Esco

Hello to all,
I'm questioning how small the plant is. I germinated the seed using the paper towel method. The picture is taken at about 2 or 3 days after putting the seed in soil. I dont understand why the plant looks soo weak. It almost fell over when I watered it. It's under a 200W HPS light in a good area with good ventilation. It was about 1 1/2 feet away from the light and ive since moved it up to a few inches away in hopes to correct the problem. I have a fan on it and everthing. Hopefully im just impatient and gradually it will get better. Now its about 4 inches high and still very weak.

Any help or insight is greatly appreciated.

THANKS!!!!!

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frobie

The only thing I would say is that maybe you have overwaterd it and the roots arent really in full contact in the soil. If its only been in the pot for 3 days, it doesnt need water yet. When the soil gets all dry, from top to bottom, thahts when you should add some water. I would let it go for a week without adding water, and that should give the roots time to grow and your plant will get taller and stronger.

Esco

Really??? I didnt think it would survive a whole week without water..... But overwatering could be the problem..... I find that with the light so close to it on the soil that it dries out fast....... I wouldnt have though over 2or3 days without water would be benificial, even with a past of overwatering.......

StaticPoe

Actually I wouldn't suggest that. You don't want the container to dry out completely from top to bottom, rather a few inches or so along the surface depending on the containers size and how far along your babies are in their cycle. Be observant, your plants will tell you when they need water.

However... I don't believe that watering problems are the issue in your case. I think it's more on the lines of lighting.

HPS lamps are great but when it comes to seedlings Metal Halides and flouros work best. They give off light in the blue spectrum which is more needed during the early stages of growth. HPS is more in the red spectrum and works wonders during flowering but just doesn't cut it during the vegetive cycle. Don't get me wrong it can still pull it off it's just not best suited. It appears your seedling is stretching a bit, trying to bask in as much light as possible and becoming spindly in the process. Try throwing some flouros in there. Since they give off little heat you can get them much closer without burning your plants and would be an added bonus to the HPS for a more balanced spectrum. Take advantage of the lumen space. Get as much in there as you possibly can.

sTaTicPoe