Short and bushy sativa hybrid with droopy leaves

[SmokingWings]

But, I may have come in a little too strong with the nutrients, as it appears that some of the newer leaves are turning bright green with a tint of yellow.

Sometimes when I see that it makes me think that my plants are growing faster than the plant can get the nutrients to all the new growth. Within several days the leaves pick up the healthier green look. And, now the even newer leaves that are the one and two day old ones are the yellowish looking ones.

It has been just a few days since you upped the fertilizers and added the missing one. As much as we would like to see our plants immediately change over it rarely happens that way. It can take days and up to as long as a couple of weeks for the maximum level of improvements to show up.

 

[crono]

Sometimes when I see that it makes me think that my plants are growing faster than the plant can get the nutrients to all the new growth. Within several days the leaves pick up the healthier green look. And, now the even newer leaves that are the one and two day old ones are the yellowish looking ones.

It has been just a few days since you upped the fertilizers and added the missing one. As much as we would like to see our plants immediately change over it rarely happens that way. It can take days and up to as long as a couple of weeks for the maximum level of improvements to show up.

Thank you - you're probably right (I hope).

With calcium I was expecting it to take a while to see the effect as it is non-mobile. Just got a little 'scared' when I saw the newer leaves changing their color, as it, from my understanding, could indicate a burn.

I'll keep updating this thread along the way (has basically become my grow journal at this point, haha).

 

[SmokingWings]

With calcium I was expecting it to take a while to see the effect as it is non-mobile. Just got a little 'scared' when I saw the newer leaves changing their color, as it, from my understanding, could indicate a burn.

The first several plants can be scary if for no other reason than we have little or no experience with them.

I have 40 plus houseplants and plants that will go back outside when the weather warms. No problem with them but my first several Cannabis plants were a true learning experience.

It was a bit frustrating since every time I figured out one problem and got those plants back to growing again and looking good an entirely new problem showed up.

 

[crono]

The first several plants can be scary if for no other reason than we have little or no experience with them.

I have 40 plus houseplants and plants that will go back outside when the weather warms. No problem with them but my first several Cannabis plants were a true learning experience.

It was a bit frustrating since every time I figured out one problem and got those plants back to growing again and looking good an entirely new problem showed up.

That's pretty close to how I'm feeling at the moment. Looked like she was doing really well the first few days after I started the thread, but then things started going south.

I've never been good with house plants though - I usually stuck with succulents, as it seems to be the only thing I can keep alive. My oldest plant is 20+ years old now, and is some sort of tropical succulent that is nearly impossible to kill for some reason - it has been 'dead' several times, but always bounces back

 

[013]

Thanks for the tag SmokingWings!

Bio-Bizz lite being cut with more coco is what triggered me… where’s the beef? I do think Crono is 420% on the right track now but I expect a possible 2 week delay when the OP switches over to bottom watering as the plant readjusts to a new moisture gradient…

also Crono you might want to read some of the SIP club or SWICK club journals for your next run. It’s recommended that you add more aeration like perlite or rice hulls to your soil mix to help wick the water up for bottom watering applications just like with SIPs and SWICKs.

Generally speaking hydro is faster than soil, but SIPs and SWICKS have leveled the playing field. But consider that slow is good and good is fast!

 

[crono]

Thanks for the tag SmokingWings!

Bio-Bizz lite being cut with more coco is what triggered me… where’s the beef? I do think Crono is 420% on the right track now but I expect a possible 2 week delay when the OP switches over to bottom watering as the plant readjusts to a new moisture gradient…

also Crono you might want to read some of the SIP club or SWICK club journals for your next run. It’s recommended that you add more aeration like perlite or rice hulls to your soil mix to help wick the water up for bottom watering applications just like with SIPs and SWICKs.

Generally speaking hydro is faster than soil, but SIPs and SWICKS have leveled the playing field. But consider that slow is good and good is fast!

Thanks for chiming in!

