New Grower pH Problem?

[Diamond Dog Hair]

Thanks for the response. I know what my ph should be for soil. I don't check my pen every time because it sucks. I do it for peace of mind. I just want to advise on my leaf problem and possible causes. The soil ph tester reads 7 and my runoff was around 6. What would cause that? and how to fix it.. If it is indeed a ph problem.

ammonium in the soil can cause a Ph drop

 

[GeorgeCloney]

I'm going to take a guess for shitz and giggles..
Cause I grow in Promix Hp (peat), coco as of the last 2 months...and clone in 2 DWC's I've made...

You're growing in a peat mix of some kind?...looks like soil..but fluffy..huh?

Peat is organic, it has a tendency to become acidic with time and moisture.
This is why you want to read the output( run off) ph of your feed when possible.
( trick: expect your run off in peat to drop 0.5 to 0.75 from your feed if you maintain consistent ph every watering.).

So,
When you first start growing in peat,...feed at 5.8, increase by 0.1 increase every week and you will avoid many issues.
Stop around 6.4 and measure your run off ph..
Adjust from there...

 

[Marshydro]

Problem: Plants are showing signs of yellowing on its top leaves. I either suspect ph or too much light. I double-check my pH every time I water and try to keep it around 6.5. When I started noticing these problems I ordered a cheap but well-rated soil tester and its reading around 7 (Picture posted) but I'm not sure how accurate this is. Early today I watered for runoff and the ph was around 6.

Medium/grow method: 60/30/10 mix OC,HF, COCO and Perlite

Feed: and supplements used: Emerald Harvest: Calmag, Grow, micro, bloom, with some recharge and fish shit- Last time I watered the PPM's were around 650

water source: Springwater ph'd to and around 6.5

Strain/age: Mephisto Genetics Samsquanch- 46 days germination

light used: x2 mars hydro sp250's

Climate: Humidity 55rh temp: 78 degrees F

Additional info: The plant started showing signs of this problem about a week ago.

WORST PLANT (Samsquanch)
View attachment 1175543View attachment 1175544View attachment 1175545View attachment 1175546

This is my 3 Bears OG
View attachment 1175547View attachment 1175548

Emerald Harvest Feeding Chart
View attachment 1175549

If this is a pH issue I'll seriously consider growing in coco. It seems like these amended soils can be unpredictable

I searched online, it says there are many possibilities. your babies look good for me

Recommended Mars Hydro LED Hanging Distance Above Plants canopy

Seedling: 24'' Germination: 24''-30'' Veg: 18''-24'' Flower: 12''-18''

Happy growing

 

[St. Tom]

ive stated using emerald harvest and I get massive ph spikes I make say 10 litres at a time and every day I need to lower the ph so bear that in mind also I grow in coco but I'm pretty sure waira will give you some more tips

 

[jayrocked]

I'm going to take a guess for shitz and giggles..
Cause I grow in Promix Hp (peat), coco as of the last 2 months...and clone in 2 DWC's I've made...

You're growing in a peat mix of some kind?...looks like soil..but fluffy..huh?

Peat is organic, it has a tendency to become acidic with time and moisture.
This is why you want to read the output( run off) ph of your feed when possible.
( trick: expect your run off in peat to drop 0.5 to 0.75 from your feed if you maintain consistent ph every watering.).

So,
When you first start growing in peat,...feed at 5.8, increase by 0.1 increase every week and you will avoid many issues.
Stop around 6.4 and measure your run off ph..
Adjust from there...

I'm growing in a Fox Farm OF and HF mix with perlite and coco added. Ill look into this. Thanks for everyone's help. Hopefully I can figure this out.

 

[Waira]

- this is a micronute defc. well under way,... looks like Zn mainly, though Fe often happens at the same time or soon after,...
Taking in-pot pH can't be trusted with a cheap meter, I've tested them and they are crap, one and all,... the Accurate 8 (CPW) is the unit you want, or a more $$ unit fro Blue Labs, etc.,...
Run-off testing isn't going to give you reliable results either... What you put in as adjusted feeds or even water will skew results, plus run-off is concentrated with everything soluble in there, like a cone coffee filter does... Even with very low ppm water, RO/Di, it's a crude estimate...
Fuxfarms soils are not to be trusted in my experience, just a heads up on their dubious quality anymore,... adding coco isn't necessary really either, and too much will change the nature of what are true soils with coco's odd CEC behavior,...
So, it's either your soil pH being too high, locking out Zn/Fe, or it's a simple lack-of causing this,... Cut out the Ca-Mg for now, too much of that will mess with uptake of certain other nutes including Zn and Fe...

Just to be sure about another possible issue, next time water with just spring water, get 20% run-off collect some at the end of draining and see what the pH and ppm's are,....
Pick up some Earth Juice Microblast, very good stuff! You can do some foliar sprays to treat this, fastest way into the plants and bypasses the root system... You'll also need a wetting agent, like Coco-Wet, yucca,... this make the solution coat and cover better not just bead up; spray undersides of leaves especially, more stomata there vs. topside,....

