They’re looking worse today than yesterday. I’m gonna do another water change and use Jack’s this go around. Hopefully they’ll be appeased with a more standardized nutrient system.
Wastewater is going into my general garden flowers out front, we haven’t been getting enough rain to keep them happy so I’d rather not just throw it into the drain. I’m strongly considering an RO system so I can retreat the reservoir water and just keep on plugging away - 12 gallons every 4-7 days isn’t awful but it sure would be nice to reduce it some.
Lemon Tree is due for a real watering - she probably needed it last night but I was too dead tired after work. trying to decide if I switch her to Jack’s too or leave her on the fox farms til they’re used up.
Okay. Water changed - everyone is on Jack’s 321 now. I have a mild concern one of the airstones had some soap residue in it because that water doesn’t smell nearly as strange as the other 3 buckets. We’ll see if it did or if it makes any impact - it’s on the baby Lemon Tree so I sort of don’t mind if it takes a hit - lemon tree senior has taught me it’s a resilient little plant.
I also gave Lemon Tree Sr. a watering with slightly less than full-strength (I didn’t have enough solution mixed up and recalled her already having a pretty nute heavy runoff last go, so I assumed it was safe to leave some out). Runoff is at 6.4 but her PPMs are at 2400. I guess she was similarly situated last watering and loved it, so I have my fingers crossed. I’m also standing at the ready for a baby flush. Who knows.
I feel a bit like I should be doing more training to spread her out more but I’m not even sure what anymore.
The seedlings (can I even call them that anymore? They’re getting kinda big) are in fresh 5.8 ph with about 1100 ppm (full strength Jack’s and Hydroguard, nothing else). Gelato and Super Skunk are continuing to build up a formidable root structure, and Lemon Tree Jr. has some cute ones coming down. OGesus hasn’t escaped the net pot yet but I have a feeling it won’t be too much longer. I can’t believe I still have another 8 or 9 days before Gelato is a month old.
I know a few of the fan leaves that have been affected the most are ones that had thrip damage but at the time I hadn’t had enough big leaves to spare to trim them off.
Okay- on to the question. Are experienced growers in agreement that this looks like early signs of nute burn/lockout? Her runoff was around 2400ppm, which I get is way too high (she was occupying the 2200 zone comfortably for about a week before she needed more water, so I had a shot this wouldnt be insane, but it seems to be). Soil slurry is about to be conducted to verify those numbers are accurate reps of what’s inside and not just what came out the bottom of the fabric.
Next, if it IS nute burn or lockout, do I need to do a full flush and refeed or just run some plain PH’d water through until the runoff is sub 2000?
I feel like I have the hydros under control for the moment
Gave her another rinse with one more gallon 6.5ph this time - PPMs in the runoff are down to 2150. PH is 6.3. Think I’ll leave her here for a day, see how she takes it.
During the grow your plant will develop some ‘bad’ leaves: usually this is mechanical damage or simply aged out. The fan leaves only last for so long then the plant extracts the nutrients from the leaf and releases it. Looking at your plant I’d have to say it’s looking like a happy camper. You may have a touch of interveinal chlorosis which can indicate a C def but nothing jumps out at me. All the new growth I see is spot on.
2,400 ppm in soil is fine. If you were up over 4,000 ppm I’d worry. Soil buffers differently than coco.
@Myfriendis410 thank you for the feedback. I’m relieved to know she’s still looking good - trying to get better about the early warning signs so she can suffer a bit less trauma along the way. A C deficiency would mean I need to get better airflow, is that true?
I’ve got a second identical 6” fan & filter but haven’t set it up. I’m unsure if I need to set it up as an intake to get clean outdoor air or if it would be good for a second tent later down the road. Can easily set it up as an intake fan if that may help.
Truer words were never spoken. I saw a photo of her when I got her earlier today and felt better that she looks less like a ragged stray cat. Thank you.
C = Calcium. In soil it’s not as common to have to supplement but plants are all different. I would not do anything different as the plant looks good.
