Help diagnosing and fixing nutrient problem.

[DirtyDave1990]

So I am just coming in to week two of the veg phase. I’m using auto pots with a mixture of coco coir and clay pebbles. I’m using advanced nutrients micro, bloom, grow. I also am using voodoo juice and b52 per their recommendation. Ph between 5.5-6.5 the entire time usually hanging around 5.8 I didn’t pre soak my coco with cal-mag like I read you should (read that after I already potted). I’ve been top feeding and slowly increasing my ppm of nutrient solution they’ve been doing great but just started to get some yellowing on brand new leaves. I had just recently used some cal-mag to bump my nutrient solution from 700ppm to 800ppm. The next day this appeared. I’m thinking she didn’t like the increase in cal-mag and it has effected her zinc?? I’m thinking to flush with real low solution (like 150-200 ppm) for a day or two and then return to my 700 ppm solution that she was happy with? Thoughts?

 

[Chad.Westport]

You could give that a shot. Are you growing more than one plant, if so, has the same symptoms appeared on each plant? Are they from seed or are these clones? I'm guessing seeds and again, curious if you see this on all of them. Not sure if it is just variegation or an actual deficiency. Immobile nutrients tend to effect new growth, zinc is one of them.

 

[DirtyDave1990]

You could give that a shot. Are you growing more than one plant, if so, has the same symptoms appeared on each plant? Are they from seed or are these clones? I'm guessing seeds and again, curious if you see this on all of them. Not sure if it is just variegation or an actual deficiency. Immobile nutrients tend to effect new growth, zinc is one of them.

I have 2 plants. Same pheno. Both from seed. Other is not experiencing this exactly. However her new growth is still green but some of the new fingers grew short and distorted. I’ll attach a pic in a second

 

[DirtyDave1990]

You could give that a shot. Are you growing more than one plant, if so, has the same symptoms appeared on each plant? Are they from seed or are these clones? I'm guessing seeds and again, curious if you see this on all of them. Not sure if it is just variegation or an actual deficiency. Immobile nutrients tend to effect new growth, zinc is one of them.

 

[DirtyDave1990]

I was wondering about salt build ups because I’ve been top watering for 3 weeks so far with no flush. That’s why I was thinking to flush it a day or two and then go back to the solution with less calimagic as that was the only new variable and idk maybe 800-820 ppm was two high for how young they are

 

[Chad.Westport]

If you are using coco or the expanded pellets, check the ppm and Ph of your run-off. That should give you a better picture of whats going on under the surface. Hopefully the answer will be apparent from those results.

The coloring could be variegation. The shorter leaves on the other plant is not uncommon for seedlings, some of the lower growth doesn't fill in completely. But as it grows, the newer growth should be full and lush.

 

[Hortulanus]

It might not be your problem but I’d say try to get at least 20% runoff on your next watering

 

[DirtyDave1990]

It might not be your problem but I’d say try to get at least 20% runoff on your next watering

Appreciate that but I should have mentioned in my post that I have been watering until I get about that much run off, maybe even a little more

 

[Hortulanus]

Appreciate that but I should have mentioned in my post that I have been watering until I get about that much run off, maybe even a little more

Ok that’s good then. I have no clue then man. Chad might be right about variegation but I don’t know why some lobes are mutated. Any chance some gnats or another pest got access to it?

Ps I have a tab of lsd from a sheet of grateful dead bears like your avatar pic.

 

[Dirtbag]

I think its variegation also. Doesnt look nutrient induced. Sometimes plants just have weird genetic quirks and most of the time they grow out of it.

 

[DirtyDave1990]

If you are using coco or the expanded pellets, check the ppm and Ph of your run-off. That should give you a better picture of whats going on under the surface. Hopefully the answer will be apparent from those results.

The coloring could be variegation. The shorter leaves on the other plant is not uncommon for seedlings, some of the lower growth doesn't fill in completely. But as it grows, the newer growth should be full and lush.

