HELP! Weird growth and crispy tips

[oilymichael]

Hey y’all, I’ve got a Tangie photoperiod plant that I germinated almost 3 weeks ago and sprouted two weeks ago. It is currently in 70/30 Coco/Perlite in a solo cup, in a 2x2x6 grow tent around 75f and 70%rh. It’s got a 125W light at 40% 1.5ft above on an 18/6 schedule.

First true leaves took a while to grow, but now that they did, it seems to be growing oddly. I’m not sure if there’s a root cause (pun intended) behind both the odd growth pattern and the concerning leaf tips, but if there is something wrong here I would like to fix it quickly.

I’d been spraying the top of the coco with ph’d water until the leaves started, then sprayed with water following the GH flora trio’s ratios with an ec of .35 daily, with about 4 tbsp being added every other day with a syringe.

Any thoughts?

[YYCannabis]

Boron deficiency by the looks of it.

what pH is your water?

The chart below is a good guide and it shows boron as being taken up by the roots up to pH 7. But it is better at the 6.0 to 6.5 range.

[oilymichael]

It just read 6.3 so that should be all set

[YYCannabis]

Is there drainage holes in the solo cup?

[oilymichael]

Yes, four decent sized ones

[YYCannabis]

I just reread your post. If all your watering is a small amount, the roots might be dry. It explains both the funky leaf growth and dry tips.


If you want to fix it, switch to Full Drench Feeding:

• Water to 10–20% runoff with a starter EC of 0.6–0.8 (300–400 PPM) — perfect for early veg.
• pH 5.8–6.0 to ensure micronutrient uptake.

Use a Cal-Mag Additive

• Coco binds calcium and magnesium — add ~2–3 ml/gallon Cal-Mag to every feed.

Daily Light Waterings

• In small cups, water daily to maintain moist, not soggy conditions.

Monitor New Growth

• Old twisted leaves won’t fix, but new growth should be greener and flatter within 5–7 days.

Longer Term:

• Once roots fill the solo cup (7–10 days), transplant to final pot for consistent growth.
• Keep RH ~60–70% and temps 75–78°F.

As it’s a photoperiod, you have time to recover, but to be honest, a merciful death is probably in its best interest. The time and material to grow her out might not be worth it. Just drop a new seed and start fresh.

[golfnrl]

She looks wet to me and maybe too much love. The lift and weigh method works well for learning when to water the coco even in a solo cup. My last sprout took water 60ml at a time. That resulted in some runoff. Perfect. The medium stayed moist for about 3-4 days. If you haven't already, check out this link. https://www.growweedeasy.com/seedling-problems


One other thought is the medium itself. If the coco is too tightly packed into that cup the roots won't like it and your plant will suffer. I have had that happen to me more than once after a sprout has been transplanted into their final home. I thought maybe I was dealing with a freak, some kind of pathogen, or a deficiency, it was operator error. Medium packed too tight. The burnt tips could be from the plant being wet under the light.

Go 24" with your light and dim it to its lowest setting.

If it were me I'd grow it out and see what happens.

[Wayzee]

Is that sensor for your temp? Is it sitting on the coco

[DabberDog]

YYCannabis hit a nail. You are growing in coco. Coco is in the hydroponics genre because you cannot overwater unless you use bad water. You can have nutrient issues and water too little but not overwater.
It is too late to worry about the tips. What happened, happened and is not happening anymore or your leaves would have color issues. In my experience, if the cotyledons die early, you have issue. Yours are fine. You mentioned spraying the leaves. That could be a thing. The tips might have stayed wet a little longer than they should have. Foliar feeding is great, but you have to let the leaves dry to prevent nutrient and light burn. Maybe.
I'm calling genetics. If you go back and look at those cotys, there are nodes growing at the intersection. That is not something I've seen this early in growth. Let it grow and see what happens. It's another thing that is what it is.

[Bluey]

Lower your pH a bit. 6.0 is target to start in coco so vary it 5.8 to 6.2 throughout veg.

EC of about 0.4 - 0.6 at that stage. Its very small.