Dutch Passion Dp think different

[rossmunford]

Just have a question for all you guys, for some reason my plants just arent really growing big, they look healthy, they're just small, almost to day 30 and have hit flower but they're tiny and I dunno what else to do, they just dont seem to be getting big at all. I have 1 XXXXL hood 1000W HPS, then in the other closet I have 2 600W lights. Would moving the lights closer to the plants help? Ive been feeding them, theyve been taking it well with little to no nute burn, they're in 7 gallon buckets, and PH is usually at 7.

I wanted to do a skrog with these plants, but I literaly have lowered my net as far as I can go before its to hard to get water to the soil. With them not being big at all I havent really been able to begin to weave them through my net so there is no way ive caused to much stress to them to where they got stunted. Im really up in the air on this cause this is the first problem I ran into, and its frustrating cause i look at all these Think Different reviews and there plants are massive.

 

[CannCan]

It's hard to tell from the pics but do you have much perlite in your soil? Have you grown with this soil mixture? Perhaps the soil mixture is a bit thick or dense which could be restricting the ability for the roots to penetrate the soil? Have you been watering on the wetter or dryer side of things?

 

[rossmunford]

I dont have perlite in it, What I was doin to get oxygen to there roots was I just have a resivor of water that I have airaiting 24/7. I water when the soil is dry, I stick my finger in the soil and go off depending how the soil fills.

 

[CannCan]

I really think perlite would make a huge difference for a few reasons;
1) cannabis loves light airy soil as it allows for easy root growth. Root growth ultimately dictates the size of the plant
2) the oxygenated water will be able to easily drain through the soil getting all the necessary nutrients and oxygen to the roots. If the soil is too thick you may not even be getting water to all areas in your pots.
3) perlite will lighten up the soil which will allow for even water distribution and will ensure that it evenly drains, if the water doesn't drain properly it can linger in the soil and eventually start to rot the roots.

Sometimes reading your plant can really help as an indicator as to when you need to water, i found my TD would let me know with drooping leaves (but be careful as this can be a symptom of over watering as well), of course the old finger works.

When you have been watering your plants have you been watering to the point of excess run-off? How long is it typically between waterings?

 

[CannCan]

I'm sure there's plenty of other reasons if anybody else wants to chime in? feel free to correct anything i've posted!

 

[rossmunford]

I usually water every weds and either sat or sun depending on the moisture in soil. Only problem if it is perlite, I dunno how I can mix it in the soil when I have already put them in 7 gallon pots. :/

 

[CannCan]

well you could try transplanting what you have? basically treat it as if you were trimming the roots, like what people do to their mother plants.
I'd look up root trimming techniques and how to re-plant a root bound plant, that should give you the techniques you need to get whatever root system you have established temporarily removed. Once removed I would mix the remaining soils with a whole bunch of perlite then re-plant your little babies.

Before worrying about your lights or anything else i would consider those roots dude!

 

[rossmunford]

You dont think doin this would cause it to stress and stunt more growth?

 

[CannCan]

at this point man your growth rate is at a crawl, if done properly a transplant shouldn't put you back more than a few days. Once the roots have re-established themselves and start tapping into the new, light and airy soil your plant will grow at a rate more comparable to everything else you've seen on AFN. Until then I think your roots are having a hard time expanding. There's not much to lose from this but probably a lot more to gain if done well, just make sure you know your techniques so the process goes cleanly.

 

[rossmunford]

Well, after what you said. Got me thinking so I just took one plant, shoved my hands down the side of the pot as far as they could go and pulled the entire plant out of the dirt, from the looks of it I went deep enough to where I didnt hurt many roots, I can def tell the soil is to packed tight, the root system has barely got anywhere in the pot.