Gene Traders Ludlow Mass Sunday Jan 14th

SweetIndica2 · Jul 20, 2018

The weird thing is, they were very lush and green for the first month or so, but now a lot of the leaves are a yellowish green and some have rust spots. I just can't figure out what;s causing it. Some are also wilting a little and the leaves are clawing down, The stems also seem very thin and brittle compared to the blockhead i grew years ago that even at like 28 days the fan leaves were massive and the stem was probably 4-5 times as thick.

The funny thing is that i grew that blockhead in terrible conditions: 95-105 degree temps, high humidity, open room so tons of light leaks, no ventilation system, etc. and yet the plant grew huge and vigorous and had colas so big i had to use stakes to keep them up.

Anyways, yeah i'm really disappointed in myself becausei i got all this new equipment and have a nice setup but yet i can't seem to get things down.

SweetIndica2 · Jul 20, 2018

Americangrower · Jul 21, 2018

it's pretty hard to answer without knowing
What nutes
Temp
Is there inlet air
PH of water after nutes

If I was guessing from just pics I would say overwatering, let soil dry out before watering again. Roots need air

SweetIndica2 · Jul 21, 2018

I am using GH Flora Lucas Formula (9ml per gallon of Bloom and 6ml per gallon of Micro). On top of that i use 2-3 ml per gallon of CaliMagic, 4-5ml per gallon of Armor Si (Silica). My outdoor plant gets fed the same thing and looks amazingly green, perky and bushy. Though on all my plants, even the outdoor one i always have a couple pure yellow leaves while everything else is nice and green. I just pinch them off. Any idea why that happens and is it normal?

BTW i use tap water which is "really hard" according to my dad, so that is why i use like a half dose of calimagic.

My temps are great. 75-81 degrees depending on the day, but i check it at least a couple times a day usually.

And yes i have passive intakes (one on each side on the floor) i put duct tubing through the sleeves so that i could also make a light trap. The passive intakes seem to work well. You can feel the suctions even at the end of the tube because of my 440 CFM Inline Centrifugal fan that i'm using for exhaust.

One end of my a/c hood is open so i have it pulling air over the bulb, and then it gets exhausted out of the tent and outside a window that i have a filter and screen on. I also just installed a Hurricane 16" Classic Series wall mount fan. Before that i had a 6" hurricane clip on fan lol.

I have monitored the PH with GH test strips which are supposed to be much more accurate than the cheap pens and i don't have money for a bluelab pen. Anyways, i tested the nutrient solution and the runoff water and it was around the 6.5 range every time, I know i need to invest in a good PH meter. Hopefully soon.

I'm not sure about overwatering because i have always used the "lift the pot" method and then i stick my finger in and i don't usually water until it feels bone dry. I think i've gotten my watering down pretty good over the yeats, but i'll make sure that i am on my "watering Game" lol.

Thanks

SweetIndica2 · Jul 21, 2018

Oh and i've monitored the humidity as well and it's been between 40% and 59%.

One thing is that i get confused when it comes to how much i should turn my inline fan up or down. I read that running it high or even close to max power that the beneficial co2 in the air will get sucked up before it has a chance to help your plants. There is a whole thread about it and it might actually be in the ventilation 101 thread.

Any ideas of what i should actually run it at?

Sorry for the rant.

OvergrowDaWorld · Jul 21, 2018

I would think that your PH is abit too low by the picture, but its very hard to diagnose over the internet. Raise your PH a half a point and see if that helps. If you can, give that plant a good flush with a PH of 7, let it dry out pretty good and see if that helps?
I wouldnt give it any CalMag either. You want Magnesium without the Calcium. Dont give it any Calcium. Theres enough in the tap water brother. That may be part of the issue?

SweetIndica2 · Jul 21, 2018

Thanks, i will try raising the ph. Should i just use some PH up when i feed/water? I'll try flushing the one that's looking really bad.

And yeah, this was my Dad's house originally and i asked him and he said that the water here is VERY hard. We have a well. I'm going to cut out the calmag and use epsom salt.

How much Epsom salt per gallon of water?

Thanks!

Mengsk · Jul 21, 2018

At that point you should buy a meter or two (ph tds). It is worth the investment.

SweetIndica2 · Jul 21, 2018

Yeah, i do really want a pH and TDS pen, but the cheap ones suck and it seems like to get good meters you have to spend at least $50-$200 per meter. I am absolutely broke right now so no way i could afford those.

Anyone know of any good pH/TDS meters that are at least somewhat cheap?

Thanks

Americangrower · Jul 21, 2018

Buy the ph pen on amazon they are like 2 for 15. strips don't work.

How big is the tent/room. Exhaust should run at twice the room volume. So a 4x4 tent should have around 250 cfm exhaust all the time.

I don't know much about those nute, but where's the Nitrogen? bloom is PK Cal/Mag and Micro have very little N. I would give them something with N in it.
If you are at 6.5 after nutes don't raise it that's perfect.
A fan will definitely help you want the girl to shake a lil.

SweetIndica2 · Jul 21, 2018

I have seen a bunch of those pens for cheap on amazon and eBay and i know people who got them and they are incredibly unaccurate, like we are talking as much as 1 to 2 whole PH points. Some of them are "rated good" on amazon, but if you use fakespot it will show you that almost all of the positive reviews are fake reviews meant to boost the rating of these crap products. They do it with grow tents, ph/td pens, grow lights, fabric pots, all sorts of grow accessories, etc.