There is definitely a salt build up in the grow medium. My ph run off was good but my ppm going in was 220 and the run off was 720. There may still actually be no issue with the plants at this point like many of you said but I am still glad I noticed this now

 

[DirtyDave1990]

so I need some additional help with this one. I did find out my ph from my drainage is also too high. I’ve been flushing for a few days with water with ph of ranging from 5-5.5 and ppms around 200-250. My drainage reading is still ph of 6.6 and ppm around 400-500. What the hell. I thought with hydro mediums when you flushed them they flushed quick. I’m using a 50/50 mix of coco and clay pebbles. Any ideas?

 

[Dirtbag]

Coco will buffer the nutrient solution to around 6. Assuming you ruled out a faulty ph reading? Was this with drops or a pen?

Coco does rinse fairly easy but it does have a Cec, and is more difficult to remove salts than true inert hydro like rockwool.

 

[DirtyDave1990]

Coco will buffer the nutrient solution to around 6. Assuming you ruled out a faulty ph reading? Was this with drops or a pen?

Coco does rinse fairly easy but it does have a Cec, and is more difficult to remove salts than true inert hydro like rockwool.

it was with a pen. I calibrate it and check it frequently. And it was the same pen I tested solution going in and out. Maybe I just have a pretty heavy buildup and the coco is taking a long time to flush

 

[Dirtbag]

It sounds like it. When there is a serious buildup, sometimes it can take a shitload of water to remove it. If Its stuck in there like crusted up salts, it wont just rinse out super easily sometimes.
You could try enzymes, that worked very well for me breaking up and removing excess salts. Just be warned they will also cause the ec to spike in the pot, so it needs to be rinsed out heavily tge next day

 

[DirtyDave1990]

Ok this is possibly the last question for this thread. I’m using auto-Pots. If you’re not familiar with them they just fill a tray and when the tray is empty it refills from the reservoir. So the nutrient solution never goes back to the reservoir. Once I turn on the system and start bottom feeding I can pretty much only pay attention to my ph and ppm going in right? Do I have to worry about the root zone being different when I’m bottom feeding hydroponically?

 

[johnsmith_559]

Hello
so as you know nutrients are either mobile or immobile. the deficiency starts at the top or bottom .
in this case top . if you are running that low of a ec then it very well could be deficiency. in soiless medium an ec of 1200 microsemeins, maybe down to 800 Us ( micfrosemeins )for younger plants . what is the light level? lots of talk about PAR buts that is light color or spectrum but footcandles is intensity . foot candles should be in the 1500 to 2000 FC for seedlimgs/young plants. ( par is like ph/ec footcandles is the volume/filling rate of that par)
you could have just spilt water on it too .light/salt burn resulting)
a previous member wrote about the 20% over flow...that is the best advice you were given as far as the EC of your medium . it should never be more than 50% higher than feed solution ec. if feedbis 800 then runoff should be 1000 to 1200 .
you tell the medium EC by watching 4hr runoff which is why you do the 10 to 20 % over flow . if waste ec ever hjts 2 x the f3ed th4 plants are most likely suffering from nutrient lockup.
its important to make sure you have a complete feed solution with all 12 minimum required nutrients. N P K Ca Mg S Fe Mn B Z Cu and Mo
there is a lot of emphasizing cal mag...I do not know why this is ..cal and mag carbonate make up 70 to 80% of water EC as calcium and magnesium carbonate. it rarley is missing ever. any normal complete solution should have this .I line master blend for that reason. they just list nutrients....as any normal fertilizer does that is NOT made for weed .weed is. nothing special. it's a standard agricultural crop like corn tomatoes or Tobacco. only when it comes to weed do 4he ingredients disappear off the bottles like it's a secret.lol
any way when it comes to a deficiency or toxicity there is only on solution. flush medium with new complete 12 mineral solution at 1/2 strength either 1 to 2 plant pot volume. normally until EC drops 4o 25% to 50% above feed strength. it seems like they are a bit small for ec problems yet . 6ou can over feed for a while before nutrient lockup can occur but by then the ec will be very high. if you see it it is already too late . in veg it's not too big a deal as you can extend veg time. in flowering it is much more of a big deal as you lose a portion of the predetermined phases .
I could not recomend this book more .this covers evey aspect and in easy to read great detail. explains nutrients in great detail where you will know exactly what is in the formulas and how to calculate . all water , nft,sand, soiless', aeroponic, hanging drip feed virticle etc..everything
Hydroponic food production by Dr Howard M Resh
good luck!