Why are some growing and some not?

[Ricod306]

Hi guys

I'm a new grower and don't know much about growing so here is what I currently achieved, regarding all I know is research from google and if anything is wrong or misinterpreted please correct me.

I am growing Jack Herer of which I have 4 plants. Two are growing vigorously, but my other two seems to have halted in growth except shooting new leaves. And one of these two of which aren't growing much, is shooting leaves really slow. I came to the conclusion that the one not growing much had nutrient burn as my research stated it is still a seedling and is not in need of much nutrients until at least 5-fingered leaves start shooting out. So I transplanted the smallest one into new soil and gave it a good run through of water ensuring almost all run through stopped dripping out the bottom as I hoped this would help prevent drowning my plant. As for the rest of my plants I flushed them all and let them drip all the run through out before I put them back on their trays. After about 6 hours the shade in some leaves evenly started darkening and the growth of the 2 biggest ones and the cute little one with 3 fingered leaves started increasing again but the smallest one still isn't doing much and I am writing this about 2 days after. Now there is some twisting in my leaves and I am not sure what to do.

I must add the one which had nut burn had almost like a knot on the root system with roughly 5 - 7 short small roots expanding outwards almost as if the root got damaged and they where burned back by the abundance of nutrients. This transplant was also this plant's second as all my plants stretched due to bad lighting (one 40w grow lamp).

I have attached some photos of how they all look. I'm temporarily growing them under 2x 70w halogen 1400lumen lights with a warm tint. They are growing in potting soil meant for seedlings. There is a fan in the room which I have adjusted to create cooling and air circulation around the plants. I have ordered 2x 60w red and blue spectrum LED's as well as some reflective material and I am considering on building a grow box with an extractor vent as well a temp controller. I also attached the design so any suggestions are welcome.

 

[Old Salt]

to the forum...

The soil could very well have been too hot for your plants. Give them a few days to see how they react to your treatment. Most recoveries take days, not minutes. I've seen Fox Farm's Happy Frog often recommended for seedlings. I grow in coco/perlite and have no opinion.

You may want to think about deepening your cabinet. You should be able to comfortably reach the back of the cabinet at the proposed height of your screen. That dimension depends on the length of you arms, not mine.

As to lights, you need at least 30W per square foot during the flowering stage. I recommend one that you can dim that draws at least 40W per square foot. I have an 1800W dimmable light that draws 300W from the wall (don't you just love grow light manufacturer's claims?) in a 2' X 4' tent, and could use more.

Florescent lighting is on the way out. Many manufacturers are cutting their production due to environmental concerns. If you have them, by all means use them. Just keep in mind that five years down the road you may no longer be able to get replacement tubes. BTW: The tubes deteriorate about 20% per year, so think about an annual replacement for them.

Have you considered odor control? The area can get quite dank without it.

 

[Emilya Green]

Welcome to the forum!
I am concerned as to how wet everything looks. I think that those twisted leaves are the result of some lower roots that are in deep (excuse the pun) trouble... they are drowning.
It is very important while in veg to dry your soil out all the way to the bottom of the container between each watering. That process might take a week at this point with damaged roots and struggling plants, but as soon as the plants are able to use up that water and suck oxygen down to those struggling root, things will get better. Each time you manage to get through a wet/dry cycle like this, the roots will get stronger and more dense in that container, and your time between waterings will diminish a little bit each time. Keep doing this until your wet/dry cycle diminishes down to 1-2 days... and then it is time to think about up-potting, so you can repeat the process once again.
If you would like more information on this process and a cool way to migrate the soil around inside of that rootball, read my piece on how to properly water. So far it has helped over 50,000 new growers of weed!

 

[Ricod306]

Thanks for the replay @Old Salt , but the soil was outside, and it is currently cold weather so the chances of it being to hot is slim, the soil was actually really lukewarm to work with.

I have calculated my LED's at roughly 36w / square foot. When the lights come I will see what the actual draw is....(hopefully right according to manufacturer claims).

I understand the deepening you mentioned because if I scrog my cabinet, I might be to short and I will end up needing to either stand on a small step ladder or a chair just to reach my screen and tend to my harvest in the future.

