Very slow growth with photos. And why?

[darklordmelkor]

Hello all.

First photoperiod grow here. Been growing autos before and now switched to photos for better yield. I am at day 16 since breaking through soil but when i compared with pics and my other grows, they seems very slow on growth. I don't know why. They seems happy and no bad signs on leaves. But still slow.

Tent: 5x5x6.5
Light: 1000w hps (around 70cm high from top of plants)
Temp: 25-27C lights on / 19-20C lights off
Nutes: Biocanna Rhizotonic, Vega, Flores, Boost (Only used rhizotonic and vega first time 3 days ago so 13 days since breaking soil just 6.3-6.5 pH clean water)
pH: 6.3 - 6.5 all the time
Pot size: 20L
Strain: God's Glue Photo
Humidity: Lights on 30-40%, Lights off 50-65%

Third plant on third pic is very small because somehow she lost half of her first blade leaf. I don't know how that happened tho. But it was like cut half and small piece was holding. So i pulled it off. I consider that third plant stays small due to losing half of her leaf but at same stage as others. One of them developing 4th set leaves and other two plant developing 3rd set of leaves and sign of 4th set leaves.

Watering: So i made a mistake with starting them in 20L pot directly. I watered them first at day 3 and saturate whole pot. Because i am used to do that with autos as they start and finish in final pot. That was a mistake but after first watering i waited 10 days to do second watering because pot was wet 10 days long. I am using lifting pot method and if its feels light then i am watering. So two watering since 16 days. Last watering was 3 days before.

When i compare them with my autos at day 16 (with pics) autos were way bigger and wider than this ones.

How do they look like? What is their problem?

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

You're probably just fine. They are spending a lot of time working on roots at this stage, when I was in soil it always seemed like they took forever to get going topside. Watch your watering and avoid overwatering, as you mention.

I would not make comparisons to the autos, different animal. Good on you making the switch away from autos.

Best of luck on your grow!

 

[darklordmelkor]

You're probably just fine. They are spending a lot of time working on roots at this stage, when I was in soil it always seemed like they took forever to get going topside. Watch your watering and avoid overwatering, as you mention.

I would not make comparisons to the autos, different animal. Good on you making the switch away from autos.

Best of luck on your grow!

Yeah autos are very different and known with fast grow. I shouldn't compare with them you are right. But i am used to see way bigger and wider plants with autos. That's why i am worried so much and thinking about am i wasting my time. In somepoint they will start to take off for sure but as you said it makes me feel like it takes forever lol. I think patience is key here.

Yeah i got shot by overwatering before and starting nutes too early (from first watering to last watering). So i won't do same mistake again. I started nutes with "light feeding" chart after end of 2 week and using pot lifting method for watering.

 

[steamroller]

Your plants look fine.
Enjoy the photo.
You can take your time and diagnose things correctly.
NO RUSH, the plant will wait for you!
I use a water meter to help know how wet big pots are beyond just weight.

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To know if you need to water your cannabis plant get yourself a soil meter. Poke or drill 4 holes in your pot 1/4 way up from the bottom spaced around the pot...

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[N1ghtL1ght]

It looks as if you've disrupted the roots when you lifted the pots. When I fill in fresh soil in these fabrics, I hit thew floor with them several times so the soil compacts a bit. Also it's important to use your hands and stuff the soil down at the sides of the fabrics, or there will be occassionally bigger pcokets of air.

 

[darklordmelkor]

It looks as if you've disrupted the roots when you lifted the pots. When I fill in fresh soil in these fabrics, I hit thew floor with them several times so the soil compacts a bit. Also it's important to use your hands and stuff the soil down at the sides of the fabrics, or there will be occassionally bigger pcokets of air.

I do the same. Hitting to the floor. Then watering whole pot before putting seeds in but yeah maybe i have disrupted the roots somehow. There is no bad signs on leaves but grow is just slow as i am used to have.

 

[mysticepipedon]

These went 16 days when the pic was taken. You are not far off from this.

...and I've been growing for decades. (Well, not THESE particular plants.)

Raising humidity a little, if you can, wouldn't hurt.

 

[PipeCarver]

Hello all.

First photoperiod grow here. Been growing autos before and now switched to photos for better yield. I am at day 16 since breaking through soil but when i compared with pics and my other grows, they seems very slow on growth. I don't know why. They seems happy and no bad signs on leaves. But still slow.

