Can't decide what's wrong with my plant...

mahhest

Active Member
Its autoflower Blue Mystic at about week 5. Started with one 125W CFL a little too far away, then about a week ago I added two 40-ish watt soft white CFLs about 2 inches from the sides. 24-0 entire grow. So I know there is stretching and it is kinda underdeveloped. My problem, though, is the leaves. When i first added the extra lights, I think I burnt a leaf tip, so I dismissed that discoloration as a burn. Then I go away for the weekend and come back to find the burn spots arent any bigger, maybe smaller, but on the new leaves it is brown and dry and sticky to the touch. The green leaves arent sticky tho. I am growing with Roots Organic soil and have added nothing to it except some garden lime earlier today as I am hoping the plant just needs the PH to be right, and I do NOT have a meter. Also, in the soil, there are these bugs. At first i thought fungus gnats and put up a sticky trap thing. I only caught a few and each one looks different. I have a cat that likes to chill in the light wit the plants for some reason so I'm positive one or two are fleas. The rest just look like gnats. Though I always thought if it was fungus gnats would be alot more. I dont really see any flying around. But in the soil. I see very very very tiny bugs, from white, to greyish, and they just crawl around then vanish. I'm sure the "vanishing" is hopping away. Making me further think fleas are living in the soil. Do fleas cause harm? Can they even live in soil? Or do i actually have fungus gnats? Ive bought and sprayed neem oil yesterday. Now just waiting to see what happens but any help would also be appreciated. Here is a picture or few:
 

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mahhest

Active Member
About once a week. Whenever I can stick my finger in the soil n come up without any moisture. thats another reason I wasnt thinking fungus gnats. but i did notice that the days I water i dont see anything in the soil. then a few days later and i cant take a scoop out without seeing some little white bugs. if it is fungus gnats, would they affect the leaves like that? or is that a nutrient deficiency? or maybe i have both....damn lol.
 

chairroller

Active Member
As you might have already noticed, this plant has three levels of leaves ! First healthy big ones at the bottom, then some sick leaves in the second and finally the top leaves starting to grow not really as sick as the others !! I'll give you something in another post !
This levels tell that you have made changes in the life of your plant ! Nutrients, pH water, ... ! Don't know yet !
Forget about little insects for now, you got more important stuff to fix !
 

chairroller

Active Member
About once a week. Whenever I can stick my finger in the soil n come up without any moisture. thats another reason I wasnt thinking fungus gnats. but i did notice that the days I water i dont see anything in the soil. then a few days later and i cant take a scoop out without seeing some little white bugs. if it is fungus gnats, would they affect the leaves like that? or is that a nutrient deficiency? or maybe i have both....damn lol.
View attachment 2875524 View attachment 2875525
Be Careful What You Wish For ! EminEm
Cheers :leaf:
 

Thriceeee

Member
Usually fungal gnats will give phantom deficiencies appearing as though water pH may be low causing lockout, so its hard to tell honestly.
If there are little squirmy white dots in your runoff with the occasional grown gnat then yes, i'm sorry to say..
Hopefully someone more learned can step in.
If its pinpointed as which, Look into Mosquito Dunks and an organic top soil fungicide.

Finding a way to test/adjust the pH of your water would honestly benefit you a lot and help narrow down.
 

mahhest

Active Member
Thanks for the help. I'm gonna keep spraying neem oil every 3 days to kill whatever bug it is. Probably fungus gnats aand fleas lol. but @chairroller i get it...but i dont knot what to do with it loll. i mean my leaves look like three different deficiencies lol but since the new ones look good should i be good then? also i just remembered i showed the plant to a friend of mine n she spilled some Henney in the soil but not alot...could that cause this?? also i havent given it any nutrients yet. planning on a half dose of bio-bizz bio-grow on thursday then start the usual regimen with bio-grow, bio-bloom and molasses the week after. would that simply fix my problem?

the timing for the spill also matches when the discoloration started
 

mahhest

Active Member
and i'd get a pH monitor but i'm doing soil specifically to avoid messing with ph so i dont wanna defeat the purpose lol...
 

Tea H. Sea

Active Member
Judging by your description of how you feed it and pictures it looks like a Cal/mag deficiency. Get some dolomite lime, liquid cal/mag, or epsom salt. I recommend dolomite lime.
 

hydrogreen65

Well-Known Member
PH adjusting isnt just for hydro. If you add some dolomite lime to your mix from the start then you have your ph under control.It acts as a buffer and keeps ph at 7.
 

mahhest

Active Member
so i'll mix some more lime in when i water and wait a week before starting with nutrients...and keep with the neem oil n that should be it? thanks for the help yall noone else seemed to describe exactly what i was having. prolly a combination of everything. shit happens.
 

Tea H. Sea

Active Member
I would've guessed nute burn too but he says he hasn't giving it any fertilizer. Just noticed you used dolomite already... That should fix your problem. Update on how it's doing?
 

mahhest

Active Member
For a while it was looking good, so i put in a half dose of Bio-Grow. a week later I just put half a water bottle in cuz i was in a rush n was drinking water n hadn't watered it yet. probably tomorrow I was gonna give it a full ml of Bio-Grow, half dose of Bio-Bloom, and some molasses. This is what it looks like now. Kinda worried though lol.


also: this is like week 8...
 

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Fresh 2 De@th

Well-Known Member
dude, flush or at least leach that medium. as some suggested, it's definitely nute burn. soil seems a little to hot to start seedlings in and is really manifesting itself through the plants.
 

mahhest

Active Member
ok thanks for the reply. I'm putting nothing but water in and its getting worse. so youre right. i started another plant with half outside dirt and its already taking off. when should I transplant? and is there anything out there as a nutrient guide for this soil with autoflowers? every response is appreciated
 
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