Why so small?

[No3odiesShad0w]

Left to right.
Girl Scout Cookies, Bruce Banner and gorilla glue 4
All 3 are autoflower planted on Dec 17 and all 3 sprouted by December 19. It's about to be a month now and the GSC is tiny. The Bruce Banner isn't that much bigger the gorilla glue looks fine for it's age.
I started some LST on the GG4 and BB the GSC is just too small at this point to do anything yet.
I watered them 2 times since Dec 17 with some spraying in between to moisten the top. Water going in is 6.5. Runoff is 6.3.
Soil mixture Fox farm happy frog in 2.35 gallon buckets
Added organic Super Soil 3.2oz per gallon
30% perlite
Dolomite lime 1tsp per gallon

Center
Only FF H F mixed 50/50 with perlite for drainage and because i know autos don't like hot soil.

The leaves look good. The color is nice. The tips have some slight nutrient burn on some. I guess the roots very quickly got to the good stuff. Very dark so i know it's got plenty nitrogen. I haven't added any other nutes or even molasses water.

I just figured they should be much bigger than they are..... Then again my last one was tiny and then during the pre bloom stretch it turned into a giant. I know autoflowers do weird things and I'm probably just all too in my head

[Blowdout2269]

Dayyyumm bro. You musta stunted these things somehow! Either that, or garbage genetics. But all three, unlikely. At a month in, they should all be much bigger. Sorry that I don't have anything more helpful.

Well if u do harvest these beauties, I bet you still got another members yield beat. Sorry Puglover1! 🤷♂️🙁😂😕😔😲

[Puglover1]

np. Like a reverse trophy, LoL!

[No3odiesShad0w]

Lolol it happens..... I mean the last one i had was tiny and then got huge during the pre bloom stretch. It went from my smallest to the largest.

The GSC i may have bumped it when it was a baby. So it could explain the size.

I hope it's not the genetics but we'll see. I planted 1 of each last night. I got then in a basket cup this way i don't have to transplant... I just bury the container halfway in a bigger container. More controlled water everything else.

Other suspicion i have is too wet. It's a tiny plant in a big bucket. The top is dry long before the bottom starts drying out.

[Puglover1]

No3odiesShad0w I had a sativa in a 5 gal square fabric bag and 3 indica photos in 3 gal round bags, no drainage problems. I put a round grate between the bags and saucers. One was started in the bag, two were started in Solo cups while waiting on more soil. Sativa was started in a 'basket' cup thingy then transplanted.

[Rwise]

Wait, you have only watered them 2 times in 30 days? Tell us about why you wait so long between watering them. Is the soil retaining moisture (not well drained)?

[No3odiesShad0w]

Watered 2 times to where they're was run off..... I sprayed with spray bottle around the base to keep things moist for the young roots. It's a big bucket for s small plant and i know autos don't like transplanting. I didn't want to over water. When you lift the bucket up it's heavy. There's plenty water in there.

[No3odiesShad0w]

I did add a bunch of perlite... I just think it's a small plant so it's not using up the water quickly. Temp is around 72-75 so not much evaporation happening either

[No3odiesShad0w]

I have badly waterlogged plants before because they were small in a large container. That's why i have holes in the buckets and i always add perlite. I try to learn from my mistakes

[Going2fast]

They are small for their age. I believe its a combination of factors. The soil is too hot for the seedlings, the soil looks very dry and maybe genetics. Where did the seeds come from?
no need for watering till runoff in soil you are actually washing the nutes out of the soil. Next try make a void the size of a half gallon planter at the top of your planters where the seed will go and fill it with seed starting mix or an unamended soil like miracle grow organics. That will give the seedlings time to get going before they hit the hot soil.
Also what is the temperature and humidity in your tent?

[No3odiesShad0w]

I agree i do think the soil was too hot. I planted 3 more last night. I'm going to try something different. I did leave a rather large hole in the middle that i filled with the unamended happy frog. But my suspicion is when I ordered it the nutrients from the side flush down into the middle and it became too hot for when it was young...
The top does dry out pretty quick because i have about 30% perlite mixed in there but when i lift up the buckets, they're heavy. There's plenty water in there. Possibly too wet?
The seeds i got from ILGM the autoflower Super pack with the GSC, BB and GG4
Temp with lights on is around 75-78. Lights off around 65-70
Humidity run around 55% more or less

[Franklin]

As Going2fast asked, temperature and RH? I suspect you're having a cold dry winter like everywhere else. If that's the case the plants aren't bringing water or nutrients up. Also what is your light situation? It's all about environment.

[3Berries]

If the soil temp is under 70F the plants will suffer. I had heaters on my seedling pot and even though the soil temp in the middle was 70F the outside soil next to the bucket would rise to ~73F and the roots mostly went to that side of the cup first. I imagine a seedling tray heater pad would work in the same way enticing the roots to the bottom first. Too bad they don't make round ones. I've seen up to 4'x4' though.

[No3odiesShad0w]

The temp in the room is about 75-78 during the day when the lights are on. At night when the lights go off or drops to about 70 never lower than 65 but that's on those really really cold nights.
Humidity in the room stays between 50-60%.
the lights in using a MH 600 and a SF 2000. Total 300w LED. I keep the lights 25in away from the tops.
I have a fan blowing from across the room towards the opposite corner to circulate the air

Water ph going on is 6.5. I only tested the run off 2x so far. I try to avoid runoff to avoid flushing all the nutes. But you know i have to check to make sure it's okay and runoff was 6.3. So that seems all good. The leaves have a nice color it's just growing so slow.

