Is the plant sick?

[Pulang Kamatis]

first time grower here
indoor grow- 18/6 - using 1 42watt cfl, 2 24watt cfl. all are daylight color temps. lights are 2-5 inches away from plant

watering every 3 days. no nutes added.

problem(s):
-yellowing of the first serrated leaves
-browned, burnt tips on top/new growth
question: is it sick or not? what can i do to fix the problem?

 

[AirAnt]

Doesn't look that bad, but it's not as happy as it could be.

I can tell from the yellowing of the perlite in your soil mix that the water you're feeding it is too hard. It's starts out as not a big problem, but the salts and other sediments start to build up and it becomes one. Try using store-bought jugs of water or collect rainwater. It might be a smidge on the over-watered side, as well. Watering in less amounts more often will help your plant grow faster, and then you can do a flush every 3 weeks or so instead of drenching it every time.

 

[AirAnt]

Also, it's probably starting to get rootbound, i'd move it into a bigger container soon.

There's about as much plant below ground as above, and it looks like a bushy indica variety so that duct-taped 2 liter isn't going to cut it much longer, no offense.

 

[Pulang Kamatis]

Doesn't look that bad, but it's not as happy as it could be.

I can tell from the yellowing of the perlite in your soil mix that the water you're feeding it is too hard.

hard in terms of acidity?
i usually water it with local store bought purified water that i also drink. about, 2 days ago, i watered in with the rain water i collected. the rain water was not from the roof, it was collected in an open area. and i also waited for about 20mins before i started collecting.

 

[Pulang Kamatis]

hahaha none taken! thanks sir

 

[AirAnt]

hard in terms of acidity?
i usually water it with local store bought purified water that i also drink. about, 2 days ago, i watered in with the rain water i collected. the rain water was not from the roof, it was collected in an open area. and i also waited for about 20mins before i started collecting.

hmm, strange it's getting discolored like that. I can't use my tap water because it's too toxic and it leaves that same yellowish color. Maybe your store is selling tap water as distilled water, lol.

One of the best plants I ever grew was in a fish tank, so it had no drainage holes. I had to water it just a little at a time. I was growing with fluorescent tubes so I had to bonsai the hell out of it, too. Was only like a foot tall but almost pure bud.

 

[Smkweeed]

It might be a smidge on the over-watered side, as well. Watering in less amounts more often will help your plant grow faster, and then you can do a flush every 3 weeks or so instead of drenching it every time.

In my experience watering more often in less amounts leads to over watering. u want to get a good soak 10-20% run off then don't water for a few days.

 

[AirAnt]

In my experience watering more often in less amounts leads to over watering. u want to get a good soak 10-20% run off then don't water for a few days.

Incorrect. Hydroponics growers achieve their higher rates of growth because they are able to feed plants more efficiently than simply soaking by using smaller, more frequent watering. Marijuana prefers a lighter, more airy soil. That's why so many people add in perlite on top of what's already in most soil mixes.

The more a plant perspires, the more it consumes water, the faster it grows. You have to feel the weight of the potted plant compared to what that same pot full of completely dry soil weighs to gauge how much and how often watering should be done. Like 95% of first-time growers make the same exact mistake - using too much water. Plants get waterlogged and can't absorb nutrients, algae can build up, and if the soil is constantly wet it can actually lead to a situation where the dirt is drawing moisture out of the plant because the electrochemical levels get messed up or something like that.

Regardless, from the grower's advice I've gotten from various places like this site and youtube and from my own personal experience, using less water more frequently with an occasional flush is the best way to water a marijuana plant. Right now my little seedlings just a single cap-full of water, and that was the first time I've watered since I germinated them about a week ago.

 

[Fangule]

Plant looks like it's big enough to be fed. On my first grow which was CFL I used mineral water with vigoro plant food (the pH of some mineral water can be pretty high). I would recommend 1/4 strength nutes (if soil isn't already amended) and you could keep the CFL's less than 2 inches away from plant. What type of soil you using? Also when you water feel how light/heavy the pot feels. get a feel for this as it is a good way to see when they need water. I hope this helps and Welcome to RIU.

 

[Fangule]

I would also transplant, you need 1 gallon for every month or growth avg.

 

[Pulang Kamatis]

thankyou for all the input. as of now my plan is to wait a few more days to see what is actually happening. as the plant tends to get wider, i will look for deeper and wider container for transplant. in 3 days give or take. i will also try to change the water i use to see if it helps. my scheduled feeding is in about 2 days. my other plants dont seem to be exhibiting the same problem, the difference is they have about 2/3 soil from my lawn in them and this one is purely soilless

 

[tyke1973]

if it aint dry don't apply,looks ok to me looks like a sativa dominant plant so some nice smoke unless the rooms running hot,this will cause the leaf blades to look sativa even if the plant is indica dominant

 

[Pulang Kamatis]

just noticed that there are browning tips on the top/new growth.

 

[DonAlejandroVega]

water by weight, not time. they drink at varying, not steady, rates.
more holes in bottom
praise me

 

[Smkweeed]

Incorrect. Hydroponics growers achieve their higher rates of growth because they are able to feed plants more efficiently than simply soaking by using smaller, more frequent watering. Marijuana prefers a lighter, more airy soil. That's why so many people add in perlite on top of what's already in most soil mixes.

