Time for new soil...problems at hand

[flipd1]

Greetings! Soil I'm using now is plain top soil (Gardeners Pride from Lowe's) playground sand, and some perlite. Using FloraNova Grow and Bloom as only nutrients. My tap water is 7.0 ph period, I have just been flying with that. These are my weak points, on 4th grow I guess now. Having leaf problems in my grows, leaf edges curling up, tips curling up and leave dry and crumbly. I AM FAMOUS FOR OVERWATERING... I have drowned many, many seeds and new plants. I have been cautious of that this time but some plants grew nicely, others weak and slow growing
plus SOME HAVE the nasty leaves (6 weeks or so into flower) . I have one each 600 watt HID, and 600 watt HPS, 2 x 4 x 5 foot tent with good temps and proper ventilation and air movement. Mandala seeds (the 20 per pkg assorted leftovers). I buy the cheap seeds because of my shitty results getting from seed, to plant, to harvest. I am looking for something I can get easily, a do-it-all type soil start to finish deal. I have digital ph meter and ph down but only used few times. Believe me I have looked at a million sites with leaf problem photos, etc. and the same on soil mixtures. I am going on 66 years of age, been enjoying high times for 43 years. Been a novice grower for about 2 years or so and am realizing I need better soil and water before next time. *I have been using 5 quart square ice cream plastic buckets, could be too small?? MANY THANKS

 

[orangesunshine]

morning flip---before recommending a grow medium---please clarify---do you plan on continuing with the same nute line, something similar---or---are u truly looking for an all in soil that only requires watering thru the life of the plant

 

[orangesunshine]

some other important tid bits of info to help u would include---do u have a local grow shop---are u located near a feed store---is organic a priority

 

[flipd1]

Thanks for the reply. I have the usual megastores and a couple lawn and garden centers, no "grow" shops. I can get whatever online of course.
Am trying to avoid alot of hassle searching for bulk components to make up a personal mix. I would like to get a couple bags of whatever and then just add nutrients from there. Don't care what brands. A complete switch would be OK. How about a guess on why I have the crispy leaves,two out of six plants are that way. Could I still be overwatering even at 6 weeks into flower, drainage appears to be adequate. Thanks.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

It is critical that you start out with a good soil mixture. I use a brand from Home Depot that I like quite well, but it is not available everywhere and I still add some things to it. It is called Kellogg's Patio Plus. It is an organic soil with a fair amount of goodies in it.

Your soil mixture sounds a little iffy. Top soil is kind of a term that tells us nothing--I have gotten good top soil and dirt that is not so good. I wouldn't add sand at all. You do need perlite for proper drainage. You are most likely going to want to add lime to whatever you use. I would forgo the sand altogether.

You need to check the Ph of your solution after you add nutes. I am thinking that the Flora Nova is bringing your pH too low for soil grow. I really like Flora Nova Grow, but do not like the bloom. I find that my plants simply do not do well on a diet of Flora Nova Bloom.

Overwatering? Well just quit it, it isn't that hard. Do not water your plants until the top coupe of inches of medium is dry. It is that simple.

I also believe that your containers are too small. I would advise at the minimum 3 gal containers. Start in something smaller, like kegger cups and then maybe transplant to 1 gal or go to the 3 gal. Another thing wrong with using the ice cream container is that they are clear and you want something light will not penetrate for your growing container. Roots do not want or like light and your grow container shouldn't let any light to the root area.

Crispy turning leaves are probably caused by overwatering or incorrect pH. However, telling us more about your grow would help. How large is your space? What is your ventilation setup? What are your temps running? Your RH? How strong is your nute solution? How often do you feed? I would really like to see some pics if at all possible (a picture is worth a thousand words).

I do want to remind you that we are growing a plant that routinely sells for $300+ an ounce. It does take some work and sacrifice to get a dank harvest. While it would be great to be able to go buy a store bought soil that would be a start to finish everything soil, I don't think it is going to happen. The same with the nute regime. A 1 part nutrient is nice, but like I mentioned I have poor luck with Flora Nova Bloom and use their GH 3 part series. I also have to add cal-mag to my GH nutrients as I always seem to be deficient.

You can overwater at any stage of growth, but without knowing the pH of your nute solution (and more about your growing environment), it is just a shot in the dark to try and diagnose problems.

