Cheap Foliar Nutrient For Very Pale Plant

I meant what kind of soil and stuff, not the beans .

Violeta wasn't too bad IIRC... quite ornamental late in season and nice harvest (for tea, rather too much leaves in the buds for a smoke) but taste wise nothing to remember... errr... I really don't quite remember... gotta check the jar first. Unfortunately, my last notes are the day of flowering but nothing thereafter due to a new job, moving, and all... too bad.

Oh, sorry...

2 liter Fox Farm Ocean Forrest
1 liter perlite
1 liter vermiculite
1 liter rice hulls
500 ml worm castings
500 ml gypsum
250 ml blood meal
250 ml bone meal
250 ml diatomaceous earth
250 ml crab shell meal

Maybe an iron supplement will help?

That's roughly 10% fresh organic stuff. Quite a lot if you ask me! How long did you let it 'getting started' before planting/sowing?
500 ml gypsum? Sounds like a lot, too. Plus bone meal and crab shell meal results in even more calcium. Really a LOOOOOT of calcium!
In addition to a pre-programmed magnesium deficiency and depending on ingredient quality and such, other trace elements might come short and/or likely be locked out.
What kind of rice hulls? Depending on the quality, they're at best superfluous if you add perlite, vermiculite and diatomaceous earth and in the worst case mess up things like knocking down nitrogen.

CaliNewby, Thank you. I thought of that. The inorganic nutes have a bit of iron. I also bought a separate iron supplement but have yet to use it. I don't think I'll need to.

OO, The soil mix sat outside under a tarp for about three months before use. I realize I was lackadaisical (willfully ignorant) in mixing the soil. I'll do far better when I mix for the transplant into bigger pots. So, I probably caused a Mg and N deficiency with this soil mix? For the ones still struggling, is there a quick mitigatory option, other than immediate transplant into better soil? Would flushing with epsom salt (1 tbs/gal) next watering help... and/or foliar spray (2 tbs/gal).

I'm thinking of adding a shot of B-complex vitamins (soil and foliar) to see if it gives these a bit of a boost. I'm researching proper concentrations.

Good, cause that mix is likely best after 'cooking' for a while. On the flip-side, too long incubation results in rice husks being composted and that uses up nitrogen. Rule of thumb is about 24:1 carbon to nitrogen or for every 24 g of carbon (rice husks) 1 g of nitrogen is used up which corresponds to about 8 g of blood meal. Considering bulk densities, you've got about a 1:1.5 to 1:1 ratio rice husks to blood meal resulting in an estimated loss of 1/5-1/3 of the blood meal's N as a worst case scenario. Ain't that much... was expecting more just based on a hunch. But your plants have to run on fairly low N compared to most other nutrients and that's not the best way to grow cannabis .

Flushing with single salts such as Epsom salt is possible but sometimes also risky in soil due to too many unknowns and variables. Tried it and it does work regarding remediating single deficiencies such as Mg. The problem is that you risk further lock out of micros especially because (I think) that some are already low to deficient.
Reminds me of which: What's the soils pH?

Now that I think about it: You've likely got more P from the bone meal in your soil than you have N. Bone meal has a higher bulk density than blood meal and that gives more than 50% more P than N and that's before accounting any N loss. Hence, it could be about 2:1 P to N. BTW N loss always occurs in soil, it's just a question of how much and how fast . For ease of estimation, I ignore the N, P, and C from the crab shell meal.

Back to topic: In my experience it'll be best to use a diluted full range nutrient solution for a thorough flush and shower. In such a case, I also like to add some B vitamins. I did research concentrations and all but if you're having a bunch of potted plants in different soils alongside roses and veggis... so I go with the quick&dirty approach and just take one of my multi-everything pills and roughly dilute that to about 1-5 ppm for any single B vitamin. Works great so far but be aware of overdosing some micros if you're using pills with micros inside! If you're using single B vitamins: 1 ppm is the rule of thumb. Some, especially the pseudo-B vitamins, might be higher whilst PABA can be kept lower... just ask if you're not sure .
B vitamins help with root formation mostly with seedlings and runts but also activate microbial life and it's the latter which helps to finally balance your soil or eat up the remaining nitrogen. I always had the impression that vitamins work but that's just an impression which is as good as a placebo wish.

