First timer in a long time - seedlings struggling

[Ke0ncp]

Hello and so glad I’ve found this forum. So far I’ve found a ton of great information here!

Well it’s been over 20 years from the last time I grew and I see to be having a bit of a harder time than I would have thought.

Here is my set up:

SOIL GROW

Strain - Hybrid 50/50
# of Plants - 11
Grow Type - Soil
Grow Stage - Seedling
Bucket Size - seedling starter pots
Lights - Viparspectra Pro 2000 at 50% 20” away from the tops of the seedlings
Nutrients - none added
Medium - garden soil and homemade compost consisting of chicken coop and garden materials
PPM - ?
PH - ?
RH - 45% - 50%
Room Temperature -72 to 679
Solution Temperature -?
Room Square Footage - 48”x 48”x80” grow tent
Fans; 1 intake fan, 1 exhaust fan, 1 oscillating fan set on low just to move the air around
Pests - None Known

Problem: these seedlings are 3 weeks old and my leaves are curling up / drooping and the stalk is turning purple.

Any ideas / suggestions or does this seem normal?

 

[Roy Growin]

Maybe your fresh mix is too hot - too acidic for NPK uptake
If you have any lime, a top dressing will help
They look a bit over watered too

 

[Ke0ncp]

Maybe your fresh mix is too hot - too acidic for NPK uptake
If you have any lime, a top dressing will help
They look a bit over watered too

I will pick some lime up. I was thinking with the chicken poo it might be a bit much.

Watering I’ve let them completely dry out before watering, which is about every 4 - 6 days.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Azimuth]

Yeah, seedlings like/need a pretty bland soil initially. Once they get growing well they can handle more, but depending on how much your chicken compost is aged will make a big difference as well.

I start my seedlings in old, used soil in a small cup, then pot them up into a larger container with more going on at the lower levels.

 

[Ke0ncp]

Yeah, seedlings like/need a pretty bland soil initially. Once they get growing well they can handle more, but depending on how much your chicken compost is aged will make a big difference as well.

I start my seedlings in old, used soil in a small cup, then pot them up into a larger container with more going on at the lower levels.

Thanks for the heads up on the soil makeup for seedlings. The chicken compost is from last season so it shouldn’t be too harsh.

Hopefully these guys pull through. I guess the question I have is how long should I continue efforts with these before tossing and starting over? These seeds were very affordable but I have some nice ones coming tomorrow that I was planning on using for the next crop once I got my first full cycle in with this set up.

 

[Azimuth]

I'd try Roy's lime idea for a bit before giving up on them.

 

[Ke0ncp]

I'd try Roy's lime idea for a bit before giving up on them.

I have some coming tomorrow. Will post any updates.

 

[Slapalottapuss]

They look too wet and the soil looks too heavy. Chicken poo can be really hot. That being said it looks like a lock out issue is let them get good and dry before adding anything.

 

[Ke0ncp]

I ended up just starting a new round and will chalk up the $18 in seeds and time as a learning lesson. I think my lights in the beginning were too close, soil was off and so was my watering.

I now have 5 Gorilla Cookies going in FFOF amended with GeoFlora Veg and using Emilya Greens watering guide. Their growing environment is locked in and properly set up. Time will tell

Thanks to all for the input and feedback!

 

[Slapalottapuss]

next time stir in a gallon of perlite per bag of OF that stuff tends to be heavy.

 

[Slapalottapuss]

Also for seedlings I like to bottom water. This helps assure that you don’t overwater and encourages the roots to stretch in search of water. Allowing them to get good and dry promotes heavy root growth. It’s easier to deal with an overdry plant rather than an overwatered plant.

 

[Ke0ncp]

next time stir in a gallon of perlite per bag of OF that stuff tends to be heavy.

Thanks for the info! I will add some when I up pot them.