Need to be Taken under someone's growing wing

OK let me first start off by saying what i have and what i did. i have a new lumatek 400 watt ballast with a suntect deflector shield and a mh and hps 400 w bulb. i was growing two berry white seeds that i germinated. the soil i mixed was half potting soil and half vermiculite. i also had a layer of permilite on the bottom. once the seedlings were 2 inches and had a new set of leaves i moved them under the 400 watt metal hallide lamp and the leaves turned purple to black and then started to curl up. i have two fans blowing in there. one blowing cool air in and one taking it out at the top. the temp is usually around 76 although it sometimes gets warmer. i also have been adding humbolt nutrients Oneness to the soil mixed with the water i water it with in a ratio of 2ml/1 gallon. i only have one seed left. PLEASE ADVISE!!!

Sounds like maybe you had the lamp too close to your babies, also sounds like they were to young to go under that much light.

i am new also but i have been told not to give any nutes to the little guys and just let them grow... i found out the hard way also that all seeds need is a little water and light.
also seeds can die.

Sounds to me like the vermiculite in the potting soil has done its job and retained moisture. Along with that moisture the nitrogen you have added. When leaf gets dark like that it can be a nitrogen overdose.

i also had a layer of permilite on the bottom.

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I never heard of permilite but if you ment perlite then you did it wrong. You should mix perlite with your potting soil to help with drainage. About 15 to 20% would be fine. vermiculite will retain the water and is best used in sandy soil. Water once every couple days without feeding nutes untill about the third set of nodes. Feed at 1/4 strength every other watering, like twice a week.

Sorry to hear of your troubles.
Better luck next time.

yah, i agree with what everyone said.. you didn't mention how far away that you had the 400 watter from your seedlings, but i would say that you should keep it atleast about two feet away from your plants when they are at such a young age..
and same thing with adding nutes.. i usually don't like to add any nutes of anykind till they are about three weeks or so old, and like the above poster stated, start out light and slowly build your way up a 1/4 strength per week so that after a month, you will be at full blast so to speak.. seedlings are the toughest part of growing imho.. usually if i can get my seeds to crack and get past a couple of nodes or so, i am pretty sure that it will make it to harvest, unless of course it turns out to be a male, lol..
don't get down on yourself.. you sound like your doing a lot of things right and may just have to tweek one or two things till your up and running.. i don't know how many expensive seeds i've effed up before i figured out what i was doing..
just one last thought.. i now like to put my seedlings under either my t5 or another cfl till they get a lil bigger than through them under the hids. good luck with the grow m8..

Thanks. I used to have 6 plants that my brother (us armed forces member) discovered and threw away and i doing things off memory. have heard that the vermiculite was good for letting the roots grow more easily, but bad for retaining moisture. I had the light 24 inches away, but called the store i bought the light from and the guy said to move it closer so i moved it to a little under 18 inches. i guess the nitrogen with the close light doomed them, but the pod leaves are still green so who knows. i have one seed left, but my collective said they would give me more. will start germinating the last seed tonight.

yeah i did mean perlite. i forgot to add it to the mixture, but did remember to add it on the bottom of my pot. my lights were 18 inches from the seedlings. i had them over 2 ft away but the guy at the store told me to move it to a foot and that seemed too close to me. crap. i feel like a bad parent.

also i am trying to grow out of a pretty small closet. i can keep the door open. the dimensions are about 3 ft x 4 ft. any suggestions on how to mod it up to help the grow?

A hood with glass and a fan to pull your heat off your light helps alot...peace

Alright I have changed everything. I have gotten 3 42 watt cfls for seedlings to go with a 400 watt mh and hps (running them all at seperate times, not together of course). And I am going hydro. I bought a 21 gallon rubbermaid, a couple baskets with pumps, nozzles and tubings. I also got pure blend pro grow nutrients and a ph testing kit. The guy said for my ph to be around 6, but i thought i wanted it to be at 7? Please clarify for me.

GShocker said:

Alright I have changed everything. I have gotten 3 42 watt cfls for seedlings to go with a 400 watt mh and hps (running them all at seperate times, not together of course). And I am going hydro. I bought a 21 gallon rubbermaid, a couple baskets with pumps, nozzles and tubings. I also got pure blend pro grow nutrients and a ph testing kit. The guy said for my ph to be around 6, but i thought i wanted it to be at 7? Please clarify for me.

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I grow in DWC/Bubbleponics and the best pH I have found that works great for me is 5.8 to 6.0 . I get the best results from that range.
Hydro is fun and rewarding. Although it requires more attention than a soil grow does. So if you arent one of those growers that are in their grow rooms at least once a day. Then you might have some growing issues. As if a pump or air stone fails you dont have a buffer like soil does. The plants can suffer if the problem isnt corrected soon. Just some information. Hope this helps.

Peace and positive energy to you

Yeah of course everything helps. I appreciate your post as well as everyone else's. I'm dedicated.

Hydro pH should usually be between 5.5-5.8. Freshwater has a pH of 7 normally.

Heres some stuff I picked up here, for your lights




PH and nutrient availabilty




If your going hydro you should have a meter that tells you how much nutrients are in the water.
Nutrients along with most everything else in the water is measured in PPM (Parts per Million) You should get a ppm meter too.

Measure your tap, Mine is almost 400ppm
I use charcoal filter for my soil grows or I get R/O Reverse Osmosis water for my hydro grow. Starts me at 30ppm
Always ph after adding nutes. use half strength on your nutes too.

wow thanks cruzer, and whiteflower. Im learning a lot. now i germinate my seeds in a paper towel. can i put the tap root straight into the hydroton, or should i put it in some rock wool till it gets a couple nodes?

I wouldnt go straight into hydroton with a seedling. I have done it with aero rooted clones before that had roots 3 or 4 inches long but my opinion is a sprouts tap root is to small. Best thing to do is get some rapid rooter plugs. tear them apart about half way, set the seedling tap root in it and close. find something like an ice tray to set them in to hold the plug together. you can find the plugs and prorogator trays (you can cut them down to hold a few cuttings) at nurseys or even big box department stores that have a garden center. A bag of 50 plugs is about $15 and the trays a like a buck. The next best is small one inch rockwool cubes. be sure to flush them like I said the ph is real high and will kill the seedlings if you dont. Speaking of donts, Dont get jiffy plugs unless you go soil. they disolve and go into your pumps and clog shit up.

Another thing I found that works well to keep them in is one of those aluminum baking pans with a raised lid. You can find them at the grocery store for a couple bucks. the clear lid works good as a humidity dome. They shoud have one for the first week or two.