Old farmer lost his touch. Please help.

Hello every1. I've been growing lots of crap indoors for years, but with better success. For the last few years I've started having BIG troubles. I'm tryin to start lots of different types veggies and herbs indoors, in an enclosed 2 1/2' x 2 1/2' area, under a 400w Blue MH, and a 400w HPS, and EVERY kind of seedling I try to start, even in my old DWC bubbler and Ebb and Flo hydro systems, starts to DRY at the tips of the oldest true leaves first, after about 2 weeks, and 2 nodes, and just eat themselves and die from there. I mean EVERYTHING dies! Lol. I used to even use a CFL fixture with 8 26w bulbs in it, for starting stuff, but with the same EXACT troubles.

I've truly lost my touch somehow. Lol

I'm trying soil right now, and keep getting the same results. I'm goiong with Scotts Hyponex, with a PH of 6.4ish, and a runoff of .2ish EC. I have a nice handheld PH/EC/PPM combo meter that seems good and reliable, and I've tried to keep PH levels, in soil, as close to 6.5 as possible, and close to 6 in hydro, and have tried all these different of plants on distilled water only, and have even nuted these different two week old seedlings at different EC levels, but always, I keep getting the same result! I have flushed some, let some dry out WELL between watering, some have got distilled water, some have got de-chlorinated tap water, some have got a little fish tank water, but ALWAYS the same result.

Tomato seedlings, watermelon seedlings, jalapeno seedlings, and cantaloupe seedlings, all do the same thing, no matter what medium they're in. The cotyledon leaves only SOMETIMES do the same thing, start DRYING from the tips but sometimes they stay good and green. The growth of everything gets stunted when this happens, and eventually everything dies off, with the last thing being green, is the very tinyest part of the growth tip going last.

Sorry, I don't have a camera. I've been starting to wonder if it's the air in this old place. I do smoke tobacco cigarettes, but try to keep the door shut to my starting area, and the room the the grow closet is in has it's own A/C, and the ventilated grow area fluctuates from around 70 at lights out, up to no more than 82 at lights on. Humidity 35% to 50%. I've tried the light from about 32" to 18" away from the canopy level, and they seemed to like the light closer when they were still growing, a week in, after sprouting, but after 2 to 2/12 weeks in, always the same result, regardless of light height.

Any ideas guys and gals? I will be back on in a little while and can answer any questions you might need to make a diagnosis. TY ahead of time for any help. I need to get this going before I lose my mind! Lol. I used to help a lot of people on here with electrical and mechanical questions because that's what I'm best at, but I used to be able to start, grow, and finish almost ANYTHING indoors too! Please help! I don't know what I'm doing wrong anymore. Lol

Also, Is cigarette smoke in any amount bad for newborns?

Bleach everything. Im talking bleaching so much to point of overkill. Replace everything thats replacable. Ive seen this happen it was infected room. Good luck man!

I thought about another good bleaching, but I did it a year or so ago when I moved in this place, which had also been remodeled and painted a year before the bleaching. I have also lived in both sides of this makeshift duplex, with the same results, even after being a neat freak, and doing a major cleaning, and airing out, before moving into either side. Still booms, I think you could possibly be right and I might have bad air or something, but I'm still looking towards any other possible comments for this type of problem.

So, I get another trophy! I'm told by rollitup that I've "been a member here for half a decade..." and "Do you feel older?" LOL I feel like I've been on and off this site for a decade or more! and..... Yes, I definitely feel older! Lol

Little update here. ALL my watermelons seedlings went outside two nights ago into a 5 gallon pot of random, well drained soil, 6.8 PHish, 0.2ECish, that was outside all winter long seasoning in the pots, and were having the same problems, but now the stronger ones have picked up QUICK, after being outside for two, hot, sunny, 85ish degree days. Athough, about 3-4 of the worst ones, out of 12 seedlings, died. What's the best starting EC for soil, the run off test, for most seedlings?

Also, I have cantaloupe seedlings that just popped up under my 400w light the other day, in the same setup and area, and the seed leaves opened quick and green, but there seems to be no new, real leaf growth after two days since? IDK, LOL. Is a 400 Hortilux BLUE light bulb a good one for different seedlings?

Is a mildly warm soil, this Hyponex, a bad starting choice for seeds? It's worked for me before, with just a little splash of drinking water here and there.

I started my veggies and fruits under a 175mh. I think they would be happier under a T5 though. Does your indoor grow area have any carpet near it? You more then likely moved the infection with you when you moved.

booms, I think you might be right on, , but I just don't want to admit it just yet. Lol. If there are any other possible causes of this issue, I would still love to hear them. I've cleaned this place to the point of driving me mad already. Lol

This is what ALL my different kinds of seedlings start to do in here at about week 1-2, and they're pretty much dead by week 3-3/12. This is a random pic off the net, but none of my different stuff even gets quite this big before problems arise. I've thought I might be over-watering at times, but letting the soil dry up doesn't seem to help either.

