Leaves showing yellow tips and yellow tint

Hi, this is my first grow, so I'm obviously being overcautious about things.

I've been monitoring this for a few days, and have been searching different posts, but am too inexperienced to accurately diagnose which problem it is. It has slowly been getting worse, and I'd rather try to fix the problem than wait for it to get really bad.

The edges of the leaves are turning yellow. The tips are looking burnt. It is a lot more pronounced on lower, older leaves. I've attached a picture of the an upper leaf set and a lower leaf set, labeled accordingly.

I should note that I have a 65W cfl @ 5000K positioned about 6 inches above the plant. There is also a 42W cfl @ 2700K and a 27W cfl @ 5500K positioned to the side.

Also, I started feeding 24-8-16 fert at 1/4 dosage about 5 days ago. The plant is about 3 1/2 weeks old. I should add that it has experienced a TON of growth in the past 3-4 days.

So, is this a case of a deficiency? Is it fert burn? Any help is much appreciated. I just can't seem to put my finger on it from reading other posts.

Thanks!

Judging by the green veins, i would say that's a magnesium deficieny, rather than a N deficiency. Add some cal-mag or some epsom salts with your next watering/feeding,(preferrably cal-mag. lots of salts in the epsom.lol) and that should take care of it.

Thanks for the reply jawbrodt. I have some Epsom Salt lying around, so I am going to try that first. Any suggestions on the ratio per liter to soil feed?

I should also add that the pH of the soil is currently between 6.5 and 7.0, so that's not a problem.

The more reading I do, the more I think this is the marking of a potassium deficiency.

Since foliage feeding the epsom salt should limit any undesired consequences in the soil, I will also slightly increase the nute dosage (24-8-16) to 1/4 teaspoon for 2 liters of water. I was previously using 1/8 teaspoon for 2 liters of water. I'll post an update on this tomorrow.

Something else I thought of is that the water is very hard out here (I don't have an exact hardness measurement). I've heard that too many minerals in the water can prevent the plant from taking up nutrients.

Any other opinions out there?

The problem seems to be a little more pronounced this morning. I'm still thinking potassium deficiency, but I do not know for sure. I would really appreciate any educated eyes to help me identify what is happening. I have attached an updated picture of the same upper leaf from yesterday, and you can see the burnt tip progressing a bit.

On one hand, the discoloration on the edges of the leaves is similar to the potassium deficiency shown here:
http://www.gardenscure.com/420/attachments/plant-nursery/161834d1140371341-nutrient-deficiency-toxicity-salt-buildup-hormone-potassium.jpg

However, it does not look like the potassium deficiency shown here:
http://www.420magazine.com/forums/frequently-asked-questions/81266-cannabis-plant-pest-problem-solver-pictorial.html

PLEASE HELP. I'm gunna go nuts trying to figure out what I am doing wrong!

i would say it is over fert. I always notice nute burn on the tips of my leaves first, it starts out as a light white color right on the tip. I know my feeding is a little hot when that happens. If it gets too much nutes, you will see symptoms like what you have. I would flush the plant with 3 times the pot volume with water, then give it a lighter feeding right after. If you see more signs of a nute deficiency, then feed a little more. When in doubt, flush and start nute feedings again.

It does look a little like a potassium deficiency, but I'll stick with magnesium, as being the culprit. That fert you've been using has plenty of P to satisfy the plant, which is why I'm voting for Mag. Try some CalMag or epsoms,(preferrably CalMag) along with your normal feeding schedule, or with the next 2-3 waterings.

jawbrodt said:

It does look a little like a potassium deficiency, but I'll stick with magnesium, as being the culprit. That fert you've been using has plenty of P to satisfy the plant, which is why I'm voting for Mag. Try some CalMag or epsoms,(preferrably CalMag) along with your normal feeding schedule, or with the next 2-3 waterings.

Click to expand...

i'd be surprised if a micro nutrient deficiency would show up this early in the game, if mg is low, my guess would be lockout, rather than deficiency.

