Help Diagnosing my plants

I've been growing some plants from seeds ard they are starting to show some signs of browning on the ends of their leaves in an almost dotted formation. I water every time soil gets nearly dry. I have a Compact fluorescent light on them and they are in soil composed of potting soil and perlite with a 4:1 ratio indoors. I've checked the recommended post and am still unsure what the problem is. Any help would be appreciated, i will post pics. Thanks

Have you fed them yet? What is your ph?

feed them but use about half strength

"A" compact fluorescent? Just one? How many watts? What's the color temp of the bulb? How many plants are you trying to grow under one light? How far away is the light?

ya you want to keep you lights as close as possible without burning the plant. With flo's it is virtually impossible to burn them unless the plant is touching the light, keep about 2 inches away

and if i can recall right potting soil has NO nutes in it

but looks like they need a feeding

maximus316 said:

and if i can recall right potting soil has NO nutes in it

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You recall wrong. It depends on what kind of potting soil you buy, but pretty much ALL soil has some nutrient content in it (this is why plants grow in soil outdoors without any amendments), but some commercial potting soils have ADDED nutrients - either organic or chemical depending on what you buy.

looks like nute burn but doesnt make sense if hes not feeding them


unless he has soil with nutes in it and over watered which would release the nutes in the soil and burn the little guy

sorry to tell you that alot of potting soils don't have shit in them, he should look on the package and see whether there is any added nutes. PRO-MIX no added nutes, Miracle grow lots of added nutes. Depends on what type your using

Time released nutes can really fuck your plants up

but what the fuck do I know, i've only been growing for 10 years???

honestly it could be one of many things, if you cant find any info on whats in the soil, i would flush pots out completely and the decide if they need to be fed. could be nute burn...

but usually a def will show signs starting at the bottom of the plant, like a nit def will start with yellowing of the big fan leaves starting at the bottom

maximus316 said:

sorry to tell you that alot of potting soils don't have shit in them, he should look on the package and see whether there is any added nutes. PRO-MIX no added nutes, Miracle grow lots of added nutes. Depends on what type your using

Click to expand...

Sorry to tell you, but there is no such thing as "nutrient-free" soil. Some potting soils may not have ADDED nutrients, but that doesn't mean the nutrient content is 0. Soil IS made of decomposing matter, all of which contain nutrients (albeit in small amounts).

If you'll read my previous post, you'll see I very clearly stated the difference between ADDED nutrients, and nutrients already contained in the soil itself.

Even the dirt you dig up out of your yard has nutrients in it, that's how the grass grows =)

Pic#2 kinda looks like root rot.. Does the new growth in the middle have that blackness to it? Any slimy texture?

Does your container have drain holes in it?

If not root rot then i would lean towards your ph being off.. Have checked ph of the run off?

Also I wouldnt water till you find out more about your soil.. More water could add to the problem...

yes i know that soil dug up from the earth had nutes in it naturally but somthing like promix has only mirco nutes in it, NO NPK AT ALL!!!! I suppose your now gonna tell me that promix also has nutes in it, so the people that make this stuff lie? right?

what kind of potting soil are you using? this would help determine what your problem is

and yes your probably right about no "nute free SOIL" but is he sure about exactly what he is using?

Hey everyone, thanks for all the help. I am going out to buy a ph tester today after work. I will give some info about the soil i used and their n-p-k ratios. The perlite is under the brand of Miracle-Gro, it says that it is enriched with Miracle-Gro Plant Food(.04% Nitrogen - .01% Phosphate - .06% Potash(k20)) and the potting soil is Scotts premium potting soil and says that it continously feeds for up to 4 full months(meaning that it's probably time released?) with ratios (.07% Nitrogen - .01% Phosphate - .03% Potash). As far as watering goes again, i have watered and let almost completely dry and it does have drainage at the bottom. The soil gets dried about every 2 days ish. Thanks again.