New Member Here, New Grower, New (and irritating) problems

Hey guys how a'll doing? Well, I just joined not too long ago because I decided to start growing. I go sick of dealing with the "Scummy" element of society just so I could chill out and enjoy myself


So after reading up alittle I built myself a little growbox. Here are the specs.

Space----2 ft long by 2 ft wide by unlimited ft high (Read: 7ft)

----Box Built using-----

2 Rubbermaid (Roughnecks) Stacked atop each other
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Foil Tape on the inside of the entire box to increase reflectivity (I know about hotspots)
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LIGHT SETUP
2 45 watt OTT Lights Equivilent to 2 75 Watts. ((OTT Lights are MAD expensive, 12 bucks per cfl, but they are supposedly the best CFL's ou can get for vegging and even flowering)
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One (1) 100 Watt cfl (At the moment, I have two (2) but the heat they create in my growbox allows me to only have one active At the moment.. Perhaps when the plants are in flwoering I will active the second 100 Watt I have
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These lights are about 3 inches away from the top of El Seedling.
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AIR FILTRATION
I also have a fan with a filter on the back of it to keep the air Cool, moving, Clean and to keep the plant rustling ever so slightly.
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SOIL
I am using Miracle Grow Moisture Control Soil with Time Release Nutes.
I KNOW I KNOW This was my first mistake but money was an issue at the time and I have already transplanted the little baby into their final pots with this soil.


The Problem

My plants have been goin good for the past week and a half (Their entire life)
I germinated the seeds and planted them in a Small container so they could get started. On Dec 26 it Sprouted and has been growing like a monster ever since. The Bottom Seed Leaves have turned yellow and have begun to fall off (which is normal I've read). I transplanted them about 2 days ago to give them a big pot (about a ft tall) so they do NOT become root bound. Buttt I have been noticing that the first REAL set of leaves my baby grew are turning a slight yellow towards the ends with the very TIPS turning brown and dying.

I need any help someone can offer, PLEASEEEEE I don't want to go back to that dirty street corner to find anymore

And I forgot to mention that There is no Strain, I just took some decent bagseed and planted it.

I also forgot to mention that The pictures above are of my last remaining baby. I had 4 sprouted but 1 was overwatered and Died (Long Story) 1 just sprouted and died. This one had a sister who was keeping up with it but I think It was too close to the 100 watt cfl I have and burnt up while I was away from home.

This is my last girl and I really want to pull at least a small harvest from her from all the work I've put in so far. I was thinking about just putting her on 12/12 to force Sexing and force her into flowering as an emergency measure. Idk.....

Sounds like nutrient burn. My money's on the miracle grow soil being too "hot" for them. I noticed the same thing with certain strains back when I used to use MG soil. In my case, the plants got used to it soon enough, and began to thrive, so there is hope.

Welcome to RIU

Brown tips is the first sign of nute burn. MG is famous for this, but I wont dwell on this subj. Seedlings are very gentle and when planted in soil with time released nutes thats what happens. Be careful to not over water (like once a week) and they will pull through.

Yeah I was betting 10 to 1 that it was the miracle CRAP that was doing this to her :~( At least there is hope though. And here's a pic from a top hole in my setup. The lights look dimmer than they actually are because my camera can't handle the intense glare, so I had to dim it alittle.

The Blue lights are the OTT growing lights while the one Bright Yellow is a 100 Watt CFL. I Have another one butt IDK about the heat so I'm gonna wait on installing it.

I used to have even light distribution between my entire box but when the other seedling babies died I decided to focus all my Light/Attention on my one last baby.


And My lights are never closer/further than 3 inches away.

SIDENOTE: My Last remaining girl is on the far left under all those lights and just to recap I have;


Two (2) 75 watt OTT Premium Growing Lights
Two (2) 100 Watt Soft CFL Lights ONLY ONE IS INSTALLED ATM

send me a message i bet i could help you out

I also just did alittle more research and found that if your seedlings get water on their tops, the heat/light can heat this water up and harm the plant. I DO use a Spray Bottle to water her and the top leaves are usually lightly misted with water, could this also have something to do with my situation?

*BUMP*




Anyone out there in internet land? Common, someone has to have a better idea of what me baby is goin through?

yeah thatll def burn ur tips if a bead of water sits long enough, how far are ur lights from ur plants, and is the soil ur using new?

chronik4lyfe said:

yeah thatll def burn ur tips if a bead of water sits long enough, how far are ur lights from ur plants, and is the soil ur using new?

Click to expand...

The lights are about 3 inches away from the little one

Mind you the only lights I have that really create any heat are the two 100 Watt CFL's I have. The two OTT CFL Growers lights rate in at 45 watts but are equivilent to 75 watts each.


Since the start I have only had the two growers CFL's and ONE (1) One Hundred Watt CFL installed because I feared the heat from the 100 watt would cause damage.

I only use a spray bottle to give the little one water and the droplets usually sprinkle the leaves, kinda looks like Morning Dew After I spray her.

The soil is Miracle Grow, Moisture Control soil with Time release Nutes. It was new when I bought it (Right after X-Mas) But it Had been RAINED ON while stocked at Home Depot. The bag had a hole or two in it so the rain DID leak in while it was at Home Depot, and the soil was very wet when I brought it home, so I decided that in order to not drown my plants I would dry it out with a little heater I had. I dried it up pretty well (So that the top layer was Crusty and the dirt below the surface was Moist.

I'm pretty sure it has to be either Nute burn, heat issues (Though I doubt it) or either Overwatering or This water-droplet-burn. I just wish a pro would chime in and give me a Definitive answer...

hate the inconsistency of soil...ekkk

well a good rule for soil is always premixing(distilled) water through it so it has a moist consistency all the way thru, next time u get soil grab stuff thats kept inside, the rain in ur area coulda raised the ph of ur soil enough to burn ur plant, and also try to grab ike 2- 23 w cfls there not as harsh so u can keep them within 2-3 inches of your plant without burning

chronik4lyfe said:

well a good rule for soil is always premixing(distilled) water through it so it has a moist consistency all the way thru, next time u get soil grab stuff thats kept inside, the rain in ur area coulda raised the ph of ur soil enough to burn ur plant, and also try to grab ike 2- 23 w cfls there not as harsh so u can keep them within 2-3 inches of your plant without burning

Click to expand...

Ahh true...did not think about the fact that the rain could have raised the ph... good point. And Yeah, I moved my lights an inch more away just to be sure. And to answer the post above, nah I don't have a temp gauge but it feels (based on my expert oppinion ) like it's hovering in the mid 80's inside the 'chamber' lol

Update---

Alright well; today I just got around to checking the little beast after leaving the soil to dry out and the condition has WORSENED. So I sprayed Water on the top soil (I avoided the seedling to avoid burning it)

I also should mention that Last night I installed the SECOND 100 Watt CFL to see if it would help. Today, As I've said the condition has worsened and I have noticed a moderate increase in temp inside the box. Any ideas?

Ahh thanks for the encouragement, I'm just really worried this miracle crap has wasted my time (and mula) for no reason :~\

and on the temp, I don't know the exact number but it doesnt feel Hotter than the 80's. I definatly need to invest in a ph meter + thermometer.


But anyways, what should I do to give it the best chances of survival? If I water it to 'flush' it just releases more Nutes, if I don't water it seems like the little douche won't have enough strength to fight this lol