New Grower, Bubble Setup, Help Please

I'm a first time grower. I try so freaking hard (probably too hard) and always kill plants. I'm also on a cell phone, so I can only be descriptive,no way of posting pictures, which sucks; got some good ones on here. This is my second attempt to post from it, first time never showed up. Fingers crossed, typing all this is tedious as hell.

One thing I need to say first, is that if you are going to respond with "you need to read up" I've tried, youre not helping the site with posts like that. I google all day long on my phone every problem I see with my plants, and when I click a link to any site, and see those answers, its just a waste of my data usage.

Does that make sense?

My setup:
18 gallon tote filed with tap water and currently 12 drops superthrive
2 ' lights of america' fluorescent plant lights model 7020, 118v 60hz 20w
Double outlet aqua culture air pump 20-60 gallon
My medium is rainbow fish tank rocks
72° air, 70° water
There are 6- 4"pots, 4 clones and 2 seedlings
P h at 6.8
Fan blowing fresh air into closet

hmmmm, what else.. I have miracle grow watering can packets 24-8-16, 1 packet power 2 gallons. (haven't used this stuff, just asking opinions on using products I already have, and some one can tell me exactly what else I should buy)
And regular expert- 15-30-15


Anyway, I have a long back story to how I got the mother plant, but I've typed ita few times now and don't think its necessary info. Just need to know the parents were stressed to death in a transfer and I clipped 4 clones before it died. They started limp as could be and mostly dryed out. Had them on a 16/8 light cycle. They came out of it beautifully, tall and strong for the first 4 days.
Today I when I got back from work they were limp and slightly yellowing. I checked the water, it needed changed. Flushed the pots changed the water, scrubbed the tote. Refilled with tap water, added 12 drops superthrive and 2 jungle brand correct ph tank buddies (one for every 10 gallons). Increased light; added 65w ' grow and show' 120v light bulb in one of those metal shop lamp things (i can't think of the correct wording, lol).

Some leaves are still limp-6 hours later, although there is def improvement.

Here are all the problems that I can see..
The new leaves are long, darker green, thin, and not really opening..?
Purple steaks on the stems- not sure if this is a nute deficiency or strain
Top nodes of clones are still limp
And my under a microscope I can see my poor seedlings first leaves have burnt tips..

So my questions are,
What else should I change, purchase, or do to make sure these make it to flowering? I can't look it up, my phone bil is goin to be outrageous as it is with all the research I've been doing.Any help greatly appreciated.


I've posted this last night in hydroponics forum, but no responses , so I'm hoping maybe here.

Hydro pH at 6.8? Shouldn't that be 5.8? And you need way more light. Never use a 'gro n sho' or any other incandescent light. Get some CFLs at the minimum.

Man i av researched the red stem thing and its apperantly lack of nitrogen as is yellowing of the leaves, by the sounds of it u are using enough but eh this is cannabis since wen was this ever gonna b easy for a beginer, pain in the ass i no !!! I allso read miracle grow is called miracle coz its a miracle anythink grows in it ( cannabis especially ) never used it so dont no about there nutes or soil,, sympathys 2 ya man i hope u suss ur probs soon so u can get on wiv chongin instead of worying. L8rs

f1bud said:

man i av researched the red stem thing and its apperantly lack of nitrogen as is yellowing of the leaves, by the sounds of it u are using enough but eh this is cannabis since wen was this ever gonna b easy for a beginer, pain in the ass i no !!! I allso read miracle grow is called miracle coz its a miracle anythink grows in it ( cannabis especially ) never used it so dont no about there nutes or soil,, sympathys 2 ya man i hope u suss ur probs soon so u can get on wiv chongin instead of worying. L8rs

Click to expand...

ps the other dude is rite invest in better lighting and ur on to a good start

thanks!, soo I'm broke til next thursday, what can I do in the mean time to lower ph? I've read some stuff on apple cider vinegar?

