Sad plant (better pictures)

Medium: Pro mix
Fluorescent lighting on 14-15 hours day
Please help my youngins, some are looking a little sad and droopy.

I am planning on doing the transplants but the lil guys are actually in clear plastic cups under the soil. I added extra soil ontop to support their stems because they were falling over (Probably because i didnt plant them deep enough to begin with). I did one transplant last night into a normal sized pot. As i pulled some of the cups up they seemed to be dry and no water was getting to the roots. I did not want to have 5 huge pots taking up the space just yet so i left four of them there and watered them and made sure the water went into the cups. I also have been slightly using a vegetative formula called Pure Blend. It has nitrogen in it. I have been using 1/4 ounce and mixing that with 1 3/4 cup of water and sharing that between all plants. I have a 250W HPS waiting to be used but i dont want to scare them and use it too early. Do you think its time to step up? They are 5 inches tall.
Thanks in advance!

you need to get on a regular light schedule. 18/6 or 16/8 and stick to it. i'd guess the reason they fell over is cause they were stretching, move your light closer. flourescents can be really close. your medium does look dry. try and keep them happy but don't overwater. your plants also looked burned. they may have been fed too much, too soon.

vis...

That soil needs to be saturated with pHed water.
The fluorescent light needs to be on 18+ hours a day
You need a timer...

I must tell you.... and I know it is really floating my own boat... But what yo need is this BOOK.... it will show you everything you need for your grow...

iloveyou

Do you think its too early to use the HPS?

hps is generally used in flower.

Ive read that it can be used throughout all stages which may not be the best or ideal but you can.
I am using a fluorescent light and a Agro light now. Two of my plants look like they are dying and are curling up.

How can i saturate the soil? I have never done this before.

250w is fine from start to finish as long as you change from mh to hps!im growing 8 plants under a 400w mh at the mo!my light takes 250-400w mh and hps bulbs!i have a seedling under my 400w light and its only 10 inches above it!it looks completely healthy just like my other plants!i did how ever have have them under a 250 mh for the first week which i kept about 20inches above um!

well if the seedlings already growing dont saturate the soil you should only do that just before you first plant the seed!just spray the plant with water thats mildly warm!becareful not to spray the bulb and just do that from time to time for the first week and spray the soil a little when it starts to look dry!then after that start watering the plants normally but only when the soil feels dry upto 2 to 3 inches down!water untill you see a few drips come out the bottom then they should be fine for 3-4 days!you can feed um but only a VERY diluted amount about a quarter strength but if your soil already has enough nutrients in it theres no need.DO NOT OVER WATER YA PLANTS!

Thanks a lot. I just did a couple transplants and now the sad ones have room to grow. I wish this camera took clearer pictures so sorry about that. What do you think i should do with this lil one? It looks so uncomfortable!

your medium looks too dry, you need to keep your little one moist, not wet, but not to dry either, you want to water as soon as the dirt on the top starts to look like its drying. if you have good drainage, you wont have to worry about over watering. Use your HPS now, its WAY better than the fluoro your using now. The plants can take as much light as you can keep them watered and cool. if you have good ventilation and you can keep the plants cool, keep the light as close to the plants as possible. use your best judgement...

Thanks Ganj

That was very helpful. I will get on that.

keep us updated...!

Hi VIS

I would not put the HPS on these plants until they come out of there stressed out state..

HPS can be used for the entire grow,.. and that is actually recommended.. BUT introducing an HPS or any HID to a plant that is already hurting is asking for trouble..

iloveyou

GK normaly i would agree, however it looks to me like the one plant is stretching due to the lack of light, Viscer, how close is your fluoro to the plants?

Hello FATHER..

Maybe bringing the CFLs closer is better than switching to HPS.

cheers

thats why i asked his distance from the plants, however, a 400w hps mounted at the top of the closet would still provide more efficient lighting for the sprouts without causing any burn...

The CFL usually a foot away. I did setup the 250W HPS but i only put my scholars under it. I have taken pictures as they just started and i will take more later to judge its before and after affect to see weather they like it or not. There are two sick ones. One is doing worse than the other and seems to be wilting away. I fed it plenty of water but do not want to over feed.

Hey vis,

I would move the CFLs to about 2-4 inches from your plants... and if you do decide to fire up the HPS.. I would definitely make sure you have a good fan blowing up, towards your light... and monitor the plants every 15 minutes for the first 2-6 hours.

iloveyou

oh yeah, and i forgot it was only a 250, i would say you are safe to put them all under it, the sickly ones are probably going to die off, and if they do survive they wont have the vigor your healthy ones have...

Okay. I found a better camera. Thanks for the help btw. Ill definatley be on this forum more often now that i know we can all help eachother via intranet. Like I said 3 are under the HPS now and 2 are sulking in their own space.