my2rotties

Hi there,

I have been noticing that my little guys that are now on day 15 in their hydro set up. I started them from seeds a week earlier then that. My little plants do not look as happy as I feel that they should be looking.This is my first grow, so I really am not too sure what they should look like. The leaves and stalks are nice and strong, lots of foliage, so that is not the problem. However, they just look a little on the pale side of what I feel they should look like.

Last week I had trimmed all the really big first and single leaves of the plant. I thought that would be a good idea, since they were really shadowing the new growth coming from underneath them. I know the leaves are very young, so that is probably why they are not as dark as I would like them to be. However, I want to make sure it is not a nutrient problem before it is too late.

In one hydro book I am reading, they say that the nutrient solution should be changed every two weeks. I had never read this before now. It has been two weeks now, and I am wondering if I should be doing this change, and how I would manage to do it without harming the plants when I drain the containers.

I also wonder about the strength of the nutrients I should have in. I have a two part nutrient system, the first part is 1-2-5 and the second part is 2-0-0. This was bought under the reccomendation of the hydro place I purchased it from. Now that the plants are much larger, one is about 12" tall and the rest are smaller, but still strong and thick, should I be giving a different fertilizer solution?

My PH levels (5.8) have been the same every day, as well as the nutrient levels (18). I am aware that a plant may use different nutrients at different stages of growth. What should I do, or not do with the nutrient solution? Is it better to totally change it every two weeks, or is there a way to add solution to the water without over fertilizing? I have had to add water to the containers on two different occasions, and the water was PH balanced like it is supposed to be. I would imagine that when water is adding, nutrients should also be added as well. However, the levels have always read the same, so I did not feel that anything should be added.

I hope I have given enough info for you to best help me with my question. Thanks again everyone.

__________________
Diana
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Yard/8867/index.html

Resin

Last time I checked the pH is supposed to be about 6.5. slightly under neutral. Having an incorrect pH can lead to nutrient lockup, which just mean the plant can not draw chemicals to its roots. Try adjusting the pH

my2rotties

Thanks for the info. This is exactly the reason why I have no idea of how things should be done exactly. One books says the PH should be between 5.5 - 6.0, another grower said the same thing as well. However when I look at different sites as well as different posts, I see the levels are different from person to person. I have the PH at 6.0 for now, and it has been there for awhile now.

I have also read that when plants are young, they should have a different PH level then more mature plants. Now I know that people should not follow everything they read, but I can't really go around asking people about growing pot in my house. I don't mention it to anybody, not even the hydro store, where you see the odd grower, and know what kind of "tomatoes" he is growing. I by all means do not have a huge operation, I snicker at the thought. I have five plants now, three are male. One is a female and the other one is questionable. I just have to figure out if I should kill the males or move them to a different part of the house. I think that I will do the latter. It would be such a shame to kill them, and I have tried so hard to care for them properly. I just want a nice mother plant in the end essentially.

Back on track again... Is there any way of really knowing what exactly should be done for these plants. I do the very best that I can with the info that I can find, but since I do not even want my best friend to know what I am up to, where do I go. I live in Canada and have no idea of how the law works with people getting caught with pot plants. I really don't care, since I never plan on being in that position. This is just so frustrating at times, since I can't really join a nice little gardening club and share info with the other people. I do not look like a drug lord but I also do not look like I would give a damned about growing tomatoes either.

Thanks for the info, and what should I do to bring the PH level up to what it should be???

__________________
Diana
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Yard/8867/index.html