Everything seemed okay... Deformed? Browning? uh-oh.. (w/Pics)

Meet my plant, "Planty" (Yes, I have an active imagination.)

Planty was started from seed around May 10th, so I put him at about 30 days old. So far, ... interesting learning process...

Planty is from the "Mother's Finest" by Sensi Seeds strain.. descent from the Jack Heurr apparently...

When he was very young, he started in some ... cheaper soil... I found a couple of black bugs running around the floor, didn't notice anything IN the planter at that point.. This was maybe one-two weeks in soil, at which point I freaked out.. Thinking they could be gnats, I covered the soil with sand....

I went out to the garden center and got a nice huge bag of Pro Mix potting soil, .. set it up, and did a transplant. Felt it had to be done as the leaves at this point weren't filling out .. you can see what I mean in one of the attached pictures..

In the ProMix, it flourished - as you can see in the pictures. However, things are starting to brown.. I'm getting worried as the older foliage is almost dead and it appears to be creeping up the plant. I don't want to come home tomorrow to a brown tree.

After taking the pictures, I also noticed one of the leaves has 5 main leafs and a little tiny one out the back ... as if.. the leaf is mis-formed...

.. Any ideas/suggestions.. ? Bugs? Nutrient Deficiency? Mold in the soil.. ? (The pearlite got kinda yellowish.. )

Planty looks pretty good actually. However, it appears to be a little over watered. Based on the appearance of your photos I suggest adding some more light. Even a cheap building-supply temporary clamp-on light, with the big aluminum bowl, would help. Also, your light appears red. I suggest a blue spectrum CFL bulb. At this stage of development, Planty wants blue light.

Consequently, if the light is not right you wind up over watering and the nutrients burn your plant. Just add more blue light and Planty will improve.

mockingbird131313 said:

Consequently, if the light is not right you wind up over watering and the nutrients burn your plant. Just add more blue light and Planty will improve.

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That makes me happy, I thought I could have been overwatering..

the reason you see red is because there is a mix of lights being used..

I have four T-20 Tubes (Plant/Aquarium) and an Agro-lite in between the two T-20 Balasts ... I pulled planty out for the picture, and of course, the blue light shines RIGHT down on him from above...

Should I maybe replace the red colored tubes with straight up daylight colored ones that give a broad spectrum then move back to the red for flowering.. ?

I know what T-12, T-8, and T-5 look like. I have never heard of T-20. Anyway, T-5 is manufactured, in some cases, with multiple phosphores. Mostly, you will find bulbs rated with a Kelvin number. 6500 Kelvin is best for veg-grow (now). 2800 Kelvin is best for budding. Plant lights are only used by amateurs. Pros always used color specific. This assumes you stay with flourescents. Many people here on RIU believe HPS and MH are a better choice. I think it is personal bias with any choice you make. Either option will produce buds.

mockingbird131313 said:

Mostly, you will find bulbs rated with a Kelvin number. 6500 Kelvin is best for veg-grow (now). 2800 Kelvin is best for budding.

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Good call - the lights in the picture were 2800K - after your first reply, I went out and bought four 6500k temp lights.... then read that. Making me happy

mockingbird131313 said:

Plant lights are only used by amateurs.

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Maybe thats why I went BOTH routes, the regular grow lite and the tubes.... however.. its the growlight producing the heat in the area... without it, I fear it would get too cold (drop to ~70 degrees).


In any case, planty is under a LOT of 6500K light right now, but that leaf issue seems to still be spreading a bit (the deformation part where it seems to get smaller greenish/brownish colored bumps along the veins of the leaf)

btw + rep points for mockingbird131313 T-12, not T-20 -- They're 20 WATTS.... I was close

hell, mockingbird knows what I got better than I do. ++++ rep points