Technical Issue First Post

[One Puff]

First post glad to share my current photos. Been growing for a couple of years chasing the elusive perfect grow. It seems the more exacting and the more upgrading of equipment the more problems I get. This grow is headed into it’s 6th week. symptoms began around 3 weeks into the grow. I’ve done so much research on the current issue that I am totally confused by what it could be. Brown spots on leaves, then the leaves turning yellow with brown spots my first diagnosis Calcium deficiency. If calcium deficiency was the problem then it would seem that would cause nutrient lock out causing a whole host of other issues. I am using quality organic soil with some additional perlite (20% by volume) in 5 gallon fabric bags. Both plants are Runtz from ILGM. I use Fox Farms nutrients in RO water. I am began adding 5ml FF Cal/Mag to every gallon since RO has nothing in it and it is my understanding it will strip nutrients like cal & mag from the soil. Fox Farms said the 5ml is appropriate for RO, currently using 6.6ml per gallon. Temps are in the mid to upper 70’s with humidity in the upper 50% to lower 60%. Growing in a 3x3 tent, lights are Spider Farmer SF4000 450W LED Grow Light With Dimmer Knob. Current at 620 PPFD. The girls are asking for water or feed every 3rd day. I alternate water and feeding. The plant in the back has had runoff PPM 1100 - 1200 which is higher than the input PPM which has been in the 800 - 1000 range. The front plant has had lower PPM in the 700-800 range. The last 2 feedings the back plant has received RO water with Cal/Mag this mix has a PPM of 180. I measure pH with the General Hydroponics kit which is my weakest link but I ordered from Apera a PH60 pH test kit. my wife thought there could be an Iron deficiency so both plants got a shot of Iron.
Any thoughts on actual problem? Thanks

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

@One Puff Welcome to AFN

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

First post glad to share my current photos. Been growing for a couple of years chasing the elusive perfect grow. It seems the more exacting and the more upgrading of equipment the more problems I get. This grow is headed into it’s 6th week. symptoms began around 3 weeks into the grow. I’ve done so much research on the current issue that I am totally confused by what it could be. Brown spots on leaves, then the leaves turning yellow with brown spots my first diagnosis Calcium deficiency. If calcium deficiency was the problem then it would seem that would cause nutrient lock out causing a whole host of other issues. I am using quality organic soil with some additional perlite (20% by volume) in 5 gallon fabric bags. Both plants are Runtz from ILGM. I use Fox Farms nutrients in RO water. I am began adding 5ml FF Cal/Mag to every gallon since RO has nothing in it and it is my understanding it will strip nutrients like cal & mag from the soil. Fox Farms said the 5ml is appropriate for RO, currently using 6.6ml per gallon. Temps are in the mid to upper 70’s with humidity in the upper 50% to lower 60%. Growing in a 3x3 tent, lights are Spider Farmer SF4000 450W LED Grow Light With Dimmer Knob. Current at 620 PPFD. The girls are asking for water or feed every 3rd day. I alternate water and feeding. The plant in the back has had runoff PPM 1100 - 1200 which is higher than the input PPM which has been in the 800 - 1000 range. The front plant has had lower PPM in the 700-800 range. The last 2 feedings the back plant has received RO water with Cal/Mag this mix has a PPM of 180. I measure pH with the General Hydroponics kit which is my weakest link but I ordered from Apera a PH60 pH test kit. my wife thought there could be an Iron deficiency so both plants got a shot of Iron.
Any thoughts on actual problem? Thanks

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Well.......... you have a bunch of problems that may be from over fertilizing? Most soil grows only need fertigation every 4th or 5th watering.

Do you have an air-gap under the pots?

What soil did you start with?
Please list all inputs.
Run-off numbers are meaningless in soil. They may show a trend but tell you nothing about what the balance of ions is in the pot.

Read this to get a basic understanding of what I mean by balance:

Tutorial - A word on Nutrients

The proper use of “salt” based fertilizer to grow Auto Flowering Cannabis. Salts: Natural and man made any chemical compound formed from the reaction of an acid with a base, with all or part of the hydrogen of the acid replaced by a metal or other cation. Learning how to use salt based...

www.autoflower.org

Don't do anything drastic until we look at the information.

 

[One Puff]

Well.......... you have a bunch of problems that may be from over fertilizing? Most soil grows only need fertigation every 4th or 5th watering.

Do you have an air-gap under the pots?

What soil did you start with?
Please list all inputs.
Run-off numbers are meaningless in soil. They may show a trend but tell you nothing about what the balance of ions is in the pot.

Read this to get a basic understanding of what I mean by balance:

Tutorial - A word on Nutrients

The proper use of “salt” based fertilizer to grow Auto Flowering Cannabis. Salts: Natural and man made any chemical compound formed from the reaction of an acid with a base, with all or part of the hydrogen of the acid replaced by a metal or other cation. Learning how to use salt based...

www.autoflower.org

Don't do anything drastic until we look at the information.

Yes I have an 1-1\2” air gap between the bottom of the bag and the saucer. I also have some small clay balls in the bottom of the bag.
Soil is summerwinds organic potting soil which I added 20% perlite by volume. I will be going back to Fox Farm soil in my next grow. Ocean Forest, CoCo Loco, or Happy Frog.
No runoff…great it’s a pain.
Great article on balance need to go over it a few more times. With that said, if I am overfeeding which I agree I am, then how do I give then a drink without feeding them and still be balanced especially using RO water. Do I use straight RO water? Does straight RO water cause issues?

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

I saw your post over in LS but will answer here. RO water is Hungry, if left to the open air it will absorb Co² and become acidic as low as 5.5 PH and it does not PH easily you have to use too much buffering to get it to 6.4 PH that you want for your soil type.

If applied to the soil without stabilizing it will bind to the Ca and lower soil PH over time.

If you add a small amount of cal-mag to it the night before you are going to use it, it will stabilize it and make it much easier to PH and or mix your nutrients in. I would recommend using Soluble Gypsum and Ag Epsom salt at the rate of .3g gypsum and .3g Epsom per Gallon, but any Cal-mag will work just you add until ~50 PPM on your EC meter. Most EC meters do not read below 50 PPM

I tried to look up the summer Winds soil to see what was in it? No luck on their web site. can you take a picture of the ingredients?

I am on and off (to do many things) the site from about 10am to 10pm PST. I am in the San Joaquin Valley of CA.

 

[One Puff]

You are very kind thank you. I just grow for my wife and I, helps these ole bodies feel a bit better and the mind too. Just need to get the best out of what I have in this grow and start a new grow with better knowledge. Soil seems to be the easiest medium what soil is your favorite?
One thing that confuses me is if I follow FF feeding schedule it says you can feed up to twice a week which I was only feeding once and highest PPM WAS 2200+ on the 700 scale but still almost 1600 when converted to 500 scale and I have never gotten close to 1600. Just need to flush the plants and the brain and start over. Excited to do so.

 

[throwstuffatme]

@One Puff welcome to AFN.

 

[One Puff]

Thank you. I think I have found the place with the answers to all my growing problems.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Please do not flush soil. Flushing soil often causes more problems that it solves. Your base soil has Dolomite Lime this is a long release form of Calcium and Magnesium. You probably did not need to add any more to that pot at all. You do want to stabilize your RO water but don't add more than that.

Just give it PHed stabilized water for the next two weeks, water to about 15% run-off only when the pot needs watering. We need to watch the new growth for improvement. The damaged leaves will not get better. Post pictures of the whole plant in 5000K light - turn off the grow lights. This is so I can see the colors as close to natural as possible. These plants are amazingly durable.

 

[Bill.de.Cat]