HELP! Leaves are drooping

[Greenlivin]

Alright, I know it’s a pretty janky setup, but it’s my first grow and I wanted to test the waters. I built my “grow tent” using pvc pipe and tin foil (couldn’t find Mylar). I’m using bag seed from some Kush CBD flower and Elektra. I’m having issues with just the one plant. It continues to grow well enough but the bottom leaves are drooping. It’s had this issue since early stages. I have been using some MG nutes every other feeding, and cut the recommended dose in half. Here’s the rest of my setup:
* 4 CFLs 23w each about 4in away from top of plant. Was using 3cfls up until 2 days ago.
* some organic Pete based soil that I picked up from Ace
water every 2-3 days. Just got ph reader and my ph has been high at around 8. Waiting for my balancer to ship.
* one mini fan blowing in the corner at lights. I leave a 3-4” gap up top for ventilation.
* this is being grown in a closet.
* don’t know temp or humidity in tent.
* I have drilled multiple holes in the bottom of pots.

All tips and suggestions are welcome. I know it’s a pretty rookie setup so take it easy on me.

[D.A.A.S.69]

GoodMorning, one thing is youve had your light, to far away, an she stretched on you,with cfls, and young seedlings, i keep my light 23watt, no further than 3inches away.
You need to repot, in a larger pot, and if she was mine, I'd bury her almost to where the leaves start.
You might want to check out MegaCrop, nutes, they are cheap, plus they will send you a free sample, you pay for shipping, about 6bucks, i think, but it's 750grams, which is enough, for a bunch of grows.
Your at the right place to learn, lots of people, will be glad to try to help you.
Good luck, and welcome to GWE.
HappyGrowing.

[Greenlivin]

Thanks man. I was curious how soon to transplant. Should I maintain the same soil? What do you suggest for a pot if I want to keep two of them to flower in this 2’x2’x1’ tent? I just want some nice thick, short plants with a little bit of bud. Not looking for a crazy harvest (at least this time). Thanks again.

[golfnrl]

@Greenlivin...I like the engineering. I am new at growing myself. I just finished my first grow. Didn't try anything other than a basic grow in soil. I used FoxFarm ocean/forest blend soil and didn't add any nutes for the few weeks my girls were in veg because I was told that that soil has enough nutes built in to last for the first six weeks. I used the FoxFarm Big Bloom sparingly when i flipped the switch to flower. One thing I learned along the way is you'll know when it's time to transplant to a bigger pot when you see roots at the holes in the bottom of your pot, at least that held true for the seedling stages for me. You might consider switching to cloth pots when you make the transplant. I used 3 gallon cloth pots for my first grow, they worked like a champ. Another thing I learned is to use the finger method to determine when the soil is dry enough to add water. And don't forget proper PH. It's important. Here's the link to my first grow...maybe there is something in there that would help. Good luck, you're in the right place to get good advice. This forum came through for me, for sure.

https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum/growing-community/313948-newby-first-grow

[D.A.A.S.69]

You can grow some fine bud in small places,closets work fine, if all you want is some bud.
If you keep on growing, which I'm sure you will, it's addictive, get a tent,
I don't know about your soil, but next time get some, good soil, like mentioned above, plenty of good soil to choose from, your gonna have fun.
Read Nebulas tutorials, she's got everything down pat, from A to Z. Everything is covered from seed to bud.
I wish we would have had a GWE, 50years ago, lol
HappyGrowing

[Greenlivin]

Any thoughts on the drooping leaves?

[golfnrl]

What Tersky said...I did notice during my first grow the girls got a little droopy when the temp in the tent was up around 80, after I fixed the ventilation they perked right up. Let us know what happens.