Tent: 5x5x6.5
Light: 1000w hps (around 70cm high from top of plants)
Temp: 25-27C lights on / 19-20C lights off
Nutes: Biocanna Rhizotonic, Vega, Flores, Boost (Only used rhizotonic and vega first time 3 days ago so 13 days since breaking soil just 6.3-6.5 pH clean water)
pH: 6.3 - 6.5 all the time
Pot size: 20L
Strain: God's Glue Photo
Humidity: Lights on 30-40%, Lights off 50-65%

View attachment 1335068
View attachment 1335069
View attachment 1335070

Third plant on third pic is very small because somehow she lost half of her first blade leaf. I don't know how that happened tho. But it was like cut half and small piece was holding. So i pulled it off. I consider that third plant stays small due to losing half of her leaf but at same stage as others. One of them developing 4th set leaves and other two plant developing 3rd set of leaves and sign of 4th set leaves.

Watering: So i made a mistake with starting them in 20L pot directly. I watered them first at day 3 and saturate whole pot. Because i am used to do that with autos as they start and finish in final pot. That was a mistake but after first watering i waited 10 days to do second watering because pot was wet 10 days long. I am using lifting pot method and if its feels light then i am watering. So two watering since 16 days. Last watering was 3 days before.

When i compare them with my autos at day 16 (with pics) autos were way bigger and wider than this ones.

How do they look like? What is their problem?

Hey there, Welcome to the farm, lots of help here if you need it. I started with a 1000w hps and believe me its over kill. Do your self a favour and look into T5 lighting for vegging plants. Cheaper and just as efficient to veg with.

The size of pots you are in at such a young age maybe why your plants are smaller than they could be. If those were mine I'd still be in a large solo cup and ready to go in to a 1 gal pot, then 2-3 weeks later into a 3 gal pot.

Like others have said you are growing roots not to worry they'll get bigger soon. I'll also start to lightly feed them after I transplant out of the solo cups at around 3 weeks of age. I find there's enough food in the soil to keep them healthy up to 3 weeks

 

[steamroller]

^^ plus one on too much light for seedlings^^.
In todays world you might save enough on electricity to make a good LED light free in compare to running HPS for seedlings and veg.

 

[TSD]

You're fine as far as growth rate, definitely don't compare them to auto's because photos are WAY slower and you will constantly think you're behind. Here's some of last year's babies at similar ages to ease your mind.

Most important thing is watering correctly and keeping them in a nice environment so they can grow nice roots, then work on thier leaves.

 

[TSD]

^^ plus one on too much light for seedlings^^.
In todays world you might save enough on electricity to make a good LED light free in compare to running HPS for seedlings and veg.

Definitely for seedlings... I'd be afraid to toast them with a hps... they do look a little droopy so might have too much light, or water or both.

 

[GNick55]

^^ plus one on too much light for seedlings^^.
In todays world you might save enough on electricity to make a good LED light free in compare to running HPS for seedlings and veg.

that is not true in my case.. in canada anyways.. i barely notice any difference in my electrical bill due to running 1000 watt metal halide and hps.. and my stuff is on during peak hours..
maybe $30-40 extra every bill..
ya it’s a waste and not even correct spectrum using a hps for a seedlings.. get some sort of T5 light set up..

 

[darklordmelkor]

Thanks for all replies.

Yes everyone right about running 1k HPS on seedlings. I have 1k MH bulb but when i put it out from box it didn't work. I think bulb got damage from inside during shipping. So i have to run HPS bulb. Also yes next time i will run 250w MH instead of 1000w for first two weeks and start them in cups or smaller pots. Also i will change with airpots instead of fabric pots or maybe even go for RDWC instead of soil.

I see that you guys have similar growth rate in pictures like me. As i said i am used to see insane growth rate with autos. Probably that's why it seems so slow with me.

LED is also what i am aiming for. I want to keep growing in summer times but i can't do that with HPS. Too much heat. My second grow ruined so bad due to heat issues. I started at Jun and end of September. It's around 45C outside temp at peak summer (mid of July to mid August). So led is must have during summer.

 

[darklordmelkor]

Hello after a while :)

We are in week 5 of veg. They still looks so small to me but very bushy. Actually i learnt what is difference between indica and sativa dominant strains with this grow. Also learnt that photos are very different than autos.

They are around 15cm but 30+ cm wide (one of them runt tho. it's small from every perspective lol)

I put scrog net (trellis net actually) on them and trying to spread them to make better canopy. Now they look like to me short but very wide. Trying to fill trellis. I still have 3 more weeks until flipping to 12/12.

Any comments are very appreciated. Used to grow tall sativa dominant auto strains. 8 weeks veg should have better return with heavy buds i think :)

Also started to feed with EC last two watering. Not checking company chart. Just giving them 1.4 EC, 1.2 EC and 1.1 EC with rhizotonic, vega and cal/mag :) Trying different ECs for to see their response. All of them looks happy tho.

Only ONE fan leaf of #1 just started clawing down. But just one leaf. I am watching if other leaves start to clawing down then i will go easy with EC.

That's how they look like after 16 day of my first post.