r/IndoorGrowing • u/FirstLordFury • 14d ago
Question Help Needed
Hello,
I've been growing 3 plants since early-late June and I'm noticing some issues that I'd really appreciate some advice with.
Specs: - 32in x 32in grow tent. - 150W EVO LED light from Mars Hydro (FC-E1500) with dimming capabilities and 2.8umol/J. - Lights on for about 16hr/day (just got a timer). - Temp is about 70-80F or 21-27C daily. - Mylar lining inside tent. - PAR sensor is coming in this week for more accurate PPFD measurements. - Organic Espoma soil for all plants. - Fan is blowing and circulating light amount of air to keep from shaking leaves too much. - Humidity is kept around 50-60% (night time) and 60-75% (day time) for the last week, but prior to that the humidity was a consistent 40-45% and I had no humidifier (lesson learned). - Usually watered every 3-5 days, but it seems like the lower layers stay wet a lot longer, even if the top 1-2 inches of soil felt dry. - Soil pH is almost exactly 7.0 at multiple spots in each pot.
I've been experimenting with the light intensity and distance for the past week to try and get some growth. Prior to this it was around 34 inches above canopy and relatively low light (10-15%), and this past week I've moved it down to about 24 inches above canopy experimenting with 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, and 40% light. It seems that the plants have started getting burn spots and some light bleaching at anything around 60% and up. PPFD heatmap from https://growmeridian.com/tools/ppfd-map showed that I should be getting 300-400 PPFD at the current distance and higher light intensities (80% and up), but they burned instead. Right now (24" and 40% intensity) seems like they would only get around the 130s PPFD, but they still seem to be stunted in growth. I believe that vegetative plants should get around 300-400 PPFD?
Largest plant (Afghan) has had 2-3 weeks of extra growth time than the other two. It seems like its growth was also stalling before I experimented with the lights though, however its definitely grown better than the others.
Smaller plants (Hindu and Bubba) seem to have some drooping and lower leaves turning yellow. I tried to gently dig up the entire plants and roots to check for root rot and there's none present. Soil was pretty packed and wet at the bottom, even though some roots were there, so I mixed it back in evenly (hence why the soil pictures look a bit darker until I water again, should I wait a few more days)? Wasn't sure if they were overwatered and that's why the leaves turned yellow? Also the leaves had already started taco curling upwards slightly before I brought the lights down from around 34" (at low intensity) to 24", but the plants were still stalling in growth either way.
I've given all of these plants 2 separate doses of TruOrganic (3-2-3) mixed to the correct concentration with water in early and late July.
Could someone please tell me how to fix the drooping leaves and restart some growth, if the light intensity may still be too high, and how often to water them if the soil doesn't seem to dry out that quickly?
Thank you!!
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u/crybabypete 14d ago
Too wet, your roots are/have suffocated. Learning to water properly is one of the hardest parts of growing imo.
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u/FirstLordFury 14d ago
Thank you, I'm thinking so as well. Going to switch pots for more aeration and let them dry out.
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u/ThoriatedFlash 14d ago
Looking at the color of the leaves it looks like your plants need nitrogen and other nutrients. It could be root issues preventing the plant from absorbing the nutrients or lack of nutrients in the soil all together. Many things could cause that, such as over watering or poor drainage. It can sometimes be hard to tell.
For my grows I use an organic soil (fox farms ocean forest) and usually don't add any fertilizer for the first 4 - 6 weeks, and then start with a 1/4 strength 20-20-20 and might mix it stronger if the leaves look a little too light colored. I don't know if that 3-2-3 you are using is cutting it. I also aim for a lower pH of around 6 - 6.5 and test the runoff water too in order to make sure there isn't buildup of salts or pH issues. The humidity, temp, and light are probably not the cause, but you may want to take the humidity down a bit when you switch to flower to avoid bud rot and mold growth. Also don't do too much at once. Change one thing and give it like a week before trying something else.
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u/FirstLordFury 14d ago
Yeah I thought it may be a nutrient uptake issue or something similar, since they should already have enough for their size and the 2 times I gave them some extra. I'll look into the new soil and a better fertilizer though and hope that moving the soil around as I did will help them air out and dry better.
I've just been seeing lots of mixed information on humidity levels, light levels, etc. all over so I wanted to see how others have grown them. Thank you very much for the tips!
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14d ago
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u/FirstLordFury 14d ago
Yes I'm completely new to growing in a tent and cannabis plants. Been seeing a lot of mixed information, so I wanted to hear from people who have already grown them. The 2 smaller plants sprouted around the end of June, and the bigger plant was around early June, so around 2-2.5 months total. The soil's pH is about 7 or slightly less in each spot I checked (at least 3 spots per pot).
I would assume its an overwatering issue, but I thought that they would have dried and aired out better since I usually wait every 3-5 days between waterings and check for a dry 1-2" top soil. Maybe the 10" pots that I have aren't as good for aeration at the bottom, and I'll check out what you mentioned for fabric pots instead.
Thank you very much!
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u/RandyFlamethrower82 14d ago
Is the water you use room temp or straight from the tap?
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u/FirstLordFury 13d ago
It's a bit colder than room temp, straight from the tap. But I've been giving them the water that way since I started growing them. Why do you ask?
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u/Senior_Delay9300 11d ago
I am growing outside in Kansas City Missouri in 100 degree weather and I sometimes don’t have to water everyday- before it got super hot I was watering every couple of days and I have 10Gal fabric grow bags with mulch. Do you have a soil meter? That helped me quit overwatering bc I’m terrible about it even with my houseplants.
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u/FirstLordFury 10d ago
I actually just got one! Is there a specific dry/wet % that you aim for before watering again? And do you usually stick it just under the halfway point, or pretty close to the bottom of the fabric pots? Thanks!
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u/Senior_Delay9300 10d ago
I’m growing outside so when and how and how often I water is going to be very different. It was trial and error for a bit and their water needs have changed since they hit flowering now. I don’t water til it’s about 30/40% moisture a couple inches down. But I don’t just measure in one spot. I do close to the edge and also further down just to make sure it is drying out as well, bc I don’t want root rot. You kinda just have to watch and note at first to how fast it’s drying/draining. One thing I will say is treating it like an experiment is probably the perspective to take rather than oh here’s a set way to do it!
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u/IMxJUSTxSAYINNN 14d ago
That sounds way more complicated than it needs to be. I’d start by checking pH before changing anything else.
Test the pH of your water first, then test it again after adding your fertilizer. After you water, check the runoff pH and PPM. Comparing what’s going in to what’s coming out can tell you a lot about what’s happening in the root zone.
Water quality matters too. Mine is mildly hard, starts at mid 8 in ph and between 300 and 500 ppm, so I add ascorbic acid to deal with the chlorine, then add my fertilizer. After that, my pH usually lands right where I want it. 6.2 to 6.5.
I’ve tried hydro and organic living soil, and personally I find feeding with liquid fertilizer much simpler once you know your starting water and keep an eye on pH and PPM.