Virgin Ground And The Little Star Asterion

[Virgin Ground]

Have the girls a bit of mag and ph water to 6.4.
Runoff is 6.4.
Had to supercrop my lanky lady. She was all of a sudden 4" taller than the other girls.
I think she is a clone of my purple girl. She grows just like her. Faster,bigger, longer node spacing.

I am excited to see them grow. I am trying to be less heavy handed with the molasses this time around. I think it may have acidified my soil a bit too much last time.

I am also ph-ing my water. I did not do this last time, as I am sometimes stubborn to my own detriment. I am using an aquarium ph test kit that is very reliable. I found that it takes 3/4 of a tsp of vinegar to 2 gallons of my tap water to ph to 6.4. Easy enough. So now I should only need to test on feeding days.

I think I may have been underwatering toward the end too.

I also added fox farms big bloom this time. I switched it for the molasses this time around. So I'm using their full 3 part now.

I am going to do a feed, water, water, feed loop. Last time it was feed,water with molasses and mag,feed. My run-off was always very dark brown. I will use the molasses with more restraint and only for late flowering.

I still have no clue as to the ppms of my source water. I'm going to see if my local nursery will test my water. I don't have a hydro store where I am. If they won't perhaps my local fish store guy can help. He might have either a ppm or tds meter.

I am at a crossroad. Go organic , stay with Fox farms which is half organic, or try something totally synthetic. This grow will be Fox farms because I have it on hand and I may have overused the tiger bloom. I'd like to give it another shot.I shouldn't have to give them much. They have only been in their new soil for a few weeks.

What do y'all think? Am I going in a better direction? Any glaring problem that you see that I may be missing? I do appreciate your input greatly.

 

[nobodyhere]

Your thinking, and that is good.

I tried FF nutes. They are great. But a little TB or GB goes a long way. It's easy to overdo it. Can you grow excellent bud with them, of course. I stil buy and use their Big Bloom quite a bit.

My first few grows I used bagged soils and I felt like at flower they lost their kaput. I was using FF nutes. So I started mixing soil, letting it cook, adding more N to the point where I really don't have to add N via nutes for the grow....(except they get a touch in ca/mg). I like this route, because I can basically water with teas, and only occasionally give a very mild chemical fertilizer during early flower. The bud is pretty darn smooth. But I have a place to mix and store soil.

My experience with molasses or any other nute is to pH adjust after everything is added to your water...aim for 6.5 in most soil. I used quite a bit of molasses last grow and I think I like the result.

 

[Virgin Ground]

I wish I had room to cook soil.

So... I wasn't too happy this morning. Red streaked stems, bright red-purple petioles, older growth tips and edges burning and curling upward.
Cal-mag deficiency i think. I will increase mgs04.
Would a foliar work faster/ better?

 

[Dutchman1990]

Do you have some pictures ! Would be helpful in getting a solution for you!

 

[Virgin Ground]

The white spots are bits of dusty perlite. You can see the purple here.

 

[Pennywise]

Looks like they nutrient burn.

 

[Virgin Ground]

I've fed them once 1/6 of a dose of grow big. 1/6 of a dose of big bloom since they were transplanted. I went back and it looks like 3-4 weeks ago when I did that. I've just been giving ph corrected water with 1/4 teaspoon mgs04. The nute burn is on lower leaves. I am more concerned with the pale leaf margins and bright red petioles on the newer growth.

 

[Pennywise]

The red stems could be potassium deficiency.

 

[Virgin Ground]

Potassium sounds good. Seems to mesh up with the symptoms better. Next feeding was supposed to be water, but now I guess it should be their first tiger bloom feeding.

 

[Pennywise]

A little potassium and calcium if you have it.

 

[Virgin Ground]

I think the only thing I have on hand that has calcium in it is molasses.

1Tblsp =
Potassium 210mg
calc 8%
Mag 8%
Iron 2%

I can get some fast acting garden lime or pelletized lime. I don't have any calmag in my entire city. I would have to order it. I do have hard water. My town has a limestone aquifer. Was hoping I wouldn't need the extra cal or mag.

 

[Pennywise]

Molasses would be fine, it'll jump start any microfauna in the soil as well.

 

[Virgin Ground]

Ok then....I'm not gonna go crazy. I think I will start with 1/4 dose of tiger bloom,big bloom and grow big and 1/2 Tblsp per gallon molasses.

Looking back, I believe that this is the same problem I had with the last girls. I thought I was overfeeding. I think it was the other way around, perhaps. I never went over a half dose of nutes with them. I'll figure this out yet. Second guessing yourself is never fun.

 

[Pennywise]

I run 1/2 to 3/4 strength with most nutes I've tried.

 

[nobodyhere]

Looks like they nutrient burn.

I go with this.

Whats your soil again?

 

[Virgin Ground]

My soil is Fox farms ocean forest, happy frog and coir mixed.

 

[Virgin Ground]

Watering day should be tomorrow. I'd better figure it out before then. The burn is only on older,lower growing leaves. Pale margins on new leaves.

I can't find my journal....I need to post my feedings here. It would let you see what's going on a bit better.

I have a bad habit of removing leaves that have blemishes. I need to leave them on I think. Let them show me what is really going on ,if that makes sense?

I'm going to test the run-off in the morning, see where it is at. I've been testing the run-off after the plant drains. I will do it at the beginning now. Is this is the correct way?

 

[nobodyhere]

I think testing runoff is nearly useless unless we are talking about a runoff pH in the extraordinary range-like 4 or 8-9 or something. I've tested many times, and it's usually around what my incoming water mix is. This water I am testing has minimal contact with the soil. What I am trying to say is to not make a huge decision off a few tenths measurement of pH runoff, now if your getting something wild...then you need to fix it.

I know a lot of people use FFOF and their three pack of nutes. I tried it, even cutting it with sunshine #4. I found it difficult to not get some burn using straight FFOF, my thoughts are that it's not fully cooked/composted. I also found there to be some variance in it's' hotness from bag to bag.

As far as mixing soil and cooking it, any rubbermaid container works....I do in a 40g trashcan, but you could get one of those rubbermaid storage containers and mix a few pots in there.

 

[Virgin Ground]

They were still too moist today. They have slowed their drinking. The stems are really brittle, I accidentally snapped a few. I'm going to give them a bloom feeding tomorrow after I check run-off. I'll keep an eye out for burn. I am also going to pick up some quick acting lime for ca and mg.

I've been looking at deficiency pics for a couple days. I got this .......but cross yer fingers just in case.

 

[TurboBucket]

Use a loupe on some of those leaves that are curling up/glossy to check for mites. Specifically russet mites. Really tiny little suckers. Just a thought that I often overlook. I assume I can see any garden pest with the naked eye and need to remind myself that's not always the case.