need help big time!

this is my first run at trying to grow and don't think it's going too well. alot of the post on this site have helped and i fiugred I'd reach out and see if i can get help for my specific problems. I'm growing in my attic and my 5 seedlings are about 2in. and have been that way for about 4weeks. It seems as if they have just stopped growing. Now the leaves are starting to turn brownish are drooping. I assume it's over watering. I believe my ighting is good, (4 100w clfs), and just got a fan for ventilation. I am using distilled water at room temp. Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hey man- Im in the same boat i was wondering what the easiest way to grow was while producing some real quality NUG - neva grown anything before but def am willing to LEarn. There is alot of noise on the forums wonderin if therw was any direc help from these great users.........

Pics help. Soil type, pH,temps,RH'etc. nutes? You are correct they should be bigger.

mmkay if u can get a pic, we can better help you. what is your ph and have u given any nuts

would attach pics but lost my cord to hook up to computer. No nuts yet. I'm using regular potting soil so pH should b fine right?

Got a cellphone and dropbox? Works a treat!

You definitely have problems. I had something happen a long time similar. Put seedlings in soil that was too compact and they just sat there for 2 weeks. Transplanted them to airy, lightly moist soil and they exploded with growth in a week. 2in seedlings under decent conditions will just be itching to grow, not sit there idly.

When you say 4 100w cfl, do you mean real 100w or 100w equivalent? (i.e. about 23w)
Still, you should be getting something. Are the bulbs close (about an inch) from the plant?
As said above, overwatering is the main common problem for newbies.

When you say 4 100w cfl, do you mean real 100w or 100w equivalent? (i.e. about 23w)
Still, you should be getting something. Are the bulbs close (about an inch) from the plant?
As said above, overwatering is the main common problem for newbies.

They are 100w equivalent and are about 2in from plants. I have 2 directly over and 2 on one side of the plants. I also have a mylar blanket across from the lights on the opposite side. From everything I've read my lighting should be adequate if not good. All plant leaves are starting to droop, (2 lemon skunk, 1 ganja lwrydr, 2 bag seed) and 1 of the lemon skunk is actually turing brown. Only watered 1 time last week on tues., and 1 time this week on tues. Before that i was watering twice a week. The soil is very dry all the way to the bottom of the cup. Still overwatering?

Still not enough info....

Temps? Humidity? A pic?

Attics can be dangerous to grow in.. wild temperature swings, etc.

The room does have fairly drastic temp swings. Some days the temp can swing by 25 degrees. Humidity is at around 70%. Again, no photos because i can't find my camera's usb cord. I have also been on 24hr light. Should i move to 18/6?

Might be underwatered, but the important parts...are you using soil? What kind? Distilled water is not necessary or terribly healthy for soil plants...they would do better with mineral water....since you aren't feeding them anything yet they can get a bit of minerals out of the water itself...underwatering makes leaves droopy, or curl over...it sounds to me like it might be something to do with your medium, and you will never get good results with CFLs...some people post pics where they have done alright, but i started with CFLs because they were cheap and I could buy the bulbs anywhere...but by the time you spend enough monsy to buy enough CFLs to work and you spend the money on the power to run all of them you could have saved that money and just bought a 400w or 600w HID light...400w of power is 400w...whether it is spread between 20 cfls or one 400w light...and the 100w on the light is what it is equal to, but the plant's don't see light the way we do...so to them it is still only 23 watts you have there...so you would need 18 of those bulbs to equal one 400w MH...just because it is comparable to the light put out by a 100w bulb it is still only 23 to the plants...so right now you are trying to grow numerous plants with only 92 watts...which is maybe--maybe enough to keep one totally happy and growing the way it should...


So just something to think about...

Have you fed them anything at all? They might just need nitrogen...if they have 4 true leaves (serrated) then you can feed them 1/4 recommended dose of anything with a high N on the NPK...so fish emulsions, certain guanos, as well as many many bottled concoctions to suit your tastes, wallet, and grow style...Hell you can get enough to do a few plants just in samples...just go to the website of all the big companies and some small ones too and see if they have any links to get free samples, and if they don't then just try sending them an email...

ok, so should I just find a good spot to replant outside and just keep 1 or 2 under the light I have? Also where can I find/buy a ballast to run a HID? the only reason I went with clfs is because I couldn't find what I needed for HID at home depot or lowes. Thanks for all the help!

Plant outside if you can. 4x23w (real wattage) will be lucky to keep one plant going. They will put out abou 5000 lumens max. Look for security lights at home depot etc. You need at least a 250w son-t. It will put out about 29 000 lumens. If you try and grow under your cfl, you will be lucky to get an ounce after 16 weeks, and that is if everything goes right.

100 true CFL watts isn't the current issue though. While they may be inadequate for large plants, there is no reason why 4 bulbs can't get at least 10 seedlings sprouted and into early veg. They certainly wouldn't retard growth as described in the OP.