[Dr.FillDaBlunt]

Hey everyone. I have been dealing with some plant issues recently and I just can't seem to figure out what's going on. The most recent SAP analysis showed I was low in Fe, Mn, Zn.

My vegetative room has (50) Jungle T5 48" lights.

I use organic living soil with a coco base.

CO2- 600ppm

400-500 PAR

Water Temp - 68*

Plant Temp - 79*-82*

Ambient Temp - 80*-82*



At first, I thought there was something wrong with my water. I had my water tested and sure enough, it had some bacteria colonizing in it. However, the testing facility was not able to tell me what specific bacteria it was. I cleaned all my res' and irrigation lines. Waited 1 week and tested the water again and came back clean. So I'm thinking I can start to rule out the water issue, but something in my gut says it can still be something in the water. I do have another water test submitted just to check once again.



I use CaMg every water

Current pH: 6.5 (sometimes it creeps higher to 6.8-6.9 halfway through watering and I have to readjust it.)

After about 4 weeks the plants start to exhibit signs of deficiency/stress. (shown in pics)

I amend my raised beds with BioLive.

I have grown all these strains for YEARS without any issues.



ISSUES:

-The new leaves start to get small

-Yellow/pale

-Eventual purpling

-Blistered look. (The margins in between the veins of the leaves start to literally look like they push out like a blister.)



The odd thing is once I transfer plants to my Bloom room they seem to heal and get better. In my head, they start to recover because they have an abundance of food and can start to eat.



My Bloom room has 90 DE Phantom lights. Grown in 60 gallon No-till Raised Beds.

CO2 - 900 PPM

750-900 PAR

Water Temp - 68*

Plant Temp - 79*-82*

Ambient Temp - 80*-82*



I haven't been feeding the plants anything extra besides what's in the soil. Could the plants be eating so much food it's draining my soil of nutrients within 4 weeks and I need to feed? Do I need to do anything "special" with my fertilizer program and/or pH when using LED's?



PICTURES: The plants in pots are in VEG and the plants in the beds are in BLOOM.



Upon request, I can give any additional info/pics.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Lester Beans]

Looks like your pH is too high considering the amount of coco. Or the suspect water but my guess P def.

Except for those two that are bluish and drooping the rest look like they have varying degrees of Mg shortage.
This can be discovered quickly by dissolving some Epsom Salts in a sprayer (one of those used for damping when ironing) and spraying on yr plants. Changes can be seen within hours. Then you might decide to 'cal - mag' yr soil.

So, have you tested soil pH? Not runoff ... test the soil itself. Cheap kits at the hardware.

[Dr.FillDaBlunt]

Originally Posted by Lester Beans

Looks like your pH is too high considering the amount of coco. Or the suspect water but my guess P def.

I am definitely correcting the pH issue. I'm going to start feeding at a lower pH as well 6.2 is my target.

[Dr.FillDaBlunt]

Originally Posted by Teddybrae

Except for those two that are bluish and drooping the rest look like they have varying degrees of Mg shortage.
This can be discovered quickly by dissolving some Epsom Salts in a sprayer (one of those used for damping when ironing) and spraying on yr plants. Changes can be seen within hours. Then you might decide to 'cal - mag' yr soil.

So, have you tested soil pH? Not runoff ... test the soil itself. Cheap kits at the hardware.

What do you think is the issue with the pale/blueish plants?
Soil pH I can test it tomorrow I have a Blue Lab pen. Last time I checked which was probably 2 weeks ago plants were ranging from 6.5- 6.7.

[Lester Beans]

Foliar of epsom is a good immediate action, along with a properly ph'd solution of bloom food. Then get that ph in line going forward. They should bounce back for you.

the pale/bluish plants are suffering badly from wrong pH, I 'd say.
And I 'm wondering HOW you're checking yr pH? Just in the top of yr soil or further down? I think you need to check it at 4 inches/100 mm deep.

Originally Posted by Dr.FillDaBlunt

What do you think is the issue with the pale/blueish plants?
Soil pH I can test it tomorrow I have a Blue Lab pen. Last time I checked which was probably 2 weeks ago plants were ranging from 6.5- 6.7.

[troutman]

I like using Greensand for iron. Molasses also has iron.

Galvanized nails in water can supply both zinc and iron when they rust.

[thailer]

Current pH: 6.5 (sometimes it creeps higher to 6.8-6.9 halfway through watering and I have to readjust it.)

i think if your water's ph was truly adjusted it wouldn't creep up while you're watering. i would prefer to know what the pH is BEFORE you adjust. it sounds like your water is also highly alkaline which explains why something such as citric acid may take a little while of waiting to see if it creeps up as it isn't as strong as other ph down products.

when you irrigate with water that not just a high pH, but also alkaline, it has a lot of calcium carbonate or bicarbonates in it so with each watering, you add more lime to the soil. that is why you're noticing the 4-6 weeks rhythm of symptoms.

i would suggest getting a soil test to see what your soil's true pH is because pens and hardware store testers, i was told are not an accurate way to test the pH for organic soil. i have contaminants in my water which forces me to use RO water for my plants.

you may want to start over with fresh soil as it is difficult to leach lime or bicarbonates from soil and start using RO or adjusting the pH and waiting a bit longer till it doesn't creep up.

[Creeperpark]

Plants grown in coco coir need a pH level ranging from 5.5 to 6.3 during veg. (Max). If you drop in the upper 5s slowly your problems will go away. I run 5.5 - 5.8 during veg growth and 6.0 - 6.3 during bloom. High alkalinity can cause a lock out because the receptor sites are blocked. The organic nutrients are more soluble with a lower pH. Also bacteria colonizing can be minimized with an acidic pH.