[Tersky]

It could be too hot and it looks a tad deficient or under watered. And did you say 2'x2'x1' tent? That doesn't seem right. If it is it's waaaaay too small for anything productive. Once you switch to flower plants can double or triple in height. Plus if you do not have proper ventilation CFLs can put off some heat in enclosed spaces. There are mini tents but i dont know your preferences.

https://www.growweedeasy.com/mini-grow-tent-shopping-list-tutorial-100w-led-grow-light

I would shoot for at least 3ft height for a small grow space and know that your yield will be on the smaller side. An exhaust fan or something to pull the heat away from the plants would be advisable as well. Ive seen people come up with some pretty creative stuff and have pulled off decent looking buds in DIY systems in small spaces but i found that the small spaces didnt produce as much as i wanted or needed to last me until my next grow finished. Just food for thought.

[dphipps1020]

I get all my tents on eBay at probably a fraction of what you would think. This is a tent very similar to one I have and it works great. I also have a couple 4x4' tents that I only paid about $10 more for. Needless to say I'm using the smaller one for my seedlings to get my grows through a little faster but it would be perfect for your space. Hope this helps.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F264432684155

[Greenlivin]

Thanks everyone for the help! Much appreciated.

After transplanting today o day I am definitely going to need a larger tent.

[Greenlivin]

Dphipps thanks for tent suggestion. Ended up buying one. 😁 thoughts on a fan?

[dphipps1020]

Any time! I just got a cheap 4" inline duct fan. Just make sure it has the right voltage rating and includes the plug. Don't need anything too strong given the size of the tent. Might also look at a carbon filter so your room doesn't smell. I used eBay for everything I have and spent a fraction of what I would pay at a store. To set up a 2x2', (2x) 4x4', and an 8x8' tent I probably spent about $1000-1100 all together. Bought them at separate times and bought some extras (HPS/MH lights) so I don't remember exactly but was definitely worth it. The 8x8' was a little pricier at about $205 but it is perfect for what I needed. Using the small one for seedlings, the 4x4s are currently flowering but they're going to be veg tents, and the 8x8 is going to be my flower tent. Hoping to cut down on my wait times between harvests but still be able to harvest a couple lbs at a time. Here's a few pictures of my set-up.

[Greenlivin]

Wow that’s quite the setup! Looks great. How do you like LED vs CFLs?

With this being my first go at it, I’m really just wanting to keep it small. If I were to get an ounce off of the two plants I’d be happy. It’s definitely an addicting “hobby” though! I’m driving the wife nuts.

[dphipps1020]

Thanks. Haven't tried CFLs, just MH/HPS and LEDs. While I like the quick growth under HID lights, I don't like the heat it puts out. It's also a bit much on the electric bill for me. The LEDs run a lot cooler and are a bit easier on the pocket. They're easier to set up cause you usually only have to worry about a single unit as opposed to a ballast, reflector, light bulbs and ventilation. You also have to have better ventilation with the HID lights or keep your grow room pretty cool, or both. I did find that the LEDs were cheaper (at least mine were, at about $60 each for 1200W). That said, it's really personal preference you just need to choose what's right for you. I may put a 600W HPS light back in my big tent during the winter to help with my heating bill lol Anyway, try both and see how you like it. I don't feel like I can really answer that fairly because I haven't been growing very long and didn't use the HID lights a lot yet. I may actually do half and half and see where it takes me since I can go up to 1000W on my ballast. Not entirely sure yet, it's a lot of work to set it back up in there. Yeah I started and was hooked, just haven't had a lot of successful grows. I started with hydro and I've just recently decided to switch to soil. I honestly don't pay attention to pH enough for hydro. I have my soil mix and my super soil underneath and all I have to do is water and give the ladies a little love. It's funny cause I can stare at them and defoliate or train or whatever for hours at a time, but I have trouble checking pH levels. OK now I'm rambling. Hope that clears things up a bit.

[Greenlivin]

So now I’m having major problems after transplant. My girls look extremely pissed off. Yellowing leaves, curling, drooping, and just plain ugly. I did it two days ago. Thoughts??

[SoOrbudgal]

Yes you damaged the roots during transplant sorry

[golfnrl]

Can you put up some pics?