Two week old plants need help!

I have four plants that are 2 weeks old that I started from seed in peat pellets. Sorry I don't have a camera or I would post a pic. They are still growing good, with plenty of new growth.

The problem is the older leaves are all getting paler green, some yellowing, and some with light brown spots. The cotyledons are totally yellow and brown. This isn't something that happened overnight, but it's gradually been happening over their whole lives. They just gradually get worse and worse it seems. I would like to try and reverse this and keep them green and healthy.

Now they are in 4'' terracotta pots with a layer of newspaper at the bottom and a layer or perlite.
The soil is 80% miracle grow and 20% perlite.
I have a fan blowing on them 24/7.
They are under five 42W soft white CFLs and one 23W Daylight CFL.
Each plant is around 2-3 inches away from at least one CFL.
The temperature has varied from around 75 - 85 degrees F, usually around 80. This is tested with a probe about 2 inches away from a CFL.

I was told that peat pellets were acidic, and so was Miracle grow. I tested my tap water and it was around 7.3-7.4. I've been using the tap water to water because I thought it would balance the acidity of the soil. I leave the tap water out overnight at least to evaporate some of the chlorine and stuff. I got some distilled water on saturday and have used that since then. It tested around 6.0 pH.

I put then in the 4 inch pots about a week ago. Since then I've watered them daily about 1/2 - 3/4 cup each. (i day i didn't water at all) I keep thinking i'm overwatering. I check the weight of the pots, and also use a moisture meter. The pots are usually dry as a bone, and the moisture meter doesn't even reach the dryest reading.

Could anybody help me out here and give me some advice on what to do? I kept thinking they would get better in time, but they are getting worse.

My sincere thanks from me and my little ladies



i just looked at scruff's post and my plants look pretty much like that, except not as yellow. They are droopy like that.

https://www.rollitup.org/attachments/marijuana-plant-problems/111698d1209908300-yellowing-leaf-curling-05-04-08_0734.jpg

kick for help plz!

it's the mg soil with the time release nutrients, You need to transplant to a better mix. I use 1 pt perlite, 1 pt peatmoss ( both non mg), 1pt mushroom compost any compost will do. I add 1 tablespoon of dolomite/garden lime per gallon of mix. Schultz perlite has no nutes ad can be found at walmart. Premier peat moss has no nutes it can be found at lowes as well as the mushroom compost. After transplant your plants will improve, since the mix has no nutes once your plants are established start with nutes but don't overdo it. How old are your plants?

thanks.

My plants are 2 and a half weeks old now. I did some research and my guess is that it is a nitrogen deficiency caused by incorrect pH and N leach from the soil because I have to water a lot. (excellent drainage, hot, windy, and small containers)

I got some miracle grow liquid fertilizer and i'm giving each a dose mixed in with distilled water. Two days ago I gave only one plant a test dose to see what would happen, and it has gotten greener.

Also - i got a magnifying glass. The spots that I thought were brown are actually a rusty purple color. They aren't intense though, just kind of faint and splotchy on the lower leaf set.