PipeCarver's Nova Scotian grow den

[PipeCarver]

The first thing I do is always check for bugs; the next thing would be check runoff, or better is a slurry test.

that was from last year but I recall it, I believe it was caused by over fertilization made worse by low soil PH. This was when I started adding Dolomite to my soil and I haven't had an issue since

Are you in soil, coco or peat? Have you had any big pH fluctuations recently?

I'm in promix and the last runoff test 5.8, I thought that was good. I use well water and my last feed I gave them 7/7/7mm /gal Micro/Grow/Bloom. I upped the bloom a bit this last feed because I'm heading towards flowering her. The ph on last feed was 6.6 as it usually is without adding up or down to the mix. My Ph out of the tap is 7.8 but I let it sit in a holding tank to get it to room temps and it drops into the low 7's -7.1 -7.4 add nutes and it comes down to 6.6 - 6.4.
I'll just run water through it the next time or 2. Seeing as I have the temps up now I'll go through more water and although I've only been feeding her 5/5/5mm/gal M/G/B she hasn't been going through enough water to need water only and the last 3 weeks in a row its been feed feed feed. Time for water only I guess and see what that does.

No bugs I can see other than a couple sm flies I get from time to time. I deal with them by cleaning the top1/2" -1" of the promix then keeping it dry on top with a fan blowing across the top of the pot and a fly stip hanging off the plant keeps the little bastards at bay.

 

[Jimster]

I'm in promix and the last runoff test 5.8, I thought that was good. I use well water and my last feed I gave them 7/7/7mm /gal Micro/Grow/Bloom. I upped the bloom a bit this last feed because I'm heading towards flowering her. The ph on last feed was 6.6 as it usually is without adding up or down to the mix.

No bugs I can see other than a couple sm flies I get from time to time. I deal with them by cleaning the top1/2" -1" of the promix then keeping it dry on top with a fan blowing across the top of the pot and a fly stip hanging off the plant keeps the little bastards at bay.

Your Ph is a little low in my opinion but it doesn't appear to be bad enough to be causing the problems that you are seeing, though. A PPM measurement might be a good idea. The increased P & K in the bloom booster could have tipped the scales to cause lockout (which results in deformed leaves or other strange issues). I think it was something they were fed, since older growth doesn't seem affected, just newer stuff.

 

[Beachwalker]

I'm in promix and the last runoff test 5.8, I thought that was good. I use well water and my last feed I gave them 7/7/7mm /gal Micro/Grow/Bloom. I upped the bloom a bit this last feed because I'm heading towards flowering her. The ph on last feed was 6.6 as it usually is without adding up or down to the mix. My Ph out of the tap is 7.8 but I let it sit in a holding tank to get it to room temps and it drops into the low 7's -7.1 -7.4 add nutes and it comes down to 6.6 - 6.4.
I'll just run water through it the next time or 2. Seeing as I have the temps up now I'll go through more water and although I've only been feeding her 5/5/5mm/gal M/G/B she hasn't been going through enough water to need water only and the last 3 weeks in a row its been feed feed feed. Time for water only I guess and see what that does.

No bugs I can see other than a couple sm flies I get from time to time. I deal with them by cleaning the top1/2" -1" of the promix then keeping it dry on top with a fan blowing across the top of the pot and a fly stip hanging off the plant keeps the little bastards at bay.

Jimster's the promix guy, I've only used it recently, this is what I have on it..

10 Must-Know Growing Media Facts | PRO-MIX

10 must-know growing media facts by Troy Buechel & Ed Bloodnick

www.pthorticulture.com

 

[PipeCarver]

Jimster's the promix guy, I've only used it recently, this is what I have on it..

