Yet another curled leaves thread

[sicpsnake]

I've done a lot of lurking here on RIU, and while there are plenty of curled leaves threads, I don't feel they were of any help to me as usually the plants were much more heavily damaged than mine (if mine is even). I just want to start off by saying that since sprout, her leaves have always had kind of a papery texture, as opposed to that awesome, shiny, plastic-like texture commonly seen amongst cannabis plants. They have always had a sort of, very slight, curvature to them. Next, I'll go on with my set up: I have her under 4 26 watt CFLs for a total of 104 real watts used. I have her in a local organic soil, which contains the following: Peatmoss, Perlite, Bat Guano, Crushed Texas Pink Granite, Humate, Calcium and Microorganisms. I water her with fresh, filtered water that I leave uncovered so that any residual chlorine can evaporate (if there's any). I currently do no have a pH measure, but it is top on my to-do list; I'm just low on funding, at the moment. She is not on any fertilizers yet, as I believe she is too young for them. She is roughly 22 days old and I have her on a 18/6 light schedule. While, yes, I'm concerned about her leave curvature and texture, she is still growing steadily and hastily and she is not exhibiting any discolourations that might show that she's suffering from malnutrition. Honestly, it might be a case of over or under watering, as I am sort of an anxious water-er, but I am having a hard time differentiating which it could be. Now, I bring that up, not so that it may be a focal point of your posts, but just so that you know all of the facts.

My main questions are as following: How is she doing? Is this normal for a plant her age? Should I be worried? Over or under watering? When is the best time to start her on nutrients and which are best (in your experience)?

I'm sorry for the unload of questions, this is just my first grow and I would hate it if anything happened to her.

 

[newworldicon]

Bless you for caring so much! LOL. She looks okay, could be worse I suppose. I don't grow in soil so best you seek advice from a soil grower but if I had to take a stab at it, it would be a PH problem or soil problem, too rich perhaps or even a heat issue, do you have enough fresh air passing over it? other than that go sparingly with the water if it seems to hold it a bit too much..

 

[sicpsnake]

I do, in fact, have a fan that aerates the grow box. I was also thinking that it might be a heat issue, as my compact fluorescents do tend to get on the warmer side, despite having a fan there to cool them off. Currently, I have the bulbs are close as possible, but I was thinking about raising them a notch so that she could learn to stand her leaves up more, however I have always feared the dreaded stretch. She is receiving light from every angle, due to the way I have my lighting set up. If it is, in fact, a pH problem, then I will indubitably have to purchase a pH measure as soon as humanly possible. I was also thinking that it might be a drainage issue with the soil; While the top of the soil gets a bit crusty, as does the soil about an inch or two below the surface, the soil at the bottom of the pot remains slightly moist. I will try to go sparingly with the water, as we all know that plants do love a bit of oxygen...

 

[newworldicon]

I do, in fact, have a fan that aerates the grow box. I was also thinking that it might be a heat issue, as my compact fluorescents do tend to get on the warmer side, despite having a fan there to cool them off. Currently, I have the bulbs are close as possible, but I was thinking about raising them a notch so that she could learn to stand her leaves up more, however I have always feared the dreaded stretch. She is receiving light from every angle, due to the way I have my lighting set up. If it is, in fact, a pH problem, then I will indubitably have to purchase a pH measure as soon as humanly possible. I was also thinking that it might be a drainage issue with the soil; While the top of the soil gets a bit crusty, as does the soil about an inch or two below the surface, the soil at the bottom of the pot remains slightly moist. I will try to go sparingly with the water, as we all know that plants do love a bit of oxygen...

How far is the light from the plant?

 

[sicpsnake]

Each bulb is roughly an inch away from the plant, encircling her.

 

[DrFever]

plant looks good try lifting your lights like anther 1/2 to 1 " up get a fan on them i would put like a cup of water every 5 - 6 days even 7 days here i water mine every 7 days

 

[newworldicon]

Each bulb is roughly an inch away from the plant, encircling her.

That's maybe too close, give her some space. Try about 3-4 inches and see if she corrects, if you have bulbs all around her then take into consideration the overlapping of light will compensate and you can have them a bit further back. PH meter is a MUST!!!!!! And the soil conditions you describe are fine.

 

[Irollfatties]

curling/twisting of the leaves is usually a ph problem. Get a ph meter quick. Its a must have tool.

 

[sicpsnake]

Thank you all very much. I've raised the light, and hopefully she will correct herself. I am glad to hear that the soil conditions sound sufficient, I was beginning to worry that I had fallen short with the soil. I really do appreciate the prompt assistance that you are giving me. I will head down to the hardware/gardening shoppe either today or tomorrow for a pH measure.

 

[sicpsnake]

curling/twisting of the leaves is usually a ph problem. Get a ph meter quick. Its a must have tool.

So, I just checked the pH of my soil/water and it is 7.0. My research concludes that this is good, yes?

 

[hoagtech]

your right. 6.8 your magic number but thats really close. I take a look at your feeding schedule. Most likely a N defficiency

 

[Irollfatties]

So, I just checked the pH of my soil/water and it is 7.0. My research concludes that this is good, yes?

So the water going in and coming out of the pot is 7.0? there usually not the same.

 

[sicpsnake]

I haven't tested the water coming out of the pot yet. It isn't time for her next watering and I had already removed the water that drained out before. I'll test it next time I water.

 

[Irollfatties]

I haven't tested the water coming out of the pot yet. It isn't time for her next watering and I had already removed the water that drained out before. I'll test it next time I water.

yeah the key is the water coming out of the pot. Its usually more acidic.

 

[sicpsnake]

OK. Strangest thing. My initial test had, as instructed, a bit of my soil + the water I use to hydrate the plant. The pH for that was 7.0. I just tested the water alone and the pH turned out to be about 7.5. Is there and explanation for this? Should I be worried?

 

[sicpsnake]

So my plant's leaves have been flourishing lately.. except for her older leaves. They have remained dry, slightly curled, brittle. Since none of the other leaves are affected, would it be safe to assume that these leaves have just.. Died? I don't know. Everything is growing exponentially, but these just seem not to be. Would it be safe to purge them or should I just leave them on as a safety precaution? I'm torn.

 

[Honkeycorn]

So my plant's leaves have been flourishing lately.. except for her older leaves. They have remained dry, slightly curled, brittle. Since none of the other leaves are affected, would it be safe to assume that these leaves have just.. Died? I don't know. Everything is growing exponentially, but these just seem not to be. Would it be safe to purge them or should I just leave them on as a safety precaution? I'm torn.

Hey bud, still looks very healthy to me and I believe since the age of them, that this is a nute issue.... THEY ARE JUST HUNGRY as FUK! lol if they are a month old and you still have not given them any food they must be starving!

Give them a half strength nute mix for the next two feedings and see how that does

 

[sicpsnake]

Yeah, man. It's definitely a nute deficiency. The older leaves are starting to yellow and shit. It's nothing serious right now, but I'm definitely going to put her on a half-strength nutrient solution.

 

[sicpsnake]

Well, I just started her on some fertiliser today. Hoping to see some improvements! Well... She's already been improving on her own, lately.. Still.

 

[sicpsnake]

I know this a pretty old thread, but I haven't been able to update it because of some personal issues.... Anyway. I just wanted to say thanks again to all of you that helped me. She is doing great. She's about 4 days into flowering and I am hoping that she will start showing her sex soon....