So, Growing became legal here around 4 months ago during the winter.
I got excited and wanted to get a grow tent going to use for growing during winter months and for vegging during spring to give plants a nice jump start before moving them outside.
Being that my first grow would be a full harvest indoor before spring breaks, I opted to go DWC for the learning experience and how I would like to do future winter only grows.
I assumed I wouldn’t make it passed veg on my first attempt at growing and let alone in DWC…
I started to germinate 2 Northern Light seeds with the mentality of “go big or go home”.
I refer to them as Left Plant and Right Plant in the grow tent.
Right Plant always looked healthy as can be, lush, green and growing much larger and faster compared to Left Plant.
Left Plant was showing signs of being unhappy. I couldn’t quite get it dialed in using the Flora Series Trio nutes so I opted to switch to Advanced Nutrients pH balance as I was having trouble with my tap waters pH holding anywhere near steady.
I decided since Left Plant was probably going to die anyway that I would practice LST and a bit of Pruning here and there and let Right Plant grow all natural, just to see what happens.
To my surprise, here I am just over 3 months later with both plants having bounced back and Left Plant growing even larger than Right Plant after changing to Advanced Nutrients! There were no issues until flower really seemed to take off.
I think I got over Zealous that I may make it to a harvest and gave them too much, causing nute burn. I flushed them and backed the nutes off. the growth continued on with lots of stretching and more leaves than I could even contemplate pruning off.
now, in the final stretch as the buds are starting to really fatten up I am seeing more signs of burn even after dropping the nutes and feel like i’ve come too far to not try everything I can to get them through the final weeks to harvest.
I have no idea what is causing the burn or maybe it’s even deficiency this late into bloom and buds fattening up?
any help would be much appreciated, I will attach a few photos and would be happy to take others or give any info I can to help these girls a fighting chance in the final leg of the race.
thank you to anyone who took the time to read this nonsensical rant!
Left Plant
Right Plant
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Welcome to the forum @JesusZilla and congratulations on your first DWC grow.
You’re doing far better than I did on my first. Albeit I was fighting heat from HPS and MH lighting. The LEDs today have taken that pretty much out of the mix. Although I still fight keeping my rent below 83F. Once it get up above 90F indoors heat is a big issue with hydroponics.
You’ll need to try and keep your water below 70F and above 58F to get the best rootzone.
Being in water temps above 70F promotes bad microbes to take hold and destroy your roots and promote mold, mildew and algae.
I’ve been using GH Flora series for many years but the one thing that elevated my grows was temp and HYDROGUARD.
Hydroguard is a beneficial supplement for your DWC (Deep Water Culture) cannabis grow because it contains beneficial bacteria that can help prevent root rot. [These bacteria work by outcompeting harmful pathogens that cause root rot, which is a common issue in DWC systems due to the constant water exposure of the roots.
Here’s how Hydroguard can be beneficial:
- Root Protection: It introduces beneficial bacteria that protect the roots from harmful pathogens.
- Nutrient Uptake: Healthy roots are better at nutrient uptake, which is crucial for plant growth and yield.
- Stress Reduction: It helps reduce plant stress from fluctuations in the water temperature or pH levels.
- Overall Health: By maintaining a healthy root zone, Hydroguard contributes to the overall vigor and health of your cannabis plants.
Using Hydroguard as part of your nutrient regimen can help ensure that your plants develop strong, healthy root systems, which is essential for a successful DWC grow. Remember to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the best results.
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My apologies, I should have included that I am using Hydroguard.
the feeding schedule i’ve been using is…
Tap Water that I let bubble in buckets for 24-48 hours depending on how thirsty the girls are (my god they drink so much more than I thought possible)
the 3 part Advanced Nutrient pH Balance Micro/Grow/Bloom
and Hydroguard.
The roots seem fantastic to my eyes. especially on Left Plant.
I’m just really worried about the progressing nute burn on the leaves and the spotting on the leaves of Left Plant. I would really hate to come this close to harvest and lose them at this point.
Right Plant Roots
Left Plant Roots (by god the massive Yggdrasil root is a sight to behold to me. lol)
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Indeed @JesusZilla those are some health roots. Hydroguard works really well
How about your air handling. Are you pulling in air from the bottom of your tent and exiting from the top? Also do you have any fan(s) for circulating air? I have my circulating fan beneath the canopy of my plants. The intake(stomata) that take in air(CO2) are on the bottoms of the leaves.