Your a little hot oN the fert, feed water for next 2 then start at 1/2 recomemded dose.

It really looks like N deficiency to me! My friend who is also growing directed me to this link. It looks almost exactly like my plant, which is at odds with the people who think it's fertilizer burn.

http://www.gardenscure.com/420/attachments/plant-nursery/161827d1140371179-nutrient-deficiency-toxicity-salt-buildup-hormone-nitrogen.jpg

The key thing here is that the older leaves are definitely more yellow. Also, the yellowing started at the tip. Finally, I've noticed that the plant has suddenly slowed it's growth in the past few days after exploding in the days just prior to that.

How sure are you guys that it is fertilizer burn? I mean no offense, but N deficiency and fert burn are kinda opposite of each other.

Any other opinions? Thanks to everyone who has replied!

fendz457 said:

It really looks like N deficiency to me! My friend who is also growing directed me to this link. It looks almost exactly like my plant, which is at odds with the people who think it's fertilizer burn.

http://www.gardenscure.com/420/attachments/plant-nursery/161827d1140371179-nutrient-deficiency-toxicity-salt-buildup-hormone-nitrogen.jpg

The key thing here is that the older leaves are definitely more yellow. Also, the yellowing started at the tip. Finally, I've noticed that the plant has suddenly slowed it's growth in the past few days after exploding in the days just prior to that.

How sure are you guys that it is fertilizer burn? I mean no offense, but N deficiency and fert burn are kinda opposite of each other.

Any other opinions? Thanks to everyone who has replied!

Click to expand...

Listen to the others who have said it was nute burn. When the tips turn brown and curl up your over feeding them. Less is more when they're little, give them a flush, just PH balanced water for the next couple of weeks. Adding more nutes now will just compound your problem.

If it was Nitrogen deficiency, you'd see a slight yellowing between the veins of the leaf, not starting right at the tip, then turning brown and curling up. If your using even half way decent soil, you shouldn't need any nutes at all for at least 3 to 4 weeks. It seems everyone starting out thinks dumping nutes on them right away will make them grow better, this is not the case.

But it does look like it's yellowing in between the veins. Have a look. This picture was taken this morning.

just ph your water and water it ever 3-4 days till it gets back on track, no nutes until its about 20 days old

So I am going to continue posting on this thread while my problem persists. That doesn't mean it isn't getting better or I don't really appreciate the advice of everyone who has shared his/her opinion. I don't want anyone who has posted to take offense - you guys know a lot more about this process than I do. However, I think it's safe to say that the more information the better.

I flushed the plant on Sunday and followed with a very minimal feed, which was:

1/8 teaspoon of 24-8-16 NPK in 2 liters of water AND I only used about 1/8 of the 2 liters (so 1/4 liter). I have posted the images from Sunday onward (once per day in the morning, but the light is on 24 hrs at this point anyway) to provide a picture of how the plant is evolving.

I'm new, so...

THINGS THAT STILL CONCERN ME AND HAVEN'T BEEN ADDRESSED:
-Limited new growth
-Yellowing between veins, not just as the tip!
-New leaves look bright green and kinda wrinkled
-More older leaves browning at the tips


Thanks and I can't wait to hear opinions, whether they are the same or not!

Any takers on the new pics? I could really use any help and/or opinions!

You want a guaranteed fix? Transplant into a slightly bigger pot, and let the nutes in the new soil do the job.

Problem may also be overwatering. I had the same problem with my seedling. I ended up losing one due to overwatering and not enough ferts...but i was using rockwool not soil. Nutes are not needed in the beginning for soil grows usually. Seedling could survive in soil with just plain water for weeks. Also do not let nutes splash on plants if you are feeding through roots. Dont foiler feed and root feed.

If you overwater you could cause dampening off and get root rot. Hydrogen peroxide and water is good to prevent this.

Oh make sure your plant isnt rootbound too. You may need to transplant and restart with just plain ph'd water if anything.

Im not experienced enough but saw your pics and they looked like the problem i had.