Soil Issues

[White Ryno]

I currently have about 14 seedlings going pretty strong in an organic potting soil mix that I supplemented with aging carrots, an organic nitrogen based supplement, and perlite. They all seem to be doing pretty healthy except for slight yellow spotting. The yellow is quite faint but a cause for concern so early in their lives. I am using two four foot 40 watt fluorescent lights and they are hung very close to the plants. It's my understanding that this should be sufficient. I suspect that I may have been over watering so I'm cutting back. Is this a good assumption? OR does the soil sound like the culprit.

Last soil question...I was mixing a compost and allowed it to set for about a week and noticed mold growing on top. It's obvious that I allowed the soil to be too moist for too long. It was a very little amount of mold but i know this can't be good. Is the soil a complete waste?

 

[mcpurple]

i wouldnt use moldy soil to many risks like losing a crop

 

[CdnBud]

Mold is never good bud. You can get all sort of probs associated with it....bugs...etc. Now...you said you were using 2 x 4ft. floro tubes? How long did you plan to use those for? As for the overwatering....only water when you can stick your finger in the bottom of the pot and it feels dry. overwatering = root rot and mold and a whole bunch of other problems.
How big are the pots are your seedlings in?
Hope that helps.

 

[White Ryno]

well i was planning on using the floros the whole way through the process while adding a couple "spot" plant floros (that you can pick up at wal mart) during flowering. i have read many contradicting opinions using floros...jorge cervantes' ultimate grow makes it sound like you can use floros the whole way through as long as you keep the plants within 2 inches of the light...only yields will be smalled than hps or mh. i am willing to sacrifice a little bit of yield because i really don't have the capital to work with for more expensive set ups (bulbs, ventilation, etc.). is it realistic to expect a half way decent crop? i'm just getting my toes wet

 

[doc111]

well i was planning on using the floros the whole way through the process while adding a couple "spot" plant floros (that you can pick up at wal mart) during flowering. i have read many contradicting opinions using floros...jorge cervantes' ultimate grow makes it sound like you can use floros the whole way through as long as you keep the plants within 2 inches of the light...only yields will be smalled than hps or mh. i am willing to sacrifice a little bit of yield because i really don't have the capital to work with for more expensive set ups (bulbs, ventilation, etc.). is it realistic to expect a half way decent crop? i'm just getting my toes wet

Fluoros are great for starting out. Yes you can get a decent harvest. I have seen some amazing grows using CFL's or even t5's. Fluoros aren't going to yield like HID's but not everybody needs a pound of bud every 2 months.

 

[kid cannabis]

well ive grown some solid buds with cfls but i do not have room for a huge HID. i currently run a 150 but idk if its that necessary i can accomplish the same thing or better with 4 42w cfls.
moreover i dont think the problems your lights yet (id add some cfls or a small hps (70 atleast but ideally 150)
i think your problem might lie in the dirt. your soil sounds pretty hot for such tender children. you might have nute burn. try to get some pics up and well tell you. you may need to transplant if its bad enough.

 

[White Ryno]

This plant here is about one week old. Its leaves are the most mature of my seedlings. Some are better than others.

 

[kid cannabis]

it looks burnt to me. is that bark in your soil? bark is acidic..... acid is good for some flowers not pot.... if its acid repot it immediately.

 

[snutter]

if there is one thing I've found to be a constant at this site, it's the amount of posts that I see where soil growers have problems right off the bat....I see it so often. the seeds have just sprouted and within a week people are writing in with problems. I always feel so bad for these guys. And then I see that throughout the grow, they continually have problems. It's like the problems never end...

This is why I try to get everyone to grow hydro. I prefer DWC, but I like all styles. I just think that DWC's (like mine) is easiest. Once you have the knowledge of how to do it correctly, you should be able to grow from seedling to flower with out any issues...

I really hope you're able to figure out your problem here. What type of soil are you using? I've heard good things about Fox Farms pre-mix. I've also hear do NOT use the miracle grow pre-mix soil. It seems that choosing the correct soil is the number one issue. Next, what is your run off pH level? If it's above or below 6.3 or so, get it to 6.3. If you can answer those two questions, we can go from there. I'll keep checking back in on this thread.

