My sad attemps at growing are going nowhere…help please…..

[Randallroni]

I have been having major problems getting my plants to start growing normally. I have done everything by the book and they still are not doing anything. After sprouting I put them in coco, very little water and they seem fine. But then they never get growing. I have tried ph’d water only…and after a couple weeks a small amount of advanced nutes….and cal mag. Still nothing happens. The edges get dried and that’s about the extent of what happens. The light I have is a Spectromaster 125w cfl bloom light, I have tried it close, farther away, nothing seems to make a difference. I’m on my third attempt and same results each time…… WTF??

[Gingerbeard]

Hey Randallroni . You only gave a little water and waited a couple weeks before giving them nutrients. Coco seedlings need nutrients from the get-go as coco doesn't have the same goodies as soil. They also need to be kept moist. What is your pH?
Using a bloom light in the seedling stage probably isn't your best light option. A regular CFL will work better.
I'm looking at the soil in your Solo and in your bag. It looks like your cup is mostly perlite and your bag is 70/30 coco/perlite. Is that right? And what sort of holes do you have for drainage?

[Gingerbeard]

I'm looking at your previous two threads about bum seedlings. You started with "soil that is supposed to be primo for growing." and LED lights and had better success than this one. What was the soil and what were the LED's?
As many times as you have been asked, you ignore questions about your pH or just say it's 'normal.'
How about giving us a shot of how things are when they are lights on and your equipment?

[Randallroni]

Hey, thanks for the respose..I’ll try and get you more info to make it clearer…the soil I originally started with was Gold Label Special mix. Someone before said it was too ” hot” for seedlings so I tried going the coco route. For the ph, I have a meter that goes in the soil, it was a hair under 7. The liquid test kit I have been using now for the water says around 6.5. The original led lights I used were a home 80w grow light….I thought it might be a good route for getting the plants started before the got into the tent….. I will upload a pic after this if I can.. the temp in the tent is about 80 or so….humidity I have no idea. The strains have been white widow and girl scout cookies. Since my first attempts seemed over watered and they never quite drained I have tried to be more cautious about over watering them. The paper cups have small holes, the original pix were your standard plastic pots with the 3 holes at the bottom. I have cloth pots which I wanted to move them into once they started, but they aren’t doing much……

[Rwise]

Yes we need much more info, like did you prep the coco? OR was it pre-prepped?
Not enuf of whatever is in there, no PH given, temps, humidity, light schedule, strain/hybrid/auto/photo, get it?
BTW normal PH is between 0 and 14, but we need to hold a bit tighter than that, and that is different from hydro to soil. (coco/perlite is not soil)

[Randallroni]

The coco was ” buffered”. Other than that, no I did not do anything to it. Someone said they started them just in coco for a bit and then added nutes. Was that wrong? I gave some info on the post before yours, maybe you can check that out and see if there is something else. i have had the lights on for 16 hours , and the strain was auto girlscout cookies, and the other was white widow, from some seeds that a friend gave me…..

[SoOrbudgal]

Find another hobby

[Randallroni]

Thanks for the help. I have many others but I kinda want to get this nailed…..

[Guest]

[dilvish]

you really do need to expand on your set up. anyone can chuck seeds into a pot, expose it to light, give it water and see it grow. With cannabis the goal is to achieve fat buds so paying strict attention to the plants needs are paramount if you want it to grow properly.

Proper lighting, growing medium (soil or coir) nutrients PH levels and watering habits are critical for success...if you skip steps then you won't achieve a harvest unless you just like smoking fan leaves, which of course have very little THC and you like gagging on the smoke they produce.

