HELP! Plants wilting and yellowing!

[AlfaDog]

Next time you have fungus gnats go to solution that is organic won't hurt and very effective against many pests is diatomaceous earth it drys out the exoskeleton on older gnats and is abrasive so the eggs and young gnats don't have a chance

 

[Aqua Man]

Next time you have fungus gnats go to solution that is organic won't hurt and very effective against many pests is diatomaceous earth it drys out the exoskeleton on older gnats and is abrasive so the eggs and young gnats don't have a chance

Mosquito bits (BTI) is organic

 

[Mechman60]

Next time you have fungus gnats go to solution that is organic won't hurt and very effective against many pests is diatomaceous earth it drys out the exoskeleton on older gnats and is abrasive so the eggs and young gnats don't have a chance

I put a lot of diatomaceous earth my mix this time. Knat larvae are bigger than the knats and chow down on roots more than one might think. I did a study on this and was very surprised. It should be in every growers mind.

 

[PotsieSativa]

I put a lot of diatomaceous earth my mix this time. Knat larvae are bigger than the knats and chow down on roots more than one might think. I did a study on this and was very surprised. It should be in every growers mind.

Diatoms are only helping by having their silica processed by microbes in the soil, and improving plant health by antagonizing all the antagonizers that salicylic acid antagonizes. Add sand or perlite to peat moss and it'll warm up faster than it does cooking kelp, cakes and meals.

 

[Aqua Man]

Diatoms are only helping by having their silica processed by microbes in the soil, and improving plant health by antagonizing all the antagonizers that salicylic acid antagonizes. Add sand or perlite to peat moss and it'll warm up faster than it does cooking kelp, cakes and meals.

Can you elaborate on this im not sure what your trying to say. Diatoms are living diatomaceous earth is not and is not broken down by microbes well at all

 

[AlfaDog]

For fungus gnats specifically it's best applied on top of the soil preferably not right after watering because it will be ineffective but when surface is dry abit and when the larvae trys breaking the surface the abrasive shards of silica act like glass so larvae cant reach the surface and for adults the silica drys out exoskeleton so reproduction cant be complete and the cycle is eliminated just continously apply as needed there's nothing that has to do with breaking down or organic it takes effect fast it's cheap and safe but don't be fooled it's not like the silica in power si

 

[KeytheCaregiver]

The peat and a few other ingredients break down into acids. Like humic and fulvics which lower PH. The oyster shells and dolomite lime break down into alkaline souces that create a buffering effect of those acids to create a ph balance that is both stable and sustainable over long periods.

The ph potential of the soil is the make up of these sources that produce acidic and alkaline elements. Its the ratios of these that determine the ph. Its the quantity of these that determines the stability.

See PH is a result of ratios nothing more. The amount of each provides the stability. Both sources in this soil break down over time providing a long lasting buffer.

Ph is a measurement in water… so only dissolved elements can wffect it. This means over time as they break down the soils ability to buffer water becomes lower. But most have more than enough for a grow cycle. Unless you are feeding with excessive run off or excessive flushing

The PH potential of the soil is the amount of these sources in the soil.

So you start out like this.

A=acidic B=alkaline

AAAAAAAAAA/BBBBBBBBBB

10/10

So when you add say nutrients that are generally slightly acidic your ph stays stable.

With nutrients added.

11/10

Now adding ph adjustments to you water would be like adding 1 A or B. Its useless. Because it wont change the PH potential of the soil enough. Although over time it can have an effect.

In soil when the PH is out you amend the soil to being back the PH potential and provide a larger buffer

To sum your point up, are you essentially saying I don't need to pH my water before watering my plants? or when I feed them a nutrient solution that leans acidic (5.0-5.5 range without pH up)?

We don't recycle our soil mix just because it's so cheap to buy new bags compared to the man hours re-amending demands for our size grow.

Thanks, ph levels are detrimental to a good grow. Many claim they don't every monitor it and say "I do fine and don't ever adjust it". I don't think they have any grows to compare it to so they really don't know what there missing.

We monitor our runoff pH every time we water and feed otherwise, you're flying blind.

Or they don’t need to because the soil does it for them and they just don’t realize that. Imo there is absolutely no need to PH adjust nutrients for a soil grow when your using a pre buffered soil like pretty much every soil or peat mix available

We do run a mix of soil, coco, and added perlite to increase drainage/oxygen intake. This is why we pH our solutions.

The frog is happy because of the fungus gnats, a very difficult soil to dry. Good for seedlings but needs 30% perlite for good aeration.

Transplanted some new clones into their new homes today, ended up tripling up on the perlite to make sure this issue isn't a reoccurring one. The mix definitely felt right, and we also swapped out the BioCoco (do NOT recommend) for a different finer coco coir. Can't wait to show ya'll the 1000 Oaks, Firecreek OG, and Marajuasca (not sure if that's spelt right) when it gets bigger.

I'm working on the media mix now. My plants are saying the same thing you are. I've been working hard not smart and I need to change that also. You've been a great help in changing my media mix. Can't wait to transplant into it.

