Blue-ish / Purple-ing of leave tips and downward curling - White Russian - CFL

[Hashophile]

I see a lot of people who just haven't perfected their grow technique thinking that they have water issues. I have also seen people with brownish well water that smells like sulfur and iron grow the biggest healthiest plants I have ever seen. I know a guy who grows with only stream water, has a ton of bugs all the time, culls 10X what harvests and grows PHENOMENAL weed.

I don't think it's the water. Perfect your grow technique, make it yours. Then if you want to get really scientific about it, get the R.O. system. If you want to do something that WILL work, get foxfarms soil and do their basic nutrients at 50% of their strengths and get your watering period right. Up pot from small cups to one gallons to two gallons to threes on flower if needed. Transplant at the right times, keep ventilation good and everything clean and I don't care what water you use. You will succeed. If you can drink it and live your plants will be FINE.

 

[Seamaiden]

Hashophile, you don't know that it's not the water either, though. When growing in soilless media (which is why I specified the way I did) alkalinity, especially that typically found in muni systems, is extremely problematic for many reasons.

I agree with you regard perfecting grow technique, but what if a person is working on it and working on it and working on it and they feel they have a long way to go? They have to address the problems they find, one at a time. What if the last problem to be addressed/controlled is the water source?

MG, distilled is the last sort of water you want to use, go with bottled that's not distilled at the very least. Distilled is a bit too 'clean', it is too clean for fish and it's too clean for plants. They all need *some* mineral content, you see. I think you could easily get away with some basic filtration, either through a carbon filter or through a deionization filter (assuming your source water is hard) such as the Mr. Clean Autodry DI cartridge.

If water is a problem for a grower and they can't do the RO thing, then soil, in my opinion, is the way to go. Organic with a healthy population of soil microbes, natural amendments, and great light.

 

[mgjscdhl]

what?! mr. clean autodry? Are you talking about the autodry car wash(er) on the commercials?

What kind of carbon filter? I actually received (by accident) some pet water carbon filters.. Are britta filters carbon based? those only seemed to remove lead, arsenic and other carsenogens or impurities but nothing else.


There just doesn't seem like alot of options up here. I went to a half dozen stores and alot of those labels are pure bulls--t. The only other water I saw, not being from pepsi or coke, had a bit less mineral content if I remember correctly. It was "Natural spring water" - ozonated. I think the ppm was maybee between 300-400 but I don't recall the other mineral contents. I did not check on the 18L jugs for water fountains but the one at a friends place was 200-250ppm. I have no idea what mineral makeup or if it was distilled, r/o, spring....

 

[Seamaiden]

I am indeed talking about that Autodry carwash kit. You only use the deionization filter. That said, if you're needing a lot of water it's pretty expensive to use, around $2.50/gallon by my rough calculations. But, it's instant water-on-demand, which you can't get unless you buy an expensive Merlin RO unit, and won't get with drip filters.

You could also use a carbon filter like what they sell at Lowe's/Home Despot for whole-house filtration, those have to be put in-line with whatever feed you wish, but are pressurized and thusly are on-demand. Or a carbon filter like what PUR systems (the drip filter) use, I'm not sure what's in the Brita filters but I'm sure carbon is part of the equation. Hell, carbon is part of the RO equation--don't buy one without it!

Seriously, if you're growing in soil it's not as imperative that your water be 'just so'. I wouldn't be surprised if just about any bottled water is going to do you just fine, as long as it's not distilled. Distilled water is the *only* pure water, not even RO/DI is going to give you water as pure as distilled, which is the very problem with distilled.

Lastly, if you're growing under CFL then know that the light itself may be the last issue, light is the driver of everything and if it's insufficient then you're going to have problems.

 

[mgjscdhl]

never thought a carwash system would make a decent water filter. But thinking back on it perhaps thats why there's no spots on the finish afterwards. "Stoner ingenuity" lol
Could look into PUR system or similar ones here at crappy tire, or home depo. It sounds a good way to test things. It'll probably help once I have a meter I can compare things.

There are several reasons for the CFL; price, space being some. Lastely I had difficulties finding a decent hps system when I was building (but thats a story for another time). But I would assume given the "average" distance from lights I saw, and the heat it could produce it would have been hard if not impossible to keep it inside a rubbermaid.

I am planning somewhere near my 3-4th grow to get a closet/pantry I can modify or a grow tent and use hps system in that.

 

[Seamaiden]

I use fluoros/CFLs, too. Electricity is fucking expensive. But not for flowering, I use HPS. Plenty of people are limited to using CFLs though, and can pull a decent crop using them. Just gotta pack 'em in. Can you add more CFLs, or bigger (like the security light rigs)?

 

[mgjscdhl]

I was thinking about using those long straight kind on sides. The bulbs I'm using are all 42w though. Their f-cking huge, but packs in the wattage/lumens with less sockets. Might also need a good reflector hood to disperse the light or send more down towards the plant.

A few weeks back I went into one local auto/hardware store and found some hps. I think however it may still pose a problem with space/heat. What size space are you using to grow?

 

[Seamaiden]

Those are "T" fluoros. T8, T12, T5, bi-pins.

I have a room under the house, it's about 8'x8'. I also grow outside, have a planter that's 3'x16', and a balcony area where I'm going to try hempy in some 30gal tubs.

I built out my veg-table (3'x8.5'x3') using that roofing OSB that has the reflective material on one side of it. I think it was something like $8/sheet (4'x8'), and it works great. Or you could get survival mylar, the blankets they sell in the camping section at the 'Marts, stick that up around your space. Stuff works fairly well and I think it was $2-$4 apiece.

 

[mgjscdhl]

I have some fairly bad news, and this thread here will need to be closed. Those wondering what happened please look up my nickname here or white Russian cfl 2010.

I think for every single email, msg and post for help. I hope you'll still be here when I have questions. You all have been indispensible

If you would like to chat further about thos lights seamaiden just msg me or post in my first grow journal

 

[CanadianClassic]

What kinda soil you using??

Goodluck with the ladies!!!

 

[mgjscdhl]

hi. sorry I haven't checked the forum alot. I was using perlite, peat mix. Later on I added some dolomite lime.. But it was probably too late.

The white russian had to be cut, and grow terminated. But hoping to receive some wonderberry this week. They're autoflower so it should be newbie friendly strain.
I also spoke to someone at General Organic and picked up the entire thrive line today, minus roots/bloom, which will be here by friday. I have CaMg+, Bud, weed as well. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it'll work second time around.

If I keep my next journal simple its because it seems sometimes when I try to explain things I may not convey it in an organized matter and others can get mixed up reading it. I want the next thread to be easily followed by those who might get something from it and others who may spot my mistakes or have suggestions.

Thanks for those who have already followed my first journal and their help/suggestion.

 

[Seamaiden]

Watch out for the CaMg+ dropping the pH.

 

[mgjscdhl]

thanks for warning. I'll check that out