[No3odiesShad0w]

So I'm gonna try something different. I planted 1 of each in these basket cups. I'll be able to control the moisture and i won't have to worry about hot soil seeping in as well. Then after 2 weeks or so, i can just take the basket and bury it halfway or all the way in the bucket with the hot soil and the roots will just grow down into it. I've done this in the past with great success..

It will solve the hot soil issue and possible over watering.
These will still grow. They haven't even started the pre bloom stretch. I'll get something from them yet.

[Puglover1]

I'd still put plain potting soil in first around the transplant. I transplanted a sativa w/o doing this, saved it by digging out some hot soil and adding their potting soil. And only watering around the 'center' not to the edges ... the roots will find their way.

[No3odiesShad0w]

[No3odiesShad0w]

They've grown ... And still growing.... just very slowly... In another week or so it should start doing the stretch.... We'll see what happens then ... Fingers crossed.....

I figured ILGM has good seeds genetics. My biggest suspect is still the hot soil.. nitrogen toxicity... I guess when watering, the nutes leeched into the center where it was only supposed to be unadultered HF.

This basket technique is going to solve all that without having to worry about transplant shock.
The current ones just need a light flush and they'll bounce back and explode with new growth... All is not lost.

[Going2fast]

No offense but ilgm are shit genetics. Mass produced white label seeds that they name whatever people are buying. If you like autos I suggest mephisto.
Never used happy frog but a lot of complaints in the community of it being hot and the pH out of whack. May want to do a slurry test on it.

[No3odiesShad0w]

Oh I agree about the happy frog soil being weird... And the pH is completely off I agree with that also. I had a whole separate thread where I was talking about the acidity of happy frog soil. That's why I amended it with dolomite lime and everything else to get the pH fixed. But I do agree about the soil being hot.... I've tried other soils and I've had much worse experiences. Especially that espoma garbage.... That shit just brought nats into my whole entire apartment.... So that's why I went back to the Happy Frog.

I did plant three new ones we'll see how these go. Just don't have much luck growing indoors... If I could grow outside in my garden I'm pretty sure things would be much better......

As far as ILGM IDK. ..... I got seeds from seed supreme because people said it was good then once I buy them everyone says it's garbage..... They said go to ILGM so I bought seeds from there now people are telling me seats from their garbage It's like. 🤷♂️. Are there even good seeds or is it like $100 for one seed if it's "good". Cuz I got serious cancer bills I can't afford a seed that they want a hundred bucks for..... I need the stuff i got to be good enough..

[MagicMike66]

I’ve had many plants start like that. I’d toss it and start another one, You’ll be fighting it forever and eventually it’ll die or you’ll kill it anyway so I’d save the hassle and do it now

[No3odiesShad0w]

I mean I might as well just leave them and see what happens after the prebloom stretch.... Maybe they'll gain a little bit of size if not I got the next three planted so they should be sprouting within the next day or two... Maybe those will be better if not I don't know..... Just fucking annoying that I sunk all this money into this and nothing to show for it... Money that could have went towards bills. In too deep now to stop

[Going2fast]

Check out this podcast. This guy is the breeder of the original Bruce banner. He explains where all these generic seed companies get their beans. They are all grown by the same two guys then sold by the pound.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mEEan9jygqY&feature=youtu.be

[No3odiesShad0w]

It's crunch time. It's why i got the autoflower variety. I need a fast turnover. And a bit of variety. My dealer OD on coke last month and died. Dispensaries want $60+ for an 8th. That's just too much .... I can't afford that with my tolerance and the weed really helps with all the cancer side effects and the dying part.... Having my own stuff, even if it's not like to shelf shit, would still be better than the prices you have to pay. Like i would be fine with mids. I just need a few ounces per plant not a free grams.

My last 2 plants gave me about 1oz each of decent Northern Lights... I regret not growing then in s bigger bucket because i could have gotten much more. 🤷♂️

I think the GG might still come through but the GSC might be a loss. The BB is on the fence. We'll see what happens with the basket I'll keep y'all posted.

[ZigZag]

My feeling is that you didn't water often enough around the stems_ 1/2-1" from the stalk, soon after transplant. Since you didn't water often the top 4-6" dried up and your seedlings didn't get enough water because their roots weren't deep enough to reach the water below. They need the water to transport the nutrients to get the photosynthetic process working best it can. So your plants can grow. Next time start your seedlings in starters or 3-4" nursery cups then transplant to your larger container after the third/fourth leaf set. Before you place them in the cups and or pots prep the soil so the PH is about 6.0. If you're using nutrients then add them initially at 1/2 strength until runoff is about 25%. Wait 30 minutes for that to settle and drain evenly. Then flush again with just enough plain water (PH 6) to get enough runoff to test the PH again. It should match if all is well. Check your cal/mag ratios too. If the PH is too low, then your plants can't use any of the calcium or magnesium which is essential for growth. That could be what's happening. I think if it was too much of any nutrient then you'd probably notice some signs of nutrient burn. Even if you don't if the potassium/phosphorus are too excessive then that can affect your plants ability to absorb calcium and magnesium.
Good luck, hope it all works out!

[Rwise]

Try this before you thrash them, water them in a circle around them wider than the leaf spread. Not a lot of water just a bit, not to run off, just wet the soil around them (or even just one of them). Do this about every three days, it will help the roots spread through the soil.
Also there is a thread here that may interest you to gain Free seeds, https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum...ng-it-for-free

[SoOrbudgal]

My first 1/2 -1 " of soil will look dry after watering but their feet are wet ( roots ) once you start a fan blowing these fabric pots i've found dry quicker so as they spread out i really take some time applying water slowly allowing it to sink into the soil near the root zone