Mephisto Genetics First time proper grow, first time with Mephisto!

[AK]

They seem to be liking the extra cal mag ; and I also began lowering the ph a bit more and they have been exploding with growth! One weird issue I have noticed ; there seems to be "splotches" of oily sheen on some of the leaves. I originally thought it to be water or something leftover from a pest, but instead they just reek of terpenes. Are these just naturally oily plants or should I be worried and continue hunting for pests / anomalies?

Pics Attached showing the group, new growth, as well as 2 close ups of the shiny spots in question

 

[Eekman]

Hello @AlexK

Glad to see you around. The splotches could be bleaching from water/condensation. Keep a close eye, and I will see if I can get someone else to give an opinion.

Otherwise, great grow so far.

Peace

 

[Dudeski]

Is it just on the one leaf? can you get a pic in regular light?

 

[Renaissance Redneck]

Amen to regular light
I'd guess light bleaching, but I'd check really carefully for signs of bugs, too.
I'm not a LED guy, but God knows I have to listen to them
16 inches is close. I heard a guru give his max distance, can't remember it right now, but it was for sure 20" +

 

[Dudeski]

Also, leafs will curl if too much direct wind from a fan.

 

[AK]

Here are some natural light pictures! I had noticed the leaves were getting crispy tips / browned so I have reduced the a + b notes back to a 1/2 dose instead; thinking the full dose may have started burning the leaves? I also de-angled the led so it is hanging flat and moved it to 20 inches away, with the HPS approx 24 inches away. Attached are pics, hopefully they are in focus enough.

I also noticed the green on the perlite in the mix I'm watering, and have been watering to 20-30% runoff to try and keep water moving through all of the container and not allowing algae to grow. I am watering them twice a day, draining any excess is this the right process to get rid of the algae? It hasn't gotten worse since I started this method.

It seems as though some of the greasy spots were indeed moisture / water and then the lights have burned where the water rested. Gonna try and be more careful in the future with watering, its getting hard with half coco always sinking into the pot there is this a couple sets of spots that bother me though, as it doesn't seem like condensation on top of the leaf & doesn't absorb into a paper towel

Wondering if these guys could be appearing because they are touching the medium? had to untuck and move around a few leaves to get them off the medium.

@Dudeski I thought it was to lack of airflow, as of now I have always had the fan in there ever so slightly rustling their leaves ; moved it a few inches higher up the tent so there is no more movement on the plants end, hopefully this will be the end of the curling!

An odd little growth there

Last question I promise, what is the verdict on trimming sick leaves? There is a lot of new growth getting little - no light and I have been tucking the fan leaves to try and let them see light. The bottom most set of leaves seem to have had the most issues, and I was wondering if it is beneficial to trim off the lower sickly leaves or leave them be? Was always under the assumption that trimming an auto could stress it out or make it unhappy. None are completely yellow or brown, worst is probably in the last and third picture.

Thanks all for the responses, means a lot having this much help and suggestions available!

 

[Belivitez]

You will love Heisenhound!! leave sick leaves on plant to dry out and then remove it... light must be 40cm+ from top of plants.

 

[Dudeski]

I would leave the leafs on for now. its looking good. see how it reacts to the lights being raised.

 

[Waira]

Alex, things are going pretty well for a first time coco grower! Have you read up on coco? It is a specialized medium, not a soil by any means, and it has several unusual properties; one of these is a very strong penchant for binding Ca and to a lesser degree, Mg, to it's particles, so it's smart that you're using extra Ca-Mg,... It breathes very well vs. soil, holds and releases water nicely too,... however, you might be keeping things too wet if you're watering/feeding 2x daily, hence the algae! With coco, it's not recommended to even use just water alone, at least use Ca-Mg when you do,.. otherwise, regular feeding at reduced conc. is the ticket.. remember, it's a cumulative thing, so heavy feeding will cause problems, including off pH.. I noticed no in-pot readings given, and pH management is critical for keeping the nute available for easy uptake,... the feeds and root themselves acidify, so monitoring the media is a must, just like dialing in your pH on inputs! ...best tool for in-pot pH is a soil probe,... the Accurate 8 is a good model for this!
I think the light was too intense there until you moved them up, causing the curling,.. the lower leaves symptoms are looking Mg defc. related, but might be associated with overly acidic conditions too,.. Mg can lock out at low pH, so even if it in there, it's rendered unabsorbable by chemistry changes caused by the off pH.... So, let's see what the current adjustments do, and let us know if symptoms progress; keep your feeds at about 6.0-6.3 for coco,...

 

[AK]

Thanks for the tips! I have been using a liquid pH kit (the gh up down & reader kit) and I was not aware! I thought I was supposed to water to runoff every time, multiple times a day!

The only pH probe I have is the green 2 pronged one, and it never seemed to even change after leaving it in for 10+ minutes

On a unrelated side note, think I may have found the source of at least one if my major problems! Fungus gnats! :O found a couple lil bastards buzzing around and am looking into beat ways to treat them. Damascus earth I think is what I've seen recommended alot? And I'll be sure to get a better probe here soon so I can dial everything in even more accurately!

Moving the lights the curl doesn't seem as severe today either!

Edit: and I have been phing my watering mix to 6.0 each time for all 5!