# New to indoors, plants dying, need help.



## jaytee (Nov 24, 2014)

Around 3 weeks ago I planted 5 seeds, I'm using a halogen bulb, and maintain a steady temperature of 75°. I am using miracle grow soil and have cardboard taped around 3 sides of the growing area to keep light in. 

About 4 days ago I notice one of the plants start wilting, the next day it was dead. Yesterday another started wilting and today it was dead. 

I have 3 plants left, and I would really like to stop them from doing the same thing, could anybody give me any advice?


----------



## Rosebud (Nov 24, 2014)

Get them out of Miracle grow soil. It is pre-nuted and doesn't work for marijuana. Are you near home depot, etc?


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 24, 2014)

Halogen light will not grow plants.  We can use CFLs, Fluorescents, metal halide, high pressure sodium, and LED....but not halogen.  The MG soil is problematic, too, especially if this is the kind with moisture crystals and nutrients already in it.

Do you have the money to buy some kind of grow light?  Tell us more about your space and the exact type of miracle grow you planted in.  We will advise you on the soil when we hear back about the light.  Unless you can buy a some kind of light to grow with (and if using CFLs or fluorescents if you can buy enough of them as it takes a chunk of them) transplanting will be a useless endeavor.


----------



## Rosebud (Nov 24, 2014)

THG, Jaytee has given me permission to tell us that he is pretty broke. He doesn't feel he can afford new soil. He asked me about lights in a pm but looks like you covered that.
I guess the bottom line is how can  this grow be saved?  I told him about the Kelloggs that you use, how much is it?


----------



## jaytee (Nov 24, 2014)

I attached a picture of it. 
Right now the only lights I have are the halogen and a uvb 100. 

View attachment 1416866595844.jpg


----------



## Rosebud (Nov 24, 2014)

Can you show us the bag of what you used to plant in?  That light isn't going to work.  It takes some money to do a decent indoor grow. It can be done on the cheap and lots of people do it. But I don't have much hope for your grow, and I am sorry about that. Maybe others will have ideas.


----------



## jaytee (Nov 24, 2014)

This 

View attachment 1416867316177.jpg


----------



## Rosebud (Nov 24, 2014)

Seedlings don't need any food or it will burn them.  LIke I said some people can grow with that but not many. You have a lot of other issues like lights, and the box would need to be painted white, and you are just not ready yet. Get the right stuff and have success. Save your money.  Sorry to tell you bad news. Maybe someone else will be more positive.


----------



## Lesso (Nov 24, 2014)

So...a couple of things that the others didnt get to yet. The pots you use...they should block light, those are translucent letting light into the root zone...bad for a number of reasons. I assume they have holes in them for drainage? Yes paint the cardboard white if that is what you want to use, at this stage its not necessary because they have no useable light, which is probably why they wilt and die....a cfl bulb would be much better and would need to be much closer...and they need a bit of airflow over them.  We will help you when you are ready ($).


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 25, 2014)

I don't want to sound heartless here, but the bottom line is that if you cannot get good lighting, this is a futile effort.  I do feel bad for people trying to grow on a shoestring, but the truth of the matter is that you cannot.  Growing cannabis takes a certain investment of money.  You absolutely have to get rid of that light right now!  I cannot over stress how important this is at this point.  Can you afford to go out and get some CFLs?  

You do need to get some kind of reflective surface on the cardboard.  As it is it is rather useless as the light is not reflected but absorbed by the brown cardboard.  Like lesso also mentioned, you need to get something around the containers--you do not want light entering your medium.  

So, if you can afford to get some lights, we can probably help you out.  But this is going to take some investment of money.  Look around your place and see if you have anything you are not using that you can sell, ask for cash for Christmas.  Eight-10 42W CFLs would take you through vegging.  Let us know what you can spend right now, because if you do not get another kind of light over the plants, they will continue to decline.


----------



## Bswe22 (Nov 25, 2014)

How about going to Goodwill or something and getting a old shop light and putting some cool white (5000K) bulbs in it? That should be pretty cheap and get you by.


----------



## Locked (Nov 25, 2014)

That soil is fine and I use it all the time. It is the only MG soil that works well because it does not have the time release nutrients in it or the moisture control.  If those pots don't have drainage holes in them that will be a problem.  That light is not going to work like THG already mentioned.  Get some CFL's for now if you can't get anything else and get the light down closer.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 26, 2014)

Great suggestion Bwse.  Habitat for Humanity has places that they sell used building supplies in most cities now.  There are probably other charitable organizations that have similar stores.  These type places always have fluorescent tube lighting and I have even seen T5s there.


----------



## Wetdog (Nov 26, 2014)

jaytee said:


> I attached a picture of it.
> Right now the only lights I have are the halogen and a uvb 100.



Neither one of those lights are worth a squat.

CFL's would be an improvement, T-5 HO's a bigger improvement. Plain old T-12 'shop lights' would work better than what you have, which don't work at all.

Wet


----------



## highsenburg420 (Dec 2, 2014)

You can get a 2 cu. Ft. Bag of ocean forest or happy frog for around 15 bucks where I'm at.. A few cfls..maybe 25 bucks with adapters. If you can afford 60ish bucks that would be your best bet. Good luck man, feel free to pm if you need advice


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 3, 2014)

A few cfls can get him going, but not much more.  After 2-3 weeks he is going to need more.  Unfortunately, this is NOT a hobby that you can do successfully for $60...


----------



## highsenburg420 (Dec 3, 2014)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> A few cfls can get him going, but not much more.  After 2-3 weeks he is going to need more.  Unfortunately, this is NOT a hobby that you can do successfully for $60...


Trust me, I know. My room has close to $4800 Invested into it, not including genetics and there is a lot I still would like to do to it. I was simply pointing him in the right direction


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 4, 2014)

We should add that cravat though--he can buy them but they are only going to work for a short time.  Anyone serious about this hobby needs to step up to at least T5s, IMO.  CFLs and T8 and 12 shop lights just cost more and produce less than any other lights we use.  Unfortunately, unless someone has the mean to go beyond buying a few CFLs, they are not going to be able to have a successful grow indoors.


----------

