Early Deficiency? Opinions needed..

[blueberryfarmer]

Hello everyone.. this is one of my first attempts at growing and I'm noticing the lower leaves yellowing on my seedlings which are 3 weeks old today. I'm hoping its simply a nitrogen deficiency which I have the fertilizers to fix. I planted in straight Peat moss/perlite/vermiculite mix and added a little fishbone meal, earthworm castings and bat guano... Anyhow the seed leaves began yellowing first and are now withering... the first single bladed leaves are now yellowing and some tips are dying.. i also noticed the upper stems are purple, same as the seed stem. I remember reading somewhere that that often indicates a nitrogen deficiency.. see the attached pics.. Any suggestions? I'd like to know because i'm hesitant to just fertilize and harm them.. thanks

 

[MynameStitch]

they need there own pots and need fed with NPK nutrients

dont use but 1/4 strength for first feeding and 1/2 strength for the rest

chemical nutrients use what i liseted avove

organics you can use 1/2 teaspoon for first feeding and 1 tsp per gallon of water the rest as long as you do not put them into a strong soil mixture

what mixture are they in now?

 

[sproutco]

Time to repot

Time to repot

Because they are in such small containers its almost hydroponic

In a fert for veg you want:

> a ratio of 2-1-2 nitrogen to phosphorus to potassium

> contain all the micros: iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron and molybdenum

> be high in nitrate nitrogen rather than ammonia or urea nitrogen

> contain calcium and magnesium if no dolomite lime is in the soil or your containers are small like your and its almost hydro

> contain sulfur: magnesium sulfate, sulfuric acid, potassium sulfate, gypsum, etc...

> no potassium chloride...yuk! instead potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, or monopotassium phosphate

You can add calcium and magnesium to your ferts if needed by using 1/4 teaspoon of both powdered gypsum and epsom salts per gallon of water along with your regular ferts. Do this everytime with no dolomite lime in the soil or every third time or so with dol. lime.

Be sure to adjust the ph of your fert water after mixing with an acid or base to ph 6. Directions for homestyle ph adjustors are in my signature "how to make your own ph up and down".

You only want 100 ppm nitrogen with plants your size. Try 1/3 teaspoon 20-20-20 peters or jacks classic per gallon of water plus the epsom and gypsum as needed. 15-30-15 you would use about 1/2 teaspoon.

 

[420KushMaster]

hey dude,

they turn yellow like that its no big deal
you need to go to a bigger size container
try reading some more into what your doing.
goodluck

 

[blueberryfarmer]

Thank you for the informative replies everyone. I have many fertilizers at my disposal and have already fed them very lightly at this point due to my concern over the nutrients. I used PBP veg formula supplemented with a little Bio-Genesis Synergy and Liquid Seaweed... perhaps i used it too lightly because i did not observe MUCH difference after feeding (this was a little less than a week ago, pics taken days since). I will feed again, then, with a slightly higher nutrient concentration, before i repot which will be soon. I've been waiting until i could feel that the roots had expanded to the size of the container... they are about 90% there by now. Does this sound like a decent plan? Are my plants at a good size for being 3 weeks old since popping the soil? sproutco: Does PBP contain the calcium, sulfur and magnesium which you recommended i add? I already have some epsom salts but do not have the gypsum and it may be difficult to obtain. Any other suggestions? Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[sproutco]

sproutco: Does PBP contain the calcium, sulfur and magnesium which you recommended i add? I already have some epsom salts but do not have the gypsum and it may be difficult to obtain. Any other suggestions?

If you go with the pbp grow, you should get the following info off the bottle: net weight, total ml, % of each element like 5% nitrogen, and ml you plan on using. Enter these numbers in the calculator. That link is in my signature below. This will give you ppms.
75-100 ppm nitrogen for seedlings
100 ppm n regular growth
150 ppm n more growth
200 ppm n max growth watch for burning

of course you would have more than just nitrogen in your fert water.

