stunted growth 5 weeks into veg. soil gets dry way too fast. help appreciated.

Hey guys first off thanks for tak'n a min to read this. I picked up two clones, right now their about 5 weeks into veg. I'm working w a 300wcfl about 6inches away. Temps are usually around 85 and humidity 35-50. Medium happy frog soil. Just added first nutes a couple days ago (botanicare). My issue right now is Stunted growth and I believe that stems from my soil drying up too quick? I'll water them with 10% runoff and the next day at times the soil will be dry, bone dry on top. The plants wilt, I water them and they return back to normal and then repeat. So instead owatering every couple days I'm having to water like everyday almost. I think this process is stressing the plants out and causing the stunted growth. So I'm trying to figure out why everything is drying so quickly. My one theory is the closet room I'm growing in for veg. It is carpeted and also I've been dealing w drywall dust getting all over the fans in the ducting etc. I've since cleaned most things off, plants had to be rinsed as well. But does this dust explain the drying up? Or do you think it could be the carpeting, I've heard growing near carpeting is not exactley recommended so maybe this is the source of what's stressing out the ladies. But I'm not sure. I'm already buying a tent for flower And I'm thinking I might have to buy one for veg too if this keeps up. Last idea is maybe they need to move up to 3 gallon pots...any advice/suggestions are welcome here. Cheers.

85 is already a bit warm and 35% RH would mean the air is dry. It's no wonder that pot is drying out so fast, considering it is half full at best.

If you can safely lift the plant or otherwise remove it, put more mix on the bottom of the pot, put the plant back in and fill it up nice and to the rim.

The other thing is, you might not really be providing enough water when you do irrigate. Dry mix doesn't absorb water so well, it needs time to rehydrate. When a potting mix becomes overly dry to the point where it cakes up this is best illustrated. Water such a plant and you'll see water pool up on top and\or run down the sides of the container. It might appear there was 'drainage', but this was only because not much of that was immediately absorbed (actually it was repelled).

The premise is similar to the fact that a moist sponge absorbs more water than a dry sponge. Aside from transplanting, try watering more slowly. Especially if the soil surface is dry, apply some water (plain preferred) and wait about 30 minutes, then go back and water thoroughly.

Nullis said:

85 is already a bit warm and 35% RH would mean the air is dry. It's no wonder that pot is drying out so fast, considering it is half full at best.

If you can safely lift the plant or otherwise remove it, put more mix on the bottom of the pot, put the plant back in and fill it up nice and to the rim.

The other thing is, you might not really be providing enough water when you do irrigate. Dry mix doesn't absorb water so well, it needs time to rehydrate. When a potting mix becomes overly dry to the point where it cakes up this is best illustrated. Water such a plant and you'll see water pool up on top and\or run down the sides of the container. It might appear there was 'drainage', but this was only because not much of that was immediately absorbed (actually it was repelled).

The premise is similar to the fact that a moist sponge absorbs more water than a dry sponge. Aside from transplanting, try watering more slowly. Especially if the soil surface is dry, apply some water (plain preferred) and wait about 30 minutes, then go back and water thoroughly.

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Thanks nullis great advice. I'm not sure if you provided a pic if you did I didn't get it. I'm on my mobile and that can happen. But if I'm reading correctly your saying it's not good when the water pools up on top, shows that the medium is too dry? I definitely experience this. I think I'm going to have to invest in a better humidifier as well. And if you don't mind I've got one more question. Do you think the carpeting in the closet could be contributing to the problem?

feel your carpet. and if it's moist, cover it with some trash bags, and then lay your stuff on it, it's best to have a sealed environment if you're growing indoors, that way you have control of your habitat.
also your soil looks like a coco crouton and perlite mix. is it also mixed with soil? it sounds like your drainage is a tooooo damn good, and u might need to put more soil in your mix, and i've never really heard of soil having to be watered everyday. that's quite odd. if that's the case it's your drainage. it's too porous. you need some more stuff to retain that water in your pot. like bagged coco. or more soil mix. also 85 IS a bit hot and i see your girls drooping as well. more ventilation going in will help and improve your temps, try having a fan blow in fresh air onto your cfls. it will in co2 from your room and cool the lights down as well, if you are using 24/7 light. cut it down to 18/6 for veg. as that will help with your temps as well. 75 is an ideal number to hit. do anything you can to try to fix your temps first, before messing with your mix. after you have taken care of that problem, see if that is still an issue. it sounds like your girls are drinking up all the water because it's too hot and dry in there. maybe try leaving your closet open. to correct the temp problems. once you figure out your temps, then see if your potting mix is still an issue (im guessing it wont be)

d0rk2dafullest said:

feel your carpet. and if it's moist, cover it with some trash bags, and then lay your stuff on it, it's best to have a sealed environment if you're growing indoors, that way you have control of your habitat.
also your soil looks like a coco crouton and perlite mix. is it also mixed with soil? it sounds like your drainage is a tooooo damn good, and u might need to put more soil in your mix, and i've never really heard of soil having to be watered everyday. that's quite odd. if that's the case it's your drainage. it's too porous. you need some more stuff to retain that water in your pot. like bagged coco. or more soil mix. also 85 IS a bit hot and i see your girls drooping as well. more ventilation going in will help and improve your temps, try having a fan blow in fresh air onto your cfls. it will in co2 from your room and cool the lights down as well, if you are using 24/7 light. cut it down to 18/6 for veg. as that will help with your temps as well. 75 is an ideal number to hit. do anything you can to try to fix your temps first, before messing with your mix. after you have taken care of that problem, see if that is still an issue. it sounds like your girls are drinking up all the water because it's too hot and dry in there. maybe try leaving your closet open. to correct the temp problems. once you figure out your temps, then see if your potting mix is still an issue (im guessing it wont be)

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Thanks for the reply and advice man. Your right I def. Need to cut that temp down. As for the soil I'm using happy frog and its supposed to be a solid brand, I didn't add anything to it, I'm curious if I of a bad batch though....anyways I'll def take your advice and focus on cutting the temps down and hopefully that helps the situation. Otherwise I think a grow tent could do me some good since there won't be as many variables that can go wrong. Cheers man and thanks again.

Yeah, if it is pooling it is very likely overly dry. Wetting agents like yucca, aloe extract can help with the rehydration (and may have additional benefits). When you water it do like I suggested, use more water and don't immediately dump the run-off, let it sit in any drainage for a good 30 minutes, this will help it actually absorb. After this the pots should feel heavy, which is how they should feel after each thorough watering. Water when the pot has lightened significantly, but before the soil surface has dried out too much.

Be careful with the humidifier, avoid using it during flowering (mold/PM can result).

IDK about the carpeting, I suppose it could contribute to drier air depending what kind of carpeting it is. Try covering the whole of the floor with a tarp (or trash bags as otherwise suggested), this will also protect the carpet.

I noticed you said you were using HF in your first post. I would also advise mixing with coco coir. There are different types\grades of coco coir, though, including the pith, chips and fiber. I prefer mostly the loose, fine, high quality coir, with mostly pith or chopped fibers and some chips (Roots Cocopalms is good, Botanicare Cocogrow and some brand in a white bag I don't remember the name of). Ideally you would add 1-2 tbsp of dolomite lime to this.