My plant has three weeks and it is in the following condition:
Soil: Fox Farm Ocean “blend of premium earthworm castings, bat guano, and sea-going fish and crab meal”
pH: Initially mid 6.5-7.14. Now is between 5.49 - 5.71
Light source: LCD lamp, 60W (I have a HPS lamp, 400W but I do not know if that amount of light will roast the plant -only growing one)
Watering: Once every week, complete drainage trough the pot, distilled water (pH 7), and water spray every two days.
Light cycle: 18h light, 6h darkness (although sometimes I found the door open, so I synchronized everything so it actually matches day and night)
Strain: Well, I am growing a seed I choose from so many I had collected from previous purchases (nothing fancy, regular pot market)
Temperature: 25-26C
Humidity: 49-55% all day/night
Ventilation installed (fan, low speed) located just at the mid of the pot and base.
Problems:
With my short experience in this vast field, I have noticed the stem stretching out, too tall. First two leaves were wavy, then the second node leaves were fine -deep green color-, but I started to see the next coming leaves getting a discoloration and the new ones are getting a yellowish appearance. Furthermore, the spacing between new nodes are very different and uneven -unless I am mistaking.
Thanks for any suggestion.
I am planning to install the HPS 400W lamp today w/ventilation, and I will buy nutrients for her starting with small dosages and diluted.
I am also thinking to mix more soil and dolomite lime so I can keep in a constant and decent range the pH.
First move lite closer to stop the plant stretching (but make sure the heat is able to be removed somehow, & a gentle fan’s great for strengthening stems too
second you’re going to have to get a pH pen to check the pH of the water nutrient Solutions (6.5 is about right, but 7. Is too high), its only 10-15 bucks on Amazon
Sorry if that seemed short Monique but I didn’t have much to say cuz that’s a healthy-looking plant, a little stretchy so maybe using a stick for support might be a thought ?
…you also mentioned you’re getting your venting soon, maybe when you get everything set up post a picture ?
…if you have any other questions lots of people here will help, so once again welcome to the community, it’s a nice bunch of grapes here!
Hey, nice o meet you. Thanks for your replies. Seems this is a pretty nice field of study! I have installed the 400W HPS, and the color leaves improved. I calibrated a new pH meter and the pH readings were about 6 -6.50, so probably my previous pH meter was bad. But what is so concerning is that the heat produced in the area. At least 1m1m1.5m, the temperature is 29-31C, keeping it down cool with a fan…
Hopefully I will not kill her. I will post some pictures
Thank you for the suggestion. I did level the lights distance and started to give it nutrients. I am thinking that this time the plant is somehow bothered. I prepared more soil with perlite, and pour some fertilizer (10-2-8) Organic All purpose dynamite. I bought pH up because the soil was below 5.5 and adjusted until water run out of the pot around 6.2. I tried really hard not to over water the plant, but I saw some significant changes afterwards:
-Some random discoloration on leaves (has been present since very first week)
-Leaf tips are curling down as well as the whole leaf
-Plant’s branches are down and the new upcoming leaves are curly.
-The temperature is 27 in soil and 28 ambient.
I have been spraying water on leaves, but still I see the plant different. Did I pour so much nitrogen? The fertilizer came granular, so I dissolved some in water and the other I sprinkled in soil. Overall I used a teaspoon (probably too much, I do not know)
Any opinions? Here are some new pics:
I would always dissolve all the fertilizer as the pure granular on the soil can create hot spots. Too much water can make them droopy. It looks healthy and will be ready for a bigger pot soon.
Thank you for your reply. I have follow not only your suggestions but also I have done a great amount of research in order to be prepared to grow my girl, La Prima. At any case, I pruned it Saturday, cut out the main tail and everything has going all right. But I have seen that the new leaves from top (since new ones has sprint all around and they seem fine, green and not curvy/wavy at all) are very curved down like a C shape downwards- not droopy- I cannot tell if that has to be with CO2 supply or heat stress from the HPS lamp. I moved farther the lamp and incorporated more aluminum paper to reflect evenly the precious light.
