Like any worried papa - Are my girls growing up okay? Opinions?

[onewarmguy]

Hi all, could one of you help out a nube and give me an opinion on my girls? After 3 weeks in dirt they're only about 2" high with secondary leaf formation starting. This is my very first grow and I'm starting to worry that I'm doing something wrong.



They're Paradise seeds AutoMaria II Paradise indicates a 60 day to harvest with an indoor height of 3 feet. I'm using 4 - 4' T5's at 6500 K about 6" above the plants, in a homemade grow tent made of white PVC roof membrane, (the hydro guy at my regular store says it's perfect and he wants a bunch ) No nutes as yet although I may be guilty of slightly over watering.

 

[Emilya Green]

Read my link on watering and that should answer whether or not you overwater... it is the most common newbie mistake though, so don't feel bad if you do, you have time to recover. From what I can see, I would suspect that you water too often though.
Also, you called it dirt, but it looks more like a soil that was bought and designed for fast growth... what is it that you put your plants in? It looks like good stuff, so I don't think that is the problem.

 

[onewarmguy]

Thanks Emilya, I was starting to feel alone in the wilderness for a bit. The "dirt" is Miracle Mix (NOT Miracle Gro) an organic pH neutral potting soil mixed with about 30% perlite.
I generally wait until the top of the soil is dry to the touch and the pots feel light before I water. I'm thinking I should wait another day or two before giving them a drink from now on and to also use the precision grade moisture meter I already have. I was planning on re-potting to some fabric 5 gal. "gropots" that I have on standby, but from what I've read on your watering link, it sounds like an intermediate pot size might have some benefit when they're ready for it.
Thanks for all that work on your watering\potting link, I'm a technical report writer for a living and I have a pretty good idea how much time it takes to put together a concise, focused and understandable paper the way you did.

I'll post an update in a week or two with some new photo's.
Cheers
Onewarmguy

 

[Emilya Green]

sounds like you are on the right track now... just use that moisture meter to see where the water table line is each day, and watering will never be a mystery again. Thanks for reading my paper and your comments... they were much appreciated. Also glad it helped!