The main purpose of this post is to get an outside opinion for my options moving forward. I am currently growing 3 plants. One of the three is severely stunted under the exact same conditions as the other two. Seeing as it is only my second grow, I am wondering if it is salvageable, or if it is even worth salvaging. My first grow was somewhat crowded with 3 plants, but it didn't seem to stunt growth. I have read that with proper treatment even a single plant in the right conditions could produce nearly as much as 3 in the same enclosed space. So I am considering just tossing the runt away and focusing heavily on the two that are left to try to maximize their yield.
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Here's a few details to get us on same page. I started all 3 seeds germinating in paper towel, then moved to rooters, then moved to red solo cups with Fox Farm Happy Frog soil, and then finally in their 5gal fabric pots with Fox Farm Ocean Forest amended soil. I am using 250w MH light with cover and have both passive intake, as well as air outtake leading outside to get rid of hot/stagnant air. I used spring water (always pH'd around 6-6.5) at the beginning and switched to distilled water when I moved them to amended soil, as not to over nute them. I have not used any fertilizers, I will start when the amended soil begins to run out of nutes. Two of the plants are thriving... One is not. Seeing as they are not growing at the exact same pace, I have been adding water as needed, checking weight of containers, and feeling the soil with clean hands to check the moisture around the surface of the soil. I realize overwatering is a common cause for this type of stunted growth, but I don't feel like I have overwatered. The roots seem to absorb water much more slowly than the other plants, even when they were similar size. So I suspect it could be a genetic problem? It was my first time using red solo cups and transplanting. I poked drainage holes, but its possible it may not have been enough on this one, but if that was the case, I would assume it would sort itself out when put into a larger pot with better aeration and drainage. It is still growing, so it's not dead, it's just growing at an absolute snails pace compared to the others. All three seeds began germination on March 28. So as of writing this post and taking these pictures it has been roughly one month. They have been in this final container of theirs for roughly two weeks.
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I have added one picture each of the two healthy plants. And three pictures of the stunted plant. If anyone has any ideas on what they think could have caused this, they are more than welcome. I would also greatly appreciate anyone who has experienced this and then made it to harvest. Someone who can attest to the possible effects this might have later on to help me decide if it's worth it to keep. Also, I apologize for taking these while my MH lights were on. Though it shouldn't interfere with what I am trying to show here.
.
Here's a few details to get us on same page. I started all 3 seeds germinating in paper towel, then moved to rooters, then moved to red solo cups with Fox Farm Happy Frog soil, and then finally in their 5gal fabric pots with Fox Farm Ocean Forest amended soil. I am using 250w MH light with cover and have both passive intake, as well as air outtake leading outside to get rid of hot/stagnant air. I used spring water (always pH'd around 6-6.5) at the beginning and switched to distilled water when I moved them to amended soil, as not to over nute them. I have not used any fertilizers, I will start when the amended soil begins to run out of nutes. Two of the plants are thriving... One is not. Seeing as they are not growing at the exact same pace, I have been adding water as needed, checking weight of containers, and feeling the soil with clean hands to check the moisture around the surface of the soil. I realize overwatering is a common cause for this type of stunted growth, but I don't feel like I have overwatered. The roots seem to absorb water much more slowly than the other plants, even when they were similar size. So I suspect it could be a genetic problem? It was my first time using red solo cups and transplanting. I poked drainage holes, but its possible it may not have been enough on this one, but if that was the case, I would assume it would sort itself out when put into a larger pot with better aeration and drainage. It is still growing, so it's not dead, it's just growing at an absolute snails pace compared to the others. All three seeds began germination on March 28. So as of writing this post and taking these pictures it has been roughly one month. They have been in this final container of theirs for roughly two weeks.
.
I have added one picture each of the two healthy plants. And three pictures of the stunted plant. If anyone has any ideas on what they think could have caused this, they are more than welcome. I would also greatly appreciate anyone who has experienced this and then made it to harvest. Someone who can attest to the possible effects this might have later on to help me decide if it's worth it to keep. Also, I apologize for taking these while my MH lights were on. Though it shouldn't interfere with what I am trying to show here.
