first-time grower needs help; RE: young leaves yellowing

i'm trying to grow a plant for the first time ever, and i'm having a bit of trouble. i started by sprouting a seed i found in the last batch that i bought, and have been "winging it", so to speak, ever since. i started by reading a bunch of tutorials and whatnot online, to get an idea of what i'd need. so after it sprouted, i put it in a small plant cup filled with some miracle grow potting soil we had around the house, and suspended a small flourescent light (about 10 or 12 inches long), roughly 3'' or 4'' above it, with a timer set for 18 on, 6 off. everything is currently in my closet, in a very amateurish growing area made up of cardboard and tin foil.

so, everything had been seemingly going fine, everything looked fairly healthy, until i moved my plant to a larger container. i made sure to move it just before the light cycle was up, so it was in complete darkness for a good 6 or 7 hours after being transplanted. this was two or three days ago. however, yesterday, i noticed some slight yellowing at the center. some new leaves are growing from the center of the four original leaves, and not only are they yellow, but the area of the larger leaves that is closest to them seems to be yellowing as well. i've yet to fertilize it, as the potting soil claims to fertilize for up to 3 months. so i'm guessing there are two possibilites. one, is that i'm doing something wrong, and two, is that the re-potting traumatized the plant. if anyone could help me out with this, i'd be eternally grateful.

here are a couple pictures links, although i can't say how much help they'll be, since my camera is a piece of shit, but they may at least be able to convey the area of the plant that is yellowing better than i could:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/stick_up_kid/plant1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/stick_up_kid/plant2.jpg

 

Hey Moltenuniverse!

I like that name!!! My first advice is to go to the "Grow Room Pix and Journals" section". find "Rookie's Journal" by Duner - read all five pages. This can be what happens when you start with MiracleGro soil or MiracleGro products. Some people swear by them, some just swear at them!!!

My second advice is to start over without any MiracleGrow products - sorry; it's just easier, especially since you're using "bagseed"! You can let the first plant continue to grow (it will probably grow out of it's condition (nute burn) eventually.
My third advice, it wasn't the transplanting it was the MiracleGro nute burn - keep studying and keep growing! The more you know, the better you grow!!!

 

hey,

thanks for pointing me to that thread! there's a lot of very useful information in it. i'm kind of in the dark as to how i should adapt it all to my very different growing situation (one plant, on a shelf, in my closet), however. although a lot of the general information pertaining to what soil to use, what fertilizer, when to start fertilizing, etc., is a big help.

one thing i noticed is just how fast duner's plants grew compared to mine; at 8 days, her plants were bigger than mine currently, and while i haven't kept track of how long it's been in (i really should keep track of these things), i'm guessing it's been at the very least two weeks, possibly closer to three! i'm thinking maybe i need to invest in some better equipment, and really commit to making sure everything is perfect, rather than half-assing it.
for one, my little flourescent light is held up by old shoe strings tied to the hanging rod in my closet! not very efficient, and a total pain in the ass to raise and lower. although a more pressing issue might be that the light isn't powerful enough; it's only 70w. however, i'm not sure if i can go to much higher wattage without it drastically effecting the electric bill. i have my mom's blessing, but i'm worried about arousing suspicion in my stepdad.
next time, i'll definitely invest in some better soil, even though this miracle grow CLAIMS to be organic.
i don't have a fan or anything, since i usually leave my window and closet doors open during the light hours, it would seem like that would be enough ventilation, judging by the FAQs i've read.

do you have any other recommendations? i know you said the yellowing should correct itself with time, but is there anything i can do as of now to facilitate the growth of the plant? or should i just cross my fingers and hope for the best? i'm mainly trying to grow because i don't have a source of income at the moment, so i probably won't be able to buy any more, so i unfortunately won't be able to get more seeds for a while! so i'm hoping i can somewhat correct my mistakes and maybe see this one through to harvest.

thanks for your help!

 

it should correct it'self if ya give it some time, remember weed is named that for a reason. The miacle grow soil is organic, it's organic material but with miricle grow mixed in. Miricle grow isn't the best, but it works, it's what I use. As for the light affecting the electric bill, ya won't have to worry too much as long as you don't go huge. If I remember right, a 400w hps running 12/12 is like an extra 5 or 10$ a month. Ofcourse there are other factors to the cost, but if you stay at or under 400w there shouldn't be a huge difference in price. Side note to give you an idea, most computers have a 400w power supply in them.

 

great, thanks for the help, i hope you're right! since this is my first time, i wasn't expecting to do everything perfect or have really great weed, i just hope i can see this one through, since i'm sick and tired of getting ripped off by the unscrupulous dealers in my town(last time i actually bought some, it was 1/8 for $60, stuff was filled with seeds, i mean FILLED.)
also, is 400w really necessary for my grow space (2'X2'), or were you just using that as an example? i'll be buying a new light definitely, i'm just not sure how high i need to go, and considering the growing area is in my closet, i'd rather not have a fixture that buzzes, those give me killer headaches.