I hope I'll get on the right track - right now, it feels a little grim. Just got home and checked in on her, and the leaves that were greening/yellowing are now showing similar symptoms as the bottom fan leaves; faint brown spots. But I guess, if it is indeed calcium deficiency, that I can expect even some of the newer leaves to show symptoms until the calcium starts getting transported through the plant?

I'll read up on SIP and SWICK this afternoon. I still have 80L of the soil-mix, because ofc. I mixed it all at once! Is what you're suggesting that I keep the mix but add some more perlite to it and then treat it more as hydro grows? Or should I ditch the mix completely (and take the L) for any future grows?

Some updated pictures:

 

[013]

No please don’t change a thing with your soil mix for now!

mostly the point I was going for is that for proper sipping and swicking to occur the soil should be better aerated…just tips for your next run!!

but you are (or will be soon) in very similar territory, bottom watering yet having the ability for top feeding…

also poke one of those skewers in as a moisture meter. Start near the outside edge but angle the spear point inwards so it hits middle of container under root ball. After 30 minutes it will show your moisture level, you can see and feel the water on the dipstick. Personally I think you might be on the wet side of things. How many days between water sessions?

watering can be a tricky thing on these plants, the roots need oxygen and that doesn’t happen if it’s too wet or the soil isn’t built right for the wetter moisture gradient found in sips & swicks.

maybe roll down the bag edges for now - get more airflow between bottom leaves and soil. It’s kinda like a plant in bowl right there with low air transfer

 

[crono]

No please don’t change a thing with your soil mix for now!

mostly the point I was going for is that for proper sipping and swicking to occur the soil should be better aerated…just tips for your next run!!

but you are (or will be soon) in very similar territory, bottom watering yet having the ability for top feeding…

also poke one of those skewers in as a moisture meter. Start near the outside edge but angle the spear point inwards so it hits middle of container under root ball. After 30 minutes it will show your moisture level, you can see and feel the water on the dipstick. Personally I think you might be on the wet side of things. How many days between water sessions?

watering can be a tricky thing on these plants, the roots need oxygen and that doesn’t happen if it’s too wet or the soil isn’t built right for the wetter moisture gradient found in sips & swicks.

maybe roll down the bag edges for now - get more airflow between bottom leaves and soil. It’s kinda like a plant in bowl right there with low air transfer

Oh, didn't mean to change the soil she's already in - was just for future reference (next grow) - that's where I should add some more perlite, right? I think the Light Mix has something like 10% (maybe less) and gets diluted by having mixed it with the coco which has 0%. I see some growers adding up to 30% when doing pure coco, so I'm definitely short on perlite it would seem.

I don't have a moisture meter available, but will look into getting one asap. Deciding when to water has been one of the harder things for me to gauge.

I can give you my scrambled schedule from back when this thread was started (pardon the EU centric dates):

3/4: 2L (0 nutrients - and no nutrients added before this date)
11/4: 1L (1ML Acti-Vera)
14/4: 1L (2ML Acti-Vera, 3 drops cal/mag)
16/4: 1.5L (3ML Acti-Vera, 5 drops cal/mag, 6 drops Bio Grow)
18/4: 2.5L (5ML Acti-Vera, 4ML cal/mag, 4ML Bio Grow)

Will roll down the sleeves some more right away.

 

[013]

the wood skewer is the moisture meter!! poke one in your soil and let it sit for 30 minutes and it records a water-mark right on the stick. Hold it side by side with a dry skewer for comparison you can see and feel wet versus dry line of demarcation, plus it’s gravity so theres always more moisture in the bottom sections of any container.

no, not what nutes are you feeding but how much water do you give, and how many days do you wait before giving more water?

i think you may be overwatering by not waiting long enough for soil to dry out between water sessions, but then ahh crap I step on my own toes cuz it’s biobizz and coco…Ok I read back and Bill says to ph at 6.3 so that is ph for a soil config so yup I bet it needs to dry out more between watering days… it funky as crap cuz coco isn’t supposed to dry out… but yet for most soil types you need the whole wet dry cycle thing.…

hang with us and we will get it figured out eventually!

