Back with yet another sick garden

[MHHSP]

Problem started around week 2-3 in veg. It looks like the new growth is growing out if it and is healthy.

We are in sunshine mix#4, with espoma lime mixed in. Feed ever other week with FF grow big and liquid karma.
Thinking it could be a cal-mg overdose as this looks very similar to a problem I just had.
The water is quite hard, not sure the ppm but there is a mineral buildup in the res after just a few weeks and will not scrub out.

These that the worst leafs, they are mostly the older growth and large fan leafs, many are healthy as well.

 

[MHHSP]

So my problem has gotten worse and I am in need of advice or at least get a sense if I’m on track. The plants are 6 weeks old the picks above were taken last week here are the new pics…


These pics were taken 3 hours after being off the plant, needed to get em to a camera.

The older leafs showing chlorosis became much more burned and the new growth is very clawed and shrivel looking.
The details…

Strain: Powerhouse Deepchunk x C99

Medium: Soil, sunshine mix #4 (has some lime already mixed in), with espoma lime mixed in around 3/4cup cuft

Nutrients: They are getting liquid karma every other week and fox farm grow big every other week, they were only feed once. Also gave them ½ strength micro once.

Water: They water in use is my suspected cause along with the lime I mixed in. It’s very hard water, well water, I do not know the ppm, but in the res after about 2 weeks there is a large built up of limestone on the walls. It’s like a scaly white almost chalky substance. The pH out of the ground is around 8.0. I adjust that to 6.0-6.5.

Other than that I don’t know what to say, my environment is right on, temps 68-75 good ventilation, air circulation, and appropriate light coverage. No pests.

My solution I’m leaning towards is getting a new water source with less cal/mg, looking into a local spring. We cannot afford an RO system at the moment.

I have never seen problem like this develop so fast any help would be great. Could this be an iron issues due to the high lime levels, are things potently being locked out?

Thanks all

 

[Zen Master]

I dont do soil so I may be wrong, but shouldn't a 6 week vegged plant get more food than every other week? and definitely more than just a kelp additive for the one week, kelp is a supplement, not a micro/major nute.


check for root aphids too, just incase.

 

[Sam the Caveman]

how much lime did you mix in with your soil?

If you think the water is too hard, a carbon filter will lower it some and remove the chlorine. It will cost much less than an RO system, and you can make one if you want.

If it were iron, it would be severely yellowed on the new growth.

 

[MHHSP]

I mixed in about 3/4 cup per cuft.
There is no Cl its well water, I thought a carbon filter would not remove dissolved mineral ions.
No pests.

 

[Midnight Tokar]

If I remember right Espoma lime is pelletized so you wouldn't get much help from it anyways, Is it possible you have a water softener for the well water, the white crusty build-up you describe may be salts.
I think you need to do a flush immediately with RO or distilled water with a very weak fertilizer as those plants look like they have a severe salt buildup to me.

 

[MHHSP]

There is a softener, however we hit the bypass switch and flush the pipes out a bit. Could the bypass be failing hmmm... any way to tell if the build up is from Na or Ca? Looked like Na build up to me to but they have only been watered 3 times, they are in 5 gallon pots, wouldn't a build up take longer?
In any case they were watered yesterday so I can't do much till they dry, normally 6-7 days.

 

[MMJGrowDoctor]

Dude,

There starving! They need FOOD. Please feed them every other watering. not every other week?? Hit them with a good dose of food and things will get back to normal.

MMJ

PS

Do not wait for them to dry? Re-water with some food. They will love you for it.

 

[MHHSP]

They only get watered once a week, they are in 5 gallon pots and take that long to dry out. I have never seen nutrient starved plants look like this.

 

[vonforne]

You need to build a better soil foundation.

Follow the link in my sig.......we can help

 

[Midnight Tokar]

I have never seen starving plants look like that either! They look burned to me.
If you only need to water once a week and you fed as you said that would be every other watering........normal.

 

[MHHSP]

Just figured something may make a difference, we have been turning on the bypass valve on the softener but not turning off the in outs to the conditioner. Could this cause salt to be in irrigation water?

They have been watered with this 3 times, could it be Na overdose or build up this soon?

