How am i doing? any advice

I started the plant on the left which is grand daddy purple on 11/18/13. germinated the seed for 2 days in a wet paper towel then planted after it "cracked". I had my t5 light about 2-3" off the plant thinking it would grow into the light but it never did. It just stayed about one inch tall. but it developed one hell of a root system in the month or so that i let it go like that. i transplanted them into the containers they are in now on 1/1/14. i also started to feed them a food of 0-0-1. i added a small fan for air movemment, and added 2 extra cfl bulbs for side lighting.
please let me know how i am doing. and can someone give me an estimate on how long it is gonna be until i should start to switch over to the bloom phase

ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED!

dippty1 said:

can someone give me an estimate on how long it is gonna be until i should start to switch over to the bloom phase

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Nobody can tell you when to switch to flowering. That's your decision, depending on how large you want your plants to get. You could do it today. Or wait 8 weeks.

Not saying you have a problem or anything but those look slightly overwatered, especially pic 3.

How long should i let them stay dry in between watering

easy watering rule of thumb
If you can stick your finger into the soil up to your first knuckle and it feels moist at all at the tip.....don't water till it feels dry.

fill empty pot with dry soil.. See how much it weighs, when your potted plants feel close to the same. That's when you water.
Sticking your finger in soil is not go.na tell you how moist it is in the root zone which is where it matters.

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sorry just realised u are on my firend list. +rep

LetsGetCritical said:

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Looks like you are screwed !!!

lol, ilove riu always get a good laugh

hydrogreen65 said:

fill empty pot with dry soil.. See how much it weighs, when your potted plants feel close to the same. That's when you water.
Sticking your finger in soil is not go.na tell you how moist it is in the root zone which is where it matters.

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Like HG says you really need to just go by weight. Sticking your finger in won't tell you much about the moisture in the bottom of the pot where most of your roots are.

is there a flying strain that needs to b tie down?... lmao

LetsGetCritical said:

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I am sure there is a good reason pls be nice hes my friend

I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned-- those plants don't seem to be growing near as fast as they should. And I can't for the life of me figure out why. So those are basically 6 week old plants? And the pics are recent?

I know you explained (briefly) your feed and water and stuff. Maybe give us a few more details, see if we can figure it out.

I'm sure over watering played a big part, but still they should be ready to go into flower and pull 6 ounces a piece (on average, based on that time anyways).

I dealt with slow growth my first run, once you get out figured out everything works nicely.

I been thinking really hard what it is for about two hours straight and I think it is for size comparison. Still, not sure.

I read this thread and curiosity got to me. I would say it was a runt but with 2 plants not likely, especially with the root mass statement? Did a little research and it looks like miracle grow soil and the temps have been 70-74 (get temps up if possible). At one point the light was raised 15-18" to get them to stretch. Advice was given to use perlite at transplant. They were sitting in saucers of water previously and still look too wet.

Tempted to say gently pull out the root mass add a good amount of Perlite ($6) to your transplant soil and replant. But that may not be the best advice for a new grower. Definitely let the soil get dry, this could take many days at 70deg. The roots must be forced to "search" for water. Keep the light close as you have it now.

I had a similar situation with a runt in a pot that would not dry out (random clump of soil in it) I didn't water it for a week then only sprayed the surface to water it. It eventually recovered and put down roots.

I don't mean to be harsh, but the OP has previously received solid advice on how to remedy this.
Friend of yours friend of mine LGC.

Peace,

Ok, maybe I am not being understanding enough. I know it can be hard to prioritize what is the most important recommendation and what is not when you are learning/newbie. Perlite, and/or allowing the roots enough air/oxygen is very important. It kicks up the plants metabolism and allows for much faster growth.

Just to give an example the runt plant I referenced was in a solo cup when I let it dry for a week+ with nothing but spraying it. You have much larger pots.
My problem was also partially not having temps high enough, I think your added lights will help this. What are your temps with the added bulbs?

My runt plant was smaller than yours at 6 weeks and very yellow (wrote if off as definitely going to die):


Here it is today at 11-12 weeks still in the same solo cup:



Given the larger size of your pot if you can address the issues, you will see your plants take off and be this size and bushier within 3-4 week probably.
When I did start watering, I only watered one side of the pot to allow most of the soil to stay relatively dry. You might want to try just watering lightly on opposite sides of the pot once it has dried out sufficiently.

I wish you luck