1st plant, need advice, please

hi this is my first post and plant. i was wondering if anyone has some advice, i think i'm doing ok, just wondering. first, i have no ph strips yet, i konw this is important, i will get them soon i promise. i'm running 1 polar lites 70 watt hps 1 27 watt cfl and 1 42 watt cfl. If the only advice is " you need like 4 more lights" no room, i may get 1 more cfl later but this is what i have now. i included pics of potting mix and fert stick. the stick are i think as i have no box, 13%-7%-5%, or close to it i have used 2 stick which should be fine. the thing is "she",i hope, was started outside for 2 weeks then brought in,and now is starting week 4, and is extreamly small. looks beautiful, and there is a nice aroma already. it's only bag seed, but i may get lucky. so why is she so small, do you think she will grow soon, how can i help......any advice would be great. thank you.

well, i would guess the plant has too many nutes. that miracale grow soil has nutes and if i hear you the plant is also getting a fert stick. the plant looks a little burned. seedlings don't need nutes.



This is the most common and loved nuteburn :teef:
Ahh, nute burn! Stop this by not adding to much chemical/organic nutrients to your water,foliar feeding. DONT feed more than 1 time a week, use 1/4 strength for first feeding and then go up to 1/2 strength from then on when using chemical nutrients. Its very easy to overdo it. Causes leaf tips to appear yellow or burnt. To correct soil should be flushed with three gallons of water per one gallon of soil. NEVER give nutrients to plants that are under 2 weeks of age, at this age the soil nutrients are enough to suppliment them untill 2 weeks of age or more depending on how good your soil is. Using ferts before 2 weeks will almost likley kill your plants.

does that cause the stunted growth, i only added the sticks after a week with no vertical growth at all, its at 4 weeks since breaking soil, or soilless, and is 1"-1 1/2"? the sticks did seem to help 2 days after first feeding added a fresh set of nodes, but the vert is scaring me.

sure - any stress will slow the plant down. i would flush it with de-chlorinated, pH balanced water. then let the soil dry between waterings. no nutes till it looks healthy again and gets a little bigger - and then just 1/4 strength maybe once a week. the plant will grow. you may have wasted a week of growth, thats all.

I agree with Jeff here-- nutes are no good for sprouts, you gotta wait (I heard a bit longer) at about 3-4 weeks of maturity.

I had the same problem with slow growth too, it was a massive Ph inbalance (soil was acidic at around 5.3 or so) so I transplanted in plain Ph balanced soil, and she rebounded nicely. It's been about (2 weeks give or take) and she's grown at least twice her size lol. Just get a Ph reading on the soil, stop fertilizing and give her extra time. It will take a bit longer for the plant to grow, so be patient.

Good luck man!

not an expert but that seems like too much light for me.
i grew fine 8 plants the size of yours under 1x 45W CFL with a very poor reflector.
no ubnormal streching or anything like that.

I grow 6 seedlings right now in a small PC case with a 8w CFL (just broke ground yesterday) and i think its fine.
In a week or so I'll change to a 45W when the temperture outside will allow that. (its 30C outside and 30C inside. not too bad)


You use about 70W CFL over ONE tiny plant.

I'd use FOR NOW (later on you'll need your lights) a single 42W about 4 inches over the plant TO PROMOTE A BIT OF STRECHING and keep it there until the plant gets to about an inch from the lights, then start adjusting it.

but i thought the more lights the better, and the closer the better?

i don't believe in that.
when plants are small they will react BADLY to over-lightning. at least from my experience.

you can get them used to anything as long as it made progressively.
nearing the end of flowering i give my plants 15ml of Bio Bloom \ BioBizz - 3 times the maximum doze. They have no problem at all with it. Just the oposite. (I can add pictures to prove!)
I knew someone who used to water with tap water with the chlorine and Ph and everything and it worked for him.

but when the plant starts its way its in the soil - darkness. I'd rather introduce it to light in a progressive matter and not straight under my 400w HPS.


Plus, making it strech a BIT will allow the lower leaves to recieve more light and thus produce more energy.



When it becomes strong and healthy enough introduce it to more light.
While late vegging and flowering you should aim for much more light - 1000W per square meter is great.
I use a 400W for about 1/4 a square meter and this is my 3rd and best run until now. (the lights are 25 cm from the tops with a temperture of 32C when lights are on and 30 when lights are off)



Also note, the closer the warmer. its aint hard to kill a plant by physicly burning it. Always check temperture at the top of the plant.

ok, so i turned off the 27 w cfl and the 70 w hps now running only 1 42 w cfl, at about 4-5 inches away. flushed with 2 litters of water, water came out looking green. so...........

now just wait
don't water for a few days - until the pot becomes really light.
I'd guess about a week.

Don't use any fertilizers until the plants shows a defficiency. It should start getting pale on the new growth - Nitrogen def. When it does, introduce him to the growth fert at quart a doze and each week up the dose.
Some say use ferts only every second watering or 2 out of 3. I use ferts EVERY watering until flushing in the late flowering.
Everyone has its own method I guess.

If you see it strech too much just add more light. I myself would try to get 1cm at least between each of the first nodes.

thx for the advice, i have a few more questions. how do you feel about "smoking" with her, and i heard something about putting ash in the soil for added co2?

that makes no sense co2 is a gas that the plant breaths in through its leaves ash has no co2 its just carbon

it all sounds good to me except the ash - won't help with respect to co2
i don't think smoking around the plant would have much of an impact
if you want co2 tho, i use a pretty cheap setup that just pourts co2 all over my plants - requires weekly maintenance

hey the advice was great just a few days later and she is growing like a "weed" lol. the color is still a deep green looks so pretty. but now i have noticed small leaves, i don't think thats the right word for them, where the nodes meat the main steam, its only 4 week old, about 2" tall, what could it be. One more question about topping. my space is very limited so i think LST is out, but when should topping happen should i, some advice would be cool. She has 5 nodes, when should it be done, and is later better than ealier for topping?

oh ya, one more question how long should i veg for, my space is small so i was hoping to keep her at 4 foot or so. some advice on a timeline woud be cool.

my plants are in 5th week flowering stage and looking good, now here's my problem im goin out of town for one day and im not going to be able to light em up. Does any one know if that'll hurt em real bad or what?

i have decided, the first try a loss But batch 2 will start after a few improvments now have a box, and a few more lights, getting better soil, i think the 2nd time will be the charm. wish me luck will keep informed of the progress.