Dark Splotches and Rust Colored Spots on Outdoor Autos

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I am a beginning Auto grower, usually growing photos during the summer time in Colorado. I like to grow directly in the ground, amending the ground with FoxFarm, Perlite, and some compost. Before starting these, I read that they do not like transplanting, or that transplanting recovery wastes valuable time. I decided to use a method I think I read on this site, using 16oz clear plastic cups, then plant entire cup into ground. The cups were of course cut and trimmed before adding soil, then one cup put inside another. I have 4 autos from Mephisto in the ground in these cups, and one in a 5 gallon bucket. The one in the bucket is doing beautifully, though a heavy rain seems to have killed the white pistols causing then to darken and dry out. The ones in the ground are not doing so well, pictures below. I just read on here that my problem is most likely due to a lockout of some sort, either Alkiline PH from the Colorado clay soil that is mixed in with the amended soil, or a salt buildup from using too much phos, or CalMag. I use Roots Organic organic grow line, with added Roots Excelurator, mycorrhiza, and molasses. Is it possible that all of these together contain too much of one nutrient? I will be testing my soil PH this evening, and am also curious as to how I can flush the plants when they are in the ground and there is clay soil beneath them? I attempted to time it so that I could do to harvests this summer, and am starting the next 5 or 6 this week, this time all in pots. I know my info is limited, but experienced help is appreciated.

The first two pics are of the two autos with the most issues, the last pic is the one doing well. Thoughts?
 

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pH is a key bit of info here but the rain can also leach away what nutes are in there,... how much of a good soil pocket did you dig out? ... looks badly P defc., or rotted....and if the nights are cool, that magnifies the problem because of hindered uptake/transport....
-- rain does brown out the pistils
-- 16oz cups are pretty small, roots reach the bottom withing a few days,.. consider using larger cups, and don't keep them in there long,.. cramping also stunts, so there's a fine line to walk on how long/how big they get in those cups.... smallest I use is 24oz, maybe 12 days in there give or take depending on size and node count... auto's tend to build below faster vs photo's...
Stay with pots, get them off ground level where it's coldest, elevate them up on something,....
 
pH is a key bit of info here but the rain can also leach away what nutes are in there,... how much of a good soil pocket did you dig out? ... looks badly P defc., or rotted....and if the nights are cool, that magnifies the problem because of hindered uptake/transport....
-- rain does brown out the pistils
-- 16oz cups are pretty small, roots reach the bottom withing a few days,.. consider using larger cups, and don't keep them in there long,.. cramping also stunts, so there's a fine line to walk on how long/how big they get in those cups.... smallest I use is 24oz, maybe 12 days in there give or take depending on size and node count... auto's tend to build below faster vs photo's...
Stay with pots, get them off ground level where it's coldest, elevate them up on something,....

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I definitely plan on only potting Autos from now on. I tested the soil PH last night and it appears to be right at 7, maybe slightly higher on the alk side. I also tested the phos in the soil and it came back as sufficient or a little high. Unfortunately, I do not think that I dug the holes wide or deep enough. We have been having far more rain than usual, with 90 degree days in between, so I don't think cool temps are the problem, though there is a lot of dew some mornings. I've also had problems with earwigs. These little bastards can devour a quarter of a small plant in one night. I'm wondering if, like other bugs, they maybe carry some sort of disease. I have been utilizing oil traps which seem to keep them at bay. I think I am going to give just a small amount of water every other day until I feel that they have been flushed a little, and then maybe go one more round of nutes, as they only really have a little more than three weeks left. Thanks again!
 
Just a follow up if anybody reads this:

Do you think the problems demonstrated in the OP pics above could be from actually accidentally splashing the plants with the fert solution when watering? The damage is not throughout the plant, but only on places that may have gotten the solution poured on top? Just thoughts...
 
foliar feeding is a common practice across the whole plant industry, cannabis included (during veg' mainly), so unless the solution was way way too rich, that's not the cause....
Soil pH is best around 6.4 give or take, over 6.8 and you start getting into potential lock-out range for some nutes, micro's like Fe, Zn, Mn....
Cold affects uptake and transport, even if plenty of P is present, it's not getting into the plant fast enough to meet demands,.. but that depends on your night temps, which are..? If in the 50's, it's at least part of the problem...
Less likely but still possible, is this is an infection, fungal more likely... the dark colored wasting can pass for either P defc. or an infection, at least in pics,...
 
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