New Grower First Grow - Iranian Autoflower (fem) in hydro

[low_and_slow]

3 plants truckin' along. Still can't seem to track down any lime...2 hardware stores were out, guess I'm going to Home Despot to try to get a bag. I picked up a General Organics "GO Box" at the hydro store...I'll save my GH 3 part for the hydro setup (strawberries) and use the organic line for my soil setup (canna). I should get around to posting some pics...

http://generalhydroponics.com/site/index.php/products/general_organics/go_box/ <---only cost $40 and it should be good for at least 6-8 plants worth of grows

 

[low_and_slow]

My order from automatic seeds came tonight...I'm super stoked, I put 2 purple Jems in water to soak tonight, I'll grow them alongside the Iranians and see if I can't get one or both of them to come out female. Really excited!

 

[Muddy]

Also check nurseries and garden centers. They should have the lime.

 

[low_and_slow]

yeah, Loews had it...it just wasn't at the place near my house...either of them.

On another note, can anyone offer some advice? I'm thinking these things are a little worse for wear, and I can't figure out why...

The 2 cups w/Perlite showing are LW + added Perlite, the one without is Coco/Perlite mixed
Blackstar 240w light on 18/6 - 25" from the rim of the cups
Only watering with PH'ed tap water that has sat for 48hrs or more - watering about 1/4c every 2 days...just enough to see some runoff start to drip
Grow closet temps are about 75 degrees, small circ fan on 100% of the time, door open all day, house AC set to 70*
Humidity has been in the low 90's, high 80's for the last few days, but I run the AC all day long, so it's not AS bad inside as outside, but still high.

I gave them a tiny mist with PH'ed water this evening, hence why they're wet. They've been droopy for the last few days, and I can't seem to correlate the soft leaves and droopiness with either over or under watering. The spots on the lower leaves concern me, as does the droopiness. Last time I watered before the misting was Tuesday morning.

I'm not really sure what the issue is, but any assistance would be appreciated. If I left out any details, let me know. I'm measuring PH with a chemical shaker kit, aiming for just slightly under 7 in terms of color.

 

[Killijin]

To me it definitely looks like underwatering, at this point you should be saturating the cup and allowing it to dry out between waterings. The root system for a seedling that size should be more than halfway penetrated through the cup and I am pretty sure but not positive, rootbound to the cup already. If you are only misting the tops the plant's root system is not getting an adequate supply. Autoflower roots, grow like dandelion weeds with absurdly fast growth if taken care of properly. Secondly, I wouldn't mist these plants outside of a dark period, I am unfamiliar with your lighting in this grow, but light will refract like a prism in water droplets, causing hot spots, which MAY be causing your leaf spotting. Try to get a closer picture of the leaf spots for confirmation.

 

[low_and_slow]

Well, the mist was that one time thing...I have been fully saturating the cup until I see runoff start to trickle about every 36-48 hours.

 

[Scott817]

looks like overwatering to me. This is a pretty normal problem with new growers. Let the soil dry out between waterings. They should stand back up and straighten out. You dont need to flood them to that point either so maybe use like half the amount you have been using.

 

[low_and_slow]

How much water would you pour into an 18oz party cup? I'm thinking like 6-8 ounces per watering, every 48-72 hours...?

 

[Killijin]

Well, I was going to say I have no idea what you have been doing for a watering schedule, but now that I know, you are overwatering. Fill up a cup of the same soil or soilless mix you are using. Feel the weight. Feel the cup wet. When it feels close to the dry cup, you re-water. 2 days is excessive, it will take longer for that younger root system to use all that water. You should be watering only about 5 oz (give or take 1 depending on the composition of your mix) to completely saturate the cup and have about 10% run off. You really need to let the root system dry out now to avoid root rot and premature death.
I have never personally overwatered a plant yet ( knocks on wood) but it is a highly common mistake to us, FNGs. Hope this helps.

 

[low_and_slow]

Thanks K, I appreciate the advice, I'll do the "dry cup" comparison...shoot for about 5-7oz of water per week.