Every dwc run I experience Ca def,please help me understand (pics inside)

[noreason]

Hi all tokers
As the title say,every time I grow plants in dwc,I see Ca def.

I think Ca is the guilty at 90%.

No matter what strain I grow,all of them show similar burns and spot.Some strain will show the def. later than other but the result is the same.

I use to keep pH around 5.8 first and then low to 5.5

RH% and temperature are under control and traspiration is ok

Now I have 4 plants in an r-dwc system and the first signs are appearing.

My tap water has 0,2 Ec
I use dutch formula nutes,with enzymes and a growth stimulator.

It seems to return all normal or at least slow down the deficiencies when I change the whole water in the system,and this let me think about Ca....because in tap water there is a little amount of Ca and Mg,but I don't think it's a Mg def.

I tried to add liquid Ca in the reservoir,but it seems to do nothing.Only thing that really help is to add fresh water,but adding and adding and adding it's a waste of water,and nutrients btw.

What can I do\buy or whatever to fix this problem?

Some shots to let you understand...

These leaves come from a past grow,the def. in various stage

These picture show the def in my current grow.Maybe they're a little different but I'm sure the cause is the same.

This is a NYCDxBB (leaves with more damages are the leaves exposed to a lot of light)

This is a kushage and it was the first to show this def just 48 hours ago.She had wilted leaves also before this def. appeared.

This is the def on a grapefruit.This plant has only these burned spot on this leaf and stop.Sign that it needs less Ca than others.Hypothesis confirmed by the other grapefruit plant that doesn't show anything wrong.

Thanks for any help guys

 

[Minister]

Does the leaves feel crispy?
What is the EC in the res when nutrients are added?
PH 5,8 is spot on for hydro, but 5,5 seems too low, I think it would be better between 5,8 and 6,1
Your tapwater can certainly envy me, mine is packed.

 

[noreason]

Does the leaves feel crispy?
What is the EC in the res when nutrients are added?
PH 5,8 is spot on for hydro, but 5,5 seems too low, I think it would be better between 5,8 and 6,1
Your tapwater can certainly envy me, mine is packed.

The leaves are crispy where the burns are.

I had this trouble both at 5.5 and at 5.8,but I prefer to stay on 5.5 because I think it's better for nutrients uptake.Ca and K absorption have an hole near pH 6.

I know my tap water is good,just too much chlorine when the weather is rainy

 

[GreenMachine420]

It does look like a ca deficienty.. idk much about dutch's line of nutes but if you have a higher level of Nitrogen and Phosphorus it will allow better calcium uptake. there could be plenty of ca in your nutrient solution, your plant just may not be abel to take it up. its not always a PH problem that doesnt allow nutrient uptake... also try to get a supplement called CalMag. Im not sure if Dutch has it but i kno botanicare has a great CalMag that worked wounders for me. Hope this helps and keep updated.

 

[ganja_hasi]

hi there nore,
imo that's a Mag def which is caused due to the low pH rate..keeping the pH constantly under
5,8 causes a Mag lock out..I would recommend to feed them @5,8 -5,9 for the veg period
and increase it slowly up to 6,1 - 6,2 for the high flower period.

 

[grapeman]

Why don't you foliar spray late in veg and into the first 3 weeks of flower? Bi-Weekly (2x per week) sprays of a ca product would do wonders for you. Light apps only

 

[noreason]

hi there nore,
imo that's a Mag def which is caused due to the low pH rate..keeping the pH constantly under
5,8 causes a Mag lock out..I would recommend to feed them @5,8 -5,9 for the veg period
and increase it slowly up to 6,1 - 6,2 for the high flower period.

Hi buddy,thank you for taking time to stop and read.

Why do you think it's a mag def?I know mag def show other issue...and I'm pretty sure it's not a lack of magnesium.New growth are fine,this thing hits the older leaves,the ones that are exposed better at light.
I never run pH so high,I just start with 5.8 and then low it at 5.5 for the whole time.
I can say plants grow nice and fast at 5.5 but maybe at 6.0 will grow better?
The only trouble I have it's this one.After a week or less from the complete change of water they start to show this def.

It does look like a ca deficienty.. idk much about dutch's line of nutes but if you have a higher level of Nitrogen and Phosphorus it will allow better calcium uptake. there could be plenty of ca in your nutrient solution, your plant just may not be abel to take it up. its not always a PH problem that doesnt allow nutrient uptake... also try to get a supplement called CalMag. Im not sure if Dutch has it but i kno botanicare has a great CalMag that worked wounders for me. Hope this helps and keep updated.

hey GM
The thing doesn't change if I take the Ec lower or higher.I just run Ec value trying to keep it stable with water uptake.
If it decrease everyday I raise it a little till it stop to decrease and vice versa,so I'm sure NPK dose is the right one.

I have a Ca supplement that contain CaO (Calcium oxide) but as I can remember it did non help in the last grow.
Do you know what kind of calcium molecule has the CalMag in it?
I know CaO is not good used with phosphates,they should react.

I'm thinking to give this Ca supplement one more try and see what happen in the next days.