What mix did you decide to go with?

 

[KeytheCaregiver]

For fungus gnats specifically it's best applied on top of the soil preferably not right after watering because it will be ineffective but when surface is dry abit and when the larvae trys breaking the surface the abrasive shards of silica act like glass so larvae cant reach the surface and for adults the silica drys out exoskeleton so reproduction cant be complete and the cycle is eliminated just continously apply as needed there's nothing that has to do with breaking down or organic it takes effect fast it's cheap and safe but don't be fooled it's not like the silica in power si

We used diatomaceous earth last run and it did help quite a bit, thinking of using it but we are pretty close to cut down so it's hard to justify in the money sense of things.

 

[Aqua Man]

Yeah thats what in saying but it’s possible the buffering capacity of the soil is starting to get depleted from all the flushing so just keep an eye out. I highly doubt you will see any issue but just incase i like to make sure i cover my ass on advice.

On future grows id go soil or not soil only instead of a mix. If you want better drainage id just add more perlite. The you definitely will be fine just watering with nutrients and not ph adjusting… the soil will do that for you and thats why those amendments are in there.

How many people you know ph the water before feeding their garden, flowers indoor plants?

Your absolutely right about monitoring your runoff ph… thats the key

 

[KeytheCaregiver]

Yeah thats what in saying but it’s possible the buffering capacity of the soil is starting to get depleted from all the flushing so just keep an eye out. I highly doubt you will see any issue but just incase i like to make sure i cover my ass on advice.

On future grows id go soil or not soil only instead of a mix. If you want better drainage id just add more perlite. The you definitely will be fine just watering with nutrients and not ph adjusting… the soil will do that for you and thats why those amendments are in there.

How many people you know ph the water before feeding their garden, flowers indoor plants?

Your absolutely right about monitoring your runoff ph… thats the key

Yeah I can see that definitely being a key factor in the problems I've been experiencing here. Looking through the grow you have 50% dry 50% wet soil in the pots. Strain might be a factor as well...

We plan on converting everything to drip in the next couple months so I would assume we'd be sticking with the soil/coco mix to keep that medium wet but not soaked to allow for as much automation as possible. I want to say you're right on going one or the other but my man, check out these buds!

but yes, I am very much an amateur when it comes to growing so I have to learn more about soil ph regulation and just try it out. I find that works out best when trying to learn new techniques, JUST GO DO IT! Thanks @Aqua Man I'm near the border too brother, dispensary opening up in Derby, VT this winter!

 

[Aqua Man]

Yeah I can see that definitely being a key factor in the problems I've been experiencing here. Looking through the grow you have 50% dry 50% wet soil in the pots. Strain might be a factor as well...

We plan on converting everything to drip in the next couple months so I would assume we'd be sticking with the soil/coco mix to keep that medium wet but not soaked to allow for as much automation as possible. I want to say you're right on going one or the other but my man, check out these buds!

View attachment 1274270View attachment 1274272View attachment 1274273View attachment 1274274
but yes, I am very much an amateur when it comes to growing so I have to learn more about soil ph regulation and just try it out. I find that works out best when trying to learn new techniques, JUST GO DO IT! Thanks @Aqua Man I'm near the border too brother, dispensary opening up in Derby, VT this winter!

You may want to go with taller narrower fabric pots. That will reduce the overall water holding capacity.

Remember water tables stay the same height relative to the media. So by doing this your pots hold less water and have a better wet dry cycle. Ideally every 2 days is where you want to be with watering and thats controlled by the pot size shape and media.

The other thing you can do right now is when you water tilt the pots on a 45 after they are saturated that will take advantage of reducing the volume of media below the water table and lower the amount of water that the media holds.

Marijuana Watering, how media, pot size/shape and environment affect it

Discuss different watering methods for growing your own weed from seeds. Our community members give helpful tips on how pot size and material, as well as environmental factors affect growing cannabis.

www.thcfarmer.com

 

[KeytheCaregiver]

You may want to go with taller narrower fabric pots. That will reduce the overall water holding capacity.

Remember water tables stay the same height relative to the media. So by doing this your pots hold less water and have a better wet dry cycle. Ideally every 2 days is where you want to be with watering and thats controlled by the pot size shape and media.

The other thing you can do right now is when you water tilt the pots on a 45 after they are saturated that will take advantage of reducing the volume of media below the water table and lower the amount of water that the media holds.

Marijuana Watering, how media, pot size/shape and environment affect it

Discuss different watering methods for growing your own weed from seeds. Our community members give helpful tips on how pot size and material, as well as environmental factors affect growing cannabis.

www.thcfarmer.com

We've used Fabric pots in the past and they worked great, going to bring this up.

 

[KeytheCaregiver]

Quick update: Harvest was bit less this time due to all the issues we ecountered but we are thinking the overall issue was Root Aphids as we are dealing with an infestation currently after transitition plants from the veg room to the flower room. Thank you all for all the advice and check out my NEW thread in Cannabis Infirmy and help me get rid of these damn Aphids.