Hempy bucket grow, stunted growth - deficiencies, lockout, pH?

[Chuckeye]

Wedding Cheesecake auto in 4 gallons of perlite, bottom front.....

Cheers, eh ?

 

[StonedImmaculate]

hempy does work in a larger bucket, but is easier in the smaller ones. the small buckets will fill your tent, so why bother using more of everything for the same result? there's no need to spend the extra on the inputs.

I like the idea of using less inputs, especially when you can get similar results.

i use mega crop with calmag and RO and i ph to 5.8 on feeds. you'll need the extra calmag. make sure you keep up with the green leaf feed schedule, it can be trusted. add the calmag first before the MC, i like mixing a day ahead of time to let everything dissolve and settle. if you get some precipitate don't worry, just feed as normal.

I will start using a half dose of calmag with every feed. I also like to mix my feed in advance. Haven't had any trouble with precipitate yet. I'm on the newest version of Mega Crop, the package says the NPK is 11-5-14, not sure if the packaging label is correct though.

hempy likes a little bit of a dry cycle, depending on the stage i don't feed every day. hempy is one of the few methods that can be fed on a set schedule. i run a 3-2-1 feed schedule.

feed every 3rd day in seedling to early veg
feed every second day in veg to early flower
feed every day in flower

a 3-2-1 schedule will help with root development and plant size.

I will try to follow this schedule the rest of this run and the following runs. I was noticing the plants were quite droopy when I don't feed everyday, so I started feeding everyday for better or worse. Watering was one of the reasons I chose hempy over soil. I must admit I'm still trying to learn how to water properly and recognize the symptoms of over/under watering whether it's hempy or in soil.

if your bucket is sized correct the plant will be mostly dry by the time you feed with that schedule. a larger bucket will also throw your ph out over time as the res will not flush out completely.

Do you know why the pH would be off because of an incomplete flush?
Just trying to learn how these things can cause the pH to rise and cause problems.

What would determine the correct size for a bucket?

when you run calmag start with a 1/2 dose and watch the plant to note any changes. you may have to increase depending on the plant.

What should I be on the lookout for?

What I've noticed is that the lower leaves are the most affected on one of the plants. I can't see any problems with new growth except slow growth (well besides the nute burn I've had at times). The stems have also turned purple on the lower fan leaves and that symptom also progresses up the plant alongside the discoloration of the leaves.

I will be paying close attention to any signs of worsening or improvement. I don't expect any of the damaged leaves to get better, but maybe they won't get any worse.

feed till about 10% runoff. alternately you can do a flood and drain feed by plugging the hole and feed till the perlite floats then draining. i mostly do a flood and drain feed now.

I will try plugging the hole and feed until the perlite floats and then drain.

Thanks for all of your help bluter!

 

[StonedImmaculate]

Wedding Cheesecake auto in 4 gallons of perlite, bottom front.....

Cheers, eh ?

Those are some really nice looking ladies. I can only dream of growing something that big and healthy.

Cheers

 

[bluter]

I like the idea of using less inputs, especially when you can get similar results.

hempy is originally a micro style, but you can use it in a macro plant setting.
a 5L hempy bucket can produce the same as a 5gal soil bucket.

I will start using a half dose of calmag with every feed. I also like to mix my feed in advance. Haven't had any trouble with precipitate yet. I'm on the newest version of Mega Crop, the package says the NPK is 11-5-14, not sure if the packaging label is correct though.

they change the formula once in a while but the feed schedule is the same.

I will try to follow this schedule the rest of this run and the following runs. I was noticing the plants were quite droopy when I don't feed everyday, so I started feeding everyday for better or worse. Watering was one of the reasons I chose hempy over soil. I must admit I'm still trying to learn how to water properly and recognize the symptoms of over/under watering whether it's hempy or in soil.

you can tell by weight. a dry plant will feel almost the same as lifting a dry bucket of perlite. if your plant remains drooping and the bucket is light when you lift, decrease the interval between feedings.

