Seedling leaves discolored and curling at the tips [PLEASE HELP]

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SizzleFish

Member
Hi guys, I’m a novice casual grower and my oldest seedling is looking kinda ill. The leaves are a bit lighter green, except for the lower leaves, which are turning yellow-brownish. They also curling up, starting at the tips. The stem is turning red too. Is this what nitrogen deficiency looks like?

This one is about 6 weeks old (since germ) and growth has been very slow. I’ve only been using one of those cheap 3-headed LED grow lights, but my light meter says they are getting proper light.

I haven’t added any nutrients to the soil yet, so the seedlings have just been coasting off the nutrients in the soil. I’m guessing and hoping this is the issue. The reason being that all I have is an all-purpose fertilizer (Jack’s 20-20-20) and I’ve been spooked about causing nut lock with a salt-based fertilizer like this. Sorry, that’s probably really ignorant and stupid.

I’ve been meaning to buy a good organic fertilizer, but I’m not sure which one(s) to go with. Just been kinda busy with life and haven’t gotten around to doing more research on it and buying a proper fertilizer.

Anyway, looking at the picture below, do you guys think it’s just nutrient deficiencies? If so, which ones? Or maybe that’s not the issue, could it be something else? Lastly, should I just give the seedling some of this fertilizer anyway for the time-being to save it from dying, and buy a new fertilizer later? What fertilizer(s) do you recommend?

Sorry again about my (probably frustrating) ignorance, but any advice here would be a huge help. Thank you!
 

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Rsawr

Rsawr

Smoke and Mirrors
Staff member
Do those ramekins have drainage? Is that sand they're in? You could get away with a light feeding, but there are some other issues you might want to address first.
 
S

SizzleFish

Member
Rsawr said:
Do those ramekins have drainage? Is that sand they're in? You could get away with a light feeding, but there are some other issues you might want to address first.
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Yes, the ramekins have a drainage hole, only one in each though. That’s why I put a bit of extra perlite in the soil and have been very careful to not overwater them.

Sadly, the problem plant is in a different soil with less perlite (hadn’t bought the new soil yet at that point). But no, it’s cinnamon not sand
 
Rsawr

Rsawr

Smoke and Mirrors
Staff member
It doesn't have much space in there, but as long as it has drainage, I would give it a very light feeding. If it isn't draining at all you should replant it though. When those bottom leaves start yellowing it's usually a sign the plant has used what was available to it in the soil. The curly leaves might indicate a too wet/too dry issue as well.
 
S

SizzleFish

Member
Rsawr said:
It doesn't have much space in there, but as long as it has drainage, I would give it a very light feeding. If it isn't draining at all you should replant it though. When those bottom leaves start yellowing it's usually a sign the plant has used what was available to it in the soil. The curly leaves might indicate a too wet/too dry issue as well.
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Ok, cool, thanks for the advice. My plan was to move them into some air pots I already bought. Would you suggest that I transplant all of them asap?
 
Rsawr

Rsawr

Smoke and Mirrors
Staff member
SizzleFish said:
Ok, cool, thanks for the advice. My plan was to move them into some air pots I already bought. Would you suggest that I transplant all of them asap?
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Not asap, they just don't have a ton of room. It looks like it could stay in there for a few more days and fill out the roots some more.
 
S

SizzleFish

Member
MEGA956 said:
What soil are you using? Awfully small for 6 weeks
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The plant with the problems was a bag seed from some super strong med bud and I kinda germinated it on a whim with low expectations. I didn’t have much lying around after germ, so I used some no-name soil that came in a kit with those ramekins and some non-weed plant seeds. I know, really not ideal at all.

For the 5 plants that are about 3 weeks old, I’m using this:
 

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MEGA956

MEGA956

Well-Known Member
I would get some 3 gallon pots and two bags of fox farm ocean forest and transplant them immediately, stay away from fabric pots.

Best of luck to you.
 
S

SizzleFish

Member
Rsawr said:
Not asap, they just don't have a ton of room. It looks like it could stay in there for a few more days and fill out the roots some more.
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Gotcha, I know it’s quite the jump and might not be ideal for yield, but do you think it would be ok if I moved them right into the 5 gallon airpots in a few days. Of course I’ll have to be very careful about not overwatering them
 
Rsawr

Rsawr

Smoke and Mirrors
Staff member
SizzleFish said:
Gotcha, I know it’s quite the jump and might not be ideal for yield, but do you think it would be ok if I moved them right into the 5 gallon airpots in a few days. Of course I’ll have to be very careful about not overwatering them
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Sure, you can jump to 5 gallons from here. In the future try using something a little larger for this first stage, but you should be alright.
 
MEGA956

MEGA956

Well-Known Member
SizzleFish said:
Huh, I thought one of the main advantages of them was that they help prevent overwatering. Does it make a difference that I’m planning to move them outside (wind)?
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Just sharing my experience, I've only used them indoors.

Best of luck to you.
 
S

SizzleFish

Member
MEGA956 said:
Just sharing my experience, I've only used them indoors.

Best of luck to you.
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Thank you for the advice! I’ll probably still use them because I already them, but I’ll keep what you said in mind and monitor the moisture closely. I’ll also make sure I add a bit more perlite too, especially if I’m gonna use FFOF. I know that stuff tends to be very dense
 
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