Not a pro but curl ups can sometimes be a toxicity sign. Did you follow the GH recipe? If so, you should probably flush your solution and start fresh with a much more lighter nutrient ratio. I am pretty sure it will help them to get back on theire roots. :) Send us a root picture. Happy gardening

Also, NFT is great for lettuces and plants that wont stay for a long time in the system. Tomatoes are probably not the best choice for this system. In few weeks your roots will get in your drains and probably clog your system. I would use NFT only for the vegetative weeks and then transfer in a more proper system for big roots.

Where is the water level in the pvc? Are your roots in the water or are they relying on the wicking action of the hydroton to get water? What EC or PPM are you running it at?

Thanks everyone for the comments. I will answer the EH & PPM question when I get home. As for the roots they are in the running water as they have grown down. As for the comments on the NFT not being a great choice for tomatoes, what system would you recommend? I have peppers in there as well, will I have the same issue?

So I diluted the solution by 30% and my current PPM is around 800. The plants worsened since yesterday. Could the problem be the strength of my lighting? I had the light around three feet above the plants and my wife seems to think that may be the problem. (Though it is not heat) In addition I have a basil plant that is in dirt that started the same thing under the light. Thoughts? As for the roots they are still very small, some just making their way into the water.

That's really high PPM for seedlings. I'd dilute it down another 50%. The light at 3 feet shouldn't be a problem but backing it off a little farther couldn't hurt.

I took your advice and my PPM is now about 430. I raised the light and it is about 4 feet up. The water level in the pvc come up about 1/5 of the net pot. I will watch and see if I experience change in the next few days. I have T8 grow lighting as well(6 48" Grow Bulbs), would I have been better off staying with that for a longer period of time?. Maybe I just went to the 1000W MH too fast? I appreciate the advice. I will post results in a couple days.

OK, I realize it has only been one day. I attached a few pictures to show you what is happening. Not sure what I am doing wrong, and I am not hopeful that time will fix things. Thoughts?

I'm following this...I think it will be very educational.

I am using a starter cube called Root Riot that is said to be ideal for Hydroponics or Soil. I started them in your typical dome, they sprouted in a few days. I gave them about two weeks and then moved the cube into the clay pallets and NFT system. I adjusted the water level in the NFT system to just barely touch the bottom of the cube. I have asked a few people and have not gotten a definitive answer, but could the problem be too much/strong lighting for this stage of their growth? I am using 1000 Watt Double Ended MH Bulb and I have it positioned about 4 feet above the plants. Air temperature in the basement is in the low 60's, but runs in the low 70's with the light. As I said before I have adjusted the nutrients to about half of what the recommended mixture called for. I have checked my PH daily and it runs around 6.0-6.2 Humidity is around 60%, but I lightly mist them once or twice a day to bump it a bit. Water temp runs around 68-70 degrees.

I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read and comment. I will attach another picture of the system. (this is the first I have ever built, and in retrospect I would have used square chambers and will move to them in the future) Please feel free to give me any advice as my hope is to be successful.

I questioned what you were starting the plants in because from the look of the pots in the pictures you posted, there is no indication that the plants were in anything other than the clay balls. that is why I thought the seeds were planted in the bare balls. That could lead to problems because the roots tend to dry out without the benefit of an adsorptive rooting media when they are starting up. I do not know if it is an issue of burying the stem too deeply in the balls as they are quite airy. I was questioning if the bare seeds went into the balls, which they did not.

I don't think your light at 4' high will be an issue. I try to keep my sump at a pH of 6.5, that seems to accommodate most plants.

OK I just came from a Hydro store and the person there gave me two ideas which I am going to work on now. He said that if the water flow is too high it could be an issue. He also told me that the light may be too powerful for seedlings. He said they recommend a minimum of 3 foot on full grown plants. I am adjusting the lighting and going to measure my water flow to make sure it is not too strong. I will post updates. In the meantime, if anyone has any other advice or thought please post.

