Diagnose my plants problem - help needed

Hi all...

Its still my first grow and i have so many problems, but i guess its good cuz im learning so much
I have 2 plants in a small closet ( idk the strain) growing in soil, light - 250w DualSpectrum bulb, 2 fans (IN&OUT)
Temp between 72F-78F, umidity 42-52%. im flowering them for 37 days now (12-12) and one of the plants
looks dry all the time, the leaves look dried and yellowish, i dont think its underwatering problem
because the soil is moist and im watering them every 2-3-4 days. im using SENSI BLOOM nuts. and this dried plant
isnt blooming as much as the other one, really small buds. oh...i forgot, i have some of the white flying things in my
closet but i dont think thats the problem cuz then it will be the same for the second plant.

ill be happy to hear some diagnoses and advices for you all!
thanks =]

Hmmm.... I don't really see a problem if a few fan leaves wilt out at this point. But, if the entire plant is meager compared to the others, it maybe just is a sub-standard expression of the Phenotype. Only clones can express a consistent phenotype. With seeds, there can be weaklings.

OTH, with only 2 plants, and the "white fly thing" it may just be a matter of time until the other one suffers.

Just a note on ventilation. You have an IN fan and an OUT fan? Not good. You need exhaust fan only and intake is passive. That way you know you are always pulling in fresh air. You can end up with not much ventilation with a push/pull configuration and it is a waste of power and adds heat.

Push/pull can have the fans working against each other for many reasons, include air volume mis-match and room circulation patterns.

Better to have two small fans, high and low, swirling the air in the closet and one larger fan for exhaust.

Doer said:

Hmmm.... I don't really see a problem if a few fan leaves wilt out at this point.

Click to expand...

ya, it`s usually pretty common to lose a few of the bottom leaves. Another issue you should consider is filtered water as opposed to tap water. Tap water has Calcium carbonate in it to prevent rusting in the pipes, its also nasty to try and pH. Tap water can build-up in your soil and begin to block other nutrients from root absorption. Do you have a pH pen or pH drops? you can get 500 test drops for like $3.

http://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-PH-Test-Kit/dp/B000255NAK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385917380&sr=8-1&keywords=aquarium+ph+test

How many leaves you got making a claw look?

Thanks for your help guys...

Doer - yea im using only In and Out fan, i dont understand what exectly do you mean with Fan.
right now the IN fan brigns fresh air from outside of the closet and the OUT pulling it out. you meant
that i dont need the IN fan and instad ill put 2 small fans inside the closet just to ventilate the closet? (without bringing the air from outside)

pSi007 - I have PH drops and im using tap water but im checking the PH every watering.

nameno - Most of the leaves looks like that. it seems they are so dried that they can break.

No matter one can plant 3 same seeds and all three will be different, even tho they have the same genetics, (like people!), kust flush as see what's up after a week of

Yes, that is correct about the fans. You only need to OUT. If you push in at the same time you pull out, the flow will never be as high.

You are adding pressure variables as each fan tries to do its job against the pressure pulses of the other fan.

This solve for smell later by exhausting thru a carbon filter, in bloom and it also solves for random pollen and mold if you will just cover that IN side,(no fan) with a hepa filter.

Also, you can control humidity better if you only pull thru a desicant for lower humidity or wet filter layer for more humidity.

It is an easy test with two fans and pipe. Try both and then one at exhaust.

The exhaust only provides slightly less pressure and helps with cooling.

If you were just to use one fan for IN, that will pressurize the room slightly and add more heat.

But, do you know the PPM of your tap water? pH is a second consideration, but total PPM is the MAIN thing.

You know that balancing pH MUST add PPM?

My tap water is 250 after it has been thru the softener. That is now mostly sodium salt. Not good. But, that was in exchange for 350 ppm of hard mineral salts, calcium mostly, that ruins my pipes.

I take that 250 ppm thru an RO setup that easily deals with sodium and would not be so easy with the calcium water. It comes out at 50 ppm. I can work with that.

No wonder I had such a hard time the first year. I was starting with 250 ppm salt water and adding nutes to that. But, the sodium was the problem.

actually i have no idea what is PPM, i thought the PH is the only thing that important in the water.
how can i measure it and what exactly it means?

(i thought im a noob, and i find out that i`m SuperNoob)

JFK6 said:

pSi007 - I have PH drops and im using tap water but im checking the PH every watering.

Click to expand...

another weird thing tap water can do is it can squeeze the pH down out of the medium after a few hours. You can put pH 6.6 in and in a few hours, the soil can rise to 7.3 or higher.

JFK6 said:

actually i have no idea what is PPM, i thought the PH is the only thing that important in the water.
how can i measure it and what exactly it means?

(i thought im a noob, and i find out that i`m SuperNoob)

Click to expand...

