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

[davidandrew194]

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.

This sounds like a great idea. Thanks again for all of the advice. I will keep you posted on the status!

 

[davidandrew194]

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.

Thank you!! I think I will work the medium like xtsho suggested and then try this watering method to re-hydrate the soil. I was thinking that I was overwatering but after all of the help on this forum, I believe we found the culprit! The plants must be dehydrated.

 

[ComfortCreator]

I grow in identical setup using my own soil.

Small increments will spread it around.
Aerating with holes is OK but wont solve the issue. Start at edges, small increments.

Mark a cup with 4oz mark and use it. Rain doesnt fall and flood the ground in 2 minutes, it falls over hours and days. Your 4oz pours will be small enough it can only soak a small area at a time. That is your key.

The water spreads itself through soil over time. The 4oz will spread and cover a larger area than you water. With pauses in between you will get the whole thing.

Speed kills here

 

[davidandrew194]

I grow in identical setup using my own soil.

Small increments will spread it around.
Aerating with holes is OK but wont solve the issue. Start at edges, small increments.

Mark a cup with 4oz mark and use it. Rain doesnt fall and flood the ground in 2 minutes, it falls over hours and days. Your 4oz pours will be small enough it can only soak a small area at a time. That is your key.

The water spreads itself through soil over time. The 4oz will spread and cover a larger area than you water. With pauses in between you will get the whole thing.

Speed kills here

Makes sense to me. I will post a status update in a few days to let you know how things progressed! Thank you. And if my moisture meter is reading dry after saturating the pot - it is safe to assume that this is really an issue with dryness?

 

[visajoe1]

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.

View attachment 5062953

My guy, remind me of myself when I started. Overthinking it a bit. Return that soil meter and get your money back, not needed.

Fill up 1g jug of water, and pour it all over the soil. There will be runoff, so be prepared for it.

After this, your pot is properly saturated. Then wait about 8-10 days (or more?) for it to dry out because the plant is so small. Lift the pot at this point so you can feel what a dry pot feels like. This is one wet/dry cycle.

The larger the plant grows in the pot, the shorter the cycles get.

For reference, I run 3g pots, fed/watered every 48hrs. Ensures fresh supply of nutrients in medium and Oxygen to roots

 

[visajoe1]

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.

No offense, but this only good advice if paid by the hour. It really isnt a scientific process to make soil saturated.
Pour water on it until its saturated. Will typically yield 25-30% runoff

Takes about 15 seconds to saturate soil in most tent grows. Runoff drains appropriately.

 

[davidandrew194]

No offense, but this only good advice if paid by the hour. It really isnt a scientific process to make soil saturated.
Pour water on it until its saturated. Will typically yield 25-30% runoff

Takes about 15 seconds to saturate soil in most tent grows. Runoff drains appropriately.

That's actually part of the problem. I have saturated the soil until runoff and it is still bone dry. Based on everything I have read about this - my soil is hydrophobic. I must have let it dry out too much before watering again. But what do I know, I am currently in the process of killing my seedlings.

 

[davidandrew194]

No offense, but this only good advice if paid by the hour. It really isnt a scientific process to make soil saturated.
Pour water on it until its saturated. Will typically yield 25-30% runoff

Takes about 15 seconds to saturate soil in most tent grows. Runoff drains appropriately.

However, I don't believe I have ran as much as a gallon through any of them. So I can certainly try that.

 

[ComfortCreator]

No offense, but this only good advice if paid by the hour. It really isnt a scientific process to make soil saturated.
Pour water on it until its saturated. Will typically yield 25-30% runoff

Takes about 15 seconds to saturate soil in most tent grows. Runoff drains appropriately.

None taken.

Fabric pots
Soil grow
New grower
FFOF soil, no extra nutes

If your best advice to him is to dump water in and saturate the fabric pots in 15 seconds and get 25-30% runoff, then please feel free to tell him that.

I think I will pass on debating if that is a good way to water a fabric pot of FFOF with a small seedling.

Your hydro is showing. And running a gallon through it? Ok man you could also just flush it down the toilet lol.

 

[davidandrew194]

None taken.

Fabric pots
Soil grow
New grower
FFOF soil, no extra nutes

If your best advice to him is to dump water in and saturate the fabric pots in 15 seconds and get 25-30% runoff, then please feel free to tell him that.

I think I will pass on debating if that is a good way to water a fabric pot of FFOF with a small seedling.

Your hydro is showing. And running a gallon through it? Ok man you could also just flush it down the toilet lol.

I have been running the water through slowly as you suggested and it seems to be becoming saturated again. I have been using the moisture meter and things are looking much better.

 

[davidandrew194]

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: View attachment 506212024/0 View attachment 5062111View attachment 5062112

Great news everyone! I couldn’t figure out how to edit this post so I am just replying to my original post. After receiving my Soil Moisture Meter, I probed the soil and discovered that it was BONE DRY below the surface. Even after a good watering with runoff. I did some research and discovered that my soil was hydrophobic. I gave it a good watering every 10-15 minutes for about 5 or 6 cycles. I probed my soil in the morning and it was nice and saturated…and guess what? My little girls leaves are starting to lift themselves back up! These seedlings were severely UNDER watered See the before and after below.



Thank you all very much for your help!!!

 

[davidandrew194]

None taken.

Fabric pots
Soil grow
New grower
FFOF soil, no extra nutes

If your best advice to him is to dump water in and saturate the fabric pots in 15 seconds and get 25-30% runoff, then please feel free to tell him that.

I think I will pass on debating if that is a good way to water a fabric pot of FFOF with a small seedling.

Your hydro is showing. And running a gallon through it? Ok man you could also just flush it down the toilet lol.

Hi ComfortCreator,

I just wanted to thank you! I took your advice and slowly fed my seedling water. I only did about 5-6 cycles but it seemed to saturate the soil pretty good. I woke up this morning and the seedling is recovering! I couldn't be more thrilled. I think I just learned how to troubleshoot my first seedling. Anyway, I really appreciate it. I posted some pics on this thread of the before and after. Take care

 

[ComfortCreator]

Hi ComfortCreator,

I just wanted to thank you! I took your advice and slowly fed my seedling water. I only did about 5-6 cycles but it seemed to saturate the soil pretty good. I woke up this morning and the seedling is recovering! I couldn't be more thrilled. I think I just learned how to troubleshoot my first seedling. Anyway, I really appreciate it. I posted some pics on this thread of the before and after. Take care

It is a thrill to pass on info that was gifted to me. When you run soil and do water only. ALL YOU GOT is how you water!

It is great to hear it is helping, keep us posted. If you want a link to my watering guru just PM me and I will send you the link. But you got the basics down now!

 

[davidandrew194]

It is a thrill to pass on info that was gifted to me. When you run soil and do water only. ALL YOU GOT is how you water!

It is great to hear it is helping, keep us posted. If you want a link to my watering guru just PM me and I will send you the link. But you got the basics down now!

Just an update. My girls are looking healthier than ever. I will post a picture below. Please note that the hygrometer reads 61 degrees but that is only because I left the tent open for a bit and it is very cold.

 

[ComfortCreator]

What a difference in 10 days. Back on track and should keeping getting heartier.