 

[MHHSP]

I think its fucking sodium. Have been reading in the sticky's and Na affects plants that are younger the worst and sounded like my issue above all else. Damn it I have had a hell of a time lately concerning this issue. Since they were just watered yesterday with that same water I'm worried cause I'm guessing I need to wait till they dry a bit to flush with better water.

 

[Midnight Tokar]

I wouldn't wait, you say you only need to water once a week and so you'll have to wait 6 days.........one more day of being wet won't matter. You need to flush that salt out now.

 

[MHHSP]

Alright so do we think sodium intake problem? Any other votes? Prob will flush it out tonight, adding a little ferts on the last additions.

 

[northstate]

MHHSP sorry to hear of your headache, I use well water with tons of Ca and its very hard to start @240ppm. total Alkilinity affetcs my water Ph a lot. I vote possible NaCl but think you would see more yellow and not that copper/gold color. Pick one, flush it with ph'ed H20 really well. What is your run off ph? New growth is very clawed and shriveled looking...Hmm Could be a build up of salts I guess with the ferts but I dont know. Staying wet for a week is a bit long I think, drainage issue is probably not helping things. They do look pretty well fed, could you pick one and feed her 3/4 just to see? I am curious and will be checking back. Good luck though! NS

 

[darrmann]

That is most definily heat stress!!! how close are your lights? whats the temps in your room? It is definitly not cal mag issue. Why do you feed so little? When i used soil I would feed every time i watered. H@G has a product called drip clean and it doesnt let salt buildup so never have to flush. or you can use clearex but it really isnt good to flush untill end unless you absolutly have to. I have seen people go feed feed water but never every 2 weeks

 

[MHHSP]

Ok, I will give an update for all you folks. We did not flush I have not seen them yet myself, but I hear they are looking super good and have snapped out of whats been troubling them which I'm still confused about. Well I hope so. We have grow bags and I still don't think they drain fully so I will slash some more drain openings on the bottoms letting them dry well in between watering.

NS- runoff is about 7.0, they are wet for a week right now cause they are not terribly large yet and are in a 5 gallon pot, could go with a smaller pot then go up, but this is less work for our set-up. Typically as they grow about every 5 days they need water. We will feed next watering.

DM- Thanks for your thoughts, the issues is not heat stress, although the light did ultimately cause the burning I think something else is to blame, canopy temps are at 75 day 68 night, and have never been out of that range, the 1K's are air cooled and 24" from the tops. Feeding every other water is usually not a problem, cannabis strains vary greatly, some are heavy feeders while others are very sensitive to nutrients.

Will get new pics up after the weekend so you can all take a look at the improvements I am told about.

 

[MynameStitch]

Is the only part affected the upper part of the plant? Can you take some more pictures that do not have the orange light on.....

Sodium is taken in by plants BEFORE any other nutrient, now it does look like heat stress, BUT this is a very tricky problem, because sodium causes nutrient lockout and causes the plants water intake to be cut, so if at one point there was heat stress, the plant could have had it at once point, only because the water was not being transported properly where otherwise if the plant was not receiveing softned water with sodium it would not have had heat stress.

It will take about 2 weeks for the plant to FULLY flush the plants system out, but you should start to see improvements in about 3 to 5 days to a week.....

First flush the plants system and then go there, there is no point in feeding or doing anything and the plant looks like it's burned from nutrients sitting in the soil, because the plant was eating so little from not being able to take in nutrients properly too,

but first and for most flush first and then we can go from there. Flush the plant out with a lot of water, the same amount you would if you have had a nute burn, then use plain water for one week with no nutes....

Also forgot to add, it's not the canopy temps that can cause the bleaching, it's the amount of light intensity the plant can handle at close contact.

 

[dachieftan]

I have the exact same problem but it hasn't advanced to the golden coloration on the leaves... Just the bubble bumps on the leaves. They look super thirsty even though I fed them the other day so I thought it was lacking K b/c that's what helps in water uptake so I topdressed with 1/2 tsp of P guano and 3/4 of a tsp per gallon of h20 for a K supplement. That was there first dose of PK by the way in there 2nd week of bloom in soil. Hopefully, I didn't burn them further since it seems they can't uptake the nutes anyways if there is a salt build up. Looks like I'll have to wait to flush and I will check back in to see whats good.