Please help a novice in distress

[IsanFarmer]

I'm currently on day 18 of my first grow. I'm growing 2 Hindu Kush and 1 Northern Lights. I started in plastic cups but the Hindu Kush plants became root bound so I transferred all of the plants 3 days ago to 5 gallon pots. My plants look quite healthy but the problem I have is that they don't seem to have got any taller in the last week. If you look at the close up photos you'll see that the Hindu Kush plants have a whole bunch of nodes in the same place which I can't understand. Also, the Northern Lights plant seems so small compared to the others even though this is also an Indica strain. What am I doing wrong? I was thinking that I might need to top the two Hindu Kush plants because this is causing the problem with the node bunching but aren't they a little small to be topped now?

I'm using a Mars Hydro FC-E4800 at 24" and 50% power. 18 and 6 hours. The temperature and RH is constantly 76 to 80 Fahrenheit and 50% to 70% respectively. I've got three fans on constantly. Two oscillating fans, and a 6" Spider Farmer exhaust fan on speed 3. Everybody says it's better to underwater than overwater but I think I may have underwatered too much and this has stunted their growth? I've been using molasses and liquid seaweed to feed them and I've just given them about 2 litres of water each. I've just ordered the Fox Farm nutrients trio and some Cal Mag and they should be delivered in the next few days so I'll start using them as soon as they come. Why do my plants look like this or are they normal at this stage and I just need to be patient?

 

[SHiNi]

What medium you using ?

 

[SHiNi]

It happend to me I was advised to flush since my concentration of molasses to water was too high it caused my ph to swing heavy and caused nutrient lockout Nitrogen mostly.I flushed my medium and watered with kelpak and that fixed my girl in a day.Molasses is sugers for microbes in the soil. It should be used once a week or once 2 weeks but not with every watering since it is high in potassium and is needed mostly in flower and not so much in veg.Thats my 2c.

 

[IsanFarmer]

What medium you using ?

I'm using 50% of this, 25% earth worm castings and 25% perlite. The options for soil where I am are very limited.

 

[IsanFarmer]

It happend to me I was advised to flush since my concentration of molasses to water was too high it caused my ph to swing heavy and caused nutrient lockout Nitrogen mostly.I flushed my medium and watered with kelpak and that fixed my girl in a day.Molasses is sugers for microbes in the soil. It should be used once a week or once 2 weeks but not with every watering since it is high in potassium and is needed mostly in flower and not so much in veg.Thats my 2c.

I hope that's not true because I've just given them another 2 litres of water each with molasses and liquid seaweed. I put 1 tablespoon of molasses and 6 millilitres of seaweed in 6 litres of water.

 

[SHiNi]

Since you started to feed the molasses water did they start to become a lighter shade of green?

 

[IsanFarmer]

Since you started to feed the molasses water did they start to become a lighter shade of green?

I hate to say it but yes, I was thinking that the leaves had gone a little lighter. I thought that feeding molasses during early veg was ok because I've seen successful growers doing so on You Tube but perhaps not. I've got the Fox Farm nutrients on the way so maybe I'll flush before I start using them. I'll wait to see if anybody else gives me some advice on this though.

 

[Trash_2002]

Hey there @IsanFarmer , Afghani Hindu Kush are notable for being short and stocky/branchy, had grown some in the past, amazing terpenes profiles, amazing genetic overall. I would not top them yet, wait for when they are 6-9" hight.
You're in for a great one!

They look hungry and underwater to me, I mean you need to soak the whole media so the roots can grow into it, they don't grow into dry media, than let the soil dry back before the next watering (first 2inches of soil is bone dry water again to 5-10% runoff).

When your nutrients arrive do a 1/4 strength feed per week. The next watering between feeds can be with molasses only 15ml/5L and no nutrients. Adjust nutrients strength reading how they look slowly.
Between 3-4 days dry back.cycles is pretty good for organic soil.

Also relax and have fun learning to read them, they gonna thrive for sure just be a little patient

 

[Trash_2002]

NEVER flush organic soil, please don't go that route they are hungry!!!! It's not the molasses the problem. Do a good soak with water to 10% run off. They could be hungry because the soil is too dry and roots are too small and having a hard time growing and taking up more nutrients, also check my other post, cheers.