Time to read more on the main site....this is how you "grow weed easy"

[Randallroni]

I get that, but I have read up on this but since this is my first attempt and it is not working so great that is why I am asking for help. I bought a tent kit, and thought the light would be what I needed,but someone says maybe it’s not…... I used soil that should have worked but then someone tells me it’s too hot….So somewhere through this something is not gelling and I want to figure it out. It sounds like it is a bit more of a science and attention to detail which is fine, I am trying, There are so many different options with all that is involved…soils, nutes, lighting and such….. I am not lazy about doing the research, so for the next attempt I will be even more diligent and hope for the best……

[Gingerbeard]

Randallroni If your probe is a 3-way moisture, light, and pH pen, don't trust it. Paper strips are difficult to read. Maybe it's my vision, but I never trusted strips +/- .5 pH.
When you say things like 'some nutes' and 'around' pH, it doesn't help, much. If your water and nute water are 6.5, try lowering to 6.0 +/- .2. Saying, 'no idea' about humidity is better than a guess. I've found my coco plants can handle full strength nutes with every watering.
My nutes suggest 1/4 to 1/2 strength for seedlings. If you google 'small measuring spoons' you will find spoons that measure down to 1/64 tsp. Don't get nutes on your leaves. That will lead to an increase in uptake of nutes which can cause nute burn.
Fill your cups to a half inch below the rim. Use what you have in your pots. Are the cups plastic or wax lined?

[Randallroni]

The probe is one that you stick in the soil…..and I use general hydroponics brand drops for checking the water.The cups are just paper…..thanks again…

[bdeegan]

Hey dude, I’m a novice soil grower but still may be able to help. For the PH, ditch the soil probe, they never seem to work well. A PH pen is definitely needed, even a cheep one will do for now. I’d suggest picking up a TDS meter also (I bought my ph pen and tds meter together). You should check your runoff water ph and compare to what you put in and this tells you where the soil ph is. You can then adjust your intake water to get the soil ph correct. Now humidity, it must be monitored just like temperature. I picked up a few Bluetooth temp and humidity meters on Amazon for less than $10 each and I can monitor from my phone (within bt range). If humidity is low you’ll get slow growth, if high it will rot your flowers when you get there. Sorry if I missed it but what kind of fan(s) are you using? Unmonitored stagnant air is no bueno either.

Hope this helps, & good luck

bd

[Randallroni]

Thanks! I will look into getting some upgraded test equipment and starting again….

[dilvish]

PH pens can be gotten for around $20. General Hydroponics test solution is vague at best and should not be in place of even a cheap PH tester.
We've all made mistakes and learned from them as you will likely do so as well.

That light is only good for seedlings about 6-8 inches away. Beyond that it's useless except for maybe an additional light source on top of a proper grow light.

You have to understand that Full spectrum light, especially for cannabis, is just as important as water...not enough, the plant dies. Indoor growers learn this mistake far too often and far too late. Lighting can make or break a decent yield so it's likely the biggest single investment you can make...cheap lights=poor growth. Do your homework and invest in a recommended light because there is a lot of crap out there.

Your coir looks mixed with too much perlite...assuming that's what's mixed with it. a good mix is no more than 50/50 but 70/30 is the way to go IMHO. coir dries out quickly under normal cannabis temps...70-85 °F (20-30 °C) range during the day when lights are on, so watering is important but not overwatering.

the seedlings must be given proper nutrients throughout the lifecycle in coir as coir does not have any added nutrients. Plain water should only be used when "flushing" the plant, usually ever other watering assuming you water every 2-3 days. PH of water with and without nutrients in coir should be 5.5 - 6.5. always test water after the nutrients have been thoroughly mixed and forget the soil tester.

And finally whomever you are getting your advice from should be ignored. You want help, come to this forum or the main site and everything you need to know is here.

[UndergroundFarmer]

Most of the replies so far are full of good advice, 'cepting one. All I know to add to that is for coco with liquid nutes, mix at about a quarter of the manufacturer's recommendation when they are that small. About 400 ppm (.8 EC) is about right. You can also add about 10-20% worm castings to the coco mix to cover micronutrients and encourage root growth.

[Gingerbeard]

Two. Plus this one.

[homegrown]

Randallroni I think your problem is in your first pic. The cup your using is waxed, so no drainage or evaporation except from the holes you poked in it. I dont see any. If you did poke holes they probably swelled up and wont allow drainage anyway. Your cups should be filled to the top with coco/perlite, the whole idea is to get a good root system established before transplant. I think its sitting in a little bit of muck and your roots are suffering. As Gingerbeard said, dont trust the paper strips because their not very accurate.