 

[noreason]

Why don't you foliar spray late in veg and into the first 3 weeks of flower? Bi-Weekly (2x per week) sprays of a ca product would do wonders for you.

Can CaO be absorbed via leaf?

Light apps only

Sorry man,I'm a dumbass what do you mean?Sprayin the shit when the lights are on or what?

 

[ganja_hasi]

hey fratello,
imo in the range between 5,5 -5,8 the availability of Ca is quite great..contrary to Mg which availability starts at 5,8...just my 2c ..

 

[jakob]

Sorry man,I'm a dumbass what do you mean?Sprayin the shit when the lights are on or what?
[/quote]

im a dumb ass tooo but i thnk he means keep the doses down... light applications .......

jak

 

[noreason]

hey fratello,
imo in the range between 5,5 -5,8 the availability of Ca is quite great..contrary to Mg which availability starts at 5,8...just my 2c ..

mmmmm......you're right on pH.I went to see the chart and it should be as you said.
Are those signs on the leaves compatible with a magnesium lack?I saw several Mg def but never show this way.

Sorry man,I'm a dumbass what do you mean?Sprayin the shit when the lights are on or what?

im a dumb ass tooo but i thnk he means keep the doses down... light applications .......

jak[/QUOTE]

Got it bro Thank you

 

[snoopytime]

Why dont you try a cheap experiment . . get a quart of GH Flora Nova Bloom for like $15 and coimpletely swap out the reservoir with fresh nutes. Just run 8ml per gallon and see what happens. Let the PH do itself. Or if you want, take out half your current nutes and freshen up with half a tank of pre-mixed flora nova (still at 8ml per gallon) its the simplest guaranteed mix in my opinion.

 

[ganja_hasi]

imo yes, those signs are very compatible to Mg def.

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

how old are the plants and what is the ec?

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

also if your not changing the water out every week then your bound to have problems.... if your just topping off and its used up all the cal/mag in your solution that top off is not enough to keep them happy.

im also wondering if this is just in flower or through out???

 

[noreason]

Why dont you try a cheap experiment . . get a quart of GH Flora Nova Bloom for like $15 and coimpletely swap out the reservoir with fresh nutes. Just run 8ml per gallon and see what happens. Let the PH do itself. Or if you want, take out half your current nutes and freshen up with half a tank of pre-mixed flora nova (still at 8ml per gallon) its the simplest guaranteed mix in my opinion.

At the moment I have no money to buy more stuff,but if I can't solve this issue,next run I'll go with GH.

imo yes, those signs are very compatible to Mg def.

Well bro,I added 1,5 liter of water at Ec 1 with only Calcium (CaO).
Tomorrow will see what happen and in the case I'll add some magnesium too.

how old are the plants and what is the ec?

also if your not changing the water out every week then your bound to have problems.... if your just topping off and its used up all the cal/mag in your solution that top off is not enough to keep them happy.

im also wondering if this is just in flower or through out???

Plants are 20 days old average and at now ec is 1.0 mS/cm.Tomorrow switch to 12\12

I know water must be changed and I never let it more than 10-12 days.When the plants are flowering I change the whole water after a week but these signs appear the same.

I'm growing two more plants in a light soil using the same tap water and the same nutrients and they show brown spots too!

I think tap water has little Ca in it,nutrients have little Ca in them,and if the plant is big,it use all the available Ca very fast.

Considering Ca is linked to traspiration,and if RH% (or better to say VPD) is not in the correct range traspiration slows down,also Ca uptake slows down.

These two things together cause the Ca def too easily.

Using the logic,at this point,if my reasoning is right,after added some Ca in the rez I shouldn't see anything strange for a week or so till I change the water.

This thing is the worst thing till I grow in hydro and I never used anything else but dutch formula nutes...maybe time to try something else?

Thanks to all of you guys,your help is appreciated

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

do you run any cal mag??? your water is great almost like RO water which means that it has little nutes in it(ro has none) my guess its not efficient enough to feed just the water/nutes with no cal mag sup.

have you tried cal mag and seen any difference...???

 

[noreason]

do you run any cal mag??? your water is great almost like RO water which means that it has little nutes in it(ro has none) my guess its not efficient enough to feed just the water/nutes with no cal mag sup.

have you tried cal mag and seen any difference...???

Yeah,this is what I think.
Never tried cal-mag.
I tried to add Ca in the last grow but it didn't work.
Now I tried again.I'll keep adding it regularly in the next days.

 

[love2gro]

i grow organically in soil and im getting the same thing on some plants. its like some get it and some dont. im leaning towards overwatering atm.

 

[grapeman]

Can CaO be absorbed via leaf?



Sorry man,I'm a dumbass what do you mean?Sprayin the shit when the lights are on or what?

A product like this, which I use as a foliar (and a supplement via roots). I use soil, so I do not know if I would add to my res without testing is a small way first. but I do know light foliar sprays of this product will help.

http://www.agroplasmausa.com/calcium880.htm

is best absorbed via roots, but will be taken in via the leaves also.