This fert is low in magnesium so you add a little more. Its best to boost both
calcium and magnesium together.

You want the ratio of potassium to calcium to magnesium to be 4:2:1 in the fert water. If you have 150 k then you would want 75 ca and 38 mg.
1/8 teaspoon gypsum gallon of water= 30 ppm ca
1/8 teaspoon epsom salts gallon of water = 15 mg

Here is the calculator example. Click on it to enlarge. Once larger, move cursor to bottom right corner of picture and click again to get even bigger.



Powdered gypsum you can find at garden centers. Call around. Sometimes you can find it in 5 pound hobby bags. Hoffman is a brand name. You might send the company an email to help find a bag:
Good Earth, Inc.
Marketing Department
P.O. Box 290
Lancaster, NY 14086
Tel: 716-684-8111
Fax: 716-684-3722
[email protected]

Size(s)
5 lb. (2.2 Kg) bag Upc code 071605170054



Be sure to adjust the ph of your fert water after mixing with an acid or base to ph 6. Directions for homestyle ph adjustors are in my signature "how to make your own ph up and down".

 

[blueberryfarmer]

Hello
sproutco: I read over the info on how to make my own ph up and down formulas and i'm unable to find any of the products you recommend. Apparantly sulfuric acid is illegal for retail sale in ontario/canada? That's what i was told at one store. Where can i get lye/sodium hydroxide? I couldn't find any drain opener products or anything that i could be certain were 100% NaOH. Any further suggestions as to where i could find these products? I'm gonna look around for the gypsum, too..
I also used your nutrient calculator and determined an appropriate amount to feed my plants. I fertilized them last night before going to bed, but as of this morning unfortunately the yellowing seems to be continuing. Perhaps it has not been long enough for the feednig to take effect? I used about 1ml in 500ml of water (about 1/8th of a gallon?). Most of the seed leaves have died on the seedlings and the yellowing is continuing up to the single bladed and three bladed leaves. I plan to transplant either tonight or tomorrow night.. although i dont think the plants' roots have maxed out the container yet.. they're pretty close.
Thanks everyone

 

[sproutco]

Here are two brands that are 100% sodium hydroxide:





For your acid you can use white vinegar:



You might send this company an email to find hoffman gypsum:

Good Earth, Inc.
Marketing Department
P.O. Box 290
Lancaster, NY 14086
Tel: 716-684-8111
Fax: 716-684-3722
[email protected]

Size(s)
5 lb. (2.2 Kg) bag Upc code 071605170054

 

[blueberryfarmer]

Okay... thanks sproutco... I looked for that stuff last night but could not find it anywhere, as i said... thanks anyway though... but what about my plants? is it unusual for the yellowing to be continuing even after i fed them last night? Should i fertilize them some more? I haven't been able to get the pH test strips or anything because all i can find are strips for aquariums that have small ranges... like 6.0-8.0 and stuff.. but i'll keep looking. Those could suffice, i suppose, if necessary.. Anyway, how are my plants doin? Should i be worried that the yellowing is continuing? Do you need more pics? Thanks everyone

 

[DurbanPoison]

I saw - screw test trips and pick up a pH pen and get your reading digital. You can get a decent digital pen for $20 to $30.

 

[sproutco]

If you got a lowes of home depot, look in the plumbing supply for the roebic crystal drain opener. This place may be near you. They sell 100% sodium hydroxide:
Suds N' Scents Inc.
North Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7R 3M7
Phone: (604) 986-4044 Fax: (604) 986-3848
email: [email protected]

Time for fresh soilless mix and a larger pot. Be sure to read how to make a soilless mix in my signature.

 

[pieceofmyheart]

add this to counteract that but then add this to make it do that but then you will need this because that will make it do this so then go buy that or order this and then you will need to adjust your pH because all of this and that screwed up your pH.





it isnt rocket science, it's a weed