New with no clue

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valdmontoya

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Im trying to care for 10 plants that are from an experienced grower that no by choice can’t help me right now. I have no clue what Im doing. I hate to throw them away. If I could get some help to keep them alive until the owner can finish the process, it would be greatly appreciated. I’ve had them for 14 days. I don’t know how old they are or what stage they’re in. I don’t have the lighting set up they were in. I only have natural light and led lights in the room. And so far I’ve watered them twice using distilled water. Lately some of the leaves on the plants are turning yellow. Is there a way I can fix it or should I just give up? It’s unknown at the moment of how long I’ll be taking care of them.
 
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Phyto

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It would be nice to know what if any nutrients you’re using, what the grow media is, and the ph of the water. Just by looking I would say they are very hungry, and need some NPK, also distilled water has no Ca or mg in it, so that also needs to be supplemented. The light colored top leaves could be a Mg or iron deficiency. But more info on the grow will.help in diagnosing.
 
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valdmontoya

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It would be nice to know what if any nutrients you’re using, what the grow media is, and the ph of the water. Just by looking I would say they are very hungry, and need some NPK, also distilled water has no Ca or mg in it, so that also needs to be supplemented. The light colored top leaves could be a Mg or iron deficiency. But more info on the grow will.help in diagnosing.
Thanks for replying, not using any nutrients. Not sure what or where to buy them. I’m watering with store bought distilled water in the gallon jug. As for grow media…didn’t know what that meant so after looking it up, can’t say for sure looks like soil or could be coco. I don’t know how to tell. I know expense was never an issue and he bought only the best stuff. Can you tell if I take a picture of the soil? You mention they may need NPK…what is that? As for ca and mg again, what do I buy for that? Seems I have a lot to learn so, I apologize for all the questions in advance. Im gonna try my best to keep them alive and see what happens…thank you for helping.
 
7munkee

7munkee

661
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I can think of a few things that can cause new growth to be yellowish.

pH imbalance, but you are using distilled water so probly not.

over or under watering, if leaves are limp, it under watered. If leaves are really puffy, overwatered

Light burn, but your not using high powered lights so probly not

Temperature stress is your room 90+ farenheit?

Iron deficiency use a chelated iron supliment

Sulfer deficinecy, pretty rare, so probly not.
 
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valdmontoya

6
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I can think of a few things that can cause new growth to be yellowish.

pH imbalance, but you are using distilled water so probly not.

over or under watering, if leaves are limp, it under watered. If leaves are really puffy, overwatered

Light burn, but your not using high powered lights so probly not

Temperature stress is your room 90+ farenheit?

Iron deficiency use a chelated iron supliment

Sulfer deficinecy, pretty rare, so probly not.
Temp is not 90+ room is 65 to 70, does it need to be warmer? And I will buy the iron supplement and see if it helps…thanks!
 
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Phyto

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Thanks for replying, not using any nutrients. Not sure what or where to buy them. I’m watering with store bought distilled water in the gallon jug. As for grow media…didn’t know what that meant so after looking it up, can’t say for sure looks like soil or could be coco. I don’t know how to tell. I know expense was never an issue and he bought only the best stuff. Can you tell if I take a picture of the soil? You mention they may need NPK…what is that? As for ca and mg again, what do I buy for that? Seems I have a lot to learn so, I apologize for all the questions in advance. Im gonna try my best to keep them alive and see what happens…thank you for helping.
No problem, asking questions is how you learn. A picture of the soil would help, there’s big differences between how you grow in coco vs soil. You’re still in the vegetative state so a 8~5-5 or something similar will work. You’ll also need cal-mag, since the distilled water is devoid of dissolved solids.
 
PooToe

PooToe

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If you are in soil, pHing isn't as important as soil has natural buffers. Please brush back your plants and take a photo of the media/soil. If it is soil then there are certain things that it could be. Coco would be different. Doesn't mean that it isn't affecting it but it looks more like the plant isn't getting enough food. Going off your post saying you've only watered them twice with distilled water I would say your first issue is nutrition. Rather than buying a one item supplement, like iron, to try and address individual issues I would first start with both Grow and Bloom base. They should both have everything the plant needs for its basic nutritional needs. I would use synthetic nutrients for this run to be able to get the plants what they need immediately. The soil biology you have your plant's in isn't enough for them to be able to draw the nutrition they need organically hence the issues you're seeing.

I would address the feeding part first. As a recommendation I would recommend a product from General Hydroponics called FloraNova. It is an all in one fertilizer that is a version of their famous Trio line. I use it and it works very well. I also use GH's CaliMagic which is their Cal/Mag product. Those two products alone should be able to get you to harvest. I only use half of what the GH recommends and have had stellar results.