I hate to say it but yes, I was thinking that the leaves had gone a little lighter. I thought that feeding molasses during early veg was ok because I've seen successful growers doing so on You Tube but perhaps not. I've got the Fox Farm nutrients on the way so maybe I'll flush before I start using them. I'll wait to see if anybody else gives me some advice on this though.

 

[IsanFarmer]

Hey there @IsanFarmer , Afghani Hindu Kush are notable for being short and stocky/branchy, had grown some in the past, amazing terpenes profiles, amazing genetic overall. I would not top them yet, wait for when they are 6-9" hight.
You're in for a great one!

They look hungry and underwater to me, I mean you need to soak the whole media so the roots can grow into it, they don't grow into dry media, than let the soil dry back before the next watering (first 2inches of soil is bone dry water again to 5-10% runoff).
When your nutrients arrive do a 1/4 strength feed per week. The next watering between feeds can be with molasses only 15ml/5L and no nutrients.
Between 3-4 days dry back.cycles is pretty good for organic soil.

Also relax and have fun learning to read them, they gonna thrive for sure just be a little patient

Thanks for your advice and yes, I do think I have been massively underwatering my girls, I've watered them today but prior to that I've only given them a litre of water each since transplanting 3 days ago. You're saying that when I water them I have to do so until I have some run off? And you say these Hindu Kush plants look completely normal? That's a weight off my mind but the Northern Lights plant looks so small in comparison and that can't be normal but by the sound of it that's because it's so hungry?

 

[Trash_2002]

When the plants are starting you have to focus on root grow slowly soak/saturate the entire media and from there it can take a week for next watering, but now you can control your 3-4 days drybacks and how much water to give them to maintain a good not too wet not too dry media for them for the rest of their lives.
That's the way to go with organic media.
I think you get what I'm saying. ;-)

 

[ArtfulCodger]

Here's my guess.

That's a lot of light for plants that small. Those would still be under a 2-foot T5 seedling light in my garden. The light level is holding the plants down. They're literally staying low to reduce how much light they have to process. They're light colored because the nutrient uptake can't keep up with the light level. I'd move your light to the top of the tent and dim it down to 10 or 15 percent. When the tops are praying an hour before lights-out, it will be time to turn the lights up a bit.

About over and under watering: Over-watering is watering too often, not giving too much water at one time. In soil, I water to run-off when the pots get light. You're in big pots for the size of the plants, so your correct watering frequency should be a lot longer than you might expect.

 

[Imzzaudae]

Get yourself some PH test strips and test your water. Then test your Fertilizer solution. When you flush the Molasses test the run off.
See where your at. I looked up your potting medium but could not find anything on it. So you need to do a little ground work.

When growing one must make up his mind weather he is going to grow organic or grow with man made chemical fertilizers with NPK numbers on the bottle. Anything with an NPK is designed to bypass the natural food web and feed the plant directly rather than feeding living soil and having the life in the soil provide the plant. These are 2 different systems.

I'd suggest that you flush the molasses out of your pots.
For the next 2 weeks treat these plants as seedlings. Feed something like 5-15-5 once a week. This will help get the roots going so they can handle the next phase. Mix 1/2 tsp of Cal-Mag in 1 gallon of water. Add the 5-15-5 Water with this solution twice 7 days apart. You can keep it in a jug with a lid.

7 days later. Switch to a higher nitrogen mix 1/2 strength.
Mix 1/2 tsp of Cal-Mag in 1 gallon of water. Add the Nitrogen fertilizer, measure carefully. 1/2 strength!
Water with this once a week for 3-4 weeks then up the Nitrogen fertilizer to full strength.
You can mix a gallon and keep it in a jug with a lid on it and use it once a week. Then make more when needed.
Your plants should take off and grow.

This should get you going.
Maybe turn the light down a bit more. These plants are very compact.
This is usually caused but very high light conditions. They are very young, give them springtime light rather than Dog days of summer.

 

[Trash_2002]

Here's my guess.

That's a lot of light for plants that small. Those would still be under a 2-foot T5 seedling light in my garden. The light level is holding the plants down. They're literally staying low to reduce how much light they have to process. They're light colored because the nutrient uptake can't keep up with the light level. I'd move your light to the top of the tent and dim it down to 10 or 15 percent. When the tops are praying an hour before lights-out, it will be time to turn the lights up a bit.

About over and under watering: Over-watering is watering too often, not giving too much water at one time. In soil, I water to run-off when the pots get light. You're in big pots for the size of the plants, so your correct watering frequency should be a lot longer than you might expect.

