HELP PLEASE!! 3 week old seedlings yellowing at bottom and drooping all over!!

I have done some reading as to what my problem(s) can be but first here are the girls:



as you can see, the they are drooping and some of them yellowing, even slightly on new growth but are still growing fairly well. the yellowing was minor at first, but ive cut back on the watering, but not too much, have been using spray bottle to help keep soil moist and strengthen stems. i have a fan blowing on them too.

my thoughts on what it could be:
-nitrogen def?
- over/under watering?
- calcium/magnesium def?
- (maybe) heat stress?

for a while i thought i did a shotty job transplanting them (roots were fine) and it was plant shock.. starting to get away from that. the cups theyre in now have holes around base slightly above and underneath cup for good drainage.


Info about the grow
-FIRST GROW
-feminized NL
- 3 weeks old (from planting not germ)
- lights: 4ft 4 lamp T5 fixture (about 12 in from top of tallest plant (level)
- light cycle: 24-0
- watering when top inch or so of soil is completely dry, and more recently every 1.5 to 2 days
- watering with DISTILLED WATER
- soil is fox farms ocean forrest
- these girls were transplanted from seedling trays to these 16oz styrofoam cups almost a week ago
- 2x4x5 mylar lined grow tent (CLEAN)
- ventilating and temps and humidity are good.... between 73-82 degrees at 42%-49% humidty
- no nutes yet, strictly water

i tested the distilled water for pH... and its slightly acidic.. 6.2 ish 6.0...ive read that since im using distilled water i may need to add CalMag...

i have a soil tester and tried getting it to work but couldnt really get a reading... it said just to stick tips in at root level (all the way down? dont want to damage roots) but the meter doesnt really budge.. so either its right at 7 or im not doing something right...instructions for it read 1-insert tip at root level 2-read meter 3-wipe tip clean after each use....got it from lowes if that helps...

i hope i got everything in there but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help me out guys! ill provide whatever info i can

the two shorter girls arent showing as much yellowing or drooping but there is a little on the tips and middle of the leaves. the bigger ones are worse... cant say ive been treating them differently

it looks to me like they're pullin (N) from the lower leaves. try giving them a 1/4 dose of food to see how they respond. the damaged leaves won't get better but if they perk up then your on the right track. not sure about the drooping it doesn't seem to be to bad. feed them and see what happens

Does this also explain for the bits of yellow starting to appear on top leaves too?

also... my girls arent even a month old yet, not til the 13th (from planting that is)... is it too soon to add nutes even at 1/4 strength?

i'm not arguing the N deff... just dont wanna kill my babies lol

bump. help please?

quitbichyn said:

bump. help please?

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I would change the light cycle to 18 on 6 off I had best luck with seedlings have tried 24 on don't like it and I would wait on nutes til month old. Make sure your pots are dry before you water. You can tell bye lifting them before and after you water try to lift them best way I know how. And as far as the ph meter its prolly close I don't think its ph . Good luck and happy growing

if the light green new growth is what your talking about thats pretty normal, but 9 times out of 10 when you see you oldest leaves slowly turning yellow it's a lack of N. if the soil tester your using is a black box with two metal probes toss it in the trash. i bought one like that when i first started growing and it was never right. Have you checked the PH of your run off after watering? you said your water is 6.0 to 6.2 plus your soil has peat moss in it. as peat moss is broken down in the soil it becomes acidic. so i would check it just to me safe. the soil also say its has several organics mixed into the soil but i would still give it a light very light dose of nutes. Fox Farmers own web site says you should start feeding on week one of veg even in ocean forest. Here's a link to my source of info on feeding

http://www.foxfarmfertilizer.com/FoxFarm-Soil-Schedule.pdf

that chart is very helpful!

LOL yes i bought one of those shitty ph soil meters from lowes what kind of ph meter would you recommend for checking the soil then?

i went ahead and gave it 1/4 strength nutes...general hydro flora grow and flora micro...no bloom yet. well see how this goes.

i took a PH strip and tested some of the runoff i didnt nalready wipe up... from what i can telll looks right around 6... maybe a LITTLE more acidic than the water going in

now its the waiting game... i will be sure to post tomorrow with any signs of progress (i hope lol)

try to get your PH up to around 6.5. look on ebay for a good meter you should ba able to find one for around 10 or 15 dollars. i'll post a link shortly good luck

Barnsy73 said:

I would change the light cycle to 18 on 6 off I had best luck with seedlings have tried 24 on don't like it

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There's your best advice. If you go 18/6, you'll notice them perk up in the morning.

Also, get ready to transplant into bigger containers, but not the final containers. Depending on the pheno you have, the NL strain is usually pretty thick in the roots. And we tend to get used to growing clones, which never have the root system as the mother from seed, so these plants are surely ready for a pot-up, but don't drop 'em in a 5 gallon bucket just yet, just something slightly bigger than the starter cups. FF is hot enough to supply everything they need at that size.

reduce waterings and stop spraying them, they are too wet.Also are there enough drain holes inthose cups? when u over water it stunts root system and plant can stop taking up nutes causing yellowing.

Punk said:

There's your best advice. If you go 18/6, you'll notice them perk up in the morning.

Also, get ready to transplant into bigger containers, but not the final containers. Depending on the pheno you have, the NL strain is usually pretty thick in the roots. And we tend to get used to growing clones, which never have the root system as the mother from seed, so these plants are surely ready for a pot-up, but don't drop 'em in a 5 gallon bucket just yet, just something slightly bigger than the starter cups. FF is hot enough to supply everything they need at that size.

