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Nute stress? pH issues?

cakeonfire

New member
Hey guys noob here!

So this is my first time and I think my plant is going through some nute stress. I asked around some growshops in my country (I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina) and all they say is "do a flush with controlled pH". I get no explanations nor questions about my feeding schedule, nothing. So well, imma try be as thorough as possible.

So technically this is an autoflowering strain of "super haze" in 11l geotextile pots. Honestly idk I didn't charge myself with this buy, a friend did. Anyways. I had two seeds, one ended up real small but didn't have any other troubles apart from that. When they were both small (two months in, around 20cm tall, no flowering yet) I was suggested a root flush and to lower my nute dose. I am using top crop auto and at the time I was using 3.5ml/l. After this initial flush, one started growing taller and the other one stayed small but started flowering. So the one that flowered was harvested because other than being small, she had no other problems, as I said before. The other one, I assumed it would start flowering as well since I was hitting the 3 month mark and well, maybe it wasn't an autoflowering strain, idk honestly. So I reduced my feed to 1,5ml/l a week and for about a month, almost two, everything was fine. Then I started to get some leaf burn, not tip burn. I thought it was either botrytis or P deficiency. Well the plant continued to evolve negatively and right now it shows various nutrient deficiencies so I'm guessing it was not botrytis. I was again suggested to do a root flush but other than that I honestly don't know what to do. I measured pH on the percolated water and it turned out slightly alkaline at around 8 (I have some really bad quality Chinese pH strips tho, but when I added vinegar to the percolate, it fizzed slightly). I find this weird since my potting mix was 20% compost and organic matter acidifies soil as it evolves. So I am doing a root flush because at this point why not, but the runoff is not coming out clear at all and I've already used more than triple the volume of my pot. I also prepared my nutrient solution as per usual and it's pH is between 6 and 7, so honestly I don't know what to do.

Bear in mind that my gear is very rudimentary (almost non-existent I would dare say) and that my new job is having some bureaucratic issues so no paycheck for the time being. I do accept suggestions on what gear to buy next, but I don't know when I'll be able to.

I'll add some recent pix (taken today) so y'all can see the current status of my plant. Actually now that I am taking new pictures, the runoff does seem much clearer than before 🤣 but anyways. Going on 5x the volume of my pot...

Thanks!
 

cakeonfire

New member
Well so apparently the pictures didn't get posted so I'll try to reupload them when I get the time. Imagine a plant that's got different nute deficiencies as well as a yellowish brown runoff (much like clear apple juice that's slightly oxidized)
 

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Welcome to ICMag!! :D You're in the right place :)

Is it still 50 posts till you can post photos? I haven't looked in quite a while. If it is, you may want to look around and see if you see photos of plants with your issue. :) Keep providing more details and at some point someone will be able to help out.
:tiphat:
 
T

Teddybrae

Your photos, Man ... did you upload them to albums first? If not you gotta use the 'attachment' logo (the paperclip) in "Go Advanced" at the bottom of the page.

But sounds to me if you have runoff coloured like you say, the soil is still hot.

If you got 'fizzing' when you added vinegar (acid) to your water, your water certainly IS alkaline. I wonder what mineral might be precipitating from the water when it fizzes ... ?

Need them pictures!
 

cakeonfire

New member
Well as for the pics, I had used my phone and upload hadn't worked. I will try to take more pics (I've got some time constraints this month) but for the time being, here you guys go! @Douglas no 50 post limitation as far as I can see, just the impracticalities of using a forum on my phone.

@Teddybrae As for the runoff, the fizzing is very weak and I could see little to no bubbles, let alone a precipitate. However nothing at all happened with baking soda so... alkaline soil it is (I'm assuming it would be some form of an acetate, but I've got no idea what cations I got hiding in my soil heh). And honestly, doesn't the plant enter in some sort of "shock" if I continue to flush it? So I've read, and it scared me a bit so I stopped (runoff is still colored but looked like apple juice diluted to maybe 1/10).

If you guys need any more details, just ask. As a newb I've probably forgotten something.
 