The pH has been around 5.9 - 6.3 and the temperature in soil is 27-28C and room temperature is 28-30C.
I took out some yellow leaves and pour more soil (fox farm ocean stuff), watered immediately and pour a very diluted amount of nutrients with rice water. I top it with more soil since I saw some roots out! I do not know how those roots got at the surface since I changed to a new pot last week and I make sure the root system was completely covered and in the mid pot.
I am sharing some pictures. The first one represents the problem for C curved down new leaves. The others are before pruning and overall beauty.
Plant Age: Starting the 6th week.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Taco shell leaves are from to much light intensidy making them droop and curl under to reduce there exposure to it or a mag-deficiency. Next watering maybe just go straight water with a little cal-mag solution. I also notice your using an HID light a good distance for them is around 3’ or 91.5 cm from the top of canopy. Hope this helps ya good luck on your grow.
Thank you Paranorman for replying.
Rice water is the water from washing raw rice. Initially I thought about giving some sort of broth prepared from several plants as fertilizer, but I decided to go with the pre-made fertilizer formula over the counter to avoid overlooking important nutrients. I stopped doing that- just did it once.
On the other hand, those taco shaped leaves are on top of the plant. However, I have noticed some yellow spots on random leaves and those leaves has turned their stem purple in color. If I am not overwatering and I moved farther the HPS lamp, the only thing I can think is that I may have a Magnesium deficiency, thus pH inbalance.
I am working in getting my pH at the correct levels, but I am confused. So, how is the proper way of measuring pH? You water the plant and then look at the runoff pH?, or you water the plant completely and then measure the soil pH? Is it possible to have pH variations among different spots across the container (i.e. pH near the stem is below 6 and the pH across the container is around 6-6.5)?
Thank you for replying. Definitely I moved away the HPS and your suggestion about Mg deficiency is more likely. I did research about it- I mentioned to Paranorman about other leaves symptoms I have been noticing and everything turns out to be pH imbalance (as far I can tell)
The HPS lamp has dimmable 50, 75 and 100 options. Which one should be advisable, or there is any importance on the dimmable features for the plant? I have been using 75% testing it by the hand “hot feeling”.
I don’t grow in soil so I couldn’t tell you to much on testing the ph but @Paranorman and @ktreez420 could help more with that. Mag is one of the first nut’s to get used up and if your stem’s are turning purple that is a sign of mag deficiency.
I wanted to keep in touch with my progress on the plant. So far La Prima is doing great. She is 1 month and 15 days old. I have been checking the pH and giving her pH’D water with some Mg, S, Ca, and K. The problem with the cured -taco- leaves shape has been solved. Overall everything looks “under control”. Your comments have helped me to grow a very healthy plant and I wanted to share what is going on right now. Probably in the next two weeks will be her flowering stage introduction.
I will search more about what is the proper time to flip the switch. I do not want to flower too early, but on the other hand she is getting very big. Pruning her main top-cola help to grow other parts of the plant, specially the new baby leaves.
This is me and La Prima. It is nice to be here, after days of testing. This time the plant has entered in the flowering stage (1 week), pH 6.4, temperature between 77F - 86F, HPS light, 12/12. I am using only a quarter of what is suggesting on the Fox Farm trio feeding schedule and next feeding would be half.I have seen lots of little balls, though there are some parts that look like displaying pistils that are just opening, but in others I can distinguish a bunch of balls. I would appreciate any observation regarding the sex of L@ Prim@. For me seems like a boy, but I do not know if I am pre-evaluating. This plant is 60 days old. I am attaching some pics.
Thank you.
My bad, hello Monique. Seems like I caught up to your topic just in time for one of my compulsions to show through.
I don’t breed, so it’s natural instinct for me to kill all males that I see. If you plan on trying to breed, I would completely isolate the plant in a sealed environment until you can collect some pollen and then kill it.
I’d hate to see you lose the potential of your harvest…
