One or more problems, and need advice please

[Bushmaster]

What Strain is it? Got 6 clones from friend of friend. Supposedly 3 Power Kush, and 3 skunk strain
Is it Indica, Sativa or Hybrid? Both/Unknown
How Many Plants? 6 Now - 2 obvious Indica dom, the rest hybrids I believe
Vegetative or Flowering Stage? On verge of bloom...I think
If in Vegetative Stage... How Long? 5-6 weeks since clones acquired
Indoor or Outdoor? In basement
Soil or Hydro? Soil
If Soil... What is in your Mix? Sunshine Mix # 4
If Soil... What Size Pot? 5 Gallon bags, prolly only a third full
Size (Wattage) of Light? How Many? Started under CFLs, now 100w MH. Have HPS for bloom
Is it Air Cooled? Yes. 6 " fan drawing heat off bulb
Temperature of Room/Cabinet? 74degrees -hotter under lights, high 70s
RH of Room/Cabinet? 50%
PH of Water? Starts out at 8, nutes lowers to 6
Any Pests? none known
How Often are you Watering? when dry
Type and Strength of Fertilizers used? House & Garden. Bio One Soil, Drip Clean, Root Excellurator and Cal Mag (on advice of Humbolt, distributors of H&G line.) all as recommended, conservatively, cuz I'm a first timer and don't want to mess this up
Size or Square Footage of Room? 35 sq ft
Also, Light currently on 16 hours, down from 18

Alright, I LOVE the support here! I a couple of questions I hope someone can help me with, but first my thoughts:

I am wondering if I should have had more soil in the bags? I was told this would cause the roots to spread out by not filling the bags and rolling tops down. Although as of today the plants are healthy, bushy and about 14" to 18", I have to wonder after seeing some other grows here if my plants are stunted somehow. I did put them through hell trying to get my lights and temps right, going from 400w mh, to eventually CFLs due to temp problems in my clone cabinet. Now in the big room under the 1000w MH, they are doing well, but not "exploding" like I thought they would. See first photos:

Growing pictures by MIbushmaster - Photobucket

Next, how do you know when to put into bloom? I feel they are ready, showing their cute little female sex thingies, but should I wait, hoping for mre growth, or will they grow more in the bloom stage? I've read anywhere from doubling size to quadrupling. I know a lot depends on the strain, and I wish I know more, but I have to rely on advice here. Thanks for any comments.

And lastly, the last photo is showing some dark brown spots or staining on some of the older fan leafs. I know it's hard to see. I'm only getting it on this one plant, and it was more evident on some I cut off last weekend. I figure it's a nutrient problem, but it's receiving the same amount as the others. Anyone?

Would transplanting them to 5 gal buckets with more medium be a good idea or bad at this point? Any estimates on harvest time and what to expect quantity wise? I have taken some clippings yesterday, may survive, may not. Should I hold one plant back as a mama?

Thanks for any and all advice. Please feel free to offer any comments too. Much appreciated - BM

 

[Bushmaster]

Anyone have any help? Is this too much in one post, or what? Just address whatever you can please, or if this belongs somewhere else, let me know. Thanks -

 

[PitViper]

Welcome to 420magazine!!! its a great crew here
your post was detailed and helpful.
your gonna want to add more soil to your bags...however you want to do that. might be easier to just get some pots and transplant.
you have some mite damage in the last pic...not bad but you need to address it.
How tall is your cieling height?
most people start out with 2-4 weeks of veg.....try 12" this time
your inquiry will open up a bunch more questions
which is fine....we are here to help

 

[Bushmaster]

Hi Viper - thanks for your reply. I've read many of your threads - very helpful.
About mites: I've looked, maybe not sure what I'm looking for. How do you battle them? And these plants have been together since cut as babies. Is it possible to have just one plant infested?
My height is about 6 and a half feet. And I'm not sure what you mean here: most people start out with 2-4 weeks of veg.....try 12" this time can you elaborate? Thanks again, and I look forward to other comments.

 

[SciFi]

Well... Plants tend to stretch when you change from veg to flower. You have a few options to control height. Topping, FIMing, SuperCropping, LST, Scrogging and chemical additives.
Basically, you want to get your canopy as even as possible so you can hang the lights at an optimal height for all plants, evenly.

Since these are clones thou.. They're genetically ready to flower. So run the 18/6 (or 24H) until the plants are 12", and switch them to 12/12.

 

[LotzOfTrycs]

He is basically saying your ready now for flowering. Most people put there clone into veg 2-4 weeks before flowering. I like big plants so I go for 4-6 weeks. Those dots on your leaves in the pics look like a potassium problem. I would flush your plants, which I like to do when transferring from veg to flowering. While doing that, measure the pH coming out of your plant. I would recommend watering once before feeding again, unless the plant wants nutes sooner.

 

[Bushmaster]

He is basically saying your ready now for flowering. Most people put there clone into veg 2-4 weeks before flowering. I like big plants so I go for 4-6 weeks. Those dots on your leaves in the pics look like a potassium problem. I would flush your plants, which I like to do when transferring from veg to flowering. While doing that, measure the pH coming out of your plant. I would recommend watering once before feeding again, unless the plant wants nutes sooner.

Thanks for the insight. Would you repot in larger container as well with more mix, or just roll now with what I have? And, I've been over some trimmed fan leaves under a microscope with no bugs present, so I feel its a nute deficiency as well. Still blows me away it's only one plant...luckily. Thanks again

 

[LotzOfTrycs]

5 gal is a good size but you might want to use a little more soil. BTW, I use the Sunshine mix #4 and I think it is awesome.

 

[SciFi]

I just finished off 1 plant in a 5 gallon soilless with run-to-waste GH. Worked quite well.