Almost forgot. Out of vermiculite so I'm switching to pearlite. (Thankyou amazon) I'm going to continue at 30% pearlite in my mix as that seemed adequate using vermiculite...
In case anyone can't tell already. Despite having done a tonne of research over years, and despite having good bearing and decent instincts/grasp of the subject matter... I even worked in the industry running a cloning and transplant team in a huge facility for a while. That was all hydro though, I used the water that was mixed for me. In pots I've had to learn from the ground up. Literally I guess.
I'm still learning my way through this by doing it. I don't ask many questions publicly... even though I cause many problems for myself.... I write everything down, I read about my problems and even when I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing... I inevitably learn and dial in a little closer to where I want to be. Its how I roll... Gemini... Reading threads here that are similar to my problems have helped a lot in the last year.
This soil pH thing! In my first grows I used much higher doses of nutrient on average through multiple strains and crops in the same media and never locked out... It happened like it was on a clock, just all of a sudden pH crashing and nutrient uptake issues. The last round of cheese suffered through it ok without much help, the acupulco gold responded well to soil amendments, this one... I can sense a sweet spot that I'm missing somewhere but it continues to allude me... All these plants were planted in the same damn bag of pro mix... All had the same problems. The next round will not start with this disadvantage!
I cracked open a new bag of pro mix tonight. Completely different lot number. Hopefully with my added preparation time and attention, I'll get on top of this before the actual crop goes to flower.... Mom's pissing me off a little even though its most likely actually my fault lol.
She dried out enough to get some fresh nutrients in her in her this evening. Color is improving, you can definitely tell that she's been flipped... like she was overdue... Posture has a way to go, but I flushed her hard. She is recovering while still determinedly growing... despite my continued efforts against progress.
haha.. She's working against a deficit now and needs more food, but I need to let the soil dry out... despite the added vermiculite she's not draining very well. I suspect the flush caused some harm in that department... I'm just going to fill the humidifiers and focus on the clones for a week. Maybe she needs some time to drink alone... I sure do.
Early flower, the stress from all this could end up being a positive thing later on. (For her.. ) As long as I get it right here, right quick.