I didn't know CFL's where actually that bad and short termed, what type of light would you suggest I use to grow seedlings and clones but more focused on clones?

It does get a little dank so I open the windows but my future extractor will be venting all the excess heat and air outside of the building never the less the room, will this be enough for odor control?

@Emilya thanks for the reply this was my biggest fear as I thought it might have been the problem but I wasn't sure.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Honestly I think they look just fine. Don’t worry too much. Let them grow. Don’t overwater.

 

[Ricod306]

Thanks for the reply's guys, @Emilya if possible can you link the post on watering effectively and properly?

I will keep the post updated on if my problem clears.

 

[Emilya Green]

Thanks for the reply's guys, @Emilya if possible can you link the post on watering effectively and properly?

I will keep the post updated on if my problem clears.

https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/proper-way-water-potted-plant.266274/

 

[bobinca]

I flower in a 36x20 inch tent, so your 21 inch deep design is more than enough since you are only 1 plant deep. I squeezed 3 plants in mine and it is tight. But if you have room for a few more inches of depth, you should consider it.

Don't forget about fans above and below the canopy. Your space is pretty wide, you will probably need a few fans.

Also, with your 4 air intakes and one exhaust the right, I think you will see heat problems on the left side. You might need a way to control the air flow for each intake so that the one farthest from the exhaust has the largest opening. At the very least you should have a temperature sensor on both the left and right sides.

 

[Old Salt]

Thanks for the replay @Old Salt , but the soil was outside, and it is currently cold weather so the chances of it being to hot is slim, the soil was actually really lukewarm to work with.

"Too hot" usually means too much fertilizer, instead of the soil temperature.

I have calculated my LED's at roughly 36w / square foot. When the lights come I will see what the actual draw is....(hopefully right according to manufacturer claims).

You should be fine with this.

I understand the deepening you mentioned because if I scrog my cabinet, I might be to short and I will end up needing to either stand on a small step ladder or a chair just to reach my screen and tend to my harvest in the future.

... OK, no shorty jokes

I didn't know CFL's where actually that bad and short termed, what type of light would you suggest I use to grow seedlings and clones but more focused on clones?

There are LED strips available with the same form factor as the florescent fixtures. You'll need about 1/4 the flower power for seedlings or clones, and 1/2 for early veg.

It does get a little dank so I open the windows but my future extractor will be venting all the excess heat and air outside of the building never the less the room, will this be enough for odor control?

Even where growing is legal, you need to take precautions. On a rural property you still have visitors and meter readers with access. I think that here in Canada where it's now legal to grow your own, there will be a lot of theft as harvest time rolls around. Indoor grows may trigger a home invasion. Perhaps I'm a bit paranoid, but I had three plants in veg stolen from my back porch last summer. It's best to eliminate the odor if you can.

 

[Ricod306]

@bobinca
I understand the problem you mentioned about the heat, correct me if I am wrong but if I adjust the holes in relation and create equal flow of air in and air out from each intake and over each plant will this address the heat problem? Might adding a series of 120mm pc-fans in the cabinet to create a circulating flow pattern be a solution to my heat problem?(Reason I am asking is, I have a 12v 10A power supply lying around.)

@Old Salt

"Too hot" usually means too much fertilizer, instead of the soil temperature.

Dumb me, I watched a video of a guy terming it like this . I don't think it was to hot because I dropped my seedlings in just after their tap roots popped. They sprung up really fast then suddenly staggered because I started watering them (uninformed of no early water). I though it might have been a nut prob and added some. Now after many down-spirals I realized it was the watering in the first place and I am only to add nutrients when my plant tell me or after reaching mature stage (sprouting 5 fingered leaves) and still it would be little amounts of nuts at first.

You should be fine with this.

I really hope so..... (Not to get bulled by a manufacturer)

There are LED strips available with the same form factor as the florescent fixtures. You'll need about 1/4 the flower power for seedlings or clones, and 1/2 for early veg.

If I understand what you're saying I actually have one above my desk, it has a set of LED's inside but covered by a plastic cover softening it.

Even where growing is legal, you need to take precautions. On a rural property you still have visitors and meter readers with access. I think that here in Canada where it's now legal to grow your own, there will be a lot of theft as harvest time rolls around. Indoor grows may trigger a home invasion. Perhaps I'm a bit paranoid, but I had three plants in veg stolen from my back porch last summer. It's best to eliminate the odor if you can.

