Organic Farming Soil Issues

[Bjarne]

G'day folks - got a couple questions that I can't figure out by myself right now (lack of experience)...hopefully you guys can share some insight. Gonna try and keep it short & simple.

The Situation

Got a late start, things were a bit hectic, mistakes made...but nothing major.
8 Beds in 4 hoophouses, soil is 4 years old (we sent it to a lab, added what was lacking), pretty good shape. Natural light as close to perfect as it gets.

The Problems

One whole greenhouse of Forbidden Fruits looks pretty shitty because they didnt get waterd in directly after transplanting ( no comments please ;p) and they got bleached quite a bit (after having to sit inside with only a T5 for almost 2 weeks). And they show signs of nitrogen defficiency (again, rootbound for too long, probably used all the good stuff in their small pots).
New growth is there, but slow.
Another bed with Do-si-do's is very prone to drooping. Water sits on top for a minute before draining - some clay in the soil.
Ph is at 6.8.
Plants are in the beds for 6 days now.

The Questions

Is there anything to do other than wait it out for the FF's?
When will the newly added nutrients will become available to the plants?
(didn't have time to let it sit for 30 days - only got 5 - but microbial food web looks great. nice huge chunks, smells good, fed it lots of compost tea)
Epsom salt for uptake?
And how to fix the drainage problem on the go (hard to add perlite at this point)? Gypsum?

My mates here all come from indoor growing and are more used to instant results when it comes to fertilizers and stuff...scratched heads, anxious waiting right and no good discussions right now, haha. Thanks for taking the time and hopefully some tips!

 

[NHWhites]

The dosido soil sounds like it’s hydrophobic. Try watering with aloe and drip water for a while

 

[dirkdaddy]

First off, I hope you hardened off those plants before planting them in the hoophouse. If you don't know what hardening off is then your in trouble.

It takes about a week for transplants to start growing again. 6 days is way to early to determine anything.

Keep them watered very well for the first few weeks. The fact that you didn't keep them constantly moist from the get-go is concerning.

Good luck.

 

[Bjarne]

The dosido soil sounds like it’s hydrophobic. Try watering with aloe and drip water for a while

Thanks! I just had another look, dug up some soil 2 feet deep - the soil is wet (also drenched it good with tea before transplanting) but very compact. Clay in there for sure, spotty tho...drains way better in some parts than in others =(
Feels like the rootballs in potting mix are not getting the right amount of water because it drains around them or something?

 

[Bjarne]

First off, I hope you hardened off those plants before planting them in the hoophouse. If you don't know what hardening off is then your in trouble.

It takes about a week for transplants to start growing again. 6 days is way to early to determine anything.

Keep them watered very well for the first few weeks. The fact that you didn't keep them constantly moist from the get-go is concerning.

Good luck.

Hey, thanks for the reply and your concern ;) Those FF's were outside but got moved in because of space issues in the nursery and bad weather. So they were hardened off already - could that time indoors have spoiled them again?
Also, about the watering after transplanting...I'm talking 4 hours in moist but not wet soil. As I said, life was a bit hectic that day. The point I'm trying to make: I'm not an absolute beginner, not an expert either. The other girls that got more love and attention while transplanting grew 10 to 15% easily in the last 6 days while the FF's maybe 5%.

 

[vagiboy1987]

Throw some sand in the too and kind of scratch it in a bit you want to get a decent mix if you can. Then add a bunch of earthworms to work it in and carve channels for drainage, aeration and to break down your nutes making them more accessible to the plants. Slow growth could be due from either the shock or the bleaching. The nutrients are there as you amended just too much for your plants, since they are bleached the chlorophyll is lacking to help process the nutrients. Its absorbing those nutes as if it were still a perfectly fine big plant but it just can't handle them. So like putting too much water in a hose your plant is up taking too much and it has nowhere to go yet. Give it a few weeks to work itself out at this point all you can do is really wait or flush. Flushing isn't really a good option as the water isn't escaping and its concentrating your nutes. So just add worm and let them do their thing to help you out and it should slowly resolve itself