10 Must-Know Growing Media Facts | PRO-MIX

10 must-know growing media facts by Troy Buechel & Ed Bloodnick

www.pthorticulture.com

I've never looked at the age of the stuff when I buy it, I guess I'll have to pay more attention to that. Its the stuff the guys at the grow shop had years ago when I first started indoors and I've just stuck with it, never thinking about it really. See all this info and soon as I learn something I find out I new less about growing than I did the day before.lol

 

[Beachwalker]

I had this saved too

Best PH for Promix? - Kyle Kushman | Expert Medical Marijuana Grower & Medical Marijuana Nutrients

This topic contains 4 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Kyle Kushman 10 years, 8 months ago. Home › Forums › Cannabis Cultivation › Soil › Best PH for Promix? Author Posts August 1, 2013 at 9:07 …

kylekushman.com

 

[PipeCarver]

I had this saved too

Best PH for Promix? - Kyle Kushman | Expert Medical Marijuana Grower & Medical Marijuana Nutrients

This topic contains 4 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Kyle Kushman 10 years, 8 months ago. Home › Forums › Cannabis Cultivation › Soil › Best PH for Promix? Author Posts August 1, 2013 at 9:07 …

kylekushman.com

I think I've found the problem with the Cherry Bomb. run off water 4.8 I don't know what I was looking at to read it at 5.8 last week. I gotta stay on top of that sht. What next? I flushed multiple times with water ph to about 8 now I've got it up to 5.5 better but still too low. Any recommendations on what to do to fix this low run off, other than to keep flushing with a high ph'd water?

 

[Jimster]

There is a current thread about a Nova Scotia grower who is having a hard time keeping his Ph up to acceptable ranges despite a few treatments. There were some good references as well as possible explanations regarding types of Nitrogen being used, and the roots differing ways of handling them. The grower went as far as using high amounts of lime top dressing to tr to increase the Ph, with mixed results. It explains how roots will respond to temps and nitrogen sources and can either raise or lower the Ph directly, by themselves. I don't know the degree that this can cause Ph swings, but it is very interesting info.
FWIW, my Promix typically is just a tad under Ph of 7 when I check the runoff with a cheap meter. I've never had problems with growth or nutrient/Ph issues, but a lot of that could be my growing style, which uses a lot less nutes than most. You might try mixing some wood ashes in with your water, which will raise the Ph and give some nutrients (but no nitrogen) to slowly raise the Ph... or some other Ph raising compounds. I wouldn't recommend top dressing with lime, though. It takes too long to activate and creates too high of Ph levels in the areas where it is more concentrated. Promix is buffered and should try to maintain the Ph close to 7 by itself.
When I first started growing and I screwed up the soil Ph, I had a similar problem and ended up filling a trashcan full of higher Ph water and lowered the plant and bucket into it and let it soak for a few hours. It helped to raise the Ph, but looking back, I'm sure there are better ways to do it.

 

[Beachwalker]

I think I've found the problem with the Cherry Bomb. run off water 4.8 I don't know what I was looking at to read it at 5.8 last week. I gotta stay on top of that sht. What next? I flushed multiple times with water ph to about 8 now I've got it up to 5.5 better but still too low. Any recommendations on what to do to fix this low run off, other than to keep flushing with a high ph'd water?

So it was low soil PH! I thought I recognized those scrunchy leaves

I might put a tablespoon of dolomite lime into a gallon of my next flush water but I can't recommend that to you because I've only done that in ffof soil and I don't recommend things I'm not sure about

Jim is the Pro mix guy I would do what he recommends, he's answered several Pro mix questions for me in the past

 

[PipeCarver]

So it was low soil PH! I thought I recognized those scrunchy leaves

I might put a tablespoon of dolomite lime into a gallon of my next flush water but I can't recommend that to you because I've only done that in ffof soil and I don't recommend things I'm not sure about

Jim is the Pro mix guy I would do what he recommends, he's answered several Pro mix questions for me in the past

According to another thread I read it said if your run off water is low ie: 5.8 and you normally feed with a ph around 6.4 then up your ph on feed to 6.8 and your soil run off should improve to 6.0. It didn't say anything about 4.8 so I figured flush flush flush with high ph 8 .00 water now I'll let it dry out and flush again with the 8. ph and see what I get. Unless of course that freak someone out and says NO STOP and advises me otherwise.
This is the problem I can get into with older plants in bigger pots now I need to deal with this before I turn her. Too much feeding & not enough watering. I have the same fking problem, it might be a genetic thing, at least that's what I blame it on

