sick girls

[White Tee]

Has anyone any ideas what might be causing this?

There is a bit more background info in the thread I have up in the New Growers section:-

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=223808

Thanks for any help or advice you can give

 

[CannabisFox]

ph? ec? how much watering? what kind of nuts? which week of growth(looks like 3weeks in flower)?

 

[White Tee]

-16 days into flower

-ph & ec unknown

-Been feeding Ionic Hard Water Grow Hydro nutes (they were free, and im skint).
Was about to switch to the bloom next time they need water

-Watering using the "lift" method (now)

-Soil is a mix of Westlands with added John Innes No2 and perlite

-Have also been giving them a foliar spray of water/epsom salts

 

[FreezerBoy]

-ph & ec unknown

There's your problem. pH controls what the plant will and wont eat. You need to get it under control and you can't do that until you know what it is.

 

[Kcar]

Yep. I second the PH diagnosis...

 

[White Tee]

There's your problem. pH controls what the plant will and wont eat. You need to get it under control and you can't do that until you know what it is.

okey dokey

...i dont have cash for soil testing kits and ph meters, but ive sourced some litmus paper at a price i can afford, will these do the job for me? (also, if these will work any links to methods on using them would be appreciated)

thanks again

 

[CannabisFox]

yea those ph-stripes are able to measure in an appropriate range

 

[Kcar]

the little PH testing kit from GH is like $7
I used one for 6 months until I could afford a PH pen

 

[White Tee]

Picked up a GHE ph test kit today while i was out and about

Did a check on my tap water first, it came out at about 7 - 7.5

Then i tried testing my soil. This also came out at about 7 - 7.5

My first thoughts are that i have botched the test.

Does there need to be a specific ratio of soil to water in the tube?

Tried it first half filled with soil and then topped to 3/4 with water, but the results were, err, as clear as mud! Tried again with only a bit of soil in the bottom and a lot more water, this is what gave me the reading of 7 - 7.5

Also, is the soil on the top any good to test or should i dig a bit deeper? Kind of frightened at stabbing towards my roots with a teaspoon

appreciate the help

 

[CannabisFox]

too high

 

[White Tee]

Tried again, same result, ph at 7

So what is my best course of action now? I've read on another site that putting a topping of bonemeal on will drop the ph, is this a good idea or not?

They will be dry tomorrow and ready for water and they have not had any bloom nutes yet. Do u think I should still feed them tomorrow or what?

Sorry for the barrage of questions , but I just wanna get things right

 

[RubeGoldberg]

Tried again, same result, ph at 7

So what is my best course of action now? I've read on another site that putting a topping of bonemeal on will drop the ph, is this a good idea or not?

They will be dry tomorrow and ready for water and they have not had any bloom nutes yet. Do u think I should still feed them tomorrow or what?

Sorry for the barrage of questions , but I just wanna get things right

If your pH is coming out too high, start the water a little low, 6.0
and get reasonable runoff, this is gonna allow your roots to get an upswing through its ideal pH range and start using up some of the built up nutes which could be causing this pH issue to begin with.


Now you'll ideally want a digital meter if you're gonna be serious about growing. GH drops are gonna be difficult to use, because runoff water is murky as shit and will effect the color.


What type of soil are you using?

If its anything other than sunshine mix or promix, can you tell us when you started feeding that soil??

 

[RubeGoldberg]

Also, is the soil on the top any good to test or should i dig a bit deeper? Kind of frightened at stabbing towards my roots with a teaspoon

appreciate the help

Leave the soil alone for now, in 99% of pH related problems, you can fix the problem by testing the water going in and the pH of the runoff.

slurry tests are nearly impossible with the GH drops really and not even really needed when runoff can used for diagnosis

 

[Stress_test]

Mix up a full strength solution of nutrients and adjust the pH to 6 and flush with about half again the pot volume. Basically all you need to do is get the pH down within the ranges a plant can uptake, because with the pH 7 and above the nutrients and minerals that become available to the plant at 5.5 never get used by the plant. So this time if you drop the pH to 6 then the plant can start using the iron and other nutrients/minerals that is hasn't been getting pH'ed at 7 and above.

SOLUTION: Adjust pH between 6 and 6.5 and flush once at watering time. Maintain pH between 6 and 6.5 (7 EXTREME MAXIMUM) with every watering/feeding.

 

[Grønn]

What size are your pots? (volume) What size are your plants? (height)

Reason I ask is that your plants look like some of mine did when they were rootbound.

 

[Grønn]

Sorry. Didn't read your other thread before posting. Your containers look big enough for the plants and you're so far into flowering that repotting wouldn't be any point..

Do you have hard water? Using hydro hard-water nutes for a soil grow seems like trying to hammer a nail in with a screwdriver - wrong tool for the job.
Are you sure you can't afford some proper soil nutes?

 

[dansbuds]

Listen to these guys ..... they know what they're talking about . lots of great info here .

good luck with your grow

 

[Rusty Trichome]

Picked up a GHE ph test kit today while i was out and about

Did a check on my tap water first, it came out at about 7 - 7.5

Then i tried testing my soil. This also came out at about 7 - 7.5

My first thoughts are that i have botched the test.

GHE drops (and similar) work fine, but I use freshwater aquarium ph test kits. (about $7.00) Because they're available anywhere, I don't have to pay for shipping.

Is the GHE test kit good for testing soil ph? Seems to me the soil ph will be overshadowed by the ph of the water you add, which doesn't help your cause.

I thought the only reliable method of testing soil is either a soil ph test kit, a ph pen with which you can test the runoff ph, or going with the numbers from the soil manufacturer. In your case, manufacturers. Google various combinations of "PH John Innes #2" and "ph Westlands soil". JI is buffered to 6.5ish, not sure of the other. If they've been in the same soil for a couple months, then perhaps a ph issue as the buffering capabilities fade with time.

Y'all positive it's not a calcium/mag deficiency that could be rectified with weekly molasses dosings? Also, overwatering can cause lockout.

It would be quicker to have him fill-out a troubleshooting form. Much quicker...