amazon. 10$...much more reliable. If it's in the green, you're fine with soil.
 
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davidandrew194

Member
inth3shadowz said:
Hmmm, buy one of those drop pH testers off Amazon. 10$...much more reliable. If it's in the green, you're fine with soil.
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I have a drop tester and when I used it on my tap water it was almost completely blue. I used my digital PH tester as well and it was around 9.1. If this is the case, I should be PHing my tap water correct?
 
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davidandrew194

Member
UPDATE: As silly as this sounds I thought I may be "underwatering" so I watered again last night. This is what the seedling looks like today:

IMG_0866.jpg

How can I recover from this?
 
visajoe1

visajoe1

Well-Known Member
Need to learn how to water first. the soil is still dry on top, it should all be soaking wet. this is the problem with seedlings in pots that are too large. next time, start in a solo cup (with drain holes...)

When you watered, what exactly did you do?
 
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davidandrew194

Member
visajoe1 said:
Need to learn how to water first. the soil is still dry on top, it should all be soaking wet. this is the problem with seedlings in pots that are too large. next time, start in a solo cup (with drain holes...)

When you watered, what exactly did you do?
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Thank you for the reply! The reason I didn't start in a Solo Cup is because I had read that transplanting autoflowers can cause transplant shock and apparently autoflowers don't have enough time to recover with the short grow cycle. But my plants are dying so that didn't do me a ton of a good...

At first I was watering with just a squirt bottle. Squirting water at the base of the seedling and then letting it dry out COMPLETELY before I started watering again. I then ordered a Vivosun Pressure sprayer and began using it at about day 6-7. I would saturate the pot and then wait for it to completely dry out before watering it again.

Fast forward to today, I received a XLUX Soil Moisture Meter in the mail. I watered my plant and then probed the soil. To my surprise, the soil was reading bone dry (Even though there was runoff at the bottom). I pulled the probe up and some bone dry soil came up with it. I could almost feel how dry the soil was in the middle with the probe. Even though there was runoff? I have been reading and I wonder if I made my soil hydrophobic by letting it dry out too much?

The image below is about how dry I let it get before watering again.

IMG_0874.jpg
 
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davidandrew194

Member
xtsho said:
Stop the pH to 6.0. You shouldn't have to water twice a day. I bet the water is running off and there's a dry spot in the middle of the pot.
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I just received an XLUX Moisture Meter. I probed the soil just after watering and it is reading bone dry. When I pulled the meter up, very dry soil came up with it even though there was runoff at the bottom. I hope this could provide some insight on what may be happening. Please let me know what you think!
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
davidandrew194 said:
I just received an XLUX Moisture Meter. I probed the soil just after watering and it is reading bone dry. When I pulled the meter up, very dry soil came up with it even though there was runoff at the bottom. I hope this could provide some insight on what may be happening. Please let me know what you think!
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Your soil is hydrophobic. It's dry and the water is just running off. You need to loosen it up and give those pots a good soaking.
 
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davidandrew194

Member
xtsho said:
Your soil is hydrophobic. It's dry and the water is just running off. You need to loosen it up and give those pots a good soaking.
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Thank you so much! I think you are right. Now how would you suggest I do that? Is it safe to assume my seedlings are sad because they are dry then?
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
davidandrew194 said:
Thank you so much! I think you are right. Now how would you suggest I do that? Is it safe to assume my seedlings are sad because they are dry then?
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Plants only have a few basic needs to survive. Water is one of them. So yes without adequate water they are not going to be happy and healthy.

Carefully loosen up the top of the soil with your fingers and use something to make small holes from the top down to the bottom to create channels for the water to flow and get down inside. Bamboo skewer, chopstick, etc... You could use some kind of wetting agent as well.
 
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ComfortCreator

Well-Known Member
Before you go nuts trying stuff

Calm down
Get out the spray bottle.
Avoid the leaves and water the top of the soil until wet all the way across the top using the spray bottle only. Avoid getting plant wet.

Once complete put away the squirt bottle. Now water 4oz at a time taking 5 minute breaks between every 4oz. Start with a slow outside ring around the edge, move in as the rounds progress. Go back out to the edge and repeat. Smoke or do something in between rounds. You do this (water 4oz) 10 to 14 times you will have that thing soaked. In fact you will know when it is soaked by picking it up and feeling the bottom being saturated wet. Until then, repeat.

Water follows a path of least resistance
The soil must not have dry spots it can run through. Make sure when misting the top of the soil that you get the edges of the pot. This will solve your watering issue. You can go faster as you understand the process but start with the squirt bottle.
 
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