Remember too that as plant goes into flower, it’s requirements change and is just weeks away from dying. If in a container in soil, you will want to supplement during flower to make sure the plant has available Phosphorus and Potassium: P and K. I would inquire here before purchasing any supplements.
Ah, I assumed Ca for calcium but that makes sense. And absolutely I’m going to be a nervous wreck when I go to flip them into flower so I’ll be all over the place asking what the common deficiencies are for flowering plants. Especially since I’m going to flower her at the same time my autos start to preflower, whenever that may be, and I understand my autos are going to have the same needs maybe sooner since they’re hydro.
Alright so I went to check on the plants before bed - figured the hydros would show me if they were unhappy about their rockwool flushing. Super Skunk is a little damp and droopy but I know she’ll turn around tomorrow when the lights come back on. But here’s the reason I’m so glad I did:
Lemon Tree, who I lovingly call “Petunia,” “Daisy,” or “Daffodil” as whichever flower comes to mind first, had snapped off at about the halfway point and toppled over. I’m guessing that I must have cracked her main stem somewhere in the process of moving her to flush her soil out and not noticed it. I went to a soccer game around 5, came back, played video games for a bit, so she could have been like this for anywhere between 0 and 8 hours. Guessing longer than just a little while cuz all her top leaves had started shifting like she was horizontal all along.
I taped her stem up with packing tape, it’s the best I’ve got on hand, and used my cheap Amazon LST clips to pinch both sides of the broken stem. I wonder if she wouldn’t have been just as happy sideways, with how well the leaves seemed to start growing toward the light.
Anyway, I checked for signs of bugs, critters, or other infestation. Nothing but a clean break, exactly like my clumsy self probably smacked her on a doorknob or the bathtub faucet.
I’ll update in the AM how she’s doing. I did turn the lights back on for a bit. I dunno why, it just feels like what I ought to be doing? I’m going to turn them back off in a few hours and change my cycle timer to give them their usual 18/6 a bit later in the day.
@Underthestairs Good to know. I went into full panic mode and remembered reading someone else’s grow having a similar breakage and using pipe cleaners to squeeze the stem back together. Oof.
OGesus improved markedly from the droopy set of leaves (which I don’t expect to improve) but new growth is still confused as it comes in. Still no visible roots.
I may or may not have dropped Gelato in the process of topping off her water with some PH Down. Didn’t hit the roots or plant, but lost a bunch of hydroton into the reservoir and all over the floor. Picked it all up, gave it a rinse, and have my prayers to the Canna-Gods that she won’t even notice the jolt.
That’s all the inspiration I needed. Ruthless and clumsy are my middle names. It’s good Lemon Tree is a photo - I might need to make a few clones before flower, she’s taken a beating and then some.
I’m sitting here thinking ahead in my grow(s) and trying to decide on a second tent. My heart of hearts knows I want to do a second 4x4, but I don’t know that I really have a reason to go that large. I just need somewhere for Lemon Tree Jr. to continue to veg while the others all go into flower (I’m anticipating that won’t start for another 3-5 weeks) because I will have to change my light cycle to 12/12 for Lemon Tree.
I am considering cloning Lemon Tree and chucking them if her buds turn out to suck (due to genetics and not just beginner badness) - I don’t think that’ll happen, she’s been a trooper so far. Consequently, a space large enough for clones AND lemon tree jr to veg would be ideal. Not to mention I have a CBD heavy photo seed on the way - those will also not be ready for 12/12.
Okay, so my top contenders are a super cheap 2x4 tent (Vivosun because it’s the same brand as what I have now and seems good enough. No light leaks and I do have some Mylar tape they included just in case any appear.)
A less cheap 4x3 with a layered section for small stuff (I’m thinking clones on one tier and germinating seeds on the other tier) - Something like this
Or a mid-grade 2x4 that’ll be thicker than the VS tent so no light slips out of it and into the 4x4 tent during the 4x4’s flowering cycle. Cloudlab 2x4
I worry about airflow in the tiered/sectioned tent, but it seems ideal for management of multiple stages of grow.
I guess she was similarly situated last watering and loved it, so I have my fingers crossed. I’m also standing at the ready for a baby flush. Who knows.