Do you know why the pH would be off because of an incomplete flush?
Just trying to learn how these things can cause the pH to rise and cause problems.

ph naturally rises as the plant feeds. stagnant feed water that doesn't flush out will cause an imbalance in the fresh stuff. it's only an issue in a huge bucket if the plant is not using the res between feeds fully.

in @Chuckeye 's pic the plants are large enough it won't be an issue. they'll eat whatever he feeds them.

What would determine the correct size for a bucket?

whatever you are comfortable with. i use 2L and 5L buckets. lately i've been running 4 5L buckets in a 4x4 as the canopy will max the space out with some room for working.

What should I be on the lookout for?

What I've noticed is that the lower leaves are the most affected on one of the plants. I can't see any problems with new growth except slow growth (well besides the nute burn I've had at times).

slight tipping is good. an outright burn indicates issues.

The stems have also turned purple on the lower fan leaves and that symptom also progresses up the plant alongside the discoloration of the leaves.

really means nothing. lots of times its temp related. some strains will do it no matter what you do. it's kind of a myth.

I will be paying close attention to any signs of worsening or improvement. I don't expect any of the damaged leaves to get better, but maybe they won't get any worse.

they should stabilize, the leaves will not repair, issue should not progress on new growth.

I will try plugging the hole and feed until the perlite floats and then drain.

small piece of duct tape will work. doesn't need to be perfectly watertight at all. i usually feed and let them sit a few minutes before draining. it helps to pull oxygen in, and ensures you've enough to refresh the res.

i have some plugs i repurposed from some old syringes i use for ph.

Thanks for all of your help bluter!

no worries. i'm starting a grow before christmas if you want to follow along. i've a few tricks i use. it'll be in my ongoing happy hempsters thread.

 

[StonedImmaculate]

Thanks for the detailed answer @bluter!

I will be putting this info into good use.

I really like the idea of using say a 5L bucket and getting the same results as a 5 gallon soil bucket. This could be a great cost savings.

I've only had one successful run in soil, though the plants suffered quite a bit and produced low quality and quantity buds. It was a grow this last summer which was impossible for me to maintain good temps/rh, I'm hoping to avoid growing during the summer months.

This is my first hempy bucket grow and I'm trying to learn from my mistakes as I go. Here's to hoping my next hempy bucket run goes more smoothly.

no worries. i'm starting a grow before christmas if you want to follow along. i've a few tricks i use. it'll be in my ongoing happy hempsters thread.

I've read some of your happy hempsters thread before, great info in there for sure. I will definitely be following along on your next grow. I'll be starting a new grow immediately after this grow concludes myself. This auto strain is supposed to finish in 9 weeks (we'll see), so I'm looking to harvest before the end of the year and have a better grow with my next run.

Thanks again bluter!

 

[Braddah Waiheesohai]

While I agree that Bluter knows hempy, and I would try his advice first, I don't think anyone with firsthand experience should be straight up ignored.

Phyto makes good advice about adding cal-mag... but hydro is less forgiving, especially if you are new to it, to experimenting without good reason (and may cause more harm than good). It would be better to have the OP post a photo of the nutrient breakdown from his megacrop bag first, and teach him how to calculate ppms per supplement and what numbers he should be aiming for rather than just blindly following the directions on the bag. Teach the man to fish.

Stinker makes some good points about light height and circulation (I personally think air circulation is THE most important part of an indoor grow), these points also probably won't help if it's a deficiency.

Chuckeye (nice hempy plants by the way) recommends a flush. Can't hurt but won't solve a ph issue or deficiency. Steering him away from RO water also may cause more harm then benefit. I'm stoked for Chuckeye that he is on a well with good water, but the OP may not have the same. Soil houseplant results will vary wildly from hempy cannabis results.

I have mad respect for all three posters, but in this instance, yes I think it would be wise to ignore their advice.

