clone stems going purple

[cranky]

7 Day old clones, under 20w cfl x2 no roots to be seen yet.

no idea of the strain (sry)

the rockwool cubes are starting to dry out and the stems are turning purple. Is this normal or is it all down hill from here ?

 

they are largish clones Im misting the leaves with a very weak nute solution.

Cant show you pic my hubby has the camera ( grrrr )

 

One of them had started to sag a bit so I wet the bottom of the rockwool cube, hoping it might only be thirsty.

[everest]

they sound ok ... just don't let em dry out ...... like bone dry ......... should show root soon . keep us posted :smoke

[cranky]

thank you for the fast reply

Im less nervous now

wont be able to get more clones for a month so Im praying on these ones........

 

should I keep the bases of the rockwool moist ? as in wetting it , not over watering.

or just keep up the misting.............. or both ?

 

I think the cold nights are part of the problem btw.

[Guest Eikel]

Hi Cranky, lets see if we can delve a bit further into this...

 

should I keep the bases of the rockwool moist ? as in wetting it , not over watering.

or just keep up the misting.............. or both ?

 

Purple stems generally don't mean the plant is thirsty, they mean one of 3 possible things:

 

1. The strain has genetics that cause it's purple stems.

2. The plant has a deficiency, not enough nutes or imbalanced ph will be your cause.

3. The plant is too cold.

 

Seeing as it's a clone, it could very much be a deficiency or tempratures.

If the cubes are drying out just re-wet them with a 1/4-1/2 strength nute solution. I normally don't worry about them getting "too wet" I just soak them and leave them to dry out.

 

Can you tell what temprature your clones are living in? Mine normaly sit around 25-27 degrees and I always get a 99.9%+ success rate of rooting.

[Pure]

probably just a little chilly , nothing to really worry bout but keep an eye on your temps

[cranky]

Tis the cold nights then, Ive filled a bucket of water, dropped a heater in it set to 28c and Im sitting them on the lid, hopefully the thermal mass will make their lives a bit more comfortable.

 

I meassured the temp at dawn this morning at plant level ...18c

The plan wasnt for me to start with clones so I wasnt set up to look after the babies when I got given them.

Edited July 27, 2005 by cranky

[cranky]

temp now at 22.5c

[cranky]

23.7c steady ambient temp. 1 clone looking like its had enough, thats OK .

 

Dont want this to happen again , priced a hydro heating mat today.......summer is on its way next set of clones "heat shouldnt be a problem.........

 

but....................

 

 

Whilst the heated bucket of water was the quickest thought I had to fix the problem,and has seemed to work, , now, Ive thought about it......I do have a water bed heater in the shed not being used,

thermostat controled etc. Anyone tried one of these as a heat mat ?

 

I see on a google search that someone has also thought about it but cant find any results.

Edited July 27, 2005 by cranky

[Tom]

You want to get it up to around 25 - 27 degrees, if you have enough cash to spare (around $60) then you can get a heat mat from a hydro shop or nursery.

 

[cranky]

cash is a problem for next few weeks

 

sux I know

 

I can get temps right if I turn on the 400w hps, but Im worried about the light shock, I could put a "shade" in the box ??? to stop the light of the 400w but use the heat

Edited July 27, 2005 by cranky