Please help damsels in distress!!

[Substorm]

I have 4 females that appear to be dying due to the soil that they are in. They are 2 weeks into flowering and planted in top soil that I bought from the grocery store. I know that transplanting them into a bigger container with different soil would be ok but I do not have space for bigger containers in my 2X4X7 ft grow tent. What I'd like to know is if it will cause anymore damage by washing off the "bad" soil and then re-pot in fresh soil using the current containers?

**Pictures**
All these girls were planted at the same, notice how much smaller these 4 are compared to the other 3 that were planted in different soil.

 

[Newbud]

Great way to get attention lol " Damsel in distress " lol.

There sure to be a soil grower along soon but from my studies and limited experience ( i coco grower ) as long as you dont damage the root system while washing off/ re-potting you be fine, presuming the new soil is set to correct ph whatever.
I would say if you believe your soil to be the problem its by far the best option just be sure to wash of with suitable solution or airiated water ( spelling probably wrong lol so water that been left for 24hr).
Big difference in your girls for sure so yeah switch.
I dont grow in soil though so just wait for a few opinions.

 

[Newbud]

What make you say they dyin?
Dont look too bad just small, can see the leaf curl but that prob because they carnt handle nutes ( if you givin em same mix as bigger girls that is ).
Definatly an issue though

 

[Budders Keeper]

I would try flushing them out really good with plain ph'd water before washing the roots off and transplant but that may be cause i'm lazy. I've seen a lot worse lookin plant's come back with a good flush.

 

[Newbud]

The thing i dont get is if there a nute deficiency with that soil then surely it would manifest itself in something more like the usual yellowing, curling etc,
carnt get me head round why they would just be smaller than the others but still apear healthy ish.
Is it possible to be just a variation between plants?,,, hey dont shout at me i just like to throw ideas about.

Will be following this thread with intrest so as to learn for others future benefit.

What size pots they in etc?

As for original question can see no harm in a transplant as long as you dont damage the roots

 

[D3]

You can do that, but why take the chance of damaging them? If you cant put larger diameter pots in there, than transplant them in taller pots. Your plants are somewhat short, so I think you have the room. Later Man

 

[Newbud]

You can do that, but why take the chance of damaging them? If you cant put larger diameter pots in there, than transplant them in taller pots. Your plants are somewhat short, so I think you have the room. Later Man

Know what you sayin mate but i have and spoke to sum that have damaged roots ( in my case sheer stupidity ) and had no problems.
With the right care and attention there will be no problem, honestly

 

[D3]

You are right as well. You know I grow in an areoflo. I give my roots a good hair cut when needed. Doesn't hurt a thing as long as you dont go crazy cutting them.

 

[chefboyrd420]

Like newbud says, you can definetly transplant them as long as you dont hurt the roots in the process. I'm new to the whole inside thing but when i grew outside i always kept them in pots and ive had to transplant a few myself. Just try not to touch the roots and you probly dont need to wash them off. just get as much off as you can w out touching them and put them in the new soil.( I'm still fairly new and you might find someone with better advice, but its always worked for me) What kind of soil did you get from the grocery store? Does it have slow release fertalizers?

 

[Substorm]

What make you say they dyin?
Dont look too bad just small, can see the leaf curl but that prob because they carnt handle nutes ( if you givin em same mix as bigger girls that is ).
Definatly an issue though

This is what caused alarm, notice how the fan leaves are turning a lime/gold color and some are starting to dry out. These were planted in topsoil only, as far as Im concerned there is no extra nutes in the soil, I don't recall the exact name off hand just that it is topsoil, however I can go to the store and check the back of the bag if that will help.

 

[Substorm]

The thing i dont get is if there a nute deficiency with that soil then surely it would manifest itself in something more like the usual yellowing, curling etc,

Could it be possible that this soil did not have enough nutrients in it to begin with?

Is it possible to be just a variation between plants?

I'm pretty sure it's the soil, another thing I'd like to add is that it takes a very long time for this stuff to dry out, I'm talking like a week between each watering

What size pots they in etc?

The pots are 10"X10"

 

[Substorm]

I attempted transplanting the smallest plant and when I slid it out of the pot I immediately noticed the lack of a root system, I also noticed how compact and wet the soil was even though I had watered about 4 or 5 days ago. The soil also smelled really really bad (maybe that's why I haven't been able to get any women to sleep over at my house lately?!) I took a trip down to the store to see exactly what I had planted these things in. This is the stuff right here http://www.permagreenorganics.com/store/pg/pg_ts.html, I used that and only that (added no extra nutes), so I currently have 1 girl re-planted into new soil and then this one in the picture that I noticed this morning that its starting to lean over.:cry: I am going to wait until tonight to replant the rest of them because I just remembered that I was going to get something to add to the new soil in hopes of having better drainage this time. Does anyone know of anything cheap that I can use for better drainage?

 

[JonnneyB]

substorm...you can put some rocks (I use lava rock) in the botton of the pot so the water can collect in the rocks and leaves air space for the roots...sounds like to me you need to get more o2 to the roots..also try pearlite (I use 40 percent perlite 60 percent fox farms soil)perlite will give more air space for the roots giving you better drainage.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

IMO, the first question someone should ask is : "What is your pH?" It is virtually impossible to tell what is wrong unless you know that your pH is on...

 

[Newbud]

Normal pebbles, clay peddels, or yeah some rocks for the bottom.

Looks like a damn good job you transplanted then that soil must be crap lol.

What is your average ph THG asks.
They will probably bounce back well once you get em in some good soil with right nutes, ph etc if they managed to stay alive this long.

Hope it goes well

 

[Substorm]

Up until a week ago I was using a metal probe PH meter until I read this thread by HippyInEngland (http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27943), at that point I ordered a Milwalkee Digital PH meter and got an accurate reading of 8.1, I then tried to adjust the PH by adding 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to 2 quarts of water per plant, this dropped the PH of the water down to 6.1(from 7.2), but I neglected to test the run off because I figured that with that signifigance of a drop in water PH everything would be fine. Unfortunetly after testing the run off water today it is showing up high at 8.0. After some investigation of the soil I found out that this stuff if made in the same location that I am in which has a very dry climate (dry = alkaline soil). So with that said I have come to this conclusion:

1. The roots were not getting enough oxygen
2. PH was way too high
3. Soil may not have had the proper nutrients to begin with

P.S. - Is this girl completley gone? It went from slighty drooping to completley horizontal in 6 hours. It has some tricomes, can I dry it and smoke it? Or is there still hope?