Leaves on the one does look like she isn’t happy.
Do you use any calcium, magnesium and/or silica ?
Adding silica, magnesium, and calcium can indeed be beneficial for your DWC cannabis grow. Here’s how these supplements can help:
-
Silica: It strengthens the plant’s cell walls, making them more robust against environmental stressors. Silica also helps plants absorb essential nutrients more efficiently, including calcium and magnesium, which can contribute to healthier growth¹. It’s not an essential nutrient, but it acts like a multivitamin for cannabis, improving functions at a cellular level and helping the plant resist pests and diseases.
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Magnesium: This is a crucial element as it is a component of chlorophyll, which is necessary for photosynthesis. Magnesium also helps in the synthesis of sugars and the movement of phosphorus in the plant.
-
Calcium: It plays a significant role in the development of cell walls and membranes. Calcium also helps with root growth and nutrient uptake.
Before adding these supplements, it’s important to ensure that you’re not already overfeeding your plants with other nutrients. Excess nutrients can lead to issues like nutrient burn, which you’ve already experienced. If you decide to add these supplements, do so gradually and monitor your plants closely for any signs of improvement or further distress.
Remember to keep an eye on the overall balance of your nutrient solution, including the pH and EC levels, to ensure optimal growth conditions for your plants.
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yes, I have the middle flap on the bottom of my tent open, with a fan constantly blowing in air that blows under both plants canopies. A single fan that I use both for cooling the LED Lights and blowing air over the top of the canopy and an exhaust at the top that pulls the air out.
however, I am not using Cal-Mag. As I was under the impression that if I was using tap water instead of Reverse Osmosis water I didn’t need it.
Could that be causing the spotting on the plant this late into the grow?
do you think it would be worth trying to add some at this point?
I’m assuming they probably only have a solid 2 maybe 3 weeks left at this point. only judging by the hairs starting to turn orange and the buds fattening up.
I am really worried about over feeding them since the nute burn. but ever since backing off the nutrients to the level I was doing before the burn. they still seem to getting more and more of the burn signs on the leaves. maybe I just did too much damage with the accidental overdose?
I would be happy to try whatever you think you would do given the stage of the plants and what you would recommend.
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I would would just use some bud finishing nutrients at this point. I use GH Koolbloom dry.
KoolBloom only during the last 1-2 weeks of flowering to promote ripening in plants.
It contains NPK 2-45-25
- Total Nitrogen (N)2.0%
- Available Phosphate (P2O5)45.0%
- Soluble Potash (K2O)28.0%
- Magnesium (Mg)1.0%
- 1.0% Water Soluble Magnesium (Mg)
- Sulfur (S)1.5%
Ammonium Phosphate, Ammonium Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Sulfate
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thank you for your recommendation! that seemed to help a ton with the looks of the plants and the bud sizes! Left plant just got a lot healthier and added a little bit of “thickness” to it’s buds.
Right plant seems like it wants to go longer as it started a whole new explosion of growth and fox tailing on a bunch of the buds.
but I sadly need to harvest them both at the same time as my grow tent is also going to be my drying tent.
luckily both my girlfriend and I want a “weaker” bud that we can just have fun smoking to build our tolerances back up. so I’m not too worried about harvesting a tad early on one of the plants.
would you have any information on doing a full defoliation 1 or 2 nights before harvest? Once flower started the fan leaves got far too out of hand for me to keep up with. My plan was to cut off all fan leaves tonight that have a stem and no trichomes. let the plants heal up over night or maybe even 2 nights. then to chop them at the stalk and hang the whole plants for a dry trim after. is there any reason I should not do that much defoliation this close to harvest?
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Yes definitely do some ‘wet trimming’ especially if they have a heavy dose of foliage. Are the calyx swoll up? I suppose you’re checking the color of the trichomes too.
Save the medium sugar leaves for trim before you hang. Then any last trim when you’re ready to jar it up. I use 32oz wide mouth mason jars.
yes, they are all pretty swollen now. left plant has amber trichomes starting at the top and mostly all milky on the middle buds that get little light.
right plant I didn’t see any amber anywhere but I don’t mind having a more head-high-ish bud to smoke over a couch lock.
right plant (small plant) defoliated! it’s so pretty! also took me a lot longer to hunt and snip all the fan leaves than I thought it would. time to start on left plant (large plant)!
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