Look into buying a reliable way to measure pH and PPM/EC. FYI PPM means Parts Per Million and EC means Electrical Conductivity. Two different ways to measure how many nutrient ions are in the water solution. I use PPM to measure the nutrients I give my plants but many like to use EC also. Your choice. If you don't plan on growing after you harvest these plants I would look into pH strips to be able to get a ballpark of where your pH is. If you do plan on doing another grow I'd recommend pH and PPM/EC pens from either BlueLab or Apera. BlueLab breaks theirs up into two different pens whereas Apera combines it all into one. The Apera pen also has a replaceable probe. I've been growing for many years so BlueLab was the only real reliable pen out there at the time and I've used it for decades without fault. I haven't used Apera but I've read rave reviews from trusted sources. Again, your call.

As far as your source water, get on the internet and see if you can bring up some sort of water report from your local municipal water district. They usually put out annual reports of what is in the water so you can decide whether you want to continue using distilled water or just go with tap. My opinion is that most muni water is safe to use other than the chlorine or chloramines they use to clean the water. If you see a high concentration in your water report let the water sit for a couple days to allow the chlorine to evaporate. If your muni uses chloramines then you'll have to wait another day or two as chloramines don't evaporate as fast as chlorine does. This is if the concentration reported is high. A little in your water is no big deal and you can use it straight from the tap. In my area the chloramine levels are low so I don't bother letting it evaporate. There is also a decently high concentration of calcium and magnesium in my muni water so I don't bother with RO or distilled water. It also cuts down on the frequency of my having to buy more Cal/Mag. I use it in addition to what is in the water to make sure the plants are getting the required amounts.

Once your plants get healthier I would raise the temperature to 77°/25C if you have that capability. Do you have a way to measure the specs of your environment? A Hygrometer is essential in being able to monitor the environment your plants are growing in. Humidity between 50% - 55%. 60% is ok but your chances of mold increase. I've grown in 60% without issue but ideally you want to keep it around 50% - 55%. Once they go into flower you can drop the humidity to around 45% to keep bud rot at bay.

When you water you want to water slowly to make sure the ENTIRE media gets wet. Not sure what type of container the plants are in but I'm going to assume they're in cloth pots. When you water, if water starts coming out the side of the pot you are watering too fast. Stop and let the water soak in then resume watering until you see water coming out the bottom of the pot. Cannabis likes a moist to wettish soil so letting the soil dry back is important for the plants growth. Too much water too frequently will result in overwatering issues which seems to be the number one issue most new growers run into. Again, water THOROUGHLY but not frequently. A good way to determine when they need to be watered is the light pot method. right before you water your plants pick them up and feel how light they are. After you water them feel how heavy they are. Now you can determine at what stage the media is in regard to watering needs.
 
LoveGrowingIt

LoveGrowingIt

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I've usually seen yellowing like that from over watering. Soil that's too wet can cause oxygen deprivation of the roots. A good dry cycle fixes it.
 
V

valdmontoya

6
3
If you are in soil, pHing isn't as important as soil has natural buffers. Please brush back your plants and take a photo of the media/soil. If it is soil then there are certain things that it could be. Coco would be different. Doesn't mean that it isn't affecting it but it looks more like the plant isn't getting enough food. Going off your post saying you've only watered them twice with distilled water I would say your first issue is nutrition. Rather than buying a one item supplement, like iron, to try and address individual issues I would first start with both Grow and Bloom base. They should both have everything the plant needs for its basic nutritional needs. I would use synthetic nutrients for this run to be able to get the plants what they need immediately. The soil biology you have your plant's in isn't enough for them to be able to draw the nutrition they need organically hence the issues you're seeing.

I would address the feeding part first. As a recommendation I would recommend a product from General Hydroponics called FloraNova. It is an all in one fertilizer that is a version of their famous Trio line. I use it and it works very well. I also use GH's CaliMagic which is their Cal/Mag product. Those two products alone should be able to get you to harvest. I only use half of what the GH recommends and have had stellar results.

Look into buying a reliable way to measure pH and PPM/EC. FYI PPM means Parts Per Million and EC means Electrical Conductivity. Two different ways to measure how many nutrient ions are in the water solution. I use PPM to measure the nutrients I give my plants but many like to use EC also. Your choice. If you don't plan on growing after you harvest these plants I would look into pH strips to be able to get a ballpark of where your pH is. If you do plan on doing another grow I'd recommend pH and PPM/EC pens from either BlueLab or Apera. BlueLab breaks theirs up into two different pens whereas Apera combines it all into one. The Apera pen also has a replaceable probe. I've been growing for many years so BlueLab was the only real reliable pen out there at the time and I've used it for decades without fault. I haven't used Apera but I've read rave reviews from trusted sources. Again, your call.