 

[Dirtbag]

There is a current thread about a Nova Scotia grower who is having a hard time keeping his Ph up to acceptable ranges despite a few treatments. There were some good references as well as possible explanations regarding types of Nitrogen being used, and the roots differing ways of handling them. The grower went as far as using high amounts of lime top dressing to tr to increase the Ph, with mixed results. It explains how roots will respond to temps and nitrogen sources and can either raise or lower the Ph directly, by themselves. I don't know the degree that this can cause Ph swings, but it is very interesting info.
FWIW, my Promix typically is just a tad under Ph of 7 when I check the runoff with a cheap meter. I've never had problems with growth or nutrient/Ph issues, but a lot of that could be my growing style, which uses a lot less nutes than most. You might try mixing some wood ashes in with your water, which will raise the Ph and give some nutrients (but no nitrogen) to slowly raise the Ph... or some other Ph raising compounds. I wouldn't recommend top dressing with lime, though. It takes too long to activate and creates too high of Ph levels in the areas where it is more concentrated. Promix is buffered and should try to maintain the Ph close to 7 by itself.
When I first started growing and I screwed up the soil Ph, I had a similar problem and ended up filling a trashcan full of higher Ph water and lowered the plant and bucket into it and let it soak for a few hours. It helped to raise the Ph, but looking back, I'm sure there are better ways to do it.

You explained it well. The ph fluctuation from nitrogen is due to the fact that when different forms of nitrogen is taken up, the plant will release either hydroxide or hydronium ions back into the growing media. When it's taking up more negatively charged anions like Cal nitrate or potassium nitrate, It releases hydroxide ions into the media that raise the ph of the nutrient solution. The opposite is true when the plant takes up a lot of positively charged cations like ammonium nitrate, it then releases hydronium ions back into the solution which lowers ph.

It's for this reason you usually see different sources of nitrogen in fertilizer, because some are negatively charged and some are positive, and taken up in the right balance they wont cause much swing in the nutrient solutions ph.

It's also a bit of a problem for people who want to make their own fertilizer, as buying positively charged ammonium nitrate to balance the anion sources of N is not easy, at least in Canada. Because Anfo...

 

[Beachwalker]

According to another thread I read it said if your run off water is low ie: 5.8 and you normally feed with a ph around 6.4 then up your ph on feed to 6.8 and your soil run off should improve to 6.0. It didn't say anything about 4.8 so I figured flush flush flush with high ph 8 .00 water now I'll let it dry out and flush again with the 8. ph and see what I get. Unless of course that freak someone out and says NO STOP and advises me otherwise.
This is the problem I can get into with older plants in bigger pots now I need to deal with this before I turn her. Too much feeding & not enough watering. I have the same fking problem, it might be a genetic thing, at least that's what I blame it on

I never change my pH, it's always between 6.3 and 6.5, and if it's 6.3 there's a reason. I know people do flush with a higher pH but I've never done that?

If I got it to 5.8 I would go back to my normal routine next watering

I would continue to monitor the runoff (or slurry) for a while and definitely check the new growth

 

[PipeCarver]

I never change my pH, it's always between 6.3 and 6.5, and if it's 6.3 there's a reason. I know people do flush with a higher pH but I've never done that?

If I got it to 5.8 I would go back to my normal routine next watering

I would continue to monitor the runoff (or slurry) for a while and definitely check the new growth

Would you cut off the new growth that's affected? It'll just double my tops in most cases. I kinda thought it may be an idea to wait a bit and get the runoff under control first. then cut the effected spots. I'm now seeing other indications of this low soil ph problem on other leaves so I gotta get this dealt with.

 

[Beachwalker]

Would you cut off the new growth that's affected? It'll just double my tops in most cases. I kinda thought it may be an idea to wait a bit and get the runoff under control first. then cut the effected spots. I'm now seeing other indications of this low soil ph problem on other leaves so I gotta get this dealt with.