Let's be a little more scientific, install photone app and calibrate it to your light model ppfd chart. From there with the app calibrated your plants can be taking easily 300ppfd at canopy level for this stage. That's a better approach to light intensity in modern days, much easier too :-)

 

[Trash_2002]

Get yourself some PH test strips and test your water. Then test your Fertilizer solution. When you flush the Molasses test the run off.
See where your at. I looked up your potting medium but could not find anything on it. So you need to do a little ground work.

When growing one must make up his mind weather he is going to grow organic or grow with man made chemical fertilizers with NPK numbers on the bottle. Anything with an NPK is designed to bypass the natural food web and feed the plant directly rather than feeding living soil and having the life in the soil provide the plant. These are 2 different systems.

I'd suggest that you flush the molasses out of your pots.
For the next 2 weeks treat these plants as seedlings. Feed something like 5-15-5 once a week. This will help get the roots going so they can handle the next phase. Mix 1/2 tsp of Cal-Mag in 1 gallon of water. Add the 5-15-5 Water with this solution twice 7 days apart. You can keep it in a jug with a lid.

7 days later. Switch to a higher nitrogen mix 1/2 strength.
Mix 1/2 tsp of Cal-Mag in 1 gallon of water. Add the Nitrogen fertilizer, measure carefully. 1/2 strength!
Water with this once a week for 3-4 weeks then up the Nitrogen fertilizer to full strength.
You can mix a gallon and keep it in a jug with a lid on it and use it once a week. Then make more when needed.
Your plants should take off and grow.

This should get you going.
Maybe turn the light down a bit more. These plants are very compact.
This is usually caused but very high light conditions. They are very young, give them springtime light rather than Dog days of summer.

May I ask why flush organics media and molasses? You gonna take a lot of the carbon out, essential for a organic media to flourish. IMHO bad advice.

 

[Trash_2002]

People have a tendency to overcomplicate with cannabis growing, KISS method is always best, I've teached/helped dozens of people grow there plants during my life, KISS always superior in everyway, me for example used full advanced nutrients organic chart in 2006 with amazing results, push to the present, nowadays using only 3 products I get better yields and quality than 2006, just food for thought.
Keep it simple stupid method always.

 

[Trash_2002]

May I ask why flush organics media and molasses? You gonna take a lot of the carbon out, essential for a organic media to flourish. IMHO bad advice.

What I would do is replace molasses to a pure humic acid product, did it many years ago, more carbon and many more benefits than molasses, the microherd in the soil like humic acid more than molasses in the long run.

1 grow fert for veg 1x per week
1 bloom fert and/or flower booster for flowering 1x per week
1 pure humic acid liquid bottle 1x per week. (The in between feeds watering would be with this)
And that's it.
If you want to be advanced kiss method add a myco product like great white, recharge or mycos every 2 weeks.

 

[IsanFarmer]

Here's my guess.

That's a lot of light for plants that small. Those would still be under a 2-foot T5 seedling light in my garden. The light level is holding the plants down. They're literally staying low to reduce how much light they have to process. They're light colored because the nutrient uptake can't keep up with the light level. I'd move your light to the top of the tent and dim it down to 10 or 15 percent. When the tops are praying an hour before lights-out, it will be time to turn the lights up a bit.

About over and under watering: Over-watering is watering too often, not giving too much water at one time. In soil, I water to run-off when the pots get light. You're in big pots for the size of the plants, so your correct watering frequency should be a lot longer than you might expect.

I've got the lights set up this way because both the manufacturer and many of the channels I follow on You Tube say this is what you should do with this light at this stage. I'm not naïve enough to think that that makes it conclusive but with the greatest respect your opinion with the light seems contrary to what I'm being told? I have seen videos where growers keep the light up much higher but most seem to have at a similar distance to me at 50% power? I have turned it down to 25% this evening though to see if it makes any difference so thanks for your advice.

Get yourself some PH test strips and test your water. Then test your Fertilizer solution. When you flush the Molasses test the run off.
See where your at. I looked up your potting medium but could not find anything on it. So you need to do a little ground work.

When growing one must make up his mind weather he is going to grow organic or grow with man made chemical fertilizers with NPK numbers on the bottle. Anything with an NPK is designed to bypass the natural food web and feed the plant directly rather than feeding living soil and having the life in the soil provide the plant. These are 2 different systems.