The more a plant perspires, the more it consumes water, the faster it grows. You have to feel the weight of the potted plant compared to what that same pot full of completely dry soil weighs to gauge how much and how often watering should be done. Like 95% of first-time growers make the same exact mistake - using too much water. Plants get waterlogged and can't absorb nutrients, algae can build up, and if the soil is constantly wet it can actually lead to a situation where the dirt is drawing moisture out of the plant because the electrochemical levels get messed up or something like that.

Regardless, from the grower's advice I've gotten from various places like this site and youtube and from my own personal experience, using less water more frequently with an occasional flush is the best way to water a marijuana plant. Right now my little seedlings just a single cap-full of water, and that was the first time I've watered since I germinated them about a week ago.

We weren't talking hydroponic we're we the op doesn't look like he is doing hydroponic. so we should all water every day in a small amount even know every grow book says other wise.

 

[Smkweeed]

Incorrect. Hydroponics growers achieve their higher rates of growth because they are able to feed plants more efficiently than simply soaking by using smaller, more frequent watering. Marijuana prefers a lighter, more airy soil. That's why so many people add in perlite on top of what's already in most soil mixes.

The more a plant perspires, the more it consumes water, the faster it grows. You have to feel the weight of the potted plant compared to what that same pot full of completely dry soil weighs to gauge how much and how often watering should be done. Like 95% of first-time growers make the same exact mistake - using too much water. Plants get waterlogged and can't absorb nutrients, algae can build up, and if the soil is constantly wet it can actually lead to a situation where the dirt is drawing moisture out of the plant because the electrochemical levels get messed up or something like that.

Regardless, from the grower's advice I've gotten from various places like this site and youtube and from my own personal experience, using less water more frequently with an occasional flush is the best way to water a marijuana plant. Right now my little seedlings just a single cap-full of water, and that was the first time I've watered since I germinated them about a week ago.

so we should all water in small amounts in soil every dayi

Incorrect. Hydroponics growers achieve their higher rates of growth because they are able to feed plants more efficiently than simply soaking by using smaller, more frequent watering. Marijuana prefers a lighter, more airy soil. That's why so many people add in perlite on top of what's already in most soil mixes.

The more a plant perspires, the more it consumes water, the faster it grows. You have to feel the weight of the potted plant compared to what that same pot full of completely dry soil weighs to gauge how much and how often watering should be done. Like 95% of first-time growers make the same exact mistake - using too much water. Plants get waterlogged and can't absorb nutrients, algae can build up, and if the soil is constantly wet it can actually lead to a situation where the dirt is drawing moisture out of the plant because the electrochemical levels get messed up or something like that.

Regardless, from the grower's advice I've gotten from various places like this site and youtube and from my own personal experience, using less water more frequently with an occasional flush is the best way to water a marijuana plant. Right now my little seedlings just a single cap-full of water, and that was the first time I've watered since I germinated them about a week ago.[/QUOTE nobody said any thing about hydroponic. until u tried to cover ur bad info. so we should all water every day in small amounts in soil. teach us old wise one teach us I'm waiting!

 

[Smkweeed]

so we should all water in small amounts in soil every dayi

Teach us old wise one teach us I'm waiting!

 

[AirAnt]

Do whatever works best for you, I'd say. I mentioned the story of the fish tank plant though as an example of an instance where I had to be very careful to only water just enough, and ended up with a very beautiful and healthy plant. I tried watering like you suggest, drenching the soil thoroughly every time and found that led to problems. If it doesn't give you problems than do that, I don't care lol.

 

[Smkweeed]

Incorrect. Hydroponics growers achieve their higher rates of growth because they are able to feed plants more efficiently than simply soaking by using smaller, more frequent watering. Marijuana prefers a lighter, more airy soil. That's why so many people add in perlite on top of what's already in most soil mixes.

The more a plant perspires, the more it consumes water, the faster it grows. You have to feel the weight of the potted plant compared to what that same pot full of completely dry soil weighs to gauge how much and how often watering should be done. Like 95% of first-time growers make the same exact mistake - using too much water. Plants get waterlogged and can't absorb nutrients, algae can build up, and if the soil is constantly wet it can actually lead to a situation where the dirt is drawing moisture out of the plant because the electrochemical levels get messed up or something like that.

Regardless, from the grower's advice I've gotten from various places like this site and youtube and from my own personal experience, using less water more frequently with an occasional flush is the best way to water a marijuana plant. Right now my little seedlings just a single cap-full of water, and that was the first time I've watered since I germinated them about a week ago.

nobody said anything about hydro until u tried to pass off bad info. Water every day in small amounts in soil good advice can't wait for more from you

 

[Smkweeed]

Do whatever works best for you, I'd say. I mentioned the story of the fish tank plant though as an example of an instance where I had to be very careful to only water just enough, and ended up with a very beautiful and healthy plant. I tried watering like you suggest, drenching the soil thoroughly every time and found that led to problems. If it doesn't give you problems than do that, I don't care lol.

I already said what worked best for me but I guess that was incorrect according to you.