Calcium Deficiency? Magnesium Deficiency? Both? Neither?

Hi there. This is my first time growing, and posting to this awesome forum, even though I've been surfing random posts for almost a year now.

The included pictures were just taken moments ago, of two separate plants. I have a bubbleponics/drip hydroponic system, stabilized the PH at 5.9, and I am currently lighting the plants with a 400 watt metal halide for eighteen hours daily. For some reason, I thought I read that distilled water was the best way to go for the plants. . .

I've been mixing in one teaspoon of general hydroponics vegetative fertilizer per gallon ever since week two, when I initially noticed a small problem in the foliage. The plants are now about three weeks old and are getting worse by the minute.

After playing with the concentration of the fertilizer for a few days, hoping the problem would work itself out, I decided it was worth it to try something else. I mixed in one and a half teaspoons of the fertilizer per gallon of tap water this morning, but the leaves are still getting worse.

From the reading I've been doing these past few days the best conclusion I can make is a calcium or magnesium deficiency. . . but I don't want to add cal-mag plus to the water unless I'm sure that it will help the plants. Ahhh this is so frustrating! Any input is greatly appreciated!

i just added calmag plus to the water, hopefully it'll do the trick. . .

Please keep up on if that worked or not, I believe that I am in the early stages of that...

unless your tap water is really jacked up it is probably better than distilled. People use RO & distilled then have to add cal/mag. Test your tap water if it isn't too high use it. if it is too high get some hard water micro.

thedoa said:

i just added calmag plus to the water, hopefully it'll do the trick. . .

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I doubt it. Your plants look over-fertilized. How do your roots look? I would give them plain water and I bet they will come right back.

My tap is 240 ppm and i don't have to add any cal/mag, sucks for cloning I have to use spring water for that.

bigsourD said:

I doubt it. Your plants look over-fertilized. How do your roots look? I would give them plain water and I bet they will come right back.

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Bonus, I was thinking he should still be on 1/4 strength nutes also, 1/4 tsp of each.

This is so frustrating! The spots came out before I started to add anything to the distilled water, so I find it tough to believe it's over fertilized. I don't have an TDS meter yet. Either way, when I leach the water with regular tap, keep it in for a day or two? Then add 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of the fertilizer and the calmag to the next batch of tap water?

if u can't test your tap water , keep using the distilled & cal/mag & 1/4 strength nutes your tap might make it worse

alright cool. thanks dude, i'll be try it out tonight how long should it take before i see an improvement?

2-3 days the damaged leaves wont get better but new growth should be fine

wiseguy316 said:

if u can't test your tap water , keep using the distilled & cal/mag & 1/4 strength nutes your tap might make it worse

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Yes, always know what is going on in your res.

thedoa said:

alright cool. thanks dude, i'll be try it out tonight how long should it take before i see an improvement?

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Usually can bounce back pretty quick. From a couple hours to a day.

Don't forget to check your pH.

Yeah, most definitely. That thing tries to bounce all over the place, so I check it at least once a day. I don't know what I would do without a digital meter. . .

hello was wondering if yoiu got your problem sorted as im now havin MAJOR mag or calcium deficiency

problem solved - why help others on the way?