Homemade Soil mix quesion and severe problem

What kind of mix could I make with these components to make a decent indoor potting soil? All that I have to work with is; a little compost out in the yard, a 13 gal. garbage bag worth of composted bunny poo, a small bag of MG(Miricale Grow brand) perlite, quite a bit of plain course vermiculite, some Scotts Hyponex general potting soil, a small bag of MG cactus mix potting soil, and a small bag of MG seed starting mix. Also, for fertilizers, I have a little Espoma Flower Tone organic fertilizer left, some GH Flora Duo A&B, some GH Rapidstart, some FloraBlend, and some CalMag, and some Sulfer based PH down.

I mean EVERYTHING!!! that I've been trying to start growing INDOORS lately, starts to die back from the tips of the first true leaves after 2-3 weeks. Why? Too hot of soil for the seeds? Everything does slowely come back and do better if taken straight outdoors though.

I've tried it all, the straight MG seed starting mix, the cactus mix straight, straight perlite, straight vermiculite, mixes of different stuff, and I do not think that I am overwatering. What's going on here INDOORS?

Too hot a soil is a typical issue for seedlings and clones. My recommendation is peat/PRO-Mix to start them, for the top half-cup, then a lighter mix of soil/PRO-Mix (peat/humus) for the bottom. Once they're established - after 2-3 weeks, and they have a good root system, transplant to your final/hotter media.

Other thing you didn't mention but got my attention when you said they get better/recover outside is lighting, you could be burning them if you have your light source too close/hot. They don't need a lot of light, and definitely no close enough to burn them. Air circulation is also important once they've sprouted or in the case of clones rooted, make sure you have some light air movement in the box/room.

I really appreciate the response GroErr. I've tried straight peat w/ perlite too, and some with a little compost in it, and everything usually at about 6.4-6.8 PH. I don't think that I mentioned it, but I used to be very successful indoors. I accidently cut out part of my post above mentioning my conditions. I'm using a 3 ft. sq. white painted box I built over a year ago in the corner of a larger air-conditioned room. I have an air-cooled Hortilux 400w MH Blue in there about 2 ft', or a little more above canopy, 78-81 degree temps. at canopy level, 35-50% humidity usually, decent ventilation in the box as the light is open on one end with my blower sucking the heat out of the light, and I've went as far as to use a light meter now, and the seedlings were getting a little LESS light intensity in my indoor setup than direct sun outdoors on the porch provides.

It seems almost that this place I moved into a couple of years ago has something going on with it. It has been bleached out in the past, and I try to keep things pretty clean. Since, living here I've use, shop lights for trying to start seedlings off good, CFLs, and the MH at a high distance, and with so many different mediums, and always end up with the same problem, at about the same time. I've been dabbling in indoor gardening for many years now, soil and hydro, and even when I tried my bubbler recently with some tomatoes, I had the same issue.

Is there anything else that anybody can think of? Could it really be something in the air?

Any questions or advise you guys may have are greatly appreciated as this issue has been driving me nuts for maybe 2 years of more now, especially knowing that I did good for 15 years b4 that. I keep racking my brain and trying to figure out what I might be doing different now since I moved. Lol

I mean, is a well draining soil that is 0.06-0.02-0.04 too hot for a seedling after it's been cut with half perlite? Or are my plants getting starved after two weeks?

You forgot underwatering. Plant's absolutely need water, roots need moisture to grow. If you aren't watering properly it will mimic deficiencies and all sorts of problems. Cutting a soil with 50% perlite means less ability to hold nutrients, and water (defeats the purpose of using soil).

Seedlings don't really require the air to be humid to grow. Cannabis isn't an aquatic plant (it grows in temperate and arid regions).

Pictures would help more than anything.

Hi Nullis. Ty very much for a response. I drug this pic off the internet as I do not have a camera.


This is what EVERYTHING that I have been starting lately starts to do after 2-3 weeks. Growth stunts, it starts getting a yellowing tip on the oldest set of true leaves, then as the yellow progresses back toward the stem, the tips start turning light brown/dead at the tip, slowly following the yellow towards the stem, then when first set is completely dead, it starts with the second node that has not had a chance to even get as big as the first leaves yet. I mean EVERY seed I've started(watermelon, tomato, cantaloupe, two different kinds of peppers, etc.), in EVERY soil mix I have tried(any ratio of mediums mentioned in my first post), have died for the last two years now, INDOORS, and has even done so in a few different styles of hydro I used in the past.