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health Sick Plants: What am I doing wrong?

T

trailrunner

This year has been my most ambitious yet; started ~54 peppers at the end of January. They seemed to be doing fine at first, but growth has slowed to a crawl and most of the plants are looking worse by the day. Here's a progression of pics to show what I mean; grow details below.
 
February 21:
 
298px3.jpg

 
February 24:
 
2u5t00h.jpg

 
March 1:
 
hukthz.jpg

 
March 5:
 
2igkozn.jpg

 
 
I'm worried with this trend I may end up losing the majority of my plants. Any ideas?
 
Grow Details
 
I've read up on other people's issues here, so here are some pertinent details:
 
  1. Soil mix is 2/3 potting mix from Lowes [http://www.lowes.com/pd_228865-82589-WGM03203_0__?productId=3118573&Ntt=potting+soil&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dpotting%2Bsoil&facetInfo=], 1/3 Perlite, trace amount of agricultural lime (probably not enough), no fertilizer.
  2. Plants have been under 400w Metal Halide lamp from day one, 18 hours on, 6 off.
  3. Grow tent has adequate ventilation, including a duct fan, and keeps temps ~80 F when it's on, and the room gets no lower than 65 F at night. Humidity is typically pretty low, around 35%.
  4. Didn't start fertilizing until about Feb 25, after plants started yellowing a bit. Used 1-1-1, not aggressively. On March 3rd, after seeing no improvement, I gave them all a weak dose of Miracle Grow, with a couple tsp lime / gal dissolved in the water, thinking low N / calcium might be the problem. Hard to say yet if it helped.
  5. I've been using water from our well, which goes through a salt-based water softener. Didn't realize until today that that's probably a bad idea.
  6. I don't think I've been overwatering, and the soil should have good drainage, but how to confirm?
 
Some individual plants
 
1. This is my healthiest plant. Has grown significantly while most of the others seem stuck.
 
29qejdg.jpg

 
2. This one has the yellowing leaves and slowed growth that characterize most of my plants
 
n6atc6.jpg

 
3. This is one exhibits deformed new growth and lower leaf drop.
 
106hsmq.jpg

 
4. These little guys haven't grown much AT ALL in the last 10 days.
 
35a2ce0.jpg

 
Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
 
Too much water. And way too often. Do you have drain holes in grow containers? Plants are drowning.
 
Yes, they have drain holes. Is it worth gently tipping a few plants out of their pots to check? What am I looking for in terms of soil moisture?
 
Yellowing leaves doesn't mean the plants need fertilizer, iT more often than not means too much water or improper drainage.
trailrunner said:
Yes, they have drain holes. Is it worth gently tipping a few plants out of their pots to check? What am I looking for in terms of soil moisture?
Click to expand...
None!
Let them dry out, and when the leaves just start to wilt, that's when you water.
However, the seedlings do not apply to what I just described to you. You are going to have to learn restraint when it come to watering your peppers when they are young.
 
Are you asking why when you changed nothing did the plants health go sour?

Because over watering is a gradual process some times. But when the frequency continues, bad conditions build up to intolerable conditions and the plants start telling you what's happening by what yours are doing right now.
Is this the same setup you used last year,unchanged in any way?
 
Yea, don't water until the cups become paper-light.
Suggest you fill a cup with _dry_ soil of the type you're using and use it as a reference. When you think the plants may need water, pick up the plant and the reference cup and compare.  If they aren't fairly close, hold off.
 
When you do water, do so sparingly.  Two tablespoons should be about enough for a small styrofoam cup.  You want just enough to make the soil damp, never soggy.
 
I'm by no means expert but I had an earlier problem with my plants turning yellow. I would check the PH of the water before feeding or watering. To correct my problem I mix 1 Tb of Epsom salt (magnesium Sulfate) + 1 gallon of water (16 cups) solution and spray all my plants, this helps the plant to turn green/encourage production of cholorophyll and also to encourage flowering I was told. Sulfur is the key element for plant growth also it adds flavour. I don't water from the top but rather bottom feed. Bottom of my styro foam cup I heated up a nail using candle and poke some holes around my cup for air pruning and bottom for excess water to leak out. I sowed them on January 18 and some on Jan 7, I have flower buds forming TSBT, Peter Pepper, and a few others which I chiselled off the top to encouraging the plant to shoot out more side shoots so that at a later date it will become bushy. (more leaves/more flower buds).

I noticed yellow veins in your plants, that could show some sign of chlorisis is a condition in which leaves produce insufficient chlorophyll. As chlorophyll is responsible for the green colour of leaves, chlorotic leaves are pale, yellow, or yellow-white. Possible causes of chlorosis include poor drainage, damaged roots, compact roots, high alkalinity (check PH), and nutrient deficiencies in the plant.

For your information I have also added some oven roasted egg shells (for calcium) which I have grinded into powdery form and mixed 1/2 to 1 Tb in the potting mix into the cup, and Epsom salt granules 1/2 Tb each cup.

You can purchase Epsom salt at the grocery store by the pharmacy section.

When using your nutrients try to go with half strength and check PH before feeding. (Water + nutrients) = Take a reading, using PH kit tester) PH around 6.3 to 6.5).

