Fixable or Fucked?

Hey guys, I'm currently 1 month into a closet grow. Im running with 3 26w CFL's on a 18/6 light cycle. I only have one successful plant out of the 4 original seedlings. The plant is just under 12inches tall in a potting mix of 50/50 (soil/perlite) and im feeding it nutrients every other watering with a basic plant food (20-10-10). And heres where I need some advice...My plant is currently potted in a 5 gal bucket (bought from Lowes) however when I originally re-potted from its seedling cup to the bucket I didnt add as much soil as i should have. The soil is sitting a good 6 inches below the rim. Now that my plant is well into vegitative and the limbs are extedning (i have leaves touching the walls of the bucket) Am I stunting its growth? Is this fixable or am I just Fucked?!

how complete do you think the rootball is at this point? its not a big deal. when the rootball is developed enough you can simply take it out of the pot and then fill the container properly and put the plant back in just like you would any other transplant.

let it dry out,tip it up take it out and fill back up with more dirt, just be gentle.............. you can do it

Awesome! I thought it was over for my poor plant. So here is my next question...Now that my plant is reaching closer to 12inches tall should i still keep my lights a couple inches from the plant or do they need to be raised? Also, I have a fan in my grow room is my fan supposed to run constantly or is it ok to shut it off while my lights are off?

All the right answers already given to you...that's what I like about this site. It sure helps when everyone can come together for the love of the bush! Somebody once said to me 'Rome wasn't built over night' same as 'u gotta learn to walk before u can run'. I've maid plenty of mistakes along the way and will certainly make more but I'm always looking to people who know more than I do who will help in times of need. Peace n happy growin' from the Cannabian!

As close as you can without burning or heat stressing them.

greywind said:

As close as you can without burning or heat stressing them.

Click to expand...

yes. that is true.

air circulation 24/7

You're in a 5 gallon bucket. You have about 2 months before you even need to worried about stunting your plants growth in that bucket. When you can grab the plant by it's stalk and lift out all of the soil in one ball then you can, if you like, add 6" of soil to the bottom of the bucket and place the root and soil mass back on top. At 12" tall my plants are still in their 5" pots.

How tall do you want it? you may just be able to cut the bottom branches off if they start to be a problem.