UB, thank you for your time. You entertain any question, even if the answer could be found with a minimal amount of reading/research by the individual. Much respect.
Not quite two weeks into my first grow, I have committed the cardinal sin of overwatering...though I blame it mostly on the Miracle Grow Organic potting soil I started with. Maybe with some perlite things could have been better, but it just retained too much moisture. I ditched the MG in favor of FF Ocean Forest and larger 5 1/2" square pots. They continue to produce new leaf growth every day or two, but some leaves still appear droopy.
Taking earlier advice from a thread in RIU, I purchased a $5 moisture meter from lowes, and it may have been the best thing I ever did. The plants that looked the most droopy were the ones with the highest readings on the moisture meter. As a first time grower (I prefer that term to "noob" as I have done many hours of research during these first few weeks) it is hard to determine what is wet and what is dry. Not with this cheap device. I recommend it to anyone (especially first time growers).
One of my more robust little girls has begun to develop some kind of deformation on her first set of serrated leaves. I have been administering no nutrients, only distilled water and my myriad of fluoro's and a 150w hps. Temp fluctuates, typical high 84-86, typical low 70-75. My only problem thus far has been relative humidity. It hovers at 20-25% with the lights on, and 40-50% at night. You indicated in an earlier post if they grow with a low humidity, then go with it. So I am. But just for experimentation's sake, I placed 3 plants in a humidity "tent", using wooden skewers, saran wrap, and tape to create an enclosed environment with locally increased humidity.
Anyway, the plant that developed this problem was the first girl subjugated to the tent. She was one of my strongest early seedlings and was doing just fine (until now).
The first two show the problem area, and I just now noticed another similar patch of badness developing in the second image. The last one shows the general droop discussed in the beginning (that should be corrected as the soil eventually gets dry).
Help my babies Uncle Ben!