I'd suggest that you flush the molasses out of your pots.
For the next 2 weeks treat these plants as seedlings. Feed something like 5-15-5 once a week. This will help get the roots going so they can handle the next phase. Mix 1/2 tsp of Cal-Mag in 1 gallon of water. Add the 5-15-5 Water with this solution twice 7 days apart. You can keep it in a jug with a lid.

7 days later. Switch to a higher nitrogen mix 1/2 strength.
Mix 1/2 tsp of Cal-Mag in 1 gallon of water. Add the Nitrogen fertilizer, measure carefully. 1/2 strength!
Water with this once a week for 3-4 weeks then up the Nitrogen fertilizer to full strength.
You can mix a gallon and keep it in a jug with a lid on it and use it once a week. Then make more when needed.
Your plants should take off and grow.

This should get you going.
Maybe turn the light down a bit more. These plants are very compact.
This is usually caused but very high light conditions. They are very young, give them springtime light rather than Dog days of summer.

I really appreciate your advice but you need to understand I am a novice and therefore don't understand some of what you've said. The water for my last two feeds was adjusted to 6.6 and 6.4 respectively. Are you trying to tell me that I can't mix the way that I have been feeding so far with the nutrients that I am yet to receive because one method (molasses and seaweed) is organic, and the Fox Farm nutrients are synthetic? I'm showing my ignorance here because I really had no idea that was true! As for nutrients and NPK ratios, do I have to look for a product that is already 5-15-5 or can I make this up myself? That may sound like a really dumb question but I am a newbie. I live in a country where it is difficult to get nutrients and I can't find any on the Internet here with that ration.

Also, I don't understand some of your directions?

Mix 1/2 tsp of Cal-Mag in 1 gallon of water. Add the 5-15-5 Water with this solution twice 7 days apart.

Could you explain the above in more detail please because I don't understand this bit? I'm waiting for the Fox Farm trio to arrive but you're saying they're no good to me right now?

 

[Trash_2002]

I've got the lights set up this way because both the manufacturer and many of the channels I follow on You Tube say this is what you should do with this light at this stage. I'm not naïve enough to think that that makes it conclusive but with the greatest respect your opinion with the light seems contrary to what I'm being told? I have seen videos where growers keep the light up much higher but most seem to have at a similar distance to me at 50% power? I have turned it down to 25% this evening though to see if it makes any difference so thanks for your advice.




I really appreciate your advice but you need to understand I am a novice and therefore don't understand some of what you've said. The water for my last two feeds was adjusted to 6.6 and 6.4 respectively. Are you trying to tell me that I can't mix the way that I have been feeding so far with the nutrients that I am yet to receive because one method (molasses and seaweed) is organic, and the Fox Farm nutrients are synthetic? I'm showing my ignorance here because I really had no idea that was true! As for nutrients and NPK ratios, do I have to look for a product that is already 5-15-5 or can I make this up myself? That may sound like a really dumb question but I am a newbie. I live in a country where it is difficult to get nutrients and I can't find any on the Internet here with that ration.

Also, I don't understand some of your directions?



Could you explain the above in more detail please because I don't understand this bit? I'm waiting for the Fox Farm trio to arrive but you're saying they're no good to me right now?

Your fox farm trio will be plenty and perfect.
Start 1/4 recommend dose 1x per week and go from there ( only up nutrients dose if needed) post plants progress here.About dry back and what you should aim for.about feed/water/feed and dry backs I explained last posts.
Any doubts shout it out
;-)

 

[Trash_2002]

Let's break it easier for you
Do a a good saturation of your media so roots can grow everywhere, wait till first two inches of soil is bone dry to water again:
Than:
Vegetative stage:
Feed 1x per week to 5-10% run off
1/4 strength fox farm grow
Wait for the first 2 inches of soil to dry again before next step:
Water with molasses (15ml molasses/5L water) or a liquid humic acid as recommend on bottle 5-10% runoff
Wait again for for the first 2 inches of soil to be dry and feed again with fox farm grow 1/4 recommended strength.

In the perfect environment between feed.and water the dry back period should be 3 or 4 days.

So every week will be a feed and a water+molasses cycle between "drybacks".

Flower:
Do the same but with the fox farm bloom and Bloom Booster combo. 1/4 to.maybe 1/2 strength, but you will need to see how plants are doing before raising.the fertilizer strength.

If you don't understand what I just said ask here I will try to explain better. Typing from my cellphone now lol