Feed plan okay?

[Overgrowtho]

Is calmag often lacking in super soil?

Next watering (after about 3-4 days since the previous watering) I am thinking about mixing up some plant food I have around:

• Fish Hydrosolate approx 4-1-1
• Calmag
• Silica
• Mycrorhyze
• Trichoderma
• B+
• Neem (for systemic IPM)
• Seaweed
• Humic acid
  
  I would plan to pH adjust using citric acid or baking soda to around 6.5.
  
  Seeing as the plants are in 5 gallon pots, I would plan to use about 1 gallon per plant.
  
  How does this idea sound?

 

[7CardBud]

In that much amended soil i wouldn't look to feed until they went into flower.

Most people use KOH as pH UP to eliminate the sodium.

 

[Overgrowtho]

Thanks for the tip. KOH would not be so good for the biome however (not organic)?

I am having issues with the leaves looking kinda lime green. So maybe its a good idea to at least feed calmag? silica?

 

[Dreminen169]

Just so you know using citric acid or baking soda only controls pH for a relatively low amount of time compared to phosphoric acid or KOH (Harder to keep pH in check)

 

[farmingfisherman]

Thanks for the tip. KOH would not be so good for the biome however (not organic)?

I am having issues with the leaves looking kinda lime green. So maybe its a good idea to at least feed calmag? silica?

Nitrogen perhaps. Soil looks really dry, is it still wet damp down a few inches?

 

[Overgrowtho]

Yes the top layer tends to dry out pretty quick. Bottom remains wet and middle a bit moist. When bottom is moist and middle or below 1-2 inch starts to get dry I go for the watering. Im sure there is plenty of nutrition in the soil but I thought it cant hurt to feed the above as supplements?

 

[Growitpondifarm]

If you built your soil with a Ph buffer, limestone oyster shell flour etc , forget about phing. Also forget about adding anything to your water until flower like stated. Get something covering those pots too, straw is cheap and works great. Good luck

 

[Overgrowtho]

Thanks @Growitpondifarm okay thanks for your feedback.

Can you please explain to me about the reason for covering soil with something? Is that to secure more moisture into the upper layer? Any other materials recommended other than straw? Coco?

 

[Growitpondifarm]

Thanks @Growitpondifarm okay thanks for your feedback.

Can you please explain to me about the reason for covering soil with something? Is that to secure more moisture into the upper layer? Any other materials recommended other than straw? Coco?

I use straw simply to avoid that bone dry surface layer that you are seeing. Less watering is always a plus for me. Bonus is that it keeps the top inch or two active which from what i understand is where a lot of the magic happens. If you have worms in your containers too they’ll thank you. You’ll notice a ton of life under the straw after couple weeks. If I turnover the couple inches of straw on my beds you’ll see beneficial mites, mealy bugs, worms etc. all of these will help you succeed

 

[Overgrowtho]

Thanks @Growitpondifarm can you please share a couple photos if you don't mind?

 

[kratos015]

Is calmag often lacking in super soil?

Next watering (after about 3-4 days since the previous watering) I am thinking about mixing up some plant food I have around:

• Fish Hydrosolate approx 4-1-1
• Calmag
• Silica
• Mycrorhyze
• Trichoderma
• B+
• Neem (for systemic IPM)
• Seaweed
• Humic acid
  
  I would plan to pH adjust using citric acid or baking soda to around 6.5.
  
  Seeing as the plants are in 5 gallon pots, I would plan to use about 1 gallon per plant.
  
  How does this idea sound?

View attachment 4740292

What soil are you using? Make it yourself or use a bagged product? Hard to diagnose the exact issue without knowing this, but I do have my suspicions on the problem.

Did you recently transplant these into 5g pots? Or did you start them in 5g pots?

How often do you water?

How old are these plants?



Starting clones/seedlings in their final pots can be a wonderful thing (I've done it for years) due to the fact you'll never experience transplant shock or accidentally damage the roots during transplant.

The biggest issue with starting seedlings in their final pots comes from how easy it is to overwater. Plants this size should only be watered once a week until they establish their roots more. Especially if you don't have enough drainage/aeration in your soil. The water will become stagnant in your pots and will literally "drown" your roots, so to speak due to the lack of oxygen available in the water saturated soil.

Plants with such small root systems cannot possibly drink 5g worth of water. If you ever watered these to runoff (especially with unsufficient perlite in the soil), you watered them too much.

If you answer the above questions for me, I'll be able to give more concrete advice.

 

[Overgrowtho]

What soil are you using? Make it yourself or use a bagged product? Hard to diagnose the exact issue without knowing this, but I do have my suspicions on the problem.

Did you recently transplant these into 5g pots? Or did you start them in 5g pots?

How often do you water?

How old are these plants?

I am using two types of super soil but not the brands you have in the USA since I am in Asia. I did not make them myself. The types I have are well to pretty-well aerated with plenty of COCO or a bit of Pertlite.

That, along with being in the airpot/smartpot it really makes the top layer/s dry out quick like 2 days.
The bottom remains wet for about 3 days. The middle is kinda moist-dry after a few days.

I have been watