Any recommendations?

[klvrgrow11]

Whats up guys, so I'm on day 26 of veg (day 54 from seedling) growing from soil (ocean forest) and have recently discovered that my bottom set of leaves are drooping pretty bad. It progressively got worse after i adjusted my watering schedule from every 4 days to 3 days. (took advice from an experienced guy who said water only when the plant ''tells you'' it needs...I may have took that a little bit too far, although i always wait for the soil to be completely dry before watering) After watering this past Saturday (sept 7th) I did not see signs of recovery. The leaves do not have any discoloration and are soft to the touch. So ive been reading that it can be a few things. Either under/overwatering, ph level of soil & water (btw i have never tested my ph levels for water or soil and been watering with smart water at room temp since the beginning ) the top set of the plant is looking very nice and healthy. I keep temps inside my tent in between 77-81 with 45% RH. There is a fan inside but isn't oscillating. I also would like to mention that i have yet to feed this plant with nutrients, but been planning on doing so once i acquire the right products. One last thing, I also noticed that the growth of this plant has slowed down greatly in terms of height, but has been showing alot of stem development, do yall think it would necessary to transplant into a bigger 5 gal pot at this point in veg stage? or at a later time? Any tips to steer me in the right path is all all im looking for :/

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Chris Scorpio]

Best advice, pics in natural light so we can see them as they are not in a BLURPLE glow

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

Welcome. From what I can see, transplant to a bigger container.

 

[klvrgrow11]

Best advice, pics in natural light so we can see them as they are not in a BLURPLE glow

I know pics would be more helpful with the light off. But the droop is quite evident in the pics, despite the led light.

 

[Emilya Green]

(took advice from an experienced guy who said water only when the plant ''tells you'' it needs...I may have took that a little bit too far, although i always wait for the soil to be completely dry before watering)

The experienced guy was right... but I am going to take advantage of my experience that most people even hearing that, still do not do it right. So, I will ask you... how do you determine that the soil is completely dry before watering?

 

[klvrgrow11]

The experienced guy was right... but I am going to take advantage of my experience that most people even hearing that, still do not do it right. So, I will ask you... how do you determine that the soil is completely dry before watering?

I determine that the soil is dry after sticking my finger about an inch 1/2 into the soil to feel for coolness/moisture.

 

[Emilya Green]

I determine that the soil is dry after sticking my finger about an inch 1/2 into the soil to feel for coolness/moisture.

Therein lies the problem... because that test tells you all you need to know about the upper set of roots, the spreader roots, but it tells you nothing about the pool of water sitting in the bottom of the container, that the lower feeder and tap roots have to deal with. It can be perfectly dry up top and then if you come along and water before the bottom has dried out, you simply add to the lake.
When the bottom roots never get to see oxygen being pulled down deep into their region, and they find themselves permanently under water, they shut down. They encase themselves in a special coating to help them survive until the flood waters recede. These weeds are survivors after all, and they are trying to do all they can do to adjust to the conditions they find themselves in.

• The best way to test if it is time to water is the lift method. Lift up a container of similar size filled with dry soil. Now lift your plant. If you can tell a difference; if you can with your human senses feel any additional water weight, it is not yet time to water a vegging weed.
• You can do it scientifically with a wet/moist meter or even a wooden dip stick. Stick your meter down into the soil deeper and deeper until the meter suddenly goes from moist to WET. You have just found the top of the water table. Track it daily as this water sitting in the bottom gets down into the last inch of the container. It is then a safe time to water.
• Or, your guy told you to let the plants tell you. They will do that too... just watch until they start getting so dry that the very bottom leaves start to droop. Not the whole plant drooping as in getting ready for the night period, but just the very bottom leaves. This is your 12 hour point. Come back in 12 more hours and much more of the plant will look droopy. The plant will even be putting out a scent at this point. This is a great time to water.