Bluter recommends easing into the calmag (so as not to overdo it), and lays out a clear fertigation schedule that works. This is advice that can't hurt and may help.

Stonedimmaculate FWIW I think your plants are looking pretty good. Don't worry about the purple stems, but the leaf stuff is worth keeping an eye on. Your res should get close to dry in between feedings, is it? It may help to check out my first hempy journal on here: here. I made plenty of mistakes and this dude felipeblu who is no longer on here taught me how to make sure I'm providing the correct feed in hempy. That dude had 5 pound outdoor hempy harvests.

 

[Braddah Waiheesohai]

Heres the end results from the journal i linked to. I had a similar set up to you with 2 plants in buckets. Ended up with a little over a pound.

You got this dude! And there is plenty of great help on here to make sure you make it to harvest.

 

[StonedImmaculate]

Chuckeye (nice hempy plants by the way) recommends a flush. Can't hurt but won't solve a ph issue or deficiency.

Could you explain why a flush won't solve a ph issue or deficiency?

What would be the reason for a flush if it doesn't solve any problem?

I did do a flush today and here are the ppm/ph runoff numbers:

Flush with 1 gallon ro water at 5.8 pH 2 times:

ppm scale 500
NL1 last runoff with ro water: 55 ppm 6.3 pH
feed runoff: 368 ppm 6.1pH

NL2 last runoff with ro water: 58 ppm 6.3 pH
feed runoff: 469 ppm 6.1 pH

Fed both plants about 1 gallon at 1/2 tsp calmag 4g/gal Mega Crop 654 ppm 5.8 pH
The reason for 1 gallon was to fill the bucket with feed until the perlite floats (use duct tape to plug hole)
and then drain.

Bluter recommends easing into the calmag (so as not to overdo it), and lays out a clear fertigation schedule that works. This is advice that can't hurt and may help.

Yep, I followed that with today's feed 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) per gallon.

Phyto makes good advice about adding cal-mag... but hydro is less forgiving, especially if you are new to it, to experimenting without good reason (and may cause more harm than good). It would be better to have the OP post a photo of the nutrient breakdown from his megacrop bag first, and teach him how to calculate ppms per supplement and what numbers he should be aiming for rather than just blindly following the directions on the bag. Teach the man to fish.

See attached photo, hard to take a great photo of the bag. I got a free 400g bag from mc in mid october. I'm willing and ready to learn as much as I can.

Stonedimmaculate FWIW I think your plants are looking pretty good. Don't worry about the purple stems, but the leaf stuff is worth keeping an eye on. Your res should get close to dry in between feedings, is it? It may help to check out my first hempy journal on here: here. I made plenty of mistakes and this dude felipeblu who is no longer on here taught me how to make sure I'm providing the correct feed in hempy. That dude had 5 pound outdoor hempy harvests.

I'm not sure how much my res holds, but I've been feeding about 2 cups a day lately with little to no runoff. It's probably not completely empty when I'm feeding though. I wasn't sure how good of an idea it was to run a hempy bucket empty. With all of the issues I've been having I didn't think it would be a good idea to run them dry. It sounds like my thinking on this was incorrect.

I will be watching the leaves closely for any good or bad signs.

I will checkout your first hempy journal. That will be a great resource for me also.

I can't imagine pulling 5 pounds off of 1 harvest, let alone 1 plant.

Thanks for your reply Braddah!

 

[StonedImmaculate]

Heres the end results from the journal i linked to. I had a similar set up to you with 2 plants in buckets. Ended up with a little over a pound.

Wow, that looks great! I think I would be quite surprised if I could get 1/4 pound off of these 2 plants with the issues I've had.

You got this dude! And there is plenty of great help on here to make sure you make it to harvest.

Thanks for your encouragement. I will keep this post updated with my progress. I've had a lot of great help here already and I'm sure all of my questions can be answered with such great members on this site.

Cheers