From what i have seen i need to go with something from bluelab or another high quality pen manufacturer.

My tent is 5x5 and i am running a 440 CFM 6" inline fan that is set to like 3/4 strength and it seems to be working well.

The nutes are probably the most sold and most common nutes around. General Hydroponics Flora series. I am using the lucas formula which is quite popular on here and supposed to be an almost perfect formula.

He says to not use the FloraGro but use 9ml per Gallon of FloraBloom and 6ml per gallon of FloraMicro. The FloraMicro actually has a lot more Nitrogen than the FloraGro (5 instead of 2) and i've never heard of anyone saying it doesn't have enough nitrogen but maybe someone else who's tried it can weigh in.

And yeah a good oscillating fan definitely helps. I got two passive intakes, the 440 CFM inline fan for exhaust and a Hurricane 16" Oscillating fan and the plants seem to like the hurricane. The wind seems to toughen them up and make them stronger.

Americangrower · Jul 21, 2018

I know of the nutes but I have never used them. I never grow without at least 10 N. Now in flower I would use what you are using if I used GH stuff.

As for the ph pens.. they are perfectly actuate. Just buy ph 7 and 4 solution and check pen before use. If its up or down just turn screw to adjust to 7 test on the 4, if both are right use it.

Akss · Jul 21, 2018

Could be low ph my experience with gh flora series the bloom knocks the ph way down. Check out hanna checker ph pen # Hi98103. Been using one for a while now seem to be pretty good and cheap.

SweetIndica2 · Jul 22, 2018

Thanks for the info! I will test the ph and see if it's low. I have been using 9ml of bloom (full dose for lucas formula) recently also, where as i was using 5ml for awhile because the soil i got had a lot of organic nutes in it, but by now they probably have been washed out. When the soil was new, the plants were nice and dark green. I'm going to be transplanting into 7 gallon fabric pots with Coast of Maine Stonington Blend which has tons of organic nutes in it which i think will help also.

Thanks for the recommendation on the Hannah Checkerpen. I looked it up and it's pretty cheap and seems to actually have good consistent reviews. I will probably pick one up soon.

toxic hippie · Jul 22, 2018

Try brewing up an earthworm casting tea with molasses once a week, the microbes it produces will help keep your ph in check

SweetIndica2 · Jul 22, 2018

I actually have Earthworm castings and just bought some Unsulphered Blackstrap Molasses, so i'll try that. How do i brew it up? I've never brewed a compost tea before, so if you have a recipe/directions let me know lol.

Thanks!

Robney · Jul 26, 2018

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=200274

Supposedly this is the best type of brewer for ACT (compost tea)

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53792

A little bit of a guide, but they do have instructions for a simpler way (don't really have to build anything) of doing ACT, though I'm not sure which is "better"

SweetIndica2 · Jul 27, 2018

Ok, thanks for the info. I need to transplant my plants before i put them into flower soon in my 7 gallon fabric pots so when i transplant i'll feed/water and use the compost tea. Will keep you guys up to date on how they are doing.

Thanks!

SweetIndica2 · Jul 27, 2018

Robney said:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=200274

Supposedly this is the best type of brewer for ACT (compost tea)

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53792

A little bit of a guide, but they do have instructions for a simpler way (don't really have to build anything) of doing ACT, though I'm not sure which is "better"

The second one just has me mix the Earthworm Castings and Molasses with water right? No brewing system needed? Do i use warm water when mixing? Don't need to actually "Brew" anything? I would like to build one of those ACT things at some point, but i am swamped right now and broke at the moment so the second one seems to be the only one i can do now because i would like to use it tomorrow or the next day (whichever day i transplant)

Robney · Jul 27, 2018

From the burn1 guide:

You can use queen size knee high nylon stockings for tea bags. 3 pair for a dollar at the dollar store. Tell 'em you use them for paint strainers. Put the recommended tea in the stocking, tie a loop knot in it and hang it in your tea bucket. The tea should look like a mud puddle. Agitate the bag in the water vigorously. An aquarium pump and air stone will dissolve oxygen into the solution and keep the good bacteria (microherd) alive and thriving. Let it bubble a day or two before you use it. If you find you are making too much tea and having to throw it out, use 2 1/2 gallons of water and cut the nute amount by half.

So to simplify it following burn1's technique: get a bucket, air pump, air stone, and tubing to connect the pump and stone; fill it with water (room temperature is what I used), connect the air pump to the air stone with the tubing, and turn the air pump on with the stone in the bottom of the bucket; put your worm castings in a nylon stocking or cheesecloth bag; put the worm castings bag in the water and agitate it vigorously; add molasses to the water; let the bucket brew for 24-48 hours; and there's your ACT.

Just to add to that: you can add guanos to the nylon stocking or cheesecloth bag as an organic measure to feed your plants - and that's what burn1's guide covers under Guano Tea and Kelp section.

Single outlet air pump, air stone, and tubing at a hydro store should be under $20 - and you're gonna need them to make ACT
(though if you follow the instructions in the first link you only need the pump and tubing)

Gene Traders Ludlow Mass Sunday Jan 14th

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