2 weeks old:should be bigger?got pics

[mojomon]

Do these plants look like they should @ 2 weeks? Seems like they might be growing a little slow. There was some nutrient burn early on, so I flushed and it seems to be gone. Growth just seems a little slow. Any input is appreciated--
(please see my other posts on "general indoor growing" under "mojomon")

Thanks,
Mojo

 

[bizzy323]

Do you have any nuts in the system now? Also how far is your light from the top of the plants?

 

[mojomon]

Using just "base" nutrient (1&1/4 teaspoon per 5 gallon reservoir). MH grow light ("conversion" bulb used in 400w hps ballast) @ 3 feet from top of plants. Just installed the mylar all around on walls today. I have ordered a chiller for the res, as the ambient room temp never goes much below 80 degrees F.
Planning on changiing out res and adding "Maxigro" "grow" nutrients in a few days. Roots are now visible through bottom of net pots and resting in NFT solution as it flows through.

 

[GanjaGuru]

I'm thinking along the same lines as bizzy323.

My seedlings are about the same size at 5--6 days.

I noticed that some leaf tips are dead. That indicates a nutrient imbalance. I suggest flushing/purging the system and starting with fresh water, pH adjusted to 5.5.
Dose with a quality full-spectrum veg nutrient.

And the light seems too high.

 

[mojomon]

Guru:
Have already flushed earlier this week with pH balanced water for 24 hours. Burn seems to have stopped at bottom leaves and has not progressed. I am using distilled water, pH balanced and mixed with small amount of nutrients. I was hesitant to move the light any lower for fear of burning them up, but I will try moving it down to 2 feet and see what happens. The guide that came with my system says I should be giving them the nutrient dose they have right now at this stage in the grow cycle, but as this is my first grow, I don't know what is actually correct---
Thanks for your info and assistance--
Mojo

 

[bizzy323]

mojo don't follow the grow guide that came with the system that grow guide is for growing tomatoes not marijuana. I did the samething on my frist grow and i messed up my plants. you shouldn't have any base or anything in your system for aleast the frist 2-3weeks does nuts that come with the system are crap. run your system with clean balanced water nothing else for a week until you start giving them maxi grow. Also bring your light down as much as possible, put your hand on the top of the plants and if you feel hit then it's too much down. I start off at 2ft and go down until i feel hit on top of the plants. I think 3ft is too far for mh. good luck

 

[mojomon]

Thanks--brought the light down to 18 inches above tops. Will start flushing tomorrow, and my nutes should be arriving around middle of next week, so I will add maxi gro then. I guess the first grow is always a learning experience...
If these all turn out to be males after all of this, I think my head will explode :}

The pic shows the new light position---

 

[bizzy323]

they will be fine just don't rush on the nuts or you will burn your plants.

 

[bizzy323]

what strain are you growing anyways?

 

[mojomon]

Thanks bizzy--
Did you say that you had used this NFT system before? If so, what was your final yield like? Were you happy with the result, and did you continue to use it as your grow method? I'm starting to wonder if I might have done better going with an ebb & flow or drip system instead.

 

[mojomon]

I'm growing 3 plants of Global Northern Light and 3 of Starlight. Got them from a seed company in Amsterdam. I have some called Master Haze, but I am waiting to try growing that when I have a little more experience.

 

[GanjaGuru]

Whoa whoa whoa there podner--dropping the light from 3' to 18" just like that could burn up your plants.

 

[mojomon]

Okay, I just brought it back to 2 feet. How long before I move closer?

 

[bizzy323]

How hot is it inside your grow room? Just keep it at 2ft for now don't worry about putting it down let the plants grow alittle then put it down another 5-6inches down see if you feel any heat.

 

[mojomon]

The area around the plants stays between 75-80 degrees, and the overall room temp usually 80-85 degrees. I'm in a hot climate so summer temps are really cooking now. I have central air conditioning (house ambient temp never gets much above 75 degrees), and I keep the grow room intake and exhaust fans (as well as the oscillating fan) running 24/7. I will be installing an IceProbe aquarium chiller in my 5 gallon res next week, as I am a little worried that the high water temp may be impeding growth.
Got the light at 2 feet and will leave it there till plants mature a bit.

Question: I have a 400w hps that the guide says should be used once I go to flower stage. Is this correct? I've heard MH can be used from start to harvest.

 

[bizzy323]

Mojo that is correct, you can use either mh or hps from start to finish, but you get better yield if you use mh for veg and hps for flower, so use mh for veg and hps for flower if you have it, if not it's still fine don't worry. Also the temps seem fine to me and the plants look great for 2weeks, mine are way slower for 2weeks, maybe i'm growing in soil thats why. peace

 

[mojomon]

Cool, I will switch to HPS for flower (hope they make it!). Glad to hear they look good for 2 weeks, I was thinking they should be alot bigger. Right now they seem stable and healthy for the most part, so I will just proceed with caution. Man, this is like raising a kid! Nature, nurture, etc...
Much appreciation for the guidance---
mOjO
P.S.: I am having trouble downloading an image into to my profile so it displays when I post like yours and everyone else's. Not sure what I am doing wrong, as KB size is small enough. Any suggestions?

 

[bizzy323]

I choose mine from the ones they have over here, so I don't know can't help you on that.

 

[mariofromontario]

hey mojo .. your plants look fine for 2 weeks, to me , considering the problem at the start.

 

[mariofromontario]

hey mojo .. your plants look fine for 2 weeks, to me , considering the problem at the start, they look great.. Im only guessing, but i think you waited around the right amount of time to drop your lights. The roots were having a hard go. Id wait until the roots have a good start in the trays before dropping the light to 12 inches, or whatever gives you best coverage. like guru said.
youre res is dark, and well lit. try keeping it shaded. when yo get youre chiller, keep in mind your res will condensate.
. If water temp gets above 70 plant growth will slow,(less oxegen) but worse yet pathogens and a host of other root eaters will thrive.. i hate to be a hydrogen pusher, but i really recomend using hydrogen peroxide. at least until you have a few crops under your belt. This will minimize warm water problems. you could increase youre res size to slow down temp, ph and food swings. you picked a tricky way to grow, Nft is hard, i worked at a hydroponics store for a few years and ive heared stuff about things. it is a great way to grow, im sure you will work out the bugs. and if you ever wanna change methods you can easily covert your system to a drip system, or even ebb and flow, you do however have it set up for (im my opinion) the best of the three. All sytems that you buy are just shells, drip and ebb and flow still need all the extra crap an nft does to really benefit from growing hydroponically. TAKE CARE
MARIO .