Black spots on leaves HELP

Hello,

I am a new grower growing outside.

Today i noticed a bunch of little black spots on the leaves all around my plant.

Does anyone know what this is or how to fix it??

Thank you

Welcome and let’s get @garrigan62 in here to help ya out.

So i was gone for a couple days so i checked the PH of my tap water, and it is very high right now, it usually sits at 6.5 - 7, but right now it is at 9.0.

Could the water be the issue?

I never realized how important the PH levels are if so.

if i bring my PH levels back to normal, will this correct itself? do i need to trim the leaves with the spots, or should i just leave them there?

Yeah at 9 you are most likely experience nutrient lock out. Your plant can utilize the nutrients in the growing medium. Flush it and get the ph back in range

Ya could be creating a lockout

The leaves that are damaged will stay damaged

I agree with the above get your PH right and you should be good to go!

Should i just leave the damaged leafs alone? or should i cut them away?

There really not to bad

Naw leave them for now. Plant will eat them up.

OK last newbie question, how exactly do you Flush?

Normally you flush with 3 times the amount of your pot. So if you have 5 gallon pot 15 gallons of water. But I don’t like to flush soil and I have no idea what yours is and how much perlite you have. If these where mine I would just feed/water at 6.0 with a little bit of run off and check the PH of that.

Just my 1.5 low experience opinion

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Wow 9 is totally off the scale and should be corrected A>S>A>P

Heres a little something that will help

Generally, limestone is used to raise a pH level, and sulfur is used to lower it. Limestone is
relatively pure calcium carbonate, but dolomitic limestone is a mix of calcium carbonate and magnesium.
Pound for pound, dolomitic limestone neutralizes more acidity than pure limestone and adds magnesium
to the soil, perfect for those who garden in the East or the Pacific Northwest where this nutrient is
naturally low.

Limestone and sulfur are available in powdered or pelletized form, with the latter being easier to
spread uniformly and causing less of a health hazard from dust. Avoid using powdered sulfur sold as
a fungicide because it is finer and more expensive than needed for acidifying soil. Neither limestone
nor sulfur is soluble in water, so mix these materials thoroughly into the top 6 inches of soil
when quick action is needed. Otherwise, just lay the material on top of the ground, and let it
gradually work its way down.

  1. Why should you monitor your pH? Once the pH level is adjusted for the plants you are growing,
    do not put it out of your mind. Maintaining the correct pH level for your soil is an ongoing task,
    especially in the naturally acidic soils of the East and the Northwest, where rainfall leaches out
    calcium and other alkaline-forming elements. Naturally alkaline soils will keep shifting up the
    pH scale because of the rock minerals from which they were formed. In some cases, acidifying these
    soils is unfeasible. Even fertilizers can shift your soil pH over time, with materials such as
    ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate pushing the pH level lower and potassium nitrate or calcium
    pushing the value higher. Hence, there’s a need for regular additions of limestone or sulfur.
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So i just tested the soil and its ph is high in the 8, so i will definitely get that down.

Would this cause the black spots tho?

I did the classic google black spots and deceases came up which freaked me out, could it be one of these?

Yes, and I know what it is…

A magnesium deficiency, as manganese deficincies are mostly characterized
by interveinal chlorosis which is a yellowing of the leaves between the
veins with the veins remaining green. The browning spots is called marginal
necrosis which is usually caused by a calcuim or magnesium deficiency.

A magnesium deficiency can be quickly resolved by watering with 1 tablespoon
Epsom salts/gallon of water. Until you can correct nutrient lockout, try foliar
feeding. That way the plants get all the nitrogen and Mg they need. The plants
can be foliar fed using ½ teaspoon/quart of Epsom salts (first powdered and
dissolved in some hot water). When mixing up soil, use 2 teaspoon dolomite lime
per gallon of soil.
If the starting water is above 200 ppm, that is pretty hard water, that will
lock out mg with all of the calcium in the water. Either add a 1/4 teaspoon per
gallon of epsom salts or lime (both will effectively reduce the lockout or invest
into a reverse osmosis water filter.
Mg can get locked-up by too much Ca, Cl or ammonium nitrogen. Don’t overdo Mg or
you’ll lock up other nutrients.

Calcium deficiencies are difficult to distinguish visually as excess calcium may
produce deficiencies in magnesium and potassium.