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I started these girls from seed in little seedling trays..and they have been in the cups for 9 days now and i planned on giving them 14 in the stryofoam cups to help get a good root mass, then transplant into 3 gal pots (and switch lights to 18/6 at the same time. I originally planned on waiting to feed them nutes until they got to those pots but i fed them last night and dont plan on it again until theyre in bigger pots. i figured on keeping them in the 3gal pots thru harvest.

*BUDS said:

reduce waterings and stop spraying them, they are too wet.Also are there enough drain holes inthose cups? when u over water it stunts root system and plant can stop taking up nutes causing yellowing.

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I've cut back on watering... i use a spray bottle and spray once or twice over all of them barely getting each one so the leaves can take in a little and i spray the soil in each cup enough to keep it moist or untili see a little bit of runoff out the bottom. i water when the top inch or slightly more of the soil is dry and the cup is light in weight (to try and guage the moisture at the bottom of the cup). If im over/under watering?

my camera isnt charged yet bull ill pot some pics shortly to show the progress since feeding them.

i would say you are over watering them, get you a water routine and stick to it. the yellowing at the bottom looks like a slight nitrogen def but not certain. try the 18/6 light pattern, water every 2-3 days, and sprits with water just a little right when the lights first cut off... never spray when the light or on.. Do you have adequete drainage out the bottom of the cup? the nutes should help if it was a def just keep an eye on it.

i forgot to mention when i cut back on the watering,,, im now watering every other day, usually around the same time not more than a few hrs off (class).


im probably going to 18/6 starting tomorrow. with my dark period during the day to cut down the power bill a lil bit.
yes i was watering/spraying with the lights on i raised it to make sure the light wouldnt get wet but then lowered it when i was done.

now, do i water them right when i turn the lights off? and how much water would you give them every other day? cuz with the lights on 24/0 the soil dries up quicker than every other day lol (t5 lights 10-12 in above plants)

the cups.... they have 3 holes on the bottom of the cup and 6 around the cup about an inch from the bottom. water does drain out the bottom but ive yet to see it around the cup. 9 holes total. could i possibly be getting mud in the cup from overwatering and fucking up my drainage? or even the root masses?

i plan on transplanting these girls in 5 days to the 3 gal pots. these girls are all 3 1/2 weeks old from being planted in the seedling tray before the cups you see.

here's pics 24 hours after i fed them for the first time.



these are of the front left


the back left


the back middle


the front middle


the one on the right


from what i can see, they are DEF not as light and yellow and hte yellow isnt spreading like it has been. they are a darker healthier looking green. as you can see they girls have perked up, some more than others, but i would overall rate it as improvement.

i did lightly spray them earlier :/ so they may have slightly drooped since perking up. but im cutting back on the watering and not watering tomorrow so ill water on the 3rd day this time... but after that it will be every other...or should it be three cuz of how close the light is? (1 ft from top rim of cups)

the temps are stayin 77-80 right now cuz im not running the ac in my house but i have plenty of fans in the room and grow tent. when the ac is on i have no problem keepin it 70-75

what do you guys think?

Do you have humidity gauge if so what is it the higher ur temps more humidity you want but thats not bad just keep a fan blowing between the lights and plants

quitbitchyn do you water from the bottom or the top? i find that watering from the bottom works best for me. your roots go toward water water from the bottom and your roots will seek it out

Barnsy73 said:

Do you have humidity gauge if so what is it the higher ur temps more humidity you want but thats not bad just keep a fan blowing between the lights and plants

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yea, its on the thermometer. it usually stays between 44-52 never goin below 40 or above 60.

hammer6913 said:

quitbitchyn do you water from the bottom or the top? i find that watering from the bottom works best for me. your roots go toward water water from the bottom and your roots will seek it out

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i water from the top. i can see why you would water from the bottom, but wouldnt you want all of the soil moist as opposed to just the bottom?

quitbichyn said:

yea, its on the thermometer. it usually stays between 44-52 never goin below 40 or above 60.



i water from the top. i can see why you would water from the bottom, but wouldnt you want all of the soil moist as opposed to just the bottom?

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its ur roots you want watered

well here is an update from last night to this morning... THEY DROOPED AGAIN!!!!

after i gave them nutes for first time they all perked up quite noticeably and turned a darker, healthier looking green. they havent been watered since getting the nutes.

im going to get a timer today so as of tomorrow morning i will be on 18/6 schedule. ive read its best to water when the lights come on AND its best to water in the morning. ALSO its best to have the 6 hrs dark period between 10-6pm for power bill decrease and the heat of the day. the heat of the day doesnt concern me as much cuz i have a pretty good handle on my temps.

when the light cycle changes tomorrow im going to water. i plan on watering when the lights come on, but that would mean my dark period would be overnight to be able to water in the morning. OR should i run my dark period during the middle of the day and water them in the afternoon/evening time? thw hole idea of plants being watered in the morning is better kinda stumps me,.... we are giving it an artificial light and schedule so the plant really doesnt know if its morning in the tent or outside? witht that being said would it even matter when i water as long as the lights are just coming on or shortly after? reason i ask is cuz im tryin to make sure i will always be home to water them when i need to to keep the schedule


what do you guys think?