As far as your source water, get on the internet and see if you can bring up some sort of water report from your local municipal water district. They usually put out annual reports of what is in the water so you can decide whether you want to continue using distilled water or just go with tap. My opinion is that most muni water is safe to use other than the chlorine or chloramines they use to clean the water. If you see a high concentration in your water report let the water sit for a couple days to allow the chlorine to evaporate. If your muni uses chloramines then you'll have to wait another day or two as chloramines don't evaporate as fast as chlorine does. This is if the concentration reported is high. A little in your water is no big deal and you can use it straight from the tap. In my area the chloramine levels are low so I don't bother letting it evaporate. There is also a decently high concentration of calcium and magnesium in my muni water so I don't bother with RO or distilled water. It also cuts down on the frequency of my having to buy more Cal/Mag. I use it in addition to what is in the water to make sure the plants are getting the required amounts.

Once your plants get healthier I would raise the temperature to 77°/25C if you have that capability. Do you have a way to measure the specs of your environment? A Hygrometer is essential in being able to monitor the environment your plants are growing in. Humidity between 50% - 55%. 60% is ok but your chances of mold increase. I've grown in 60% without issue but ideally you want to keep it around 50% - 55%. Once they go into flower you can drop the humidity to around 45% to keep bud rot at bay.

When you water you want to water slowly to make sure the ENTIRE media gets wet. Not sure what type of container the plants are in but I'm going to assume they're in cloth pots. When you water, if water starts coming out the side of the pot you are watering too fast. Stop and let the water soak in then resume watering until you see water coming out the bottom of the pot. Cannabis likes a moist to wettish soil so letting the soil dry back is important for the plants growth. Too much water too frequently will result in overwatering issues which seems to be the number one issue most new growers run into. Again, water THOROUGHLY but not frequently. A good way to determine when they need to be watered is the light pot method. right before you water your plants pick them up and feel how light they are. After you water them feel how heavy they are. Now you can determine at what stage the media is in regard to watering needs.
Wow! Thanks, for all the information this will definitely help. I will follow up on all your tips and recommendations…thank you! I do not plan to grow again, I’m just trying to keep them alive long enough for the owner to take over or if I have to harvest them for him. Here are pics of two of the pots of soil I think they all have the soil and they are in black plastic pots with a run off tray.
 
IMG 6653
IMG 6654
V

valdmontoya

6
3
I’ve also started a two tablesoon to one gallon of distilled water treatment of ferti-lime chelated liquid Iron today. One other question I have is lighting right now I have the lights on from 8am until 8pm is that to long or to little at the the stage that they’re at?
 
V

valdmontoya

6
3
No problem, asking questions is how you learn. A picture of the soil would help, there’s big differences between how you grow in coco vs soil. You’re still in the vegetative state so a 8~5-5 or something similar will work. You’ll also need cal-mag, since the distilled water is devoid of dissolved solids.
No problem, asking questions is how you learn. A picture of the soil would help, there’s big differences between how you grow in coco vs soil. You’re still in the vegetative state so a 8~5-5 or something similar will work. You’ll also need cal-mag, since the distilled water is devoid of dissolved solids.
Here are pics of two of the pots of soil I think they all have the soil and they are in black plastic pots with a run off tray. I started them on a two tablespoon to one gallon of distilled water treatment of ferti-lome chelated liquid iron today, recommend by another grower in the community.
 
IMG 6653
IMG 6654
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Phyto

599
143
Ok, you’ve got a soil grow, not coco, lots of perlite, which is good. Let’s see what the nutes and iron do. I think you’re on the right track. You do need to ph the nute solution, as Fox Farms Grow Big if is a synthetic nutrient. After adding the nutes to the water, let it sit for 10 minutes, then ph the solution to around 6.2.
 
PooToe

PooToe

441
93
From your photos it looks like whoever gave you these plants is using a gardening center potting mix. It looks like Kellogs organic potting mix as evidenced by the wood chips in the mix. Looks like your friend amended in more perlite. That is good.

If it is Kellogs potting mix you need to be careful with your waterings. The mix holds a lot of water so you want to allow extra time for the soil to dry back. Watch the plant leaves. They will tell you their status. If they start to get droopy they want more water.

If you're going to pH the solution you want to pH to 6.2 - 6.5 but, IMO, it isn't totally necessary as you are in soil. If you were in coco then I would pH the solution as Coco tends to come up on the acidic side. I usually pH to 6.8 in coco to counter the acidic conditions of the media.

Not sure if you've already applied but be careful with the iron supplement. It is chelated so it is immediately available meaning you don't need to go full strength. I would start out with half strength and see how they react. The lime in the iron supp is what helps buffer the pH so watering it in will help in balancing the soil pH if you don't pH the solution. Try and pick up either the base I suggested or one that is comparable. They need to start taking up nutrition.
 
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