I actually feel the same regarding our area. It is legal to grow but I do fear house raids. This is why I grow indoors. Luckily I'm living in a flat in the backyard so seeing me grow is not a big chance but as you stated I fear the odor. How do I treat such issue?

 

[bobinca]

@bobinca
I understand the problem you mentioned about the heat, correct me if I am wrong but if I adjust the holes in relation and create equal flow of air in and air out from each intake and over each plant will this address the heat problem? Might adding a series of 120mm pc-fans in the cabinet to create a circulating flow pattern be a solution to my heat problem?(Reason I am asking is, I have a 12v 10A power supply lying around.)

I imagine you will just have to play with it once you have it up and running. I doubt there is a right answer, its just a process of continual improvement.

I'm still experimenting with my veg and flower tents splitting air and getting the right balance between them. Also I have a camera in the tents to watch the plants and I notice how they move around with the fans just to make sure there are no dead spots when it is all zipped up.

 

[Ricod306]

I imagine you will just have to play with it once you have it up and running. I doubt there is a right answer, its just a process of continual improvement.

I'm still experimenting with my veg and flower tents splitting air and getting the right balance between them. Also I have a camera in the tents to watch the plants and I notice how they move around with the fans just to make sure there are no dead spots when it is all zipped up.

I'll have to experiment then by moving the sensor around and so forth... But thanks for the replies they have been very helpful and I will keep them in mind!

 

[Old Salt]

I actually feel the same regarding our area. It is legal to grow but I do fear house raids. This is why I grow indoors. Luckily I'm living in a flat in the backyard so seeing me grow is not a big chance but as you stated I fear the odor. How do I treat such issue?

Carbon filters are usually used.

 

[Ricod306]

Carbon filters are usually used.

Thanks for all the replies, in that case I will add it to the chart when I order my extraction kit. How often do you clean or replace a carbon filter's filter?

 

[Old Salt]

Thanks for all the replies, in that case I will add it to the chart when I order my extraction kit. How often do you clean or replace a carbon filter's filter?

Whenever the odor becomes noticable at the exhaust. Manufacturers claim they are good for a year or more. It depends on the humidity, and how dank your plants are. The carbon filters are usually replaced as cleaning them requires removing the carbon and cleaning it, a long laborious process, then re-activating it with heat.

 

[Ricod306]

Whenever the odor becomes noticable at the exhaust. Manufacturers claim they are good for a year or more. It depends on the humidity, and how dank your plants are. The carbon filters are usually replaced as cleaning them requires removing the carbon and cleaning it, a long laborious process, then re-activating it with heat.

So it does last a while and cleaning it can go two ways, either cleaning it or replacing it?

 

[Old Salt]

So it does last a while and cleaning it can go two ways, either cleaning it or replacing it?

Yes

 

[Emilya Green]

I would guess that it takes 6 hours labor to clean mine and I do it once a year, or so. Not everyone has a situation like mine though, where I have a brother who will do hard labor for free pot. At $300+ to replace, I like the idea of recycling and not having to figure out what to do with the old shell.

 

[Ricod306]

I would guess that it takes 6 hours labor to clean mine and I do it once a year, or so. Not everyone has a situation like mine though, where I have a brother who will do hard labor for free pot. At $300+ to replace, I like the idea of recycling and not having to figure out what to do with the old shell.

In that case I will definitely be cleaning it!! And I do have someone who would do it as well but in this case I will have to pay cash

But once again thank you all for the replies and I'll keep the thread updated on my plants ' recovery.

 

[MochaBud]

In that case I will definitely be cleaning it!! And I do have someone who would do it as well but in this case I will have to pay cash

But once again thank you all for the replies and I'll keep the thread updated on my plants ' recovery.

to Ricod306 ...Just my 2 cents...from someone who started with CFLs (still use 'em to veg) and building/remodeling closets and such to grow in...If I knew then what I know now you've heard the old saying right...Well anyway a good tent (or 2)...a good light...and a good extraction fan will be way cheaper in the long run than materials and time...and you'll have mobility if you choose to move it peace and good luck whatever you choose