I would wait until the plant recovered before I stressed it any further

Myself I would use Dolomite, but I would be damned careful using it in promix! that's why I don't know exactly what to recommend because I haven't used it in anything but soil and the new mix that I do have the promix in pH is too high, so I'm still working it out myself? You might be better with the wood ash although I've never tried that either

If you decide to use dolomite you can water in 1 tbsp per plant or cast it on the soil and water it in that way, maybe try it on one plant first to make sure

But if I got my plants to 5.8 I would be okay with that, & from there I would bring it up slowly

 

[PipeCarver]

I would wait until the plant recovered before I stressed it any further

I had scissors in hand then paused and thought should I?

 

[Beachwalker]

I had scissors in hand then paused and thought should I?

I think that's a good choice, give it 5 days

 

[PipeCarver]

I think that's a good choice, give it 5 days

Oct 19 update, Cherry bomb took a hit with low soil ph 4.8 I had some leaf issues that seem to be related to it. If it wasn't for talking about it here and reading the replies i'd still be scrambling for answers. Thanks to all of you that helped out. She seems to be recuperating, I'm going to wait until i get my new lamp then trim the effected lea\/es and tops before I turn her this week sometime.

The 2 KC39 girls are growing nicely under the 1000w good growth this week.

The Bubba kush is doing well also growing nice big Indica lea\/es. lol my keyboard is fked i got no \ / 's .

I transplanted 1 sprout into 1/2 gal pot the rest are showing new growth and roots out the bottom of the cups. I think my problem with cloning was do to old rooting powder and it was too cold for them. They all seem to be rooting now with the temps up and using new rooting gel.

I think that's a good choice, give it 5 days
[/QUOTE

 

[PipeCarver]

Oct 19 update, Cherry bomb took a hit with low soil ph 4.8 I had some leaf issues that seem to be related to it. If it wasn't for talking about it here and reading the replies i'd still be scrambling for answers. Thanks to all of you that helped out. She seems to be recuperating, I'm going to wait until i get my new lamp then trim the effected lea\/es and tops before I turn her this week sometime.

The 2 KC39 girls are growing nicely under the 1000w good growth this week.

The Bubba kush is doing well also growing nice big Indica lea\/es. lol my keyboard is fked i got no \ / 's .

I transplanted 1 sprout into 1/2 gal pot the rest are showing new growth and roots out the bottom of the cups. I think my problem with cloning was do to old rooting powder and it was too cold for them. They all seem to be rooting now with the temps up and using new rooting gel.

Whoo who my new 1000w Eye Hortilux Full Spectrum light is installed, let the light shine like the sun. I Had to turn my old light off to install the new one and went to the timer to do that, Ooops nothing was plugged into the timer that I'd set for 18hrs on. It looks like my 1000 has been running 24hrs for the past 10 days. lol shhh don't tell my wife she'd be pissed, my smoking and growing is costing us too fkin much. lol

 

[Jimster]

Whoo who my new 1000w Eye Hortilux Full Spectrum light is installed, let the light shine like the sun. I Had to turn my old light off to install the new one and went to the timer to do that, Ooops nothing was plugged into the timer that I'd set for 18hrs on. It looks like my 1000 has been running 24hrs for the past 10 days. lol shhh don't tell my wife she'd be pissed, my smoking and growing is costing us too fkin much. lol

I bought an Eye Blue Hortilux bulb the last grow and I don't know if I got much benefit from it or not. The light output was notably lower than some other bulbs that I have used, but the light spectrum is balanced nicely with relatively flat wavelength distribution. I also bought a 10K "finishing" bulb that seemed to provide a lot more UV (as determined by rate of leaf yellowing, compared to the rate under a regular ~4K MH bulb). I think I have had my best results using a 6K bulb for vegging, a HPS for flowering, and a 10K finish. I haven't had the results measured, but the HPS seems to tighten up the buds (compared to a regular MH) and the UV in the finishing bulb seems to boost the THC, although it is hard to be objective without scientific measurement. Keep up the good work and when the wife yells about the high electricity bill, blame her curling irons! I showed my wife how much more her hair drier drew than bulbs, and she couldn't argue. I didn't tell her that the hair drier only ran for a few minutes, but she didn't think it thru enough to make an argument!

