This time.... this time there WILL be buds...

[greenbehemoth]

It's just that bark is not a great medium for growing you plants. It's very acidic and give you a very low ph. Also roots prefer to grow around the bark which slows root growth, and plant growth even more. But don't worry, cause even badly stunted plants can apparently fully catch up after being re-potted. I'd let those babies grow until you can re-pot them and put them a good quality compost and perlite.

 

[mammal]

maybe its time i invested in a good PH meter to see whats going on in my soil, cheers for the info greeny

 

[greenbehemoth]

But seriously, don't worry man, it won't be long till you can safely re-pot them before any damage is done

 

[greenbehemoth]

A ph meter is a great idea. I got one of those crappy probe type ones for checking soil, although I think it is fairly accurate. If you can you should get one of those little electronic pen type ones. They're not overly expensive and they look the business. If nothing else it'll give you peace of mind ...

 

[captcannabis420]

A ph meter is a great idea. I got one of those crappy probe type ones for checking soil, although I think it is fairly accurate. If you can you should get one of those little electronic pen type ones. They're not overly expensive and they look the business. If nothing else it'll give you peace of mind ...

i got one of those electronic testers.i stole it from work my boss has like 6 of them so i figured he wouldnt mis one

 

[mammal]

well something is definately up with the grow, its definately not temps or nutes, so i think it must be the PH of the bark compost being too low. all the seedlings are starting to turn a very pale green and are very stunted, theyve barely grown at all in the last 48 hours.

im using the same soil as last time so im not sure why my last plants grew so well, but i cant think of anything else it could be. ive purchased a PH meter and some litmus paper off ebay which should arrive monday.

does anyone have any tips for changing the PH of the soil, or should i just water with a slightly alkaline mixture until the soil reads between 6 and 7 ph? any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[greenbehemoth]

Your last comment, ie "water with a slightly alkaline mixture", says it all mammal. It's important you change the ph relatively slowly, not all at once. It's also tempting to say flush, but you have very new soil so that might just dilute and administer loads of EVERYTHING to the babes all at once LOL. Slowly but surely. OR ... get them into some nice compost sooner rather than later, which brings it's own risks. They are small enough (ie you don't have to take too much with them). I would do it, but what do you .. FEEL .. is right man?

 

[mammal]

they need to grow bigger and stronger first, im gonna give em another week, i'll have my ph meter on monday so i'll be able to tell whats what.

cheers again for the input dude

 

[greenbehemoth]

No probs mammal, the ph meter will be a big help! Whatever you do, do it slowly LOL. They are only wee ...

 

[Staropramen]

It's just that bark is not a great medium for growing you plants. It's very acidic and give you a very low ph. Also roots prefer to grow around the bark which slows root growth, and plant growth even more. But don't worry, cause even badly stunted plants can apparently fully catch up after being re-potted. I'd let those babies grow until you can re-pot them and put them a good quality compost and perlite.

Second that

Stay away from bark. Good nutrient-free compost with 33% perlite

 

[mammal]

good news / bad news situation.

first the bad news. my Ph was far too low, resulting in the growth of my plants coming to a complete hault. they literally showed no signs of growth for about 5/6 days. being the biggest plant the big bang took this the worst, using up all the nutes in her leaves trying to grow, which has left her in pretty shabby condition.

now the good news. i flushed with a sliiiiiightly alkaline solution (about 8.5/9 ph) which has freed up the nutrients in the soil and the growth has exploded the last 24 hours. if you look at the pics below compaired to the pics a week ago (on page 4) all that growth is literally in the last day and a half, pretty impressive really. and although the big bang looks a total STATE, the new growth is coming through nicely and looks much better. Thankfully the other seedlings weathered the storm alot happier it seems:

why ive had this problem with this grow and not the last when im using the same brand of type of compost ive no idea, but im glad things are back on track now.

heres a tip for beginners: you know all those grow faqs and videos youve watched tell you to buy a Ph meter and regularly check the Ph and that Ph is really important? THEY AINT LYING!!

 

[greenbehemoth]

Good to see things are on the up mammal. They're looking a lot bigger. Just make sure they get lots of light and don't be tempted to water too often and you should be fine. Thanks for the update man

 

[mammal]

just a quick non-photo update, the girls are doing fantastic now, really exploded except the alaskan ice which doesnt seem to be doing much. the skunk #1 especially is growing really quick, and the new growth on the big bang is nice and dark green. much happer now!

 

[greenbehemoth]

Glad for you mate, good news!!! Sounds like you have a nice little garden going now. I'm sure the Alaskan Ice will take off sooner or later. Look forward to seeing some pics Bye for now ...

 

[mammal]

sure thang, heres an update, as you can see the alaskan ice aint doin' anything but the rest are looking good, especially the good old classics, the whitewidow and the skunk #1

 

[greenbehemoth]

They look great mammal!!! Good job mate, you've done them proud. As you say the S1 and the WW look fantastic. Even the AI looks pretty perky at least, I think it'll be fine. Well done mate, and thanks for the pics

 

[HookedOnChronic]

looking great, i cant wait to see that skunk plant, i love skunk weed

 

[VCSDave]

The AI looks a little yellow, unless it's just the picture? That's the one I wanna know about!

 

[mammal]

thanks guys

The AI looks a little yellow, unless it's just the picture? That's the one I wanna know about!

yea its still not very happy, not sure why to be honest, same PH as the rest and same watering/light. the only difference really is its in the smallest pot, and the pot is ceramic rather than plastic, dont know if that makes the blindest bit of difference. we'll have to see how it goes.

 

[DWR]

that looks like normal soil with perlite......


Wouldnt you rather have some fine soil... ??? Cuz i am not feeling this soil i have atm. gona throw it away.... horrible...... The Perlite Pre Mix Soil is what I use..


I am sure you know what you'r doing