Possible cal, mag, or pH?

[MakeItRain69]

Hey guys, I've got 4 ladies growing in a mix of organic gardening soil, coco, and vermiculite. I did multiple pH tests last week and the soil was showing too acidic, like 5.2 to 5.5. I flushed with 6.5 and it was coming out 6 by the end so I called it good. I was planning on adding their first nutes on the next water, maybe a week since the soil was saturated with the flush. Lights have been slowly lowered to 25" above them, it's 2 x MarsHydro 300w running now.

Notice how deformed the lower leaf in the picture is. The new growth looks like it's coming out just as weird. You can also see grey or off-white splotches on all of the leaves, I'll upload a close up of them shortly. This is the only plant affected out of the 4, it's a LSD-25.

Any help is appreciated guys, I was going to do a calmag foliar but decided I'd post here for input first. Thanks in advance!

 

[Waira]

...can you get me a closer pic of affected leaves mate? I think i see a little of the off-color patches on all of them, and more or less signs of leaf distortion,... just to be sure, check for bugs and feeding signs underneath,.. otherwise, this is probably something inherent in the seed, a common growth aberration, maybe mutation,...
soil pH should be around mid 6's,.. how are you testing in-pot pH? ...the best tool for this is the Accurate 8 soil pH probe-- hsoil:<-- long probe in this icon pic.... you can water with 7.0 pH too,.. what's the water source, and do you have a pH and TDS/EC reading on it?

 

[MakeItRain69]

Thanks so much @Waira ! I haven't seen any pests inside the tent and no sign of anything feasting on her.

I did a run off test first and then a slurry test to confirm the results. I looked at that exact probe but, ironically, their were mixed reviews on the accuracy of it, lol. I suppose if it's good enough for you then it's more than adequate for me!

I've been watering with tap water left to sit out for 24 hours, ph'ing it to 6.5. TDS in it is 180 and the EC is 380 before anything is added.

Here is a close up of the white spots

This is what the deformed leaves look like.

And here I tried to get a good shot of the new growth, that's also showing signs of white spots and these crispy deformed leaves.

 

[Waira]

... the color break on the leaves started from first true leaves right? ...that, and the weird texture and growth are likely genetic, it's actually pretty common from what I see around,.. sometimes the plant grows out of it, sometimes not,.. ditto for how well it performs,...
yup, I know the A8 isn't a masterpiece of engineering and quality, but for what it is and costs, it does the job,.. +/-0.2 is close enough for soil monitoring,... run-off testing is not to be trusted in general, very crude, results easily skewed by recent nutrient inputs, pH'ed water, anything that affects in-pot pH,.. we have an improved method and calculation here in the section above this one, but it's still iffy,... nothing beats in-pot measurement! Next step up is a full-on professional *(edit- meant bulb) type soil pH meter, made for this specifically.. a fat bulb head and housing makes large root damaging holes to get readings, and in the end, it's much like the slurry test,.. better than r-o testing, but again, your scooping out a hunk of soil, roots and all to get enough to test,.. pH will vary within the pot, top to bottom, in and further out of the root zone,.. So, I find the A8 about the only good alternative, and you need to take the measurement the right way... it's best to wait at least a day after adding anything that alters pH in there (feeds, adjusted water) so it's not getting a temporary skewed result,.. soil/soilless should be nicely moist, not soggy, and nothing close to dry,.. it needs to sit for a couple minutes too, to stabilize,... the bi-metal tip needs to be kept very clean, buffed before each use after being stored, and wiped clean with a damp towel or something between back-to-back uses,... corrosion and build-up will screw up accuracy,..

 

[KonopCh]

@Waira buffered? Must store in liquid as normal pH pen?

 

[MakeItRain69]

Damn you're good @Waira ! The spots have been there her whole life to some degree, just more pronounced now. I was hoping she would grow out of it earlier but it looked like it was getting worse so I became worried. I guess I'll ride it out with her for a few more weeks and see if she makes it, if not I'll go ahead and germ another.


Also just ordered the A8 probe, thanks for the advice mate I just told my girlfriend you're like the Gandalf of growing weed!

 

[Waira]

:smoking:..nothing doing mate, thanks just the same! I've been doing this Infirmary gig for a few years now, so you get to see a lot of weird stuff,... diagnostics is difficult, especially by remote- ..but "online" school can be a quality alternative! ...... good plan mate, it's all you can do,... how old is she? She looks to be moving along OK,...

>> @KonopCh -- you're not talking about the A8 are you? It'll be ruined by any liquid immersion, it's not meant for liquids,... but the professional grade units work the same as a pH meter, with bulb electrodes,.. these are actually very complex, trick devices... the bulb has 3 layers to it, and is made of specialized types of glass-- "hydrated", which makes them semi-permeable to ions.. otherwise it's be totally sealed like regular glass,... this is why the meter needs to be stored in the right solution (KCl) to keep it hydrated and not stripped of internal ions,...ditto for regular calibrations!

 

[KonopCh]

Yea, @Waira, I am talking about A8 soil probe meter. I want to buy it, but don't know how to properly store it.
Also, can be whole time in pot? Like... 90 days?