 

[GeorgeCloney]

- this is a micronute defc. well under way,... looks like Zn mainly, though Fe often happens at the same time or soon after,...
Taking in-pot pH can't be trusted with a cheap meter, I've tested them and they are crap, one and all,... the Accurate 8 (CPW) is the unit you want, or a more $$ unit fro Blue Labs, etc.,...
Run-off testing isn't going to give you reliable results either... What you put in as adjusted feeds or even water will skew results, plus run-off is concentrated with everything soluble in there, like a cone coffee filter does... Even with very low ppm water, RO/Di, it's a crude estimate...
Fuxfarms soils are not to be trusted in my experience, just a heads up on their dubious quality anymore,... adding coco isn't necessary really either, and too much will change the nature of what are true soils with coco's odd CEC behavior,...
So, it's either your soil pH being too high, locking out Zn/Fe, or it's a simple lack-of causing this,... Cut out the Ca-Mg for now, too much of that will mess with uptake of certain other nutes including Zn and Fe...

Just to be sure about another possible issue, next time water with just spring water, get 20% run-off collect some at the end of draining and see what the pH and ppm's are,....
Pick up some Earth Juice Microblast, very good stuff! You can do some foliar sprays to treat this, fastest way into the plants and bypasses the root system... You'll also need a wetting agent, like Coco-Wet, yucca,... this make the solution coat and cover better not just bead up; spray undersides of leaves especially, more stomata there vs. topside,....

Case in point,
I usually grow in either Promix HP or Coco.
I'm going through a bale of Sunshine#4 , which is peat .
I have noticed that the runoff in a previous grow was quite acidic.
So in these plants illustrated , their growth rate has slown down quite dramaticaly once transplanted into the Sunshine#4.
The seedlings started in coco (in solo cups) and later transplanted into the Sunshine#4.
Knowing this, I'm going to increase the PH progressively to bring it back up to around 6.3

 

[jayrocked]

- this is a micronute defc. well under way,... looks like Zn mainly, though Fe often happens at the same time or soon after,...
Taking in-pot pH can't be trusted with a cheap meter, I've tested them and they are crap, one and all,... the Accurate 8 (CPW) is the unit you want, or a more $$ unit fro Blue Labs, etc.,...
Run-off testing isn't going to give you reliable results either... What you put in as adjusted feeds or even water will skew results, plus run-off is concentrated with everything soluble in there, like a cone coffee filter does... Even with very low ppm water, RO/Di, it's a crude estimate...
Fuxfarms soils are not to be trusted in my experience, just a heads up on their dubious quality anymore,... adding coco isn't necessary really either, and too much will change the nature of what are true soils with coco's odd CEC behavior,...
So, it's either your soil pH being too high, locking out Zn/Fe, or it's a simple lack-of causing this,... Cut out the Ca-Mg for now, too much of that will mess with uptake of certain other nutes including Zn and Fe...

Just to be sure about another possible issue, next time water with just spring water, get 20% run-off collect some at the end of draining and see what the pH and ppm's are,....
Pick up some Earth Juice Microblast, very good stuff! You can do some foliar sprays to treat this, fastest way into the plants and bypasses the root system... You'll also need a wetting agent, like Coco-Wet, yucca,... this make the solution coat and cover better not just bead up; spray undersides of leaves especially, more stomata there vs. topside,....

Thanks Waira. I've never done a foiler spray but I will definitely check it out. It seem as the the problem is getting better although it seems like I'm always battling one problem after the next. I'm sure it has something to do with the fox farm. Locally its almost the only soil I can buy without shipping something in, which is expensive. I was thinking about doing coco with Down to Earth dry amendments on one of my next grows.

Appreciate everyone's help

 

[Waira]

If you do pure coco, do lots of homework, starting here in the coco section! It cannot be treated like true soil, or shit will go sideways sooner or later,.. coco is a specialized soilless medium, requires a lot of labor, constant pH and TDS readings going in and out, 15-20+% run-off each time,... done right, you can grow monsters in small volume pots, but you will work for it unless you use drip systems,... Oddly Autopots seems to do pretty well with coco,...
can you get Roots Organics soil, or Black Magic? Royal Gold King's mix is great, my fav' but not always readily available,.. I get the frustration!

 

[GeorgeCloney]

@jayrocked @Waira
I picked up 3 bricks of CannaCoco yesterday for $90 Canadian. Which oddly still had some in stock and at a reasonable price.
Covid in the northern hemi will be an expensive life in the coming weeks.

CANNA Coco Brick 40L (2x 20L)

FREE shipping on eligible orders over $199. Discreet delivery in Canada. Lowest price on CANNA Coco Brick 40L (2x 20L) guaranteed with our Price Match Guarantee. Financing available.

www.indoorgrowingcanada.com