Does anyone know what the problem is here?

E

epsteindrive

420 Member
See the bottom leaves bending over. I don't know whether this is overwatering, underwatering, or something else. My plant had gotten pretty dry and it looked to me like it needed watering. The top layer of soil was dry and it hadn't been watered in a couple of days I think. Also the leaves looked a bit hung down. So I watered it, expecting them to perk up, but 24 hours later the drooping was actually much worse. I had repotted it 4 or 5 days ago and there was a bit of root damage which I had been worried about but it looked like it was well thriving afterwards so I thought I was out of the woods on the root damage front. The other possibly important piece of info is that I had read that you can use urine diluted with 10 parts water for nitrogen so I had actually used that for watering ( which I don't know is that a bad idea - do you have to water with pure water and only use the nitrogen separately ). Any theories or suggestions welcome, Thanks

Other details - temperature is 22C/71.6F, soil is my own creation being aprox 2 part compost ( coffee grounds/tea leaves eggshells/bananna peels) 1 part sand, 1 part garden soil. I am growing under CFTs

1724753
 
Let it dry out some, then water from the edges of the container. The roots will seek the water increasing the size of the rootball.

When I let plants get rootbound, during transplant I use a box cutter to slice through the roots vertically in four places. The plants stall for a few days, and then grow much more vigorously. If I don't cut the roots, the rootball is smaller, and denser. The plants doesn't get as large.

Don't use urine to fertilize your plants. Just water them every few days when the soil dries out. I could get into the puns, but I'll leave that to the next folks who comment. ;)
 
epsteindrive said:
My plant had gotten pretty dry and it looked to me like it needed watering. The top layer of soil was dry and it hadn't been watered in a couple of days I think.
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Even a young seedling sends roots down, so the fact that the "top layer" was dry is only really relevant in the majority of situations if all the "other layers" are dry, too, lol. When you picked up the container prior to watering it (you did do this, right?), was it light enough to let you know that the thing actually needed more water?

epsteindrive said:
Also the leaves looked a bit hung down.
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Droopy leaves could mean the plant is lacking water. It could also mean it has been overwatered, roots are "drowning" (too much water, not enough oxygen), root-rot, something has eaten a significant amount of the roots, et cetera.

epsteindrive said:
I had repotted it 4 or 5 days ago and there was a bit of root damage
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Please define "root damage" in this specific situation. While you're at it, define "a bit."

epsteindrive said:
I thought I was out of the woods on the root damage front.
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Well, you would be, if you have identified the cause of the problem and corrected it. But I don't see any mention of this step. Additionally, a plant needs to have a balance between its root system and the above-ground portion of said plant. In other words, if you take an otherwise healthy plant and chop off half its root system, well... you'd better be doing some major pruning of the "greenery" if you want it to remain healthy. This is half the reason why people who keep plants (such as mother plants) long-term in soil, in the same container, will take it out of its container, cut (for example) an inch of soil/roots away from the sides and bottom, use new/fresh soil to make up for it when putting the plant back in its container, and then prune the plant to match.

epsteindrive said:
The other possibly important piece of info is that I had read that you can use urine diluted with 10 parts water for nitrogen so I had actually used that for watering
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Know that, since I am also poor, I am trying very hard to not laugh. I suppose a few people have probably used their own (I hope it was your own) urine to fertilize their plants in the 40 or more years that plant nutrients have been easily available - but I don't think even High Times has mentioned the practice in decades. I don't suppose you measured the pH of your... concoction right before you poured it into your plant's container? If it was fresh, you're healthy, you drink a healthy amount of water daily and not much in the way of coffee or other caffeinated beverages, and didn't use the "first urine of the day," the pH was probably not horrible (at a guess, somewhere around 6.0) - but I think I read somewhere years ago that the pH of urine tends to fall over time, so if you had stored it for whatever reason before deciding to turn it into Miracle Gro, lol, its pH would likely have tanked.

Old Salt said:
I could get into the puns, but I'll leave that to the next folks who comment. ;)
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Somehow, I managed to resist - the OP has enough to deal with already and, besides, I wouldn't want him(?) to get pissed at me.

EDIT: Oops :rofl:.
 
Old Salt said:
Let it dry out some, then water from the edges of the container. The roots will seek the water increasing the size of the rootball.
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Thanks I'll try that out - I'm assuming you're thinking it was overwatering.

Old Salt said:
Don't use urine to fertilize your plants. Just water them every few days when the soil dries out. I could get into the puns, but I'll leave that to the next folks who comment. ;)
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I got it from the royal queen seeds page on organic growing. It's in many other places on the web too - linked a couple below. I just thought it was a standard organic fertilizer tbh going by what I read. I never heard anyone say there was anything wrong with it before now so I'd appreciate any info on that if you have it because this being my first grow obviously I'm trying learn.

How To Make Your Own Organic Cannabis Fertilizer

When you make cannabis fertilizer you know exactly what's in it. And when you feed your plant natural ingredients you know you're getting the cleanest buds.
greenrushdaily.com

Best Cannabis Fertilizers for Cannabis Plants | Growing Marijuana Blog

Having a good Cannabis Fertilizer for your Cannabis Plant is essential. Know the best fertilizers to use for your growing marijuana plant.
www.growingmarijuanablog.com
 
Urine will turn to ammonia, which is harmful to the plants. If you look at the lawns of folks with dogs you'll often see burnt looking patches, their favorite go-to spot. Few use urine since the advent of both organic and synthetic nutrients designed for cannabis retailing at a very low cost.
 
Seems a good few people on this forum ( including at least one of the mods) use diluted urine for nitrogen ... so ??? IDK :eek: Anyway tbh I doubt that's the problem since a) I only used a tiny bit and b) right or wrong it does seem to be at least a reasonably common practice. I probably wont use it again though I just used it because I thought it was in the same category as bat guano and chicken pellets
 
Soil looks "heavy" to me. When you water in the soil will stay wet too long and promote anaerobic conditions in the soil. Thats the down side for heavy soil.

This is improved by adding in aeration material like per-lite and why we use it.



Sand is the opposite. It compacts very easily and will cause the soil to stay damp and have little oxygen.

Instead of sand a better substitute wood be Peatmoss.

Urine is a thing. In the fertilizer world its called "Urea" and is mass produced for BigAg corporate farming. <spit>

Not all lawns get burnt by dog urine. Usually only the lawns that have already been fertilized with a high N fertilizer. The dog urine pushes the N over the top to burn that spot (too much N) only to have the grass grow bigger and greener once the N balances out over time and rain. Of course much of the chemical fertilizer is now in the water supply helping to grow stuff like algae.
 
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