Dehydrated?

I can't tell if my babies are dehydrated, they started to wilt badly. I water them every other day but their soil is very sandy... I added too much sand a perlite to the mix so now even a half a liter of water comes out the bottom. Anyway should I start watering everyday to compensate? I also noticed some yellowing of the lower leafs, I haven't gotten in my foxfarm bloom nutrients yet so I made due with 1/4 strength (just to be safe) general hydroponics nutrients. Thanks!

ever think you could be drowning them? use a moisture meter to see if you need to water, it will not lie to you unless its broken.
every other day seems a bit much, they should take about 2-3 days to dry out. usually...circumstance chances things.

whats your temps?

my temp is a bit high, 80-85 air temp at the canopy, the soil I'm not sure but it never seems to be that warm at all. The soil I'm growing these girls in is very well draining, I once over-fertilized and I flushed them with incredable amounts of water... not a single problem from it.

what lights are you using? alot of my leafs droop like that when they are stuck in corners not receiving proper light?

just an idea.

I have a 400w hortilux HPS, but even with astrofoil they are a bit shaded and crowded

northerntights said:

I can't tell if my babies are dehydrated, they started to wilt badly. I water them every other day but their soil is very sandy... I added too much sand a perlite to the mix so now even a half a liter of water comes out the bottom. Anyway should I start watering everyday to compensate?

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You need to be careful about diagnosing watering problems because over-watering can look exactly the same as under-watering in its symptoms, the only reliable way is to use the 'wet/dry' schedule, which lets you know reliably when the plants need water rather than guessing at when they need it.

Cannabis in its natural environment grows in fairly arid, dry conditions - it doesn't like its roots sitting in soggy soil or water which is why it's important to understand how to water correctly using the 'wet/dry' method - forget moisture meters - they're a waste of time and unreliable - judge it by feel, sight and instinct.

The wet/dry schedule is basically saturating the soil with water and then not watering again until the moisture content of the soil is down to about 5-10%, the way you judge that is by feeling the weight of the pot - the weight of the pot when there's only about 5-10% moisture content left is a lot lighter than a fully saturated pot. Another visual clue is when the soil just starts to pull away from the sides of the pot, ideally you should water just before this starts to happen.

Once you get on to a cycle of wet/dry watering and know what to look for - you should never have watering problems again.

northerntights said:

I also noticed some yellowing of the lower leafs, I haven't gotten in my foxfarm bloom nutrients yet so I made due with 1/4 strength (just to be safe) general hydroponics nutrients. Thanks!

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Hard to comment on this - how long have the plants been in their current pots? How often did you repot? Are they in veg or flowering?

Right now they have been in their pots since they were small seedlings and they are in veg under a 400w HPS. Thanks for the info but I just started watering everyday, not a lot but about 1/3 liter each, and the problem has been fixed... they are most likely a little potbound and the soil has WAY WAY too much perlite and sand and not enough water retention. Next time I add peat moss, vermiculite or those water crystals because watering every day is a bit of a pain. But again thanks, I will keep that in mind for the next grow...

northerntights said:

Right now they have been in their pots since they were small seedlings and they are in veg under a 400w HPS.

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Then it sounds like they need repotting. Potting up is important for two reasons 1) It gives the plant a fresh set of soil and nutrients to feed on 2) It allows the rootball to develop each time you pot up to a larger pot - this helps to sustain healthy growth and maximise the plants genetic potential.

Developing a 'work around' by watering everyday is not solving the basic problem - the plant needs a larger pot.