You will find, my friend that anyone that thinks he has no more to learn or wants to criticize the message tone and ignore the substance is not even a noob. They are actually quite helpless, ie, cannot be helped.

You on the other hand are displaying the quest for knowledge to be able to help yourself and others as we go.

Parts Per Million is the concentration of the feed. Total PPM adds the water, (unless distilled to Zero, it will have PPM) plus the soil runoff components. Without knowing that we are confused. We buy all these name brands and expect all that hype to be True. It is not. The recommended concentration for any of this stuff is for adult specimens of some kinds of common plants. But, they claim to be all about the ganga.

We look at Magazine article and braggarts at other sites and here, and think all that is True. It cannot be.

So, let us say, you put seedlings in pure fresh steer manure. What will happen? But, why does it happen? PPM death.

I used to just read labels and say, "Oh, more is better! Some of this, some of that, add some enhancers, two shakes of bud juice", all that. Hey it says 15 ml per gal, right?

Well I never realized that total PPM is everything to the plant. pH is just the range it can take in various minerals. That is around 6 for soil. But, if it is too concentrated it is PPM death. Forget about uptake pH range.

PPM is measured by a $40 dip pen. Of course, it all get's pricey above that, for measuring the same thing. Total PPM or EC, for Electrical Conductivity is a measure of salt minerals. We are interesting in the good minerals in precise proportions at the APPROPRIATE strength.

Appropriate is according to the root ball health and size, maturity etc, ONLY.

On this particular plant, not roses or any other type of horticulture, on this plant, the needs are very specific for yield of THC and for yield in weight. But, that is also per stain and per plant. Gotta get a root ball or you cannot feed them. Too much, too soon, feed will be doom.

It is the same reason you don't give a baby a Soft drink and a piece of steak. Not ready too rich. For a plant, that is too much PPM.

For example, with me and clones, no food at all and no water beyond what was in the rinsed coco coir, for 10 days. Wow! Only 80 ppm from the RO source and big busting roots. Now I can feed those roots, carefully.

I just put them into hydroton and coir 50/50. And now to feed. How? Well, by total PPM. I made up some plant food, and knowing they are always too concentrated for young plants, I measured it at 350 ppm...too much. I had some cal-mag in there too.

So I made the proportions on the label, (for most of it, it is true. However Dutch Masters claims I can start clones at 400 ppm....no way), then dilute.

I brought that down to 140 ppm and saturated the grow mix. It won't hold a lot of water. I let 20% extra flush through and measured that.

Good. 140 or so, PPM. I doubt these will need water for the next 10 days. That is the point. They will root out again to a 6 inch pot chasing the water.

Then it is just a matter of checking the run off from the 2.5 gal square rose bucket after the final transplant into those.

And go to 2 times a week for a week and then every day, then twice a day. But, the PPM for the next feeding and the frequency of feeding is all about the runoff.

I do constant feeding meaning every watering Some folks will feed only weekly and water as needed, in between. All about the drainage.

So, I check the run off. Higher PPM coming out? Not good. Over feeding. The Girl is concentrating the salts and only taking water. DOOM is occurring.

Lower PPM coming out? Need more PPM, she is taking minerals but leaving water. So Opportunity is occurring.

It is really all about the stem size at the bottom, it is proportional to the root ball health, size, etc. Make big stems by being stingy on the water and force the roots to seek it.

Make big roots by not overfeeding, but feeding more often. The soil MUST drain and allowed to dry a bit. It is that kind of plant.

Got roots?

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JFK6 said:

Hi all...

• i guess its good cuz im learning so much

  

  
  I have 2 plants in a small closet ( idk the strain) growing in soil, light - 250w DualSpectrum bulb, 2 fans (IN&OUT)
  Temp between 72F-78F, umidity 42-52%.​
  
  
  
  

ill be happy to hear some diagnoses and advices for you all!
thanks =]

Click to expand...

Well...
I hear what above are saying... so here's something else for you to check....
Your temp/RH Gauge.... High readings are 78f/42% low...
Now, I'll bet, this is not at the level between your plants tops, and the bottom of your light.
A 250 watt in a tight closed closet will ultra dry the air....
I think you are just cooking your plants, dehydrated style... first the leaves show it...
Set your gauge between your plant top and the light and report back....
Your RH in that space is going to show too low... and the temp much higher than 78....
Good Luck!

thanks again! all of you...i`m glad i can learn from the big boys =]

Mr. Ganja - Thermometer is about 6-7 cm down from the plants top.

so what would do next if you were me? cuz it seems they are getting dryer.
i mean what is the fast and best solution for my problem? i want to upgrade my setup in
my next grow, but i want to finish this one with the best results that i can and to learn
as mush as i can.

again, thanks for all the replies, really appreciate your help!!

http://youtu.be/UNHQtntu-hY

This will be a good thing to buy for everything thats written here?