First timer please help diagnose

[Jbreezy]

Seeds started in pro mix organic potting soil
Everything looked great for first couple weeks, then started seeing yellowing and dark spots ph seems to be in good range, after researching, it seems to be either magnesium or manganese deficiency?! Seems to start on lower leaves and work up please help with any diagnosis and or remedy

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi @Jbreezy and welcome to the forum!
Yep, several things going on here, and it is getting ugly fast. Time for some massive re-evaluation of everything you are doing.
The soil should be fine for now and you shouldn't be needing anything but water. You mentioned pH... so what is the pH of your water that you are applying to the soil, and are you adding anything else with it?
I think it looks more like you are watering too often. How are you determining when it is time to water, and how much do you give them when you do?
I do see a magnesium deficiency here, but its cause might be improper watering because the alarming thing is that I am now seeing signs of other deficiencies building in here now too, and that to me speaks of roots that are starting to shut down. There is extreme puffiness on one plant's leaves while others are starting to go yellow. It all fits...

 

[Jbreezy]

Seeds started in pro mix organic potting soil
Everything looked great for first couple weeks, then started seeing yellowing and dark spots ph seems to be in good range, after researching, it seems to be either magnesium or manganese deficiency?! Seems to start on lower leaves and work up please help with any diagnosis and or remedy

Hi @Jbreezy and welcome to the forum!
Yep, several things going on here, and it is getting ugly fast. Time for some massive re-evaluation of everything you are doing.
The soil should be fine for now and you shouldn't be needing anything but water. You mentioned pH... so what is the pH of your water that you are applying to the soil, and are you adding anything else with it?
I think it looks more like you are watering too often. How are you determining when it is time to water, and how much do you give them when you do?
I do see a magnesium deficiency here, but its cause might be improper watering because the alarming thing is that I am now seeing signs of other deficiencies building in here now too, and that to me speaks of roots that are starting to shut down. There is extreme puffiness on one plant's leaves while others are starting to go yellow. It all fits...

heya thanks for quick reply, ph is around 6.5, I did add a cal/mag nutrient at 1/4 strength a week ago. All the roots seem to be nice and white, I have a feeling it may have something to do with those shitty jiffy pots. The roots are trying to bust through the pot, some are exposed through the bottom of pot. I was watering every 3-5 days when it looked like it was getting dry

 

[RedZedHead]

You should water by weight. They should feel really light when you pick them up

 

[Jbreezy]

Possible remedies? Just take it easy on the watering? Are they beyond remedy?

 

[Emilya Green]

heya thanks for quick reply, ph is around 6.5, I did add a cal/mag nutrient at 1/4 strength a week ago. All the roots seem to be nice and white, I have a feeling it may have something to do with those shitty jiffy pots. The roots are trying to bust through the pot, some are exposed through the bottom of pot. I was watering every 3-5 days when it looked like it was getting dry

alright, I am going to dissect what you have just told me...
calmag is not a nutrient, but a supplement only to be given when there is a clear cal or mag deficiency. I can see why you used it, but if the cause was simply a need for more, this would have solved it.

next, you say pH is around 6.5, and I think this implies that you have maybe measured your soil pH with one of those probes. I was asking for the exact pH that you have measured your fluid, with calmag added in, to be. If you plan to use nutrients later on, you will probably want a good pH meter.

The roots sounded healthy when you left the jiffypots, so I don't think that is it. Some of your roots now being able to be seen in the bottom of the current pot just means they have grown at least that far, it certainly doesn't mean it is time to uppot or anything else.

No, you have told me that the real problem here, the one common to all of your plants, is your watering method. You still do not know how to properly water a weed. Weeds need to be dry at the bottom, between every watering. Watering by looks or feeling or even sticking your finger in the top of the container, is not the right way to water a weed. Watering by a schedule is not how to make a weed happy. As said above, you have to water by weight.

Fill a similar container with dry soil and lift it, feel its weight. This is how your plants should feel before you water them next time. Monitor how many days it takes for the plants to be able to drain all the water, after you water to saturation, completely wetting the soil to the point of runoff. When the plant can finally drain all of that water in 1.5 days, it will finally be time time to uppot.

 

[Jbreezy]

alright, I am going to dissect what you have just told me...
calmag is not a nutrient, but a supplement only to be given when there is a clear cal or mag deficiency. I can see why you used it, but if the cause was simply a need for more, this would have solved it.

next, you say pH is around 6.5, and I think this implies that you have maybe measured your soil pH with one of those probes. I was asking for the exact pH that you have measured your fluid, with calmag added in, to be. If you plan to use nutrients later on, you will probably want a good pH meter.

The roots sounded healthy when you left the jiffypots, so I don't think that is it. Some of your roots now being able to be seen in the bottom of the current pot just means they have grown at least that far, it certainly doesn't mean it is time to uppot or anything else.

No, you have told me that the real problem here, the one common to all of your plants, is your watering method. You still do not know how to properly water a weed. Weeds need to be dry at the bottom, between every watering. Watering by looks or feeling or even sticking your finger in the top of the container, is not the right way to water a weed. Watering by a schedule is not how to make a weed happy. As said above, you have to water by weight.

Fill a similar container with dry soil and lift it, feel its weight. This is how your plants should feel before you water them next time. Monitor how many days it takes for the plants to be able to drain all the water, after you water to saturation, completely wetting the soil to the point of runoff. When the plant can finally drain all of that water in 1.5 days, it will finally be time time to uppot.

Pretty dramatic turnaround once you get the right watering schedule down. Nice recovery by the looks of this plant now. Thanks for everyone’s feedback...