 

The basic rule of thumb for HID (High Intensity Discharge) lights like Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium is 50 watts per square foot of grow space - 60 watts per square foot would be even better! You could use a 250 watt HID in your 4 square foot space just fine! Less power consumption and probably more important less heat production!!!

 

Ya know, I think in my entire smoking history I've come across maybe 5 seeds total. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing tho... NE ways, the 400w was an example, a 250w would probly work great for ya. If your worried about the possible noise, and have the little extra money it takes, you can look for a digital ballast for the HPS. It runs silent, and uses electricity more efficently than the old magnetic balists.

 

Hey Dash!

How ya doing? Do your babies usually come out with the "yellow leaves" in MG soil? If so, how long does it usually take to grow out of that condition? Just curious!

 

For me the issue is the transplant. Those plant are tiny and should have been given some time to grow before transplanting them. I have known ppl to have very good results with as little as 150 w on a single plant. Not great but substancial! I grow up to foot high under flouro and reckon I could grow some little bud under there if I tried. Are your flouros grow type or standard. That would explain alot also. Failing all this, and by the look of your pictues those pots need a good flushing. I'd do it once a week and allow for a good run off when watering. Salt builds up quick if you just put a little water on at a time.

Good luck and happy growing.

 

dash:

cool, thanks for the info! for some reason, i was under the impression that even running this small-ish flourescent for 18 hours a day would make the electric bill shoot up quite a bit.


t.h. cammo:

alright, i'll definitely look into a different light, in that case. i'll probably head over to a hardware store today to look into an HID light. thanks!


friendlystranger:

ah, then i guess i got some bad info. i read a couple FAQs that said when the plant gets taller than the starter cup, it's time to transplant. my light is also just a plain flourescent light, looks like i definitely need a new light! why does it seem that my pot needs flushing, though? i wasn't aware that i needed to do it so often, i'll definitely do it today, thanks for letting me know. flushing is basically just pouring a bunch of water in and letting it drain out, right?

 

I would agree with the friendly stranger, because from the looks of that last pic, and it is really kinda hard to tell at that young age, it looks to be slightly fertilizer burnt. That is a kind of weird yellowing, if it was lack of ferts, it would turn yellow from the bottom leaves gradually up to the tops, but in your pic, it looks like the tops are the yellow part.

I have used MG organic soil a lot, and I find it is a tad hot for some seedlings, but most strains love it. I spice it up even more by adding a few cups of composted chicken manure to every cubic foot bag, and a handful of blood and bone meal also. My mix is a little hot for babies and some strains, but I'd say 70% of them thrive on it just fine.

My first impression looking at your pics is that they are suffering some kind of rootrot, but if you transplanted them before they got a good rootball, that could be the problem. Did the rootball hold together well, or did it break up a lot during the transplant? If it did not have a good enough rootball to hold together well, it is probably suffering some transplant shock, but I hesitate to commit to any one of these answers, as that is kind of a weird symptom.

Upgrading to a bigger light would definitely improve your growing situation. You may want to go to Compact Flouros, the ones that go into a regular lightbulb socket, and get several rather than a 250 watt HID, as that is gonna make a lot of heat in a small box with no ventilation.

BTW, I used to run two 400's and when I quit, my electric bill only dropped by like 15$ a month However, when I got rid of my boa constricor and unplugged the jumbo heat rock, it dropped $40 bucks more So electrical consumption is not your problem with a grow that size. Peace....

 

coopdog:

when i transplanted it, i just tipped the cup upside down in my hand, with one hand supporting the soil and the other on the cup. i gave it a bit of a squeeze and a wiggle, and the soil stayed in the shape of the cup. i dug a bit of a hole in the center of the bigger pot, and placed the compacted soil and plant in that. maybe i should have broken up the soil a bit more? my mom has a bit more of a green thumb than me (and used to grow quite a bit of weed back in the day), and she said that was okay as long as i gave it plenty of water right off to free up the roots from the compacted soil.

as for the lighting, i'll definitely look into the compact fluorescent bulbs you mentioned. my only problem is i need something that is very easy to hook up, i can't be installing anything too complex, since i'm trying to do this without one of the other people in my household knowing. i basically just need something i can plug into an extension cord.

as for potential heat problems, i'm not sure if this matters either way, but the grow space isn't completely enclosed. the space i'm growing in is, as mentioned about 2'X2', but the ceiling in the closet is up probably about 7 feet high. i also leave one door open (it's one of those closets with two sliding mirrored doors) during the light hours, most of the time, and the window in the bedroom open. i also leave the door to the room open part of the time as well to keep the air circulating.