I'm also not that impressed with High Times anymore. You can get better info online, IMO. Get back to us and we'll see what we can do to help.

 

[DrFever]

Hello flipd for being on your 4th grow you are on right track for changing out soils and possibly moving up im pot size as well etc ... I read thru your issues you mentioned?. First off it is always good to start seeds via small container and move them up every couple weeks to final pot size ...
Root mass is what makes a plant explode in growth and in yield..... so you mentioned some take off and others week ???? what you got going on is the week ones root mass just never takes off So YES its time to do some changes first off Soil i think your soil gets to compact so root growth tends to be slow so perlite peat moss can be added to the mixture to get
more of a consistent fluffy texture
2- you mentioned your leafs curling up and drying out most frequently this is caused by the root system inability to take up sufficient water to meet its needs under harsh room conditions.
Water is taken up by a plant through its fine feeder roots and transported through the vascular system to the leaves. When it is unable to take up enough water, the leaf tissue that is farthest from the major veins will dehydrate first.

 

[DrFever]

Some tricks of the trade water less more frequently what i mean by this is your over watering issues
When a plant is over watered, it cannot grow new, water-absorbing roots without oxygen. Soggy soils therefore prohibit root development so instead of hammering the plant with water..... Give your plant 1/4 of the plants pot size every second day problem solved
Room temps ????? i believe if your running 2- 600's in the tent your temps are over the roof
Plants suffering from heat stress shut down basic growth functions and cannot draw sufficient water up into their leaves. again bringing you back to your leaf issues

Over application of fertilizer can also cause your leafs to dehydrate being you are burning your root system and roots not being able to uptake water.
Over watering, under watering, excessive heat, or root damage may all cause leaves to dry up and even drop. another cause i found for leaf issues improper planting depth. again comes to size of pot not sure how many plants your grow in that tent but my advice to you is look into 5 gallon or even bigger totes for final stage of plant growth if you look in first picture far left the gray small tote is 5 gallon tote almost ready to transplant into 35 gallon tote and 2 weeks after transplant that small plant will be size of bigger plants 3rd pic is litterally 4 weeks from 3-4" clone

 

[flipd1]

Thanks to all. THG you were spot on as usual, as for the overwatering advice, priceless. Just say no! Plastic buckets were a bad idea from the start, never even thought of them being opaque. Dr. Fever also gave me lots of food for thought. I have been doing the knuckle guide then adding water till it drains out the bottom. I am now sure drainage is also wack.
Dry part way down and then I find the bottom portion soaked still. It all boils down to "pilot error" on my part, I chose to take the lazy approaach and it ain't working.
*how about switching to coco fibers...mixed or straight
**still taking advice on growing medium and nutrients

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I have not worked much with coco fiber. When I grow in soil, I make up a super soil with the Kellogg's Patio Plus as the base and add the goodies to that. It has worked well for me. Having a good soil mixture is important for correct drainage. I'll try and find a good basic soil recipe for you. I am a big believer in not trying to reinvent the wheel--if someone has already done the work and has a great soil recipe, I say use it.

A kind of old school rule of thumb is 1 gal of medium for every foot of height your plant is. With a tent that is only 5' tall, you will be flowering them while they are still fairly small. I generally agree that larger pots are better, but with your situation I think that 3 gal containers will do you just fine.

Don't beat yourself up. We all learn by doing...and unfortunately it is usually by doing the incorrect thing that we learn the best lessons. "Pilot error" is common with this hobby, but we do learn that it is not like growing tomatoes. Cannabis can be very finicky.

Any chance we can get some pics?

 

[buddogmutt]

Fox farms ocean forest...I'll never switch. Has all ingredients you need and great for all stages of growth...

View attachment image.jpg

 

[rebel]

I have 2 WW and 1 Sour Kosher 12 days in bloom
one of the WW has the leaves from the bottom up to about 1/4 ways of the plant that's drying up and falling off.
Really don't know whats causing it or the fix ??

 

[Hushpuppy]

Rebel, Start a new thread and put a couple pics of your plants and describe your soil, watering, and feeding regimen. Then peeps will see it better and help. Also start the thread in the sick plants section.

 

[rebel]

Ok I did, spider mites are my problem.