Crispy leaves overnight on my Bonsai Mum?

[Closet Funk]

I got two bonsai mum of Somango x Lavender. They are both in 1/2 gallon sqaure pots with organic amendments. I got Plant-Tone, Lime, and Gypsum. The Plant-Tone has all the essential nutrients. They are about 3 months old. I trim them every few weeks and the look healthy. When I checked on them this morning one of them had crispy leaves all over. I don't get it. What could caused this? rootbound, def., etc.... The plant should be getting a well balanced of nutrients so I couldn't see her being defficient. I been watering with distilled water but watered her with tap water last watering. The other mum is fine and healthy looking. It's not overburn or overwatering, any help would be appreciated.

 

[sproutco]

Sounds like plant tone is not your best choice of fertilizer. Ph is important.

 

[Closet Funk]

I never had any problems with Plant-Tone, plus I got lime in to buffer PH. It could be from the tap water I used. I never thought about PH really. I bet that dam tap water messed up the PH. I usually water them with distilled water. I'll water with distilled next time and see what happens. Thanks.

 

[sproutco]

If you got 1 good plant and 1 bad plant it may be something other than ph. Take the bad plant out of the pot and examine the roots. They should be white and fluffy and not brown or discolored. Pay special attention to the root tips. Sudden attack by disease such as fungus with seemingly overnight damage is sometimes called a blight. 3 months in 1/2 gallon pot=very rootbound

 

[Closet Funk]

No I didn't have them in the same pot all the way through. I started them out in small pots for the first 2 weeks. Then I transplanted into 1 gallon pots for the next 4 weeks. I trimmed the plants down to two main branches and made them bonsai from seed. I then transplanted them into 1/2 gallon square pots and trimmed the roots down. I used the Plan-Tone, Worm Castings, Lime, and Gypsum. They have been in the square pots for about a month and a half. I don't see them being rootbound because they are small plants. My other plant is healthy looking, the other one was too but overnight all the leaves were sagging and crispy. It's not overwatering either.

 

[Closet Funk]

Shit! I fogot I have a PH tester. I think I might have a few capsules left. I'm going to go check that right now.

 

[Closet Funk]

I checked it and it's around the normal range of 6.5-7.0. My tester shows green as neutral and a dark tan as 6.5. It's in between that somewhere. It looks normal.

 

[sproutco]

Ph is high. Aim for about 6. Examine the rootball of the bad plant.

 

[Closet Funk]

When I checked her this morning the rest of the leaves are dried up and crispy. She looks near death. The other one still looks fine though.

 

[Closet Funk]

She is pretty much dead so I just chopped her. She had no new growth to save her. I pulled the roots out and she wasn't rootbount at all. The roots were kind of a light brown color. I think that tap water fucked her up. Maybe she was a weak plant and the other is alittle stronger. Now I'm down to one bonsai mum. That sucks.

 

[sproutco]

Time to do some cloning. I feel your loss. We tried to save her.

 

[Closet Funk]

Could of been root rot too.

 

[Watson853]

I had that happen with an overdose of phosphorous. Wasn't paying attention and burned the shit out of a bogbubble with bloom solution. Crispy overnight. Damage done, chop chop.

 

[dajsp420]

same problem here

same problem here

i had a sk#1 and ak-47 mum id had for 3 yrs do the same thing. first it was the ak to go roots where brown when i chopped her. luckily i replaced her with a clone. i never check ph and feel personally in organics its no biggie. when the skunk died i think it may have been from a foliar feed to strong but i dont know. it really sucked because i had them since i started, ive decided to just replace em with a clone. but root pruning and repotting seems to bounce em back even when they arent rootbound.

 

[pushlimits]

Crystallized phosphates built up form the plant refusing to absorb the phosphorus. could be flushed but most likely needs the roots trimmed. Watson your right, it essentially is a phosphorous overdose. it's pretty common with alot of mother environments, had to deal with it not too long ago and couldn't for the life of me figure WTF was going on. I eventually asked my cousin who's a biologist. It was a epiphany.