Any ideas what is causing this?

[Klompen]

I've recently started noticing a weird color variation in my Summer Breeze Trifoliate mom plant. She has recently recovered from hemp mites(worst pest ever!!!), and most of her leaves are really dark blue, but some of the new ones are really light green. The mom is in the same soil as her clones but they all look way better than she does.

Any ideas? I am in an organic soil mix that's made up of peat, coir, perlite, verm, silica crystals, worm castings, and a few other things.

 

[HempKat]

well it sounds like you have two problems going on there maybe three or four which tends to make me think it's more of a ph issue as that can cause lock out that then imitates nutrient deficiencies. Unfortunately you didn't give the ph levels you might currently have nor did you define the ratio of the ingredients of the mix your plant is in but I'm guessing the largest percentage is the peat and the coir neither of which I have experience in but from what I've heard the optimal ph levels are different for peat and coir then for more traditional soil so even if you did share your ph I might not be able to tell for sure if it was off or not.

Anyway the darkening of your mother plant's leaves sound like a phosphorus deficiency and the light green of the new leaves sound kind of like a nitrogen deficiency also the yellowing you're seeing at the tips and on various leaves could point to manganese and zinc deficiencies but if all the plants are in the same soil and getting the same nutrients and water, etc. then the problems should be showing up in all the plants if it's a ph issue. not just the mother. So I'm kind of stumped and would say that if there is anything at all that is different between the mothers and the clones that's most likely to point to the actual problem.

Now if it were a ph problem and your mix should be treated like any other soil as far as ph then if your ph was below 6.0 that would explain most of those deficiencies because they would be locked out at 6.0 or lower. If on the other hand you mix should be treated more like hydro when it comes to ph you would need to have a ph around 7.0 or above to get those deficiencies and in either case whether it should be more like soil or more like hydro the values I gave you should have almost everything locked out. So it's just not adding up to be a ph issue, at least not a ph issue alone. Again though if it was any kind of a ph issue it should be showing in both clones and mother if the conditions are all the same. That again makes me say the most likely answer would have to do with any difference between the mother and the clones but the only difference you mentioned were the mites but if the mom still had mites and the clone are the plants to the right of the mom then the mites should be there too. So I'm sorry but without more info I don't know what to tell you.

 

[Klompen]

Thanks for the reply. I have no idea about pH. I have a meter but I haven't used it in a decade. I suspect that the mites did root damage and that's why its so mysterious. The clones barely got any mites on them and I killed them fast. I have a little liquid organic plant food so I'll try feeding her a bit to see if things improve. She's rooted that bag fairly completely at this point, but I don't think she's too limited for space.

As for my mix, its an organic semi-soil. I can't say the exact proportions, but its roughly 30% coir, 20% peat, 30% perlite, 10% EWC, and the rest being a mix of vermiculite, silica gel(dessicants), Espoma organic food(several kinds), Jobes organic food(several kinds), charcoal, and gypsum. My mulch layer is coco mulch, recycled cannabis stems, charcoal, gypsum, perlite, and pine bark mini-nuggets.

Here is what the clones look like:

 

[HempKat]

Oh okay I was thinking the clones were what's in that square shaped bag on the right but now in this picture I see that the clones look fine and while not as bad something is going on with what's in the square bag too but the one on the left is clearly the hardest hit. You could be right about the root damage and that would be a variable the clones aren't facing. Unfortunately beyond that the only thing I can say about the new information is I like Espoma too.

 

[Creeperpark]

Your mix is too hot and it's showing it in the leaves. If you don't have a pH meter then you will keep having problems. The overall problem with your plants now is you are not testing pH.

 

[packerfan79]

Hey Klompen,

If your clones are doing well, are they in the same soil? With rooted clones I would just trash the mom and start with a new clone mom

Have you given any thought to going with store bought soil and nutrients? Without getting your soil tested and amended, you are most likely going to continue having issues.

I would definitely get some ph drops.

Unfortunately, you gotta spend money to make money in this game.

Hope everything else is going well for you my friend.

 

[Klompen]

I can test the pH in a few here, but I doubt it will make much difference. I've used this same mix for a very long time now. The clones and the mom are all in soil from the same bin. Technically I guess they're all clones(sorry if that's confused anyone), but that mom plant has been in the mix a lot longer. I've just never had one turn so blue before. Maybe I should send some soil samples to the state lab. I think its free in my state, but I need to figure out how that works.

 

[Devoted2rolling]

Add boron.

 

[GMT]

It's reaction to the mites could have caused an uptake of something in higher quantities than it normally would. This may either strip that out of the base mix leaving it deficient, or caused an overload of that one element in the plant. First thing I'd try is top dressing the base mix with a fresh layer of your peat. Then top water. If that causes new growth to appear healthy, you have your answer. If not, I'd be tempted to move onto the next clones.

 

[Three Berries]

FWIW Mosquito Bits is a good soil treatment for insects. Contains BT.

 

[Klompen]

All this talk about pH does make me think of one thing. I have not pH'd my well water yet. I filter it but its very possible its a bit on the hard side. I am going to collect rain water when my life stops being chaos, but one thing at a time.

 

[Three Berries]

My well water is 7.5 or so. But 450 ppm. I use rain water as much as I can. Finally figured out with soil that to keep the pH from dropping below 6 you need to water with 6.5-7.0 and to run off. Then test the runoff pH. And do not let the plant suck that back up unless you can't avoid it. My last flower they went through so much water I would have to water them three times a day to runoff if I did not let them sit in the water. But towards the end I could smell rot in the water on one.

 

[HempKat]

All this talk about pH does make me think of one thing. I have not pH'd my well water yet. I filter it but its very possible its a bit on the hard side. I am going to collect rain water when my life stops being chaos, but one thing at a time.

That's definitely a possibility especially if you're in an area were the source your well draws from is running lower then normal due to less rainfall or sharply increased demand from lots of new development in the area. I also wanted to add, I liked packerfan79's suggestion about trading the old mom with one of the new clones. I forgot that was something I always did rather then trying to keep a single mom under control season after season. That doesn't necessarily solve your issue but since it seems isolated to that one plant you could just get it out of the grow room and dispose of the soil. That would free up a good bit of room and allow more space to work with for your other plants. Then you might not have to solve the problem although you probably still want to just in case it ever happens again.