Hello Guys! I am really asking myself if my seedlings are ok. First time growing... Worried to have curled down seedling or other symptoms, Please give me your advice! White spots? Or normal pale green for young leaves?

Thanks so much!

Phil, I love your attitude because it's the same as mine. :) Doing our best with what we have.

I start my seeds in rockwool cubes in any disposable clamshell package..like from a sandwich or cake or whatever. I have seeds sprouting everywhere...kitchen counter, on top of the fridge. They want to sprout. When they are about 2" tall I transplant them to net cups in the system. But I cover them with sandwich bags and wean them into the lower humidity environment.

I keep the lights extremely close to the seedlings 24/7 for the first 30 days then switch to 16/8.

This is all info I learned here and on YouTube. :)

I'm thrilled with my latest seedlings because they cover such a variety and they're doing great so far.

Any idea what PPM you are running to start? Any Photo's of your set up?

Now that my calcium nitrate has dissolved, my ppm is about 650. I accidentally bought the kind that has a coating so that it time-releases. So initially it just sank to the bottom.

Here's a pic.

Are those all bubblers?

Yes, I have 3 pumps, each with 2 outputs. Two go to air discs in the lettuce bin, one goes to the tomato bucket, and each of the other three is split across 4 buckets. Plenty of bubbles in each.

The pumps were $12 on eBay, and they included airstones and all of the tubing you see here. Also bought a bag of plastic T connectors dirt cheap, and a 24-pack of airstones for I think $4.

Being a geek I made a spreadsheet that calculates my energy costs. Including pumps, $0.60 / day.

Nice. I am doing this more for a hobby and to learn more about growing fresh vegetables. Getting my kids involved also gets them to eat more veggies. I will not tell you how much I spent...but it was a lot. I built a bubbler which is doing very well, a drip system which I transplanted into yesterday, and the NFT pictured. Are you using T8 Flourescents?

Wow, I just received more information from a Cannabis site. I found someone experiencing an identical problem and after a few pages of threads it turns out these plants were said to have UV Damage from bad lighting. In his instance he had a cheap Metal Halide Bulb that was made in China. I went down and checked my package and it reads Made in Peoples Republic of China. Has anyone experienced this? Or have more information on this? I moved my Basil plant under this light 5 days ago and look what it has done to the plant.

Wow those poor things are sunburned.

Have you seen this before? Is it too much light? Could it be the UV lighting is the issue?

When my basil has grown up into the lights of my Aerogarden, it looked exactly like that. In fact, I literally trimmed off burnt leaves last night.

Yeah they look toasted to me. Best to ask a successful grower for bulb recommendation. I'll be right behind you because the shop lights are annoying me. I want a serious light asap.

I am using 1000 W double ended metal halide grow bulb. I have it over 5 ft above the plants, and air-temperature is fine. Trying to figure this out seems impossible.

But if your bulb isn't to true specs, you have no idea what your plants are getting. Lots of garbage from China.

Phil. Just do a test. Take a healthy plant you have in soil or soilless mix or maybe if you have some seedlings going and put them under the lights at the same level but not in the system. If they do the same thing that would imply that is it the lights and not related to anything directly in the system.

Hydro. The basil was in soil upstairs for a couple of years. This happened in five days after putting it under that light. I am inclined to think that it is the bulb, it just seemed so unlikely to me. (what are the chances) As I investigated more I cannot find any "well known" companies that sell a Double Ended Metal Halide Bulb. I switched the bulb out and went back to a DE HPS Bulb. Hydro, I appreciate you taking the time to read through this and offer a suggestion. It seems some of the things I am questioning are semi-unchartered at least on the internet. Hopefully this HPS bulb will produce better results. I moved the NFT system under t5 lighting and I will see what happens. I think in conclusion I would recommend staying away from the DE MH Bulbs. Out of curiosity is there anyone else reading that is successfully using a DE MH Bulb?