300w GSL,5g bucket/Seedling stunted,very slow growth

[mrmatt]

Hi everyone,
It's not my first hydro, but it's the first using Ro water.
I moved to an another "city" and tap here comes at 500ppm and even after let sit 48hrs, still smell chlorine or something like this..we don't drink it...
anyway, I invested in Ro machine; now water is at 15ppm (more or less)
started seeds supercritical from GHS and some super bud
Germinate the seeds, and placed just one supercritical in a 5gal bucket
ph test kit drops yellow/orange, around 5.5/5.8 and steady (need to change the probe of the meter...)
it has been in the bucket for almost 2 weeks now, and very slow growth, ugly seedling ....
my temps are 72/74
and rez temp 62/64 (I let the pump outside the tent, maybe too cold??)
My light is a 300w GSL
I have reading no nutes until 2 weeks so it was at 130ppm ,I have drop it to 70ppm yesterday but it seems very low..
First time I am facing such issues, and I am very disappointed....
guys, what do you think???

Thanks a lot everyone!!!

 

[Jimmycricket]

The root structure looks pretty big for that tiny of a plant, I can see roots almost popping out of the netpot already.

It might just be growing its legs first before its upper body. Some plants do that.

It could also just be a slow runty seed.

Dont forget when you use RO water you almost always need to add Cal/Mag

 

[mrmatt]

Yeah, I know, roots are almost pop out the 8" net pot.(2nd photo)..I was thinking she was building her roots structure too, but......
Things are I just put to the trash some well rooted clones with very nice roots, but with same problem, no growth if any, kind of burning I had them for a month in a small DWC before giving up...
so, at this moment I though to start over, with new hydroton and here I am..seem to be facing the same issue...I was thinking up the ppms to 200, maybe she is starving....what do you think?
About cal-mag, I have some pro-cal (green planet nutrient) do I need to supplement already? how much ppm?

thanks!

 

[Jimmycricket]

Matt is it possible its a lighting issue?

I say this for a few reasons.

First it looks like the leaves are forming crystals. If it is that means its thinking its night, then possibly even reveging after that. That can explain all of this. The plant shouldnt have crystals until flower.

If those arnt crystals even just having the lighting too weak or too far away could make it so the plant cant photosynthisize well.

As for it being a nute problem i sorta doubt it. it should be able to get like 5 times that size with like 50 ppm and next to no NPK in it.

Make sure your lighting is as close as possible without heating the top of the plant.

 

[Richard Richardson]

What Jimmy said. They look like crystals

And Pro-cal kicks ass. Try it.

 

[Jimmycricket]

To elaborate why it very well might be crystals and lighting.

The roots still grow on the transition from veg to flower as well as when a plant revegs, going from flower back to veg.

However the plant does not grow much in these transitions, especially with revegging. Sometimes plants dont grow a inch for a whole month when they reveg. But as I said before their roots should usually still grow just fine in both transitions. So this would explain everything imo.

 

[mrmatt]

thanks JimmyC for the reply!

I am not sure about the light issue.The GSL 300w is pretty bright for this small tent (90cmx50cm).I had some good results with same light in a bigger space..

I was thinking in a problem in the Ro system, as I had another unit before this one that I used for 3 months when I arrived here (a portable one from ebay), and with awesome results. when time come to change the filters I decided to upgrade to another unit (about a month ago; when problems start...) and this one comes without DI..
I am really lost..I'm trying to think what I have change since last good result in DWC, but I can't figure it....
I'll watch in a few when the light on if there is any improvement with the lower ppm..

 

[mrmatt]

I found a photo of one of my plant veg under same light in a little bigger space, in DWC too and was with the other RO unit, 4-5 months ago. This photo pissed me off even more!!

 

[mrmatt]

So could it be the Ro unit? (it s the ones you put under the sink)
Light on, I ve take a look and; the nice popping root showed before, has grown like 1,5" but the plant still slow stunted etc no improvement ...
PH is ok (with GH kit test you cant go wrong i think...) ppm very low, about 70.
same thing happened to my clones before, nice white roots growing but no vegetative growth...wtf...