1st time grower with living soil brown leaves

Hey guys i m almost on week 3 of flowering and i have been getting these brown leaves on only one of my plants the all times without really adressing the issue.
These 2 photos are in BAS 3.0, i have been using the same watering schedule, craft blend, build a flower regimen.
Since i m using living soil i have been not using any PH up or down and don t even own a PH pen.
What do you guys think it could be?


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Howdy Tachee
Are they the same strain? :thinking:
Lower leaves yellowing usually indicate deficiency.
Looks to me like burning though…

With out knowing the PH you could have a lock out even with living soil

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No 2 different strain one is shining silver haze and the other is lemon shining siver haze.

So you think i should get a PH pen and test my tap water?
My local organic seller is confident that it has nothing to do with PH and said the plant looks healthy.

Your plant is healthy, but clearly starving.

For every one person who doesnt have to ph their input, there are 10 others whos plants will die. Being able to not ph has less to do with Organic grow methods and more to do with water quality from the source of said water.

My tap water comes out at 450 tds and a ph of 7.6-7.8 on the avg. If I were to use this water for organic gardening it would through the ph of my soil for a loop after just a few waterings.

Yes, 1000 times yes, you should also get a tds meter. Dont get the cheapest ph meter either, get a good one like an apera ph20 or better.

This could be an issue. You really shouldnt water based on a rigid schedule but instead only when the plant needs it. Yes you need to keep living soil moist but, there is a huge difference between moist and wet.
My interactions with a super soil concentrate vendor/maker, on how to water living soil.


Diagnosis:


Notice the plant in the top right corner, it looks alot like yours and the issue is rootzone PH.
I had a similar situation in my last organic run, this is my corrispondance with the guy whos products I was using.


Last Id ask about your tap water quality. Is there chlorine or chloramine in it? If so, how are you removing it? Is there alot of salt in it or iron?

Hope some of this helps, if you have any questions just tag me Im happy to help.
@Docnraq

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Thanks for the feedback, you have given me a lot of information and advise. It s a bit overwhelming but i will proceed one step at a time.
The first step is to buy a ph pen and i just did that. I will test my tap water tomorow and wil let you know what i find out.
One question why would one plant have no issues and the other issues knowing that i m using the same water for both?

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This information @Docnraq gave you was solid!

You definitely have a PH problem but let’s try to figure out why.

Growing organic should manage the proper ph on its own.
If the water source you are using is high in minerals those minerals could build up and fluctuate the ph.
With organic soil you also don’t want to soak the soil or let the soil dry completely, just a nice in the middle moisture.
You also don’t want to water to runoff, buffers get leached out and can cause large swings.
Look into one of these blue labs, well worth the money.
Iv grown in just about every form and I think organics has been the hardest, it’s the least hands on but requires some knowledge.

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Could be anything from genetics (some plants handle nutes differently) to random differences in soil consistancy and make up from one pot to another. Pretty hard to say.

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My well water has a PH of 8.6 add silica to that it’s in the 9’s as @Docnraq said that would destroy a grow living soil can buffer itself to a point but not that much. In a organic soil grow you usually don’t water to run off unless you have a problem your plant looks like it may have something starting and PH and PPM’s are the best way to diagnose

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The Amazon delivery man finally came in, did the calibration on the Apera ph20, and tested my tap water to find the PH is at 7.4.
Is that too high for living soil?
What should i do next?

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Yes that is too high, you will want to find an organic means of lowering the ph. There are many but I recmommend citric acid. Its cheap, easy to find and a little goes a long way.

You will be happy with that ph meter. I went with a PH 60 and I have only had to recalibrate it once in like 2 years apera makes a pretty hardy product, IMO.

Once you aquire the means to ph your liquid you will want to always make sure the PH of your water Is 6.3-6.5.

This is absolutely true. My tap has alot of salt in it and it isnt great to use for living soil. The next step for you should be to discover the tds of your tap water. For me tap is about 450ppm. 500 is considered unsafe to drink. This will tell you alot about your water.

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Unsulfured molasses will lower pH in an organic way, but I do not recommend using it that often.

It would ultimately depend on how much you have to use to get your pH to the proper level.

Seaweed extract is a good organic pH up, but can only be used in moderation because of the sodium content.

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My tap is around 7.5 ph. Add a tablespoon of unsulphured molasses and it hits 6.5 everytime. Go figure :joy::joy:

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That would be amazing!




Very very sad, over 3 month of time spent taking care of them. Brown leaves was an issue and got worst over time.
I m week 6 into flowering, 3 to 4 more weeks to go if i don t trash them.
I changed to rain water only startimg last week.
Trash them or keep them a few more weeks untill the end?