 

[crono]

the wood skewer is the moisture meter!! poke one in your soil and let it sit for 30 minutes and it records a water-mark right on the stick. You can see and feel wet versus dry, it’s gravity so theres always more moisture in the bottom sections of any container.

no, not what nutes are you feeding but how much water do you give, and how many days do you wait before giving more water?

i think you may be overwatering by not waiting long enough for soil to dry out between water sessions, but then ahh crap I step on my own toes cuz it’s biobizz and coco…

I read back and Bill says to ph at 6.3 so that is ph for a soil config so yup I bet it needs to dry out more between watering.

Ah, hadn't thought of using it that way - duh! Just ordered a PH/Moisture meter anyway, as it seems like a good tool to have in your kit

The format of what I listed is: [date]:[liters](nutrients)

I'm probably overwatering as you say - was just loosely following the 2-3 day schedule paired with the 'knuckle-test'.

I also suspect that the 'soil' is getting more and more compacted. When I started, the distance from top soil to edge of container was roughly 6-7cm. At this point, I rolled the sleeves down as much as I can, ie. half the container height. That means the medium has sunk by at least 5-8cm. That might cause some issues as well I presume.

 

[013]

Yep, the 1st or 2nd knuckle only tells ya what’s up in the top of the container, most of the roots dwell down at the bottom. A plant that size should be fine with no water added for 5 days or longer

any soil or coco mix will settle with top watering!

 

[crono]

Yep, the 1st or 2nd knuckle only tells ya what’s up in the top uof the container, most of the roots dwell down at the bottom. A plant that size should be fine with no water added for 5 days or longer

any soil or coco mix will settle with top watering!

Alright, cool - I'll keep that in mind. Thank you.

 

[crono]

Time for a little update to show that you guys' help paid off!

She's looking real pretty now after the latest flush+feed. Flushed her with 8L of PH 6.3 tap-water and fed her 2.5L with adequate nutrients - this time letting the cal/mag sit for 15-20 minutes before adding nutrients.

I ended up cutting the bottom fan leaves off completely, as they were withered and damaged (saw someone suggest that you get rid of them to avoid rot/disease) - made it a bit more roomy to water and get air underneath.

But.. She's a really bushy lady. Branches are not growing as fast as I had hoped, and she's self-shadowing a lot. Should I do anything about that, or just wait (still have about 1 month of veg to go)?

Also, at this height, I figure she has room to 2.5x at most from here in the small tent I've got.

 

[crono]

Time for a little follow up.

Things are not looking too good. She's growing, but I'm having tons of issues with calcium deficiency and a little bit of nitrogen deficiency.

Her last feed (2 days ago) was:

4L of PH 6.3 tap water (15-20% runoff)
8ML of cal/mag
9ML of Bio Grow
8ML of Acti-Vera

Before the feed, she was already showing signs of calcium deficiency (brown spots and withering), so I upped the dose slightly that time around.

I'm suspecting it might be a PH imbalance. From what I can read, people suggest PH 5.8 for coco, and since I'm running a mix of peat and coco and watering with 6.3 that might be the issue. What's the experts' take on that?

Hope you guys don't mind me pinging you: @Carcass @SmokingWings @Bill284

 

[Bill284]

Time for a little follow up.

Things are not looking too good. She's growing, but I'm having tons of issues with calcium deficiency and a little bit of nitrogen deficiency.

Her last feed (2 days ago) was:

4L of PH 6.3 tap water (15-20% runoff)
8ML of cal/mag
9ML of Bio Grow
8ML of Acti-Vera

Before the feed, she was already showing signs of calcium deficiency (brown spots and withering), so I upped the dose slightly that time around.