Here's a few pics of my girls. One shows 2 of my BIG girls, one pic shows a DWC reservoir I built in less than 15 mins for less than $15 dollars (PM me if you'd like to learn more about it. VERY simple), and one shows beautiful flowers happening.

 

[kid cannabis]

well idk if hydro is easier but it is certainly something worth trying especially if soil doesnt work for you or if have the opportunities to experiment. if theres one thing ive learned in my years of growing is that you have to have a system or method to be sucessful. look around and read before you do. and try out experienced growers methods. i'd recommend checking out different soil mix's now. theres a lot of experience around here to draw upon here
good luck with the grow if you cant turn things around pm me.

 

[White Ryno]

yes that is bark. damn...i had read somewhere that miracle gro organic potting mix was sufficient...apparently i've learned otherwise. i haven't gotten any pH testing stuff yet. plan on grabbing that in the morning. would simple litmus paper be good enough? looking for the best cost alternative...what soil would you recommend? might as well pick some of that up in the morning haha

 

[White Ryno]

also...would lowe's have the right stuff for me?

 

[kid cannabis]

my local hardware store has a seed starter mix called hyponix. miracle grow has the same thing and ive use it and its the same they are a really good mix for a base or to start small plants. they have no nutes so you wont burn your kids. if im starting and finishing them in the same pots i put soil mixed with bloodmeal, bone meal and potash. but if not i dont worry about nutes until the seedling gets its first set of true leaves (set of 3)

 

[snutter]

yes that is bark. damn...i had read somewhere that miracle gro organic potting mix was sufficient...apparently i've learned otherwise. i haven't gotten any pH testing stuff yet. plan on grabbing that in the morning. would simple litmus paper be good enough? looking for the best cost alternative...what soil would you recommend? might as well pick some of that up in the morning haha

as far as soil goes, you should look through some old threads and see if you can find out what has worked well for other people. Or, start a thread asking people what they think is the best soil to use and why.

If it was me, I think that I would choose a soil that was pH neutral, and had no nutes in it. I would also make sure that it was pest free (though I believe a lot of soils claim this, and still have small microbial issues). I would want to be the one to control the amount of nutrients that my plants are getting and I most definitely want to control my pH. Maybe that helps you?

As for litmus paper, it will work for pH runoff readings, but it's not really that accurate (doesn't read down to "tenths"). You need a meter, but can start with this. shoot for a pH of 6.0 since you are a soil grower and you're going to use litmus paper.

If i've helped in any way, +rep is always appreciated.

 

[snutter]

well idk if hydro is easier but it is certainly something worth trying especially if soil doesnt work for you or if have the opportunities to experiment. if theres one thing ive learned in my years of growing is that you have to have a system or method to be sucessful. look around and read before you do. and try out experienced growers methods. i'd recommend checking out different soil mix's now. theres a lot of experience around here to draw upon here
good luck with the grow if you cant turn things around pm me.

Kid cannabis is right. you need to have a method or a system to be successful. That's good advice for any grower no matter what medium you use!!!

 

[Mr Bomb]

Add more N and get rid of the moldy soil asap.

 

[kid cannabis]

the mold isnt in the soil hes using its in the compost

 

[White Ryno]

i wouldnt mind +repping any of you...to be honest though i don't know how. i just joined this forum and this is my first thread. let me know how and i will get to it. thanks so much for all your help...i will let you know how they turn out

 

[White Ryno]

my local hardware store has a seed starter mix called hyponix. miracle grow has the same thing and ive use it and its the same they are a really good mix for a base or to start small plants. they have no nutes so you wont burn your kids. if im starting and finishing them in the same pots i put soil mixed with bloodmeal, bone meal and potash. but if not i dont worry about nutes until the seedling gets its first set of true leaves (set of 3)

which miracle gro mix do you speak of? is it called "seed starter mix"? i too am using bloodmeal and bonemeal...i am fearful i used a little too much though. actually i used only bloodmeal for the seedlings and was going to introduce the bonemeal after transplant, as i've heard phosphorus is good when transplanting

 

[doc111]

i wouldnt mind +repping any of you...to be honest though i don't know how. i just joined this forum and this is my first thread. let me know how and i will get to it. thanks so much for all your help...i will let you know how they turn out

On the top right hand side of each post is a few icons. The one in the middle is a picture of scales. Click on that for the post you want to +rep and it prompts you from there.