Grow help! newbie, can't figure out what's wrong

[coppoletti]

New to this site AND new to growing so my materials are kinda cheap, wanted to see if I could even pull it off before investing big money. I'm using 150 watt CFL with scott's 4 month fert release indoor/outdoor potting soil. Currently I have one plant from good bag seed about 4 inches tall. The temps range from 73-84F and humidity bounces around staying between 45 and 60%. The plant seems to be growing very slow it's just breaking 4 inches and I've been in veg around a month. The tips are turning yellowish/brown and curling up, older leaves are turning yellow and even new leaves are being affected, I can't figure out what's wrong and I don't want to misdiagnose

PLEASE HELP!

 

[Aardvark]

Hey noob, unfortunately, I think its not going to be that easy to get help here; I did all the research on how to ask for help, how to post a grow journal and all that and have posted 3 detailed updates to my grow journal, but don't have any subscribers, comments or answers to my questions yet after 3 weeks, so don't hold your breath!

I think the members would be more receptive to your type of plea for help if they saw you taking ownership of the problem and abiding to their directions (see links below). Otherwise, you aren't "paying the dues" of participation. I am not going to try and guess what your issue is from the little information you have provided - everyone will say the same thing - but I am also somewhat new to growing seriously (see my 36-plant SoG grow journal for an example of 'details' at Aardvark's New Grow 12 Hybrid Dutch Strains - Seed-SoG-Tent - 600W CFL Hydro-Aero-DWC)

If you start here, you will get your help:

How to Ask for Grow Support

And then this page:
Problems, Pests & Disease Control

If I had to guess, I would flush that plant with pH-neutral water and give it a small dose of nutrients 4 days later and see what happens.

Good luck!

 

[CocoJoe]

Flush those plants and refert the following day.

to the brothers and sisters,
cocoJoe

 

[Electricthom]

Welcome to 420 mag coppoletti, I've gotten tons of help here sometimes it just takes a while to get responses there are a lot of journals and it is imposible to read them all. In my limited experience the soil is to hot for a young plant and is burning it. A transplant into a larger pot of non fert soil or medium with as little of the time release mix as possible with a good flush to lower the nutes in the remaining Scott's. you then need to feed it but you can use something as cheap and easy as Scott's shake and feed or Osmicote plus or as good as Blue planet nutes. The idea being that you control the feed were as with the other mix you have no control at all. I am using the shake now and got some good growth now. Buy a PH meter and check your water every time that hurt me big time. Last more light, maybe another 100W CFL 6500K (6500K is what you have now right?) and with CFL's you can put them nice and close but too close will not stretch them much and you get very sort bushy growth. I just raised mine to a foot cause after over two months she was 9" tall.

 

[YardDog35]

Like Electric said, it's the soil. There is too much nitrogen in the soil, especially when your plant was young. Couple that with the mistakes we all make when new to growing, over watering, over feeding, not checking PH, not checking PPM, etc., and you get stunted growth.

You're doing it right though, good for you. Start off small, practice makes perfect!

Do you have a hydroponics store, or a good nursery near you? They will have the soil you need. You can either start the young ones in a starter soil then transplant to a hotter soil (still not the Scott's or any of those), you wont have to feed for a few weeks after the transplant. The other option is starting in a soil or mix that has no nutes in it, therefor you control feeding from the get go. Three things to remember when it comes to good soil for our plants, drainage, drainage, and drainage. Look at Sunshine #4 mix for a base soil with no nutes, and tons of oxygen to the roots. The other two to look at are Roots, and the FoxFarm line up. Fox Farms Happy Frog is awesome for youngsters, and Fox Farm Ocean Forest is a great soil to transplant to. Roots Organic soil does a great job as well.

With all that being said, don't over water, that's crucial.

This is all my opinion of course. There are other good soils out there, I just have not had personal experience with them. The products I mentioned I have used.

 

[Electricthom]

I went with Coco in Hempy pots. There is nothing in it but what I add, and the built in drainage eliminates possibility of over watering. Just have a tray under them and water until it seeps out. Modeled it after the 2 ltr Hempy grows on this site with help from a journal by SmokesAlot and his input along the way. Makes things kind of easy for us beginners and it's just so much fun every time something goes right.

 

[Ganjahoarder]

Over fert...flush and feed w 1/4 strength.

 

[YardDog35]

Over fert...flush and feed w 1/4 strength.

Flushing won't do anything, it's a time released feeding soil. Flushing is just over watering it...and why 1/4 strength nutes after? It will just keep on burning the plant.

It's time to start over.

 

[CocoJoe]

it's a time released feeding soil.
It's time to start over.

I reread the first post and YardDog35 is correct. it is the soil.

to the patients,
cocoJoe

 

[dadums]

It's not dead yet
PH balance your water.
What is your light cycle now?

 

[coppoletti]

I was able to get to a hydroponics store and I picked up a bag of happy frog and ocean forest. I decided to just start a new grow so hopefully I'll have some better results this time around. I'll post pictures when they start developing some more

Thanks for the help!