Most of us don't let it get that far however, and the lift method gets us to water usually before any drooping starts to occur. You need to get out of this mindset that a weed needs to be watered like a garden tomato... this is a weed, and if you expect it to perform for you, you have to give it a little bit of adversity so that it gets strong. If you baby it like a garden vegetable, you will end up with a very lazy and opportunistic weed, and it will not do as well.

I wrote a thing that is pretty popular about how to properly water a potted plant. You should read it. You will find the link below. You will find that you are an overwaterer, by watering too often. Learn about the wet/dry cycle and how it changes all through the grow, and you will see the improvement in your grows. Good Luck!

 

[klvrgrow11]

Therein lies the problem... because that test tells you all you need to know about the upper set of roots, the spreader roots, but it tells you nothing about the pool of water sitting in the bottom of the container, that the lower feeder and tap roots have to deal with. It can be perfectly dry up top and then if you come along and water before the bottom has dried out, you simply add to the lake.
When the bottom roots never get to see oxygen being pulled down deep into their region, and they find themselves permanently under water, they shut down. They encase themselves in a special coating to help them survive until the flood waters recede. These weeds are survivors after all, and they are trying to do all they can do to adjust to the conditions they find themselves in.

• The best way to test if it is time to water is the lift method. Lift up a container of similar size filled with dry soil. Now lift your plant. If you can tell a difference; if you can with your human senses feel any additional water weight, it is not yet time to water a vegging weed.
• You can do it scientifically with a wet/moist meter or even a wooden dip stick. Stick your meter down into the soil deeper and deeper until the meter suddenly goes from moist to WET. You have just found the top of the water table. Track it daily as this water sitting in the bottom gets down into the last inch of the container. It is then a safe time to water.
• Or, your guy told you to let the plants tell you. They will do that too... just watch until they start getting so dry that the very bottom leaves start to droop. Not the whole plant drooping as in getting ready for the night period, but just the very bottom leaves. This is your 12 hour point. Come back in 12 more hours and much more of the plant will look droopy. The plant will even be putting out a scent at this point. This is a great time to water.

Most of us don't let it get that far however, and the lift method gets us to water usually before any drooping starts to occur. You need to get out of this mindset that a weed needs to be watered like a garden tomato... this is a weed, and if you expect it to perform for you, you have to give it a little bit of adversity so that it gets strong. If you baby it like a garden vegetable, you will end up with a very lazy and opportunistic weed, and it will not do as well.

I wrote a thing that is pretty popular about how to properly water a potted plant. You should read it. You will find the link below. You will find that you are an overwaterer, by watering too often. Learn about the wet/dry cycle and how it changes all through the grow, and you will see the improvement in your grows. Good Luck!

Thank you for taking the time to respond with those helpful tips! I'll be sure to give the lift method a try and stick with that. Would you say i'll be fine if i wait until my 5 gallon pot & fox farm nutes arrive first before watering. It's set to be delivered on wed (sept.11) I was planning on transplanting to a 5 gal before watering again. The last time i watered till drain was on sat (sept.7th) Just recently checked the top soil and an inch down, it is still cool with slight moisture. So my best guess is, the bottom is most likely very wet. What would you do in my situation if you were awaiting these products?

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

Too much care is the biggest problem with new growers. People are killing their plants with kindness. As Emilya says, "It's a weed"!

 

[Emilya Green]

Thank you for taking the time to respond with those helpful tips! I'll be sure to give the lift method a try and stick with that. Would you say i'll be fine if i wait until my 5 gallon pot & fox farm nutes arrive first before watering. It's set to be delivered on wed (sept.11) I was planning on transplanting to a 5 gal before watering again. The last time i watered till drain was on sat (sept.7th) Just recently checked the top soil and an inch down, it is still cool with slight moisture. So my best guess is, the bottom is most likely very wet. What would you do in my situation if you were awaiting these products?

yes, I suspect you will be just fine waiting to water... and I would even think twice about transplanting before you have healthy roots. Once you go in the larger containers you are going to lose all control over a wet/dry cycle for quite some time.