 

[PipeCarver]

I bought an Eye Blue Hortilux bulb the last grow and I don't know if I got much benefit from it or not. The light output was notably lower than some other bulbs that I have used, but the light spectrum is balanced nicely with relatively flat wavelength distribution. I also bought a 10K "finishing" bulb that seemed to provide a lot more UV (as determined by rate of leaf yellowing, compared to the rate under a regular ~4K MH bulb). I think I have had my best results using a 6K bulb for vegging, a HPS for flowering, and a 10K finish. I haven't had the results measured, but the HPS seems to tighten up the buds (compared to a regular MH) and the UV in the finishing bulb seems to boost the THC, although it is hard to be objective without scientific measurement. Keep up the good work and when the wife yells about the high electricity bill, blame her curling irons! I showed my wife how much more her hair drier drew than bulbs, and she couldn't argue. I didn't tell her that the hair drier only ran for a few minutes, but she didn't think it thru enough to make an argument!

I was just using a cheap no name brand light and I noticed this new light isn't as bright as the old light on 100%. I haven't had any experience with flowering under anything other than the 1000w hps and sunlight so I have nothing to compare it with but like you said I like the results I get using the 1000w.

I used to veg under a 400w hps and loved the results but when that ballast blew up on me I reverted to what I had available and I have about 20 4ft 2 tube t-8 fixtures and lamps in our old store I've been pilfering.
I find I get good growth in veg with the 4ft-8's daylights and a t-5 I hung down the center and I'm only drawing about 200w so wtf if it works why fix it.
I'm not really expecting much of a difference with the results under this new light but the difference in price was only about $20 between cheap ones (on Amazon) and the Eye Hortilux so again wtf I'll giver a try and see what I get.

 

[PipeCarver]

I was just using a cheap no name brand light and I noticed this new light isn't as bright as the old light on 100%. I haven't had any experience with flowering under anything other than the 1000w hps and sunlight so I have nothing to compare it with but like you said I like the results I get using the 1000w.

I used to veg under a 400w hps and loved the results but when that ballast blew up on me I reverted to what I had available and I have about 20 4ft 2 tube t-8 fixtures and lamps in our old store I've been pilfering.
I find I get good growth in veg with the 4ft-8's daylights and a t-5 I hung down the center and I'm only drawing about 200w so wtf if it works why fix it.
I'm not really expecting much of a difference with the results under this new light but the difference in price was only about $20 between cheap ones (on Amazon) and the Eye Hortilux so again wtf I'll giver a try and see what I get.

[/QUOTE] I did a slurry test today after re-calibrating my ph tester. I didn't like the idea of digging down into the soil from the top to get a sample from deep inside so I cut a door into my pot and took a sample by taking a core from the center of the plant. I then sealing up my door after filling the hole with new damp soil. I mixed the sample with 2 parts distilled water mixed vigorously for 5 minutes and let sit for over an hour. I then tested it and got a 5.30. ( I'll again test tomorrow after leaving it for another 24hrs)

I sprinkled a tbs of powdered Dolomite lime onto the surface before watering it with 2 gallons of 4/4/4 /gal MBG . I then tested the runoff to compare and it read 5.30 as well. It hardly seems worth a doing a deepsoil slurry test if I get the same results with runoff as I do with a slurry test and far less damage to the root system. A slurry test before I use my medium sound like an idea though.

I don't have any of that same ProMix left.I used it all on my last 4 plants so I can't do a test on it. I bought a new bale of growing medium very similar to Promix I'll do a slurry test on it before I use it just to see where I stand to start.

I hope the Dolomite helps my leaves aren't looking good and I'm seeing issue on my other 3 so I gotta get this sht figured out soon.