Seedling Problems (PICS)

Hey guys this is only my second grow so im still a newbie. I ran into all the problems a first grower has on my last batch (over nuting/watering) but they still came out with a decent yield. I just started my second crop but im already running into problems and im not sure why. Plants are only about 2 weeks old so as for now they get no nutes. They are planted in happy frog soil with some hydroton mixed in. Watered them once a day until we could see the first pedals, then went to watering every few days. The plants started to look like they were overwatered (drooping) but perked up with a fan on them. After over watering problems on the first batch I invested in a cheap hydrometer. Used the hydrometer to check and the bottom soil in the pots seemed to be pretty damp. So I transplanted them a week or two early into their adult pots, broke away a lot of the damp/wet soil and used fresh dry soil. Didnt water them after transplant. Its now been two days and they still look over watered I use the hydrometer to check and it says the soil is pretty dry (it looks and feels pretty dry too). Any thoughts?



I also included a picture of a plant we started a few weeks earlier. It looks much much worse but pretty much the same story with that one (its still in a smaller pot). I want to correct the problem with the new guys before it gets to that stage... as i mentioned before Im a newbie and spent $$ on seeds like an idiot. Id hate to lose my investment. Any help is appreciated...additional info...using 100w MH about 10" from plant, you can see the ominous glow in one of the pictures. Also using three 26watt cfls for plants further away from the MH.

that soil looks miff...

what is the temp in there?

Stick your finger in the soil, does it come out with moist dirt on it? The roots on the plant are about as long as the plant above surface. I have noticed with soil that the plants don't mind a smaller home when they are younger. I start out with a small plastic cup....when they reach 2-3 sets of leaves, I cut the plastic cup down the sides and easily place the plant into maybe a 2-liter bottle.....when it outgrows that, you can easily slice the side of the 2-liter and transplant into a final large pot.

I dunno, the smaller the container, the easier it is to manage the watering, food, etc. Also, i always flush whatever medium I'm using before use.

Definitely overwatered. Awfully small for 2 weeks too.

Temp gets up to about 83 when i close the cabinet, its usually open most of the day and it hovers around 75. There is a circulating fan in their to help with stagnant air. also have several intake and exhaust holes with cpu fans to get in fresh makeup air. So with that hydrometer reading when should i water again? I used the finger method and it resulted in this. I guess a better question would be how long can it go bone dry? The hydrometer indicates some level of moisture in the soil...wait until it doesnt pic up a reading?

the meter says moist - wait till it says dry