If you're going for a next round with such a mix: I'd leave the rice husks be but include some magnesium dolomite and use either an established recipe or an organic fertiliser calculator to get the nutrient values where they should be. Or simply use some soil/soilless mix without the fertiliser additives and apply inorganic fertigation.

Some thoughts that I just had after hitting the 'Post Quick Reply' button:
- Don't forget a better K source! Your plants will likely develop a potassium shortage with that mix.
- Especially if adding dolomite: Be sure that the soil pH is below 7. Add for example peat moss. Don't forget: blood meal usually lowers soil pH with progressing degradation.

OO, I'll research what you wrote and reply to it soon. It's too soon to flush the soil. In the meantime, I foliar sprayed all the plants with the following...

(in one US gallon)
2 tbs epsom salt (full strength for foliar)
1 tbs (generic) Miracle Gro All Purpose plant food (1/2 strength for foliar)
1 tsp horticultural molasses
1/8 tsp citric acid
1 325mg Aspirin (normal dose)
1 B-complex vitamin pill (blended in warm water with the aspirin to dissolve)
4 drops blue Dawn dish soap (maybe not enough)
5ml Humax (I know you don't like this, and the leaf staining does worry me)

ur roasting those plants with to much food. everyone of the plants in those pics has burnt leaf tips.

Kygiacomo!!! said:

ur roasting those plants with to much food. everyone of the plants in those pics has burnt leaf tips.

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You may be right. However, since they received too much dry heat at least once, it's difficult for me to interpret the problems.

I neglected to mention I changed to the cheap inorganic nutes for all the plants on the 26th. I also foliar sprayed all the plants with the previously listed mix. Below are today's pics. These are all doing better but the little spindly one is still struggling (second photo, middle plant in bottom row). She doesn't look nearly as yellow as the photo shows... darn cheap camera. Most of the other small plants were started later than largest ones.

I wish I knew what to do for the skinny little girl. Maybe I should risk transplant shock into better soil, working as much of the existing soil off the roots as is possible without significant damage??

The cheapest by far has got to be diluted
human urine

I tried a soil drench with epsom salt at 5ml/liter. She hated it...


However, others loved it...

Told you it's a bit of a toss of a dime .

That plant looks pretty screwed. I wonder what those tip burns mean... K def. or root damage? -> Unpot and check roots or directly euthanise? You sure love that plant if you're hanging onto it for so long (something I understand, don't get me wrong ).

Ha ha... it's not 'love' so much as being a stubborn SOB and having an insatiable need to not fail. What I'm finding is my errors due to inexperience are exacerbated by attempting to simultaneously grow several strains with diverse needs. My failing brain is unable to fully absorb, retain and cogitate appropriate remedial measures. I just be stoopit. Next round will be limited to two or three strains.

I'm going to inspect the roots and re-pot in SunGro Sunshine Mix #4 with Mycorrhizae. I'll add nothing else. It can't be any worse than what I've done so far. I'll rinse the roots in weak H2O2 solution before planting.

As expected, her roots were about as bad as can be imagined without her being completely dead. I rinsed every bit of the old soil off in 300ml of H2O with 15ml of 3% H2O2 and left her to soak for a total of 60 seconds. Then she was transplanted into the new soil and thoroughly watered. She's now outside among her friends. Next watering will include only weak rooting hormone. She's planted a bit deeper than she was. Sorry for the blurry image... this cheap camera sucks.

I think 'skinny girl' is a bit perkier today. I gave her just a little of each; rooting hormone, b-complex, aspirin and beneficial microbes with her second watering, PHed with apple cider vinegar (with mother), then a bit of Humax and molasses added.

I identified a male in this group so took the opportunity to inspect its root ball before tossing it onto the compost pile. It seems I didn't add enough airy material into the mix for these, so the bottom half of the pots remain too wet. That's already been suggested here (thanks, OO ). I don't want to treat the other plants as I did the very sick girl but will partially re-pot this entire group. I'll keep the top half of the soil (containing most of the roots) but replace the bottom half of the soil in each pot with SunGro Sunshine Mix #4 with Mycorrhizae. Hopefully, this will improve growth without shocking the plants.

That skinny girl is a sativa leaning for sure so I typically start at half dose compared to what the hybrids receive

Burt said:

That skinny girl is a sativa leaning for sure so I typically start at half dose compared to what the hybrids receive

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Yes indeed... she's Zamaldelica. She's my last one and I'll not have funds to order more seeds for a few weeks so I really want to save her.