Need help! Plants are not doing well! Pictures Inside!

[yblaster2k]

Hello!


This is my second grow and I planted Royal Queen Northern Lights straight into the soil on Dec 3, 2013. I'm using the popular organic soil mix from this website. The soil has been sitting for a few months so it shouldn't be burning my plants. I'm using a 400w Metal Halide for veg right now. I have the light roughly 24 inches from the top of the plants with an exhaust fan in the ceiling and an oscillating fan on the plants. The temperature fluctuates anywhere between 76F and 84F. I've noticed that they are growing very slow (almost 4 weeks and they are only about 2-3 inches out of the soil). I also noticed the last few days that one plant seems to be dying and it almost looks like heat stress or light stress but I'm not sure. I've been watering it every 4 days or so, when the cups feel really light. I'm using regular solo cups w/ slits on the sides (for easy transplant) and drainage in the bottom. I just can't seem to fix these plants. I tried raising the light about 6-8 inches but it made no difference.


Please help!




Here are some pictures




Plant 1 ( healthier of the two)

Both

Plant 2 (sick)

Both--- SAD picture

Any and all advice would be much appreciated. thanks!

 

[wdk420]

Were you using a potato to snap photos because I can't see them

 

[AimAim]

I can see them OK.

Whatever you did to them they did not like it and are checking out, I would say.

They look over watered and nute-fried

 

[yblaster2k]

I can see them OK.

Whatever you did to them they did not like it and are checking out, I would say.

They look over watered and nute-fried

they will be dead soon?

 

[sativa indica pits]

ph looks wayyyy off also. what type of soil are you using.... not a good one I can tell you that

 

[yblaster2k]

This is the exact recipe I'm using : http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1116550-easy-organic-soil-mix-beginners.html


I'm gonna go get some PH testers now...

 

[AimAim]

This is the exact recipe I'm using : http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1116550-easy-organic-soil-mix-beginners.html


I'm gonna go get some PH testers now...

If you put the correct lime in, at the correct ammt you don't need to test pH.

Yeah that side shot looks particularly bad, you might get them to pull through.

Rather than adding shit trying to fix a problem you don't have a clue what it even is:

Go buy any potting mix for inside houseplants that has no time release nutes and repot them in completely new medium. Try to get one with plenty of perlite. It's gonna have to be a slightly larger pot. Don't add anything but water.

They are not going to be easy to transplant as they won't have much in the way of roots, but whatever soil might fall is in your favor. Don't intentionally knock it off though.

That's what I'd do anyway. You've got screwed up soil and don't have a clue how to fix it so try to get them in something nice and mild.

 

[dubcoastOGs]

ph looks wayyyy off also. what type of soil are you using.... not a good one I can tell you that

WOW! You can tell the ph of his soil through the internet!?!?!

you always make me laugh.

 

[AimAim]

WOW! You can tell the ph of his soil through the internet!?!?!

you always make me laugh.

Sure, you just need one of those USB cabled touch-screen pH pens.

 

[dubcoastOGs]

just water it with some ph adjusted water. that will fix the soil's ph.

lmao

 

[jswett1100]

id say its the ph. you cant go wrong with some FFOF mix and dolmite lime.

 

[yblaster2k]

id say its the ph. you cant go wrong with some FFOF mix and dolmite lime.

Ph high or Low?

I have lime here...


no testers, though. I just went out to Wal Mart, Home Depot and tried two nurseries in the area... both are closed.

 

[yblaster2k]

I can see them OK.

Whatever you did to them they did not like it and are checking out, I would say.

They look over watered and nute-fried

you're inbox is full.. Do you think I should use the Miracle Grow perlite since thats all I can get my hands on? I can mix it with the potting soil mix I already have. (I just checked and it doesn't have any perlite in it).

 

[Alexander Supertramp]

WOW! You can tell the ph of his soil through the internet!?!?!

you always make me laugh.

No doubt about that! His posts are always entertaining.

 

[Alexander Supertramp]

Hello!


This is my second grow and I planted Royal Queen Northern Lights straight into the soil on Dec 3, 2013. I'm using the popular organic soil mix from this website. The soil has been sitting for a few months so it shouldn't be burning my plants. I'm using a 400w Metal Halide for veg right now. I have the light roughly 24 inches from the top of the plants with an exhaust fan in the ceiling and an oscillating fan on the plants. The temperature fluctuates anywhere between 76F and 84F. I've noticed that they are growing very slow (almost 4 weeks and they are only about 2-3 inches out of the soil). I also noticed the last few days that one plant seems to be dying and it almost looks like heat stress or light stress but I'm not sure. I've been watering it every 4 days or so, when the cups feel really light. I'm using regular solo cups w/ slits on the sides (for easy transplant) and drainage in the bottom. I just can't seem to fix these plants. I tried raising the light about 6-8 inches but it made no difference.


Please help!




Here are some pictures




Plant 1 ( healthier of the two)

Both

Plant 2 (sick)

Both--- SAD picture

Any and all advice would be much appreciated. thanks!

Could be nute burn or burn from the leaves touching the medium during watering. Please do not go chasing pH as that IS NOT your problem. You may want to transplant into a bit of a bigger container cutting your medium mix a bit too cool it off a tad.

 

[Alexander Supertramp]

And are you sure you used dolomite lime and not ag or hydrated lime?

 

[yblaster2k]

First I'd like to begin by thanking everyone who has helped me in this thread....


I decided to transfer the plants into larger containers of potting soil mix. It was messy because the roots weren't really bound to all of the soil in the old medium. Crossing my fingers that this helps.

 

[AimAim]

And are you sure you used dolomite lime and not ag or hydrated lime?

I was wondering the same thing. Ag lime is fine, sometimes it even is dolomite. If he got hydrated (slaked) lime like you use in mortar it will cause serious problems

 

[Alexander Supertramp]

I was wondering the same thing. Ag lime is fine, sometimes it even is dolomite. If he got hydrated (slaked) lime like you use in mortar it will cause serious problems

Hydrated lime is widely used in agriculture. But you definitely need to know how and when to use it. It really has no place in container growing.
And yes aglime is a broad term when it comes to the actual type of lime. It depends mostly on the region you live in when it comes to the actual type of lime it is, be it dolomitic, calcitic or hydrated. Here is a good read on lime and our gardens.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0311011017714.html

You would be pretty hard pressed to burn roots or over apply with dolomitic. Calcitic and hydrated are totally different beasts that probably should not be used by novice gardeners.

 

[AimAim]

Hydrated lime is widely used in agriculture. But you definitely need to know how and when to use it. It really has no place in container growing.

Dead on correct. Basically dolomite is regular lime but has Mg in it. Just ground up rock anyway.

I used to live in an area where they mined both dolomite and regular lime. Grain farmers used either, but cattle ranchers demanded dolomite due to grass tetany disease. If they grew their pastures and hayfields with regular lime they risked tetany

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass_tetany