I don't know how to load pic here so I can't show you my progress. Hope this helps. Good luck and keep us updated.
 
Chinawhite said:
I'm by no means expert but I had an earlier problem with my plants turning yellow. I would check the PH of the water before feeding or watering. To correct my problem I mix 1 Tb of Epsom salt (magnesium Sulfate) + 1 gallon of water (16 cups) solution and spray all my plants, this helps the plant to turn green/encourage production of cholorophyll and also to encourage flowering I was told. Sulfur is the key element for plant growth also it adds flavour. I don't water from the top but rather bottom feed. Bottom of my styro foam cup I heated up a nail using candle and poke some holes around my cup for air pruning and bottom for excess water to leak out. I sowed them on January 18 and some on Jan 7, I have flower buds forming TSBT, Peter Pepper, and a few others which I chiselled off the top to encouraging the plant to shoot out more side shoots so that at a later date it will become bushy. (more leaves/more flower buds).

I noticed yellow veins in your plants, that could show some sign of chlorisis is a condition in which leaves produce insufficient chlorophyll. As chlorophyll is responsible for the green colour of leaves, chlorotic leaves are pale, yellow, or yellow-white. Possible causes of chlorosis include poor drainage, damaged roots, compact roots, high alkalinity (check PH), and nutrient deficiencies in the plant.

For your information I have also added some oven roasted egg shells (for calcium) which I have grinded into powdery form and mixed 1/2 to 1 Tb in the potting mix into the cup, and Epsom salt granules 1/2 Tb each cup.

You can purchase Epsom salt at the grocery store by the pharmacy section.

I don't know how to load pic here so I can't show you my progress. Hope this helps. Good luck and keep us updated.
Click to expand...
i agree, my scotch bonnets were turning yellow in the beginning and not growing, not over watered, and i fed them some 14-14-14 slow release ferts, and one tablespoon epsom salts per gallon of water over the next two waterings. they all turned green and exploded with growth. also, the roots need Oxygen!
 
Looks a lot like either overwatering, nitrogen lockout, or a pH problem.  I'd guess overwatering at first glance.  I only water my plants when they look like they want it.
 
I'm with Capcom and Geonerd on this one. Too much water. I always wait until my young plants beg for a drink. 
 
Thanks guys, feeling guilty over here but I'm going to make the following changes immediately.
 
  1. Stop watering to let the soil dry out. Will resume cautiously when the plants tell me they need it.
  2. Going to poke holes around the sides of the cups to let in oxygen and aid in the drying process
  3. Stop using water that has gone through our softener. Might be contributing to high PH / nutrient lockout issues.
  4. Test the PH of all inputs. 
 
 
Is this the same setup you used last year,unchanged in any way?
Click to expand...
 
Setup is different. The MH fixture and grow tent are new; got them from a friend. I probably had some issues with overwatering last year too, judging by the symptoms, but not this severe.
 
OK, I think there may be an issue of too close to the light. I see signs present that I also experienced last year with a new hps light. I can still be too close at times and I am probably 36" away from my light source. What is your height with the 400w mh?
 
CAPCOM said:
OK, I think there may be an issue of too close to the light. I see signs present that I also experienced last year with a new hps light. I can still be too close at times and I am probably 36" away from my light source. What is your height with the 400w mh?
Click to expand...
 
The shortest distance seems about 26 inches. I can raise it another 12 if necessary. Here's a photo of the setup.
 
30910zt.jpg
 
Your soil is soaked. As everyone said too much water.
 
I would also like to point out that the perlite I see is brown-ish. It needs to stay white. That, as well as getting to know your plants, is also an indicator I use in watering. 
 
Good Luck!
 
trailrunner said:
 
The shortest distance seems about 26 inches. I can raise it another 12 if necessary. Here's a photo of the setup.
 
30910zt.jpg
Click to expand...
Don't change the height yet but keep it in mind. The biggest problem we could have now is changing to many things and creating problems that didn't exist before. lets get the media dried out first and go from there. The plants dont look great, but the also do not look like they are on deaths bed.
 
CAPCOM said:
Don't change the height yet but keep it in mind. The biggest problem we could have now is changing to many things and creating problems that didn't exist before. lets get the media dried out first and go from there. The plants dont look great, but the also do not look like they are on deaths bed.
Click to expand...
 
Got it, thanks! I'll keep you guys posted.
 
As an absolute last resort, if you think the waterlogged soil has picked up something nasty (fungus, mold), hit them with hydrogen peroxide 3%.
 
That'll kill off the nasties and introduce a whole bunch of oxygen to the roots.
 
I saved 2 of my larger overwinters year before last, which were on their last leg (massive leaf drop, wilting with heavy pots.. nasty stinking soil). I literally flooded those with 1 gallon (each - these were 15" pots) of hydrogen peroxide, flushing out the nasty water. The H2O2 bubbles (that's Oxygen being released) in the soil, helps re-aerate it, and the high oxygen content that is released is *very* deadly to fungus and molds. Keep in mind you have to use enough to flush the old stinking stagnant water OUT the bottom through the drain holes. 
 
The plants.. oh my, they frigging love it. 
 
In one week they were recovered and growing like gangbusters!
 
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