Help with Diagnosis for Sativa Strain in Organic Soil Less Mix

[yankeegreen]

yank, i'd really consider getting an earth worm bin going now as you're waiting out this last run. a few more weeks in flower + a few more weeks to gather all your ingredients will add up to just the right amount of time to have some quality castings ready for your main batch.

- 2 rubbermaid 18 gallon bins
- peat / newspaper / eggshells / coffee grounds
- worms off amazon or local guy (red wrigglers to start and if you have the extra cash, splurge for the african nightcrawlers. they're red wrigglers on steroids)

done.

my biggest regret thus far after seeing the quality stuff the worms turned out the other night is not starting my bin sooner. really wish I could have used the good stuff in my main soil mix that's cooking now. wanted to get it going as soon as possible and never seeing quality castings before, I ended up going with a lesser quality from a craigslist guy. plus, it's really fun seeing the looks on peoples face when you walk around a parking lot after it's rained and rescue all the worms from death. i literally drive my truck around them if I see them in the road trying to get wherever they think they're going.

Its definitely on my list of things to do but I am going to source the EWC and focus on preparing and perpetuating the soil, education and of course successful growing.

 

[EllieGrows]

Ph is north of 5.5. I have used Microblast all through veg and in the first week of flower but not for the past two weeks. What is the implication regarding borax? Longer aeration seems to lower the ph further as a film begins to form. I do not wet the soil before applying the tea except with a multiple, small applications of the tea as the top of the medium gets wetter.

I use my EJ nutrient solutions right above 6 (it will continue to rise in your medium and get the range of ph's you are looking for). I only use it if it smells sweet and earthy, dont be affraid to toss a bad smelling tea. I use a drop or three of whatever the opposite of the majority of nurtrient i used in the solution (in veg use bloom to adjust down if the ph rises too high in flower use grow to adjust down). I cannot explain to you the full function of the borax, but I know that it helps buffer the solution and also decrease the brew time. Try wetting your soil first about 1/3-1/2 of the water you would use waiting 30 minutes then applying the solution (another buffering method).

An average nutrient solution for me in flower is

15ml bloom
5ml grow
5ml catalyst
1ml microblast
1-3ml meta k
1 gallon of water
1 handful high quality earth worm castings

I use an airlift to circulate the water in addition an air stone. I have gotten away with stiring and a small airstone in small brews but i recommend making an aerator.

FWIW my first EJ grow looked exactly like yours, I now use an ammended soil mix with some EJ on top. There is a huge ideological battle going in regards to organic/hydro/chem and I recommend staying away from people who are fervent that their way is best! Whether anyone wants to admit it or not solutions you pour onto your plants have a ph, and if that ph is of a strong enough concentration it will disrupt the organic process going on in the rootzone. So dont let the ideology talk you out of using the skills you have already aquired in regards to hydro. There is a beautiful hybridization of those ideologies going on right in your pots right now, learning to interpret it all is the fun part. Good luck in finding your path.

 

[yankeegreen]

Thanks Ellie. I appreciate the benefit of your experience with EJ nutes. My current tea is pretty close to yours, sans the EWC:

10ml bloom
5ml grow
5ml catalyst
0ml microblast
0ml meta k
5ml Hi-Brix
1 gallon of water

I am not throwing up my hands and will continue to use EJ for the short term (at least the next 6 months), augmenting with other oraganic amendments. Eventually I want to get off the bottled nutes and move to a more holistic approach.

FYI: I have moved the next batch of plants into flower for sexing and am seeing similar lime green color on the new growth.

 

[bajangreen]

How are the plants doing? did you solve your issues?

 

[yankeegreen]

How are the plants doing? did you solve your issues?

Not sure they are solved (lifetime of therapy ahead) but the yellowing seems to been halted in its tracks and the girls are still stretching a bit and buds are definitely continuing to develop.

Thanks to all who expressed interest and offered assistance. I'll update with pics over the next couple of days for comparison.

 

[yankeegreen]

Here;s a side-by-side comparison of one week ago / tonight:

 

[yankeegreen]

Ignore the previous post: flake-out!

Here are the photos.

 

[RanchoDeluxe]

If more than 50% of a leaf is dead/necrotic, I like to go ahead and remove it. It will allow more light to the parts of the plant that are actually photosynthesizing. Once all these dead leaves are removed it is also easier to see if you've corrected the problem- no more leaves should be dying.

 

[yankeegreen]

If more than 50% of a leaf is dead/necrotic, I like to go ahead and remove it. It will allow more light to the parts of the plant that are actually photosynthesizing. Once all these dead leaves are removed it is also easier to see if you've corrected the problem- no more leaves should be dying.

Thanks, will do.

 

[bajangreen]

You got any top down shoots of the plant? i cant really tell from here but most of the time on my sats the large fans dry up when they enter stretch, i don't mind because they usually are shading bud sites and i think the plant is using the energy in them for a boost to stretch and set up the frame work to grow those buds!