Never had this happen before.
All four 420 Fastbuds seeds germinated right on time. Planted, broke soil, look great. Over 3 weeks, color looks perfect, with no signs of deficiencies or stress.
They just stopped growing? Soil is FFHF, amended with worm castings and myco. Light source the first week was my usual approach. A 600w MH dialed back 50%. Then replaced with a 1000w MH @ 100%, on a 20/4 cycle.
All I’ve been doing is watering in the early veg stage like Ive done for years. I haven’t fed yet since the Happy Frog soil is usually fine right out of the bag. But I did add worm castings and myco, and that stuff is fairly innocuous.
I’m using an HID light. The light is on 20 hours, and I’m off 4. During that time the temp is a consistent 77-80*. The ambient room temp is always around 57*. So during the four hour dark period there has to be enough residual heat inside the tent and soil to
maintain a safe temp. Don’t ya think?
Ive been using this approach for the last half dozen grows, and never experienced it before. Every watering I pH my water. Recalibrate my Blue Lab meter weekly.
Right now I’m just throwing darts. Maybe it’s nothing. But whenever you deal with autos the there’s always a chance for a weird factor.
Sometimes they don’t like that much of a difference in lights on and off temps, I don’t let mine come under 70 at any stage except when I drop temps at last of flower to help them express colors. Sometimes autos will stall top growth to put down more roots.
Sure is. I use photo for main grow but add in auto for variety. Turkeyshoot. 2 Alien goo planted same day same breeder. 1 flowered within 3 weeks or so…bah. Other stalled veg and is slow. Conditions are spot on. I just dont trust them anymore. I kind of wonder if the Ruderalis, being such a dominant strain with its survivability, is taking over with all this interbreeding. We are mixing so much that instability is almost guaranteed. Just my thoughts.
Here are my plants.
I reduced the temp inside my tent from the mid 80s, to about 71-75*. Turned my exhaust fan on low to remove stale air, opened up all my flaps to pull in fresh air.
You could try using a liquid plant fertilizer on them and see if it helps. The potting mix might have been a bad batch and doesn’t have many nutrients in. If the plants take off after a drink of liquid fertilizer, then that would be the most likely cause.
Baby plants (seedlings) should get 8 hours of darkness for the first 4 weeks of life, then you can let them party late and get by on 4 hours sleep.
I had my 1000w MH bulb set on 50% at the ballast. Dumb mistake.
The light normally almost blinds me. Got to thinking? Went back up stairs, checked the ballast, sure enough, 50%. Cranked it up to 100 and it was like being on the sun.
The plants are beautiful.
Just a word of caution regarding metal halide lights. They produce UV light and can damage your eyes if you look at them, so avoid looking at the light and don’t suntan under them because you can get sunburnt.
Maybe it’s time to upgrade to LEDs. They are cheaper to run and produce less heat. Heat isn’t that much of an issue if you live in a cold climate but where I am, the heat is a killer of people, animals and plants.
I’ve thought about it, trust me. But I have my reasons for staying with MH.
I use the heat. My tent is in an unheated room. In the winter the room often drops down in the 50* range. Even if the room is 50*, the temp inside my tent is a comfy 75*.
I have a load of MH and HPS bulbs, both 600-1000w.
I’ve been growing with HID lights for years, so I’m really used using them and happy with my results.
If it is working stay with it I say. My climate said too much electric for cooling so went led. I grew great grass with bulbs. But electric bill dropped 200 bux . Today and this week I would love the heat.
I’m the same as Storm. It’s too hot here for anything electrical let alone 1000watt metal halides. Plus the power is pretty expensive here and the cops watch power bills for any sudden jump, then they start investigating
. Today and this week I would love the heat.