Ph Lockout? No Nutes Yet! Spots!

[MrDank007]

I'm using Fox Farms Ocean Forest in 2 gallon buckets. Veg has been sorta slow, but the strain is SLH. The ladies (they'd better be!) have been healthy up to this week. Today is day 31 of veg. I have not used any nutes yet and while I know FFOF can be a little hot, it makes no sense that it didn't burn the seedlings, but the plant at 9in is showing these light brown spots. I'm going out today to get some PH strips to test my water, but I use one of those PUR faucet filters for my water. On day 1 of noticing this issue I blew it off, but it seems to be progressing. I'm also planning on getting some distilled water to flush. WTF!??! Comments, suggestions?

 

[MrDank007]

I found a hole in one of the leaves and some tears on the side. Got out the microscope, but don't see any bugs. Saw what looked like a slight white film on some of the leaves. The leaves have cloudy trichomes already. Still haven't figured out what the brown spots are...anyone?

 

[quietguy420]

Toss in some cal/mag and they will be ok, that brown tiny spot is already dead so that will never be green again but you can prevent the deficiency from spreading to the rest of the leaf and more leaves if you nip it in the butt asap.=D

 

[MrDank007]

Calmag? Does that mean my water is too hard, too soft? What's going on?

 

[z3r0_4_life]

yea needs some Mg (magnesium), probably time to start fertilizing it bro, the dead dots look like a phospohorus deficiency. not too bad so far though, just start givin her what shes wants 1/2 strength then +

 

[hellraizer30]

after 30 days the fox farm soil nutreints in the soil is gone so start feeding them a light nute mix

 

[stumps]

use a little epson salts I use about a tsp dissolved in a gal of water. Or did now I just add a tsp when I put the soil together. check that pur filter, lots of filters add shit back into the water.

 

[MrDank007]

Sorry. We have had power outtages, so my comp is getting destoyed and I'm sure my plants are working their way towards hermie. I hear what you guys are saying. My fear is to start nuting once I notice problems. Did this once before and it made it worse.

 

[stumps]

start with a low mix 1/4 or half.

 

[MrDank007]

I mixed a little nutes (FF big bloom all I have thought I could make it flower without nutes) with some distilled water even though it was a day or 2 premature to water. We shall see. Probably gonna pick up some calmag this weekend.

 

[MrDank007]

I got some aquarium test strips. Turns out our water, even through the PUR filter is very hard. So I elected not to get the calmag and will stay on distilled for a while. Do you guys think I should nute again (bought some Tiger Bloom) or just go with plain distilled water?

 

[stumps]

what did the strip say? If you feel the need to buy water. Get filtered drinking water. I think I would still use the cal mag/Epsom salts. get your ph between 5.5 and 7.0. I would not nute more then once a week at about half mix. when do you plan on starting flower? You have spent the extra money for fox farm. why are you not giving veg nutes?

 

[MrDank007]

what did the strip say? If you feel the need to buy water. Get filtered drinking water. I think I would still use the cal mag/Epsom salts. get your ph between 5.5 and 7.0. I would not nute more then once a week at about half mix. when do you plan on starting flower? You have spent the extra money for fox farm. why are you not giving veg nutes?

It was hard to tell on the strip because it was colors so somewhere between 300 and 1000! I didn't give the plants veg nutes cause I was only planning on veggin for 3-4 weeks and i'm gunshy about nuting after my last grow, but I may go get some just before flower as some of leaves are getting lighter green.

I did the following mental gymnastics in my head as I held the Calmag in my hand. If my water is hard, then there must be calcium/salt build up in the soil causing lockout. Why would I dump more in? Or am I missing something?

 

[stumps]

hard water might or might not be cal/mag could be other salts as well as other things. Might have one or the other. I would add it you have a min of 2 months, probably 3. I you use epsoms salt use about a tsp per gal of soil. you can top dress your soil cost about 2.00 and will last for years. I would also give it some npk. That's what I would do and stop using distilled water.

 

[MrDank007]

Thanks for the tips. I may use distilled one more time as I have some left and I only used it once on Weds. Plants seemed to bounce back a little after I used it (new growth moving foward a little now). I also used a little big bloom in it.

However, the leaves are getting lighter. I used way less than the rec dose on big bloom. I'm wondering if I should and just water this weekend or doubledown and nute twice in a row and throw some tiger bloom in there next time. So plain water this time or more nutes? I know its supposed to be water nute water, but they still seem hungry...

 

[MrDank007]

Great here we go. Exactly what I didn't want. New pics.

 

[MrDank007]

After looking at pics from the last grow, I have come the following conclusion:

It has to be the water as the same thing happened last time and I am using different soil. This took longer to occur on the last grow because I was using MG time released soil so it was getting nutes all through veg, but the inevitable lockout occured. Everytime I nuted things got worse to the point everything burned up real bad. I blamed the soil (which sucked), but the thing I did not take into consideration was the water. The PH looks ok, however, the hardness if off the charts. I live in a condo and the pipes date back to the 60s. Not to mention water is just hard in the area. Takes about 3 seconds to get shampoo out of my hair.

I have seen the same thing in this grow with fox farms soil and one knee jerk light nute once I saw problems. After only a month of using FF, the plants should not be this nute deficient, correct? I know I probably should have fed, but come on it's only a month with 7-8in plants. It has to be a build up from the hard water locking out everything.

At this point, I did a light folliar feed with the lights off with epsom last night and today I am flushing with distilled water to try and get the junk out of the dirt. I should have done this last week and I'm sure these plants are hungry, but I think feeding before I get the lockout cured will be a mistake, so the plants will have starve a little while longer.

Am I on track to revive or finish off my plants?

 

[cowboylogic]

Looks like Thrip/Leaf Miner damage. Did the film look like hair spray? And after a month you need to start feeding.........

 

[MrDank007]

I agree with you on the feeding, but I should not be in the disaster zone because I am at a month right? I figured a week late is better than a week early?

I have looked all over bugs. I can't find any. I tore off a damaged leaf and put it under the microscope as well. I haven't sprayed the plant, but I sprayed the bottom of the box with natria for good measure. Because of my last grow and the final result and the fact I can't find any bugs, I don't think that is the issue. I could be missing something, but...

 

[MrDank007]

Just for a frame of reference: This is the beginning and end of the issue on my last grow. These plants had nutes. And basically, what I'm gathering is that if you nute on top of this issue it will exacerbate it? This also does not look like bug damage,

The only common variable between these 2 grows is the water, yet it looks like we are going down the same road.

I really would like my fan leaves to make it this time and not have to pick crunchy leaves out of a diminished harvest.