Low Yields and Pale Leaves

[Kartman]

Hi,

I have about 6 or 7 autoflower grows under my belt so far, but the yields have always been quite small. It could be genetics but I have tried a variety of seeds from different breeders but the yields are usually under 10 Grams.

Growth Medium - Mix of soil, compost, perlite, work castings etc, this is the same soil I use in the veggie garden and the tomatoes are on the verge of taking over the world. Checked the PH and it is around 5 to 5.5

Grown outdoors so right now is winter with average temp of 25 C and 12 hours of sunlight a day, ..... it is good to live in the tropics!

Watered with either tap water or rain water depending on what is available. If i use tap water I leave it in a bucket for a couple of days to let the chlorine evaporate.

Have tried Green Dragon Bloom and Veg nutes but makes no difference.

The picture is from a Seedsman Amnesia plant planted 2 weeks ago, to give you an idea of the pale leaves.

I am keen for any ideas.

 

[Arthur]

A soil pH of 5 to 5.5? That's WAY off... pH for a soil run is 6.2 to 6.6.
pH is not a linear measurement, it is exponential, a bell curve like earthquakes.

 

[ryangrovebags]

I agree with Arthur the pH is too low, try upping that to the 6.5 range. How do you train your plants? Have you tried any LST or topping?

 

[Kartman]

Tried LST and it does improve yields - slightly, will try increasing the PH, thanks

 

[Bob's Auto's]

Also add more perlite and maybe some cocos. These will improve the structure in the medium and allows for better drainage. But as many before said. Check your pH...Below 6 is a no-no in ground

 

[karlkutta]

those seedlings look normal but PH you mention of 5-5.5 is too low. agree with a target of 6.2 in soil.

 

[Mr. K]

I love this website--we have a "beating a dead horse" emoji!
Like others have said, get that PH up and I imagine you'll have a much happier, bountiful grow.

 

[Kartman]

I think I may have worked what is going on and I think the problem in my water. First couple of grows I collected rain water and the yeild was OK. When it stopped raining I used creek water, and the yields started to fall which I assumed was because they were getting less sun. Then I got lazy and just used tap water. When I checked the PH of tap water it was quite low, so will fix that and see what happens.