Looking for a little help from the pros!

Hey everyone, first timer here and really just hoping for some help/advice. I am currently growing 4 white widow auto flowers in a 2x2x4 grow tent. I have a 4 inch exhaust fan (supposedly 200 cfm) going out the top, and a slightly underpowered in-line fan bringing cool air into the bottom. Two of the plants are in .9 gallon pots (these two seem to be doing better), one plant in a 3.3 gallon plastic pot (seems a bit lopsided and growing very slowly), and one in a 2 gallon fabric bag (growing quicker than the 3.3 but still slower than the smaller two). All four started in fox farmhappy frog. The temperature is pretty well regulated, staying between 70-80 degrees and the humidity floats between 60-70% (using a humidifier with built in humidistat and distilled water). I water using a squirter in a small circle around the seedling and only when the top near the plant is dry (maybe every other day). The ph meter I have for the soil shows it floating around 6.9-7 so I have been watering with 6.1ph water.

I guess my question is - are these two larger ones ok? Will they pick up speed ever? All four plants are on day 10, 3 days germinating in paper towel and a week in pots.

I would note that both the larger two were transplanted from solo cups on the second day (I was waiting for the larger pots to arrive). While I have heard that transplanting slows growth, neither seed had broke through the top of the dirt before transplant and up until now they all seemed to be growing at the same speed.

Thank you so much for any guidance you can provide! I have attached some photos for reference.

The first few weeks usually shows slow growth as the root mass develops.
I wouldn't be too alarmed by it.
I will say that it's going to get VERY crowded in that tent.
Most of the auto's I've run will take up a 2x2 space.

Ive heard that it’s best to plant autos directly into their final pot can anyone else confirm this?

GBAUTO said:

The first few weeks usually shows slow growth as the root mass develops.
I wouldn't be too alarmed by it.
I will say that it's going to get VERY crowded in that tent.
Most of the auto's I've run will take up a 2x2 space.

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I was honestly expecting to lose a few of the seedlings or have a couple of duds in germination haha...any tips on growing a slightly smaller plant (can’t believe I’m actually asking that), or would LST (which I was planning to do) help?
Are there any major concerns with filling the tent out? Other than light not hitting the bottom leaves/buds?

Veggietative said:

Ive heard that it’s best to plant autos directly into their final pot can anyone else confirm this?

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That’s what I’ve heard!

Parrottroop said:

I was honestly expecting to lose a few of the seedlings or have a couple of duds in germination haha...any tips on growing a slightly smaller plant (can’t believe I’m actually asking that), or would LST (which I was planning to do) help?
Are there any major concerns with filling the tent out? Other than light not hitting the bottom leaves/buds?

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Those mamas are gonna bush TF out. Really depends on your genetics. LST usually makes them short and bushy. I don’t have much experience so it’s hard for me to say what you should do.

Veggietative said:

Ive heard that it’s best to plant autos directly into their final pot can anyone else confirm this?

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I transplant from a solo after 2 weeks maybe a few days earlier.. goes to 5 gl cloth pots. If it does stress the plant, I've never noticed. I usually top a week later. No stress signs either but the occasional leaf markings. Being new to growing makes you more cautious and eerie when you see the slightest signs of a possible problem. Those plants are alot more durable than people think.. your plants look like normal seedlings. Keep a good watering schedule for the next couple weeks. (They don't need much water at all but enough to get to the roots for now). You'll probably want to up pot those in the .9g after a few weeks. I'd keep the other two like they are since you're in a limited space. 4 plants in a 2x2 if your plants are healthy will become very crowded.

I'd raise ph to 6.4-7.0 don't worry too much about ph swings. The soil should buff the water to the correct levels the plant can utilize naturally.

Thanks all, so do you recommend waiting a bit and then pulling the runt of the liter? Will I lose plants if it’s too crowded or will it just be lower yield? I was also thinking about keeping them in the current pots and seeing how the yields differ...can they survive in the smaller ones or is a transplant absolutely necessary?

Sorry for the million questions, and thanks again!

It's possible to keep them in the pots yeah. Your chances of rootbound are really high in the .9. You would have to water them more often than others once they mature. As far as space goes you could keep all 4 and just not top them to promote more vertical growth instead of short and wide. Keeping them all in there won't necessarily hurt them unless it gets way too crowded and you end up with a bit of humid issues. There will probably be less light penetrating the canopy if you decide to keep. If you could pop one outside, that's probably the best bet.. if not.. no worries.

If you're concerned about yield, look to add another light in there. That would help with the 2x2. Here in a month and a half your plants will be begging for more light

Merkn4aSquirtn said:

If you're concerned about yield, look to add another light in there. That would help with the 2x2. Here in a month and a half your plants will be begging for more light

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Thanks! I was thinking about a second light but the top of the tent is pretty cramped so I don’t think another tray type light would fit...is there an alternative that attaches to the poles in the corners? Maybe a single bulb type?

Take a pic of the whole tent and one of the ceiling of the tent. Im pretty sure you could fit a marsTs600 in there. May have to arrange some of the things up top.

Merkn4aSquirtn said:

Take a pic of the whole tent and one of the ceiling of the tent. Im pretty sure you could fit a marsTs600 in there. May have to arrange some of the things up top.

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Do you mean swap the light for a different one? I am currently running a Bloom Plus BP-1000 off Amazon and it seems to be doing the job...do you recommend the mars ts 600 instead? They are the same price and I think I’m still in my return window for my current lights, so I could upgrade in theory. I’ve attached some photos for reference.

Merkn4aSquirtn said:

Take a pic of the whole tent and one of the ceiling of the tent. Im pretty sure you could fit a marsTs600 in there. May have to arrange some of the things up top.

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I’d also note that temps hit 82 (closet grow with AC going in the room) at the peak of the day and I imagine adding a stronger light would increase that. Don’t really have any options in terms of additional cooling, but I did purchase a light timer which should be here tomorrow. Currently running lights 24/7 but think I’ll use the timer to take 4 hours off during the daytime to let things cool down a bit.

I think you're going to be down on intensity using that fixture.
It says it's 90 watts and I'm skeptical about the specs/diodes listed.
For 4 sq ft, I'd shoot for 120 watts minimum, better if you can run 150.

GBAUTO said:

I think you're going to be down on intensity using that fixture.
It says it's 90 watts and I'm skeptical about the specs/diodes listed.
For 4 sq ft, I'd shoot for 120 watts minimum, better if you can run 150.

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Would another clip on LED or CFL with 50-60 watts be a good move? Or should I just return this light and grab another...any recommendations from amazon that won’t break the bank?