HELP! What am I doing wrong???

[pokepena]

This is my first grow and Im feeling very disheartened because I just can't seem to figure out what the problem is with my seedlings. My two plants are severely stunted in growth (these are a month old) and I can't figure out the issue. At first the bottom leaves were getting brown on the edges. I thought maybe I was over watering, so I've lessened the amount and the frequency that I was watering. I also moved them further away from the light incase that was causing the issue. I also checked the pH of the water and it was a little high (just over a 7) , so the past few waterings Ive lowered the pH to about a 6-6.5 and added a drop of nitrogen nutrients to the water as well (I thought maybe low nitrogen could be the cause of the pale leaves, especially since the pH was too high which I know can cause deficiencies). Now the leaves are still extremely pale and the bottom leaves are almost pink on plant 1 and plant 2 still has the brown edges on the bottom leavesnand I noticed new brown dots on the serrations today (I watered them yesterday), and both plants don't seem to be growing any faster at all. Does anyone have any ideas about what I could be doing wrong? Thank you in advance!

[Rougge]

pokepena What type of soil? How much veg nutirents did you use? What are your temps and humidity?

[pokepena]

I'm using Organic Mechanics potting soil. I didn't use a lot of nutrients at all, I used a dropper and put literally one drop of general hydroponics floramicro in a 26oz container of water. Not 100% positive on temps and humidity, I do have a reader coming in the mail in two days though. Temp I would guess is about 70-75.

[Canuck147]

We have lots of ideas in telling you what you did wrong pokepena 1 - too many nutrients in non-pHed water. Any holes in the bottom of those cups? One can grow in a solo cup - but it should have been full to the top. Let them dry out.

[pokepena]

I did test the pH of the water, I've been mixing one drop of general hydroponics flora micro nutrients from a small dropper into 26oz of water at a 6-6.5 pH level. And I have holes poked in the bottom and the sides of the cups. Do you think overwatering is still the issue?

[Canuck147]

not the biggest issue - that would be the insufficient light your plants are not getting.

[pokepena]

So do you think they may do better now that I've moved them closer to my grow lights?

[crucialbunny]

Being that they are a month old and not developing any new leaf growth makes me think they hate the medium they are in. Seedlings that are stunted like yours aren't sending out new root growth and I suspect that is because the soil is too hot with nutrients. Seedlings love bland organic compost and that is all they need to get them a healthy start. I don't think that your lights are the main issue because If they were in a good soil they would be stretching for light but they're not doing that so my best guess is your medium.

[pokepena]

Okay! So you're suggesting lowering the pH to about 5.5 for now, and then once they recover and grow out of the cup, switch to a new pot with better soil? What soil do you recommend?
Also- as far as the lights go I feel like the lighting in the pictures might be making it look less light than it is. I could be wrong tho. Im using two ViparSpectra 450W lights (each actually put out about 200W, so 400W total). Is that too little? I bought these lights as recommended by this website so thats why Im wondering!

[TOKABIGONE]

Yes, lower your pH and then water with added calmag only when the medium is dry below 1/2 inch. If you don't see new growth, nice and green in 5 days you might cut your losses. For ease of use I will recommend Mother Earth Coco plus 30% perlite. It's ready to plant from the bag but drench it 2 days before transplant with full strength calmag and dry until just moist before repot.

My last recommendation for you is to make the tutorials your best friend by studying them all you can. They really are all you need to know. Don't give up. You can be a happy grower very soon, lol!

[pokepena]

Thank you SO much, you've been extremely helpful!! I ordered the coco coir you suggested! I will definitely follow these instructions and hopefully my plants will thrive! If not, I will take the L and start over and consider this a lesson. If you have any other recommendations I would love to hear them. Thank you again!

[Rwise]

pokepena What are they? If these are autos , well I would toss them and start over they are near done and will not recover. IF these are photos then they can be saved with some work.

[pokepena]

They are photos!

[grouchyoldman]

Hi pokepena, sorry to hear your troubles, must be very frustrating. Your plants should be that size after a week, not a whole month!

You have some excellent advice above to work with but I'm curious about your lights. What model ViparSpectra lights are those. From the picture they look like an older model and you have them hung pretty high. You may not be giving your babies enough energy to survive.

The wattage number you need to know is the actual amount of power used from the wall. If that is 200 watts per light you should have more than enough, but I'd bring them down a bit in addition to any of the other suggestions you adopt.

Best wishes.

[pokepena]

I just checked and it says on the lights they were made in July 2020, idk if that means they're new or just a not as good model made more recently. Do you have any recommendations for LED lights that are relatively inexpensive?

I do have more seeds, but I'm definitely going to see if im able to save these babies first. I will keep you updated!
Thank you again for your advice!

[grouchyoldman]

I have posted this before and I don't want to sound like some corporate shill, but I am very satisfied with my recent purchase of the new ViparSpectra XS series LED growlights. They have a near perfect spectrum, quality components and are very energy efficient. Not sayin they are the best, but good value for state of the art LED growlights.

I have the XS 1500, for seedlings and early veg, and the XS2000 for finish lighting of a 4'x4' grow area. Those lights go on Amazon sale periodically, I paid $130 & $220 respectively.

Here's a link to an informative review that will tell you what to look for no matter what light you end up buying. Check out their other reviews for comparison.

https://www.cocoforcannabis.com/grow-light-guide/viparspectra-xs-1500-par-test-review/

[pokepena]

Thank you so much! I will definitely invest in those, those are definitely nicer than the ones I have haha. Do you only use the xs1500 during veg and then both the xs1500 & the xs2000 for flowering?

[grouchyoldman]

Good question pokepena , actually the 1500 & 2000 are interchangeable for veg and flower as the need arises. The 1500 is a 2'x2' and the 2000 is a 2'x4' flowering area light. They are both dimmable, so you can ramp them down to 25% for new seedlings, and gradually harden the plants up to 100% for veg growth. If you want a 4'x4' or larger flower area, consider the Spider Farmer SF4000 instead. Same components, better geometry & value.

Jus my $0.02
PS,the whole "Veg & Flower" LED light switch feature turned out to be sorta nonsense IMHO. Give Canna a sunlight spectrum and watch her thrive.

[pokepena]

Thank you so much again for your input, I really do appreciate it!! my grow tent is 3'x3'x7' so I would probably go with the 2000. Would I only need one light or would two be better?

[grouchyoldman]

Each of the XS 2000 lights covers 2'x4' so two would be ideal. Or look at the Spider Farmer SF4000 for about the same price. I like the flexibility of two lights so I can adjust depending on the current grow. Good Luck!