I'd google and re-google quick fix homemade remedies and find the one with the most backed up info. I use pH DOWN from Gen. Hydro. It's phosphoric acid or something.

Kno what ur goin thru tryna get started on a low budget man....white vinegar to lower ph and baking soda to raise it......as far as lighting? Go to home depot ASAP and get 4 23w6500k daylight cfls...they should run u under 12 bucks...ud be amazed at how much growth u can get out of those little suckers....

This is only to start u off til u get more bread, but it should at least hold u for a couple weeks and if u keep the bulbs within 3" from the babies they'll stay short and bushy for ya...

Jus my two cents man, hope it works out for you

Why does everyone assume I'm a guy?

New problem, I checked out the cuts, noroots at all still.. Its been 4 days? How long does it take without rooting powder or jell?, what can I get at walmart to feed rootless clones and a 1" seedling? ... How I envy people that think this is easy..

With no cloning powder or anything then it may not root at all. It's tricky to get it down. If it doesn't start making roots soon then it may not ever.

You shouldn't need to feed a 1" seedling anything unless it's soilless, then.. well nothing at wal mart is going to be good at all.

Well, in the order I'd work on it from given a tight budget:
1. Get the PH down 5.5-6.3. Yes, vinegar (use distilled white vinegar) will work to go down, and run of the mill Baking Soda will bring it up, though later I'd suggest getting a pH control kit.
2. Get some serious lighting power on it. +1 CFL's on your budget, get HPS later if you can. Ideal amount is around 40watts/square foot- get what you can afford now, get 'em close as you dare without burning, and add more later when the budget allows. IE 3x3 grow area = minimum of 360 watts of power for your lights.
3. Avoid "Nute" soup. Sounds like you need cheap, simple, and reliable. - "Lucas formula", low light variation: 5ml/gallon GH FloraMicro, and 10ml/gallon GH's FloraBloom. (Normal Lighting; 8ml/16ml).

hey man u shud get sum ph down solution nd raise ur lights if possible u shud put under cfl thn go to hps im doing a grow under 600watt seedlings nd they strong but ive been growing for lil bit

Okay, ran to the store today to get rooting formula, because this morning 3/4 clones are wilted. When I checked where the cut was made, the stem looks like a straw? If that m makes sense? The skin on the outside of the stem that sits in the water was unhealthy looking. So, got bontone rooting powder, and 20-20-20 water soluble all purpose mirical gro. ( know m.g. Sucks, but I figured better than nothing?) So what do I do? Cut more off before adding the powder? Then is it okay to put them back into the bubbleponic set up? Going to flush the rocks out well, and possibly change the water in the tote again..?

What I've done today:
Drove to earl may, got rooting powder and miracle gro 20-20-20 water soluble.
Took out all the pots (i didn't use real net pots.. I used clear 3"deep plastic drop cup things found in lawn & garden at walmart, just took a knife and made holes/slits everywhere)
Took the clones out of the pots and washed them off gently, and sprayed them good with garden safe fungicide3
Let the clones sit in glasses of fresh water while I rinsed the rocks and pots ready good.
Dumped out the old water, refilled with freak tap water, and added just 1 1/2 teaspoons of the m.g. and 7 drops of super thrive
Dropped the pots back in the tote lid, flipped it over and ran an air hose through all the pots (so the air house at the bottom)
Cut the bottoms off the clones, shaved a little of the skin off and dipped them in the clone powder
Carefully re-potted the clones, making sure not to rub off the powder



Before today my seedling was sharing the same tote as the clones, buti moved it to a plastic folgers can, just cut a hole big enough to drop the pot in and added i ts own air pump, And 1 drop superthrive.

So, my ph is high still, things I have on hand : lemon juice, applecider vinegar , white distilled vinegar. How much per gallon, per day, of what to get it down? Its around 7.3.. I know, way high, but I can never seem to get it down..


I do anything right today?