I'm suspecting it might be a PH imbalance. From what I can read, people suggest PH 5.8 for coco, and since I'm running a mix of peat and coco and watering with 6.3 that might be the issue. What's the experts' take on that?

Hope you guys don't mind me pinging you: @Carcass @SmokingWings @Bill284

Good morning my friend.
Lovely looking lady.
Coco with peat is different from soil.
Nothing to buffer the ph.
Put your calmag in your plain water first.
Then nutrients according to the schedule.
Then very last set your ph to 5.8 exactly.
Feed daily to run off.
Coco doesn't require a dry period like soil.
Coco must be kept wet.
If it dries it repels water .
Full strength nutrients to runoff every day with calmag at 5.8 ph, is what I feed.
Next time leave out the peat.
Hope everything is going well.





#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[crono]

Good morning my friend.
Lovely looking lady.
Coco with peat is different from soil.
Nothing to buffer the ph.
Put your calmag in your plain water first.
Then nutrients according to the schedule.
Then very last set your ph to 5.8 exactly.
Feed daily to run off.
Coco doesn't require a dry period like soil.
Coco must be kept wet.
If it dries it repels water .
Full strength nutrients to runoff every day with calmag at 5.8 ph, is what I feed.
Next time leave out the peat.
Hope everything is going well.





#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

Good morning to you too!

Thank you for chiming in

I learnt the 'add cal/mag first and let it sit' and have been doing it ever since it was pointed out in this thread. Really awesome info that I had not seen anywhere else.

So, even if the medium is a mix of peat and coco (50/50) I should just treat it like pure coco and water every day (full strength nutrients) at PH 5.8, if I understand you correctly?

I'll definitely stick to one medium next time - this mix was clearly a mistake, haha.

 

[Bill284]

Good morning to you too!

Thank you for chiming in

I learnt the 'add cal/mag first and let it sit' and have been doing it ever since it was pointed out in this thread. Really awesome info that I had not seen anywhere else.

So, even if the medium is a mix of peat and coco (50/50) I should just treat it like pure coco and water every day (full strength nutrients) at PH 5.8, if I understand you correctly?

I'll definitely stick to one medium next time - this mix was clearly a mistake, haha.

Neither one has anything to buffer the liquids ph.
So 5.8 is going to give you the most range of available nutrients.
Peat is like bx and coco is hydrophobic, both need to be kept moist to work best.
Do you have lots of perlite in there my friend?




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[crono]

Neither one has anything to buffer the liquids ph.
So 5.8 is going to give you the most range of available nutrients.
Peat is like bx and coco is hydrophobic, both need to be kept moist to work best.
Do you have lots of perlite in there my friend?




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

Ah, I see. I'll change the schedule going forward.

It's BioBizz Light Mix and BioBizz Coco Coir. The Light Mix has 5-10% perlite in it, but that is diluted by adding the 50% coco which has none. Needs a lot more, and already scribbling down a list for my next medium. Lots more perlite next time

 

[Bill284]

Ah, I see. I'll change the schedule going forward.

It's BioBizz Light Mix and BioBizz Coco Coir. The Light Mix has 5-10% perlite in it, but that is diluted by adding the 50% coco which has none. Needs a lot more, and already scribbling down a list for my next medium. Lots more perlite next time

I use layers of perlite to keep air in the pot all the time.
Bill284 Method.
It's a simple way to pot your ladies that guarantees success.
In my VIVOHUT and Heaven's Shores and my Gorilla Glue thread.
All have pictorials of how to do it.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

 

[crono]

I use layers of perlite to keep air in the pot all the time.
Bill284 Method.
It's a simple way to pot your ladies that guarantees success.
In my VIVOHUT and Heaven's Shores and my Gorilla Glue thread.
All have pictorials of how to do it.




#VIVOSUN #Love What You Grow
Bill284

Ah, cool. Never seen it done that way.

How do you layer then? Alternating 10cm of coco and 2-3cm of perlite, or what's your setup? Couldn't quite gauge that from your thread.