I'm Stumped.

[MrScruffy]

This is my first post on this site and I need help from some experts. I have been growing for 6 years outdoors in Happy Frog and Ocean Forest with occasional worm castings, bat guano and mykos. I grow in the Western Foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at 2500' elevation. The first few years were great but this year and the last two have been not so great. Pests and light pollution. This year I am using Fox Farm Grow Big, Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom which I have successfully used in the past. I have also had good results with Botanicare. I am currently pulling 25 dead leaves per day from each plant. My growth is stunted, I am 3 months in and my plants are 3-4 feet tall and growth last week was 4 inches. I started giving Cal-Mag about a month ago. No improvement. I flushed the plants last week and started with nutrients again in a lower dose but no improvement. I PH my water every time and water by hand. 1 1/2 gallons per plant every other day. I have sprayed spinosad or neem oil 3 or 4 times and used diatomaceous earth on the soil and lower trunk once. I usually use Smart Pots but this year I am in 25 gallon hard plastic pots. Everyday I pull the leaves and look at them under a microscope. I have not found any pests. I don't know what else to do. The plants look good and the new growth is great but still, dead leaves on the lower inside fan leaves starting to move it's way up.

 

[Oh gosh]

copper bro. Scope the edges of the area, there you'll see small patches and cankers of grey mold/fungus. Relax nutrition for a week. Not a nutrient issue. Avoid getting leafs wet.

 

[MrScruffy]

A copper deficiency? I flushed last week thinking I may have nutrient lockout but no good. So flush for a week and return nutrients to a lower dose?

 

[Beachwalker]

+

A copper deficiency? I flushed last week thinking I may have nutrient lockout but no good. So flush for a week and return nutrients to a lower dose?

Liquid copper fungicide; you have leaf septoria AKA yellow leaf spot

 

[MrScruffy]

Oh Gosh mentioned copper as well. I have some pictures I didn't post but take a look. Both of you are right on. I thought the spots were from a pest. I'll pickup some liquid copper....Thanks.

 

[Beachwalker]

Oh Gosh mentioned copper as well. I have some pictures I didn't post but take a look. Both of you are right on. I thought the spots were from a pest. I'll pickup some liquid copper....Thanks.

Correction you have septoria & mites, sorry man

Brown circle/black ring = septoria

Tiny white dots = bugs, likely mites

Liquid copper fungicide

hope this helps

 

[MrScruffy]

Thanks Beachwalker. I have picked up some liquid copper and Daconil so we will see how it goes.

 

[Dirtbag]

Daconil? Cholrothalonil is a pretty potent contact fungicide. I use it a lot at work, and dont think I'd ever consider using it on something I'm gonna smoke.

What you want is powdered sulphur, or a copper/sulphur mix. The sulphur will stop the fungus and will combat the mites as well.

 

[Beachwalker]

Daconil? Cholrothalonil is a pretty potent contact fungicide. I use it a lot at work, and dont think I'd ever consider using it on something I'm gonna smoke.

What you want is powdered sulphur, or a copper/sulphur mix. The sulphur will stop the fungus and will combat the mites as well.

 

[MrScruffy]

I wasn't too sure on the Daconil but the directions said it was okay to use on fruits and vegetables right up to harvest. I'll try the copper and sulphur. I think I need to try a new grow area. I have an open area surrounded by live oak trees and it has been pretty windy. I'm thinking i am getting all this from those trees...Thanks.

Daconil? Cholrothalonil is a pretty potent contact fungicide. I use it a lot at work, and dont think I'd ever consider using it on something I'm gonna smoke.

What you want is powdered sulphur, or a copper/sulphur mix. The sulphur will stop the fungus and will combat the mites as well.

 

[Blazingirl]

@MrScruffy I'm not far from you as the crow flies. I'm in mountains where the campfire was,NOT paradise. I also have oak trees around my garden. This is the 1st year I took out all the smartpots, new soil delivered,and doing raised rows.Last yr pests weren't bad, maybe because of fire, yet I did have root aphids in 1plant,and some pm issues.
This year definitely dealing with mites,but we had a sizable outdoor greenhouse light dep right next to my grow which we just finished pulling a week ago. I ended up spraying as much space around the area as possible before planting. Also been doing preventive spraying with SNS , Basically rosemary oil. I have grows on all sides of me, tho not super close I've always wondered if some pests can travel from 1 property to another. I'm starting to wonder if pests are populating fiercely now because it's been 2 years since he fire or what. Just seems I'm battling mites more than the last 5yrs I've been at this spot. Still my sativa girls are 11 f high and 7-8 wide. Giving those roots room to stretch has been amazing, but non-stop cleaning up the middle, and the bug issue. Outdoor grows there's always something!