From the picture you posted and the light your popping seeds with. I think you smothering them with care (a very bad thing sometimes lol). They don't need to messed with at all until they're at least 3 nodes high. No food or anything, just water and to be left alone. 400watts is way to much for that young thing, it can be done but need to be far away and just isn’t that efficient a cheap a fluorescent would do better until it get bigger.

I use a 600w digilux mh for my seedlings all the time. They grow alot faster then florescent s ever could. As long as temperature is right and light isn't to close can use 1ks for seedlings even.

booms111 said:

I use a 600w digilux mh for my seedlings all the time. They grow alot faster then florescent s ever could. As long as temperature is right and light isn't to close can use 1ks for seedlings even.

Click to expand...

Im sure you can, and with perfect conditions it would turn out great but I have also experienced that you can stress the hell out of them also if a number of factors aren't right and stress is hard as hell to diagnose and always gives you a sickly plant.

the OP says he used 26w cfl to with same results...Necrosis. Im not saying a MH is best for everybody but OP sounds like he knows what hes doing just having this issue.

booms111 said:

the OP says he used 26w cfl to with same results...Necrosis. Im not saying a MH is best for everybody but OP sounds like he knows what hes doing just having this issue.

Click to expand...

ah yeah miss read the cfls, yeah his setup sound fine, to me from that pic it looks like a stressed seedling. What types of medium have you tried? Only the Scotts?

nontheist said:

ah yeah miss read the cfls, yeah his setup sound fine, to me from that pic it looks like a stressed seedling. What types of medium have you tried? Only the Scotts?

Click to expand...

thats not his grow its a pic he googled. He says he used soil and dwc. Ive seen this before and its hard to get rid of.

Small update here. Reminder. I'm going 400w MH Blue and soil this time. So, I've bought me some more MG(Miracle Grow) crap seed starting mix and MG cactus/palm/ citus type soil mix, and more MG perlite. I already have a huge bag of generic coarse vermiculite also. I think this is my first time working with the cactus mix, but I've already noticed the small nute beads in it which has spooked me a bit, but started 6 sprouts of different things in it anyway last night. I taste tested one of those beads, and their putting some REALLY strong nutes in them these days, and they bust open so easily while working with the soil, which has to be WAY overloading the soil with undiluted nutes where ever a broken bead is, so be careful with that stuff.

Please help me get this indoor seed starting area off the ground guys! I've cleaned my ass off in here and think I'm ready to get going again. How high should that light be for sprouts anyway? I'm about 3 ft. above right now, which is producing 78 degree temps atm w/ gentle ventilation, so I figure that should be fantastic. So, what about this soil issue? It's been a while for me, and I used to do great. Any further advice REALLY would be GREATLY appreciated, and I will keep helping others with what I can in the process.

Anyway, I got 12 sprouts in the MG seed starting mix, which seemed to be the weakest thing I could find around here to start stuff with(0.03, 0.03, 0.03), plus put the 6 in cactus mix(0.06, 0.02, 0.04) Question? With what I have, MG nuted perlite(0.07, 0.07, 0.07), reagular course vermiculite, the MG nuted cactus mix, the nuted Hyponex(w/ about 0.5 EC run-off, 500ppm), and seed starting mix, what would be the best mix up of these soils and additives for sprouts? Also, I have about 20 Gals. worth of last years random compost/perlite based soil, in pots on the uncovered front porch, w/ about 0.05 EC, 50ppm run-off, that seasoned all winter outside, so, could that be worked into the INDOOR seed starting equation? I thought of saving that for outdoor veggies though. ??? I'm going crazy! Lol I try to just pop these things with a touch of water then leave em' alone, like I always have.

jblwired said:

Also, Is cigarette smoke in any amount bad for newborns?

Click to expand...

Others are better able to give advice on your grow problems, but in terms of your last question the answer is absolutely yes. A newborn infant should never be around cigarette smoke, or any other kind, imo. They should be given the best environment possible to get a good start as their little bodies, brains and organs develop. That said, cigarettes aren't exactly beneficial to adults either, but they can make decisions for themselves; babies and children can't. I don't mean to preach, but you DID ask

your enclosed grow area is made of what?

Why are you feeding seedlings anything? Sounds like you're nute burning them to death.

PoodleBud said:

Others are better able to give advice on your grow problems, but in terms of your last question the answer is absolutely yes. A newborn infant should never be around cigarette smoke, or any other kind, imo. They should be given the best environment possible to get a good start as their little bodies, brains and organs develop. That said, cigarettes aren't exactly beneficial to adults either, but they can make decisions for themselves; babies and children can't. I don't mean to preach, but you DID ask

Click to expand...

LOL, Very good!
You may want to re-read the post.

As for the first post,
it does seem like a soil problem.
What soil did use before?