Giving another go - please critique -

sounds like you may be turning the corner. If knats are around either you watered too much and they are laying eggs in the moist soil. Knats dont like drying out plants. It is possible the soil had knat eggs and they just needed water to hatch a few. One time I left ffof soil in the garage by plants that were in the garage to keep from freezing hybiscus. 3 weeks later I had knats. So, think hard about where they are coming from to fix the source. When I buy soil I am very wary of how the bag has been...outside at all. No buy....because they have been rained on with the soil full of knats/eggs. Get the insect glue pads. I cut them into 2 inch squares and put em on top of the soil pots and if they hang at a part of the wall tape one and youll get em.

Dont worry about are you behind or not. Just work with the plants. Any pics? When they are 2/3 weeks I always top em. clone the top.

- 18 I prefer vs. 24 hrs. veg. Let em sleep like in nature.

-the mh light should do the trick.

More air, flying bugs hate air movement. CFLs are effective, cheap and very economical. They don't produce the huge HID commercial amounts but they are badass and I use them exclusively and my girls love them.

Pretty sure the gnats came with the soil. The mosquito dunks are universally heralded (from every review Ive read) as being the death knell to fungus gnats. Ill try the sticky pads too. It isnt bad at all, just one maybe two. The BT will knock em out for sure.

I think I might do the 18h/6h cycle. Ill switch tonight.

put some pics up. Want to look at the progress to see when time to top em. I suggest 3 complete nodes of green leaves before topping. You also the 2/3 nodes on the clone as well. At about 2 weeks topping time. She will get bushy.

notice when you change the lights to 18 hrs. Try checking the room when the light goes on and notice the dropping leaves in dark. They will liven up in a couple minutes. Tells me the root zone is growing at night while the day light focus on the leaves.

Here are some photos a few minutes old - http://imgur.com/a/HvajN
But they are a long ways from topping. And some are getting very yellow like I suspected.

But this is always what happens - regardless of breeder / strain - they go yellow and just stop growing and die. I usually end up trying like 1/10th strength food hoping its a deficiency, but they usually dont respond.

that is not from the seeds. They are getting too hot from the soil or something in it. I only use Fox Farm OF now with almost no issues. Maybe a leaf burn ever so often. The little first leaves that show (round shaped) will die off as growth starts. You are putting a lot of time and $$ in this. If I were you id just go to ffof. Make sure those pots drain well. those seeds yellow at one week or 2 something is causing stress. Heat, light distance, air circulation are areas you should be a detective. If you go ffof I have a recipe that works well. by the way. I hate normal pots. They never drain well. Id go to grow bags for cheap/ good drainage or to the air pot/fabric pots if money no issue.

they are stunted in growth because of th e stress. They may bounce back if you get it right going forward. about 50-50. about 3-5 days we should know. By the way. yes, a good grow would be much bigger at this point. Hang in there, after you go thru the learning curve the experience will serve well for future grows.

Just realized photos werent public - here is public gallery - http://imgur.com/a/HvajN