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Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Oi! Super over nuted, you're quite correct. I'd keep up the plain pH'd waterings for at least a week to 2 weeks and then diagnose again if needed. :)
 

Rodehazrd

Well-known member
I really hesitate to contradict DC as he is way more experienced than I but I had a similar event last winter. I tried flushing over and over to no benefit. I was underfed. Those edge burns could be a K deficiency. I hit mine with a good dose of Koolbloom 0-10-10 and the new leaves came out great. You may have a lockout going due to that ph 8 but looks underfed to me.
 

cakeonfire

New member
Thanks for the advice. I'm now doubting how to use the nutrient solutions... I mean, I did follow instructions but since my plants ended up being problem children... Is there like a tutorial I could use for reference? Maybe chat with someone not to overpost the thread? IDK how this place works yet ��
 

Rodehazrd

Well-known member
Thanks for the advice. I'm now doubting how to use the nutrient solutions... I mean, I did follow instructions but since my plants ended up being problem children... Is there like a tutorial I could use for reference? Maybe chat with someone not to overpost the thread? IDK how this place works yet ��

I would start with Jorge Cervantes. Also I get some phenotypes just hard to grow so don't give up on yourself just yet. Youtube has some good things on just your subject I think you will find your plant in searching K and cannabis but over fed and underfed both stress out other things. Look at Moulders Chart.
:tiphat::tiphat:
ps don't expect to heal those damaged leaves focus on the new growth and remove the others over time as new ones come in
 
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cakeonfire

New member
I would start with Jorge Cervantes. Also I get some phenotypes just hard to grow so don't give up on yourself just yet. Youtube has some good things on just your subject I think you will find your plant in searching K and cannabis but over fed and underfed both stress out other things. Look at Moulders Chart.
:tiphat::tiphat:
ps don't expect to heal those damaged leaves focus on the new growth and remove the others over time as new ones come in

No but like if my nute says something in the lines of 3ml/l, does it mean per liter in the pot? Or of irrigation? And if so, if I'm using the weigh of the pot to guesstimate irrigation, does Cervantes, or any other person for that matter, offer a better way to calculate irrigation?

Btw I'm asking because i'm short of time but I will peek some when I finish my semester. I had been reading Ed Rosenthal's book, don't know how it compares to Cervantes'.

For the time being, I see some new growth so I'm happy, gonna keep monitoring that.

Moulders thing looks like a headache waiting to happen oh boy
 

Rodehazrd

Well-known member
I started out with the Rosenthal Bible. Very good info, I still use the thirty gallon tub system he published. Cervantes big book covers more and has pix.
Most mfg. give the maximum dose as instructions. Use more buy more and a lot of plants will take that. I never reach full strength with those products.
The common method of watering in pots is lift it up. Feel a pot of dry soil then add water and feel it keep adding till it is saturated and feeling it. If you think when you lift it maybe it needs water then walk away, if you think oh man this is dry then water well.
Moulder at first should tell you many things are connected and affect other things. Take away is Balance of all don't add a lot of one nute or micro it can lock out other essentials. When you have time start on the Lounge thread by growingcrazy there you will find the soil science guys , or read the original slonickel thread.
Best of luck to you on finals
:tiphat:
 

cakeonfire

New member
Ok so quick update! The plant is looking healthier afer successive root washes and I'm quite happy.

I let it just sit there without nutes for about two weeks to see what happened and new growth started appearing faster than I expected, so now that it looks healthy I'm returning to watering her with some nutrition. It's even showing lots of white hairs! :woohoo: I still get some funky leaves, this time around I'm assuming it's because I've been starving the plant. The bottom part is looking kind of sad as well. We'll see.

I couldn't get hold of a decent pH-meter. I went to a local growshop that's well stocked and they told me they aren't receiving the salts to prepare the calibrating solutions, so I'd love it if you guys could reccommend me some testing strips that you think are of ok quality. I had some chinese ones that I had to toss because they just didn't work. (They were dirt cheap doe so it was kind of expected).

Thank you for all of your input, even though this time around everything is kind of all over the place, it IS my first grow so heh :dance013:


Here are some pics so you can see what's going on:

----
PS: Today, hopefully, is my last exam of the semester, wish me luck!
 

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Rodehazrd

Well-known member
That new growth looks fine. If you still have trouble with watering get a cheap probe. Mine has a PH setting which I would not trust but the moisture part is good for me as I can't lift my 7 gallon pots and a finger down two knuckles is not a good indicator for bigger pots IMHO. Keep up the good work.
 
Hi! I’m a newb too. I killed our entire crop last year maybe 6 or so girls. I thought I was making nutes correctly then finally after the devastation I had my boyfriend hover over my process while making plant food I was compacting the measured nutrients in the each table spoon. Luckily my boyfriend is an experienced baker and grower and Sherlock Williams, we found out how I was killing the plants. A year later we are growing some beautiful flowering girls. I’m no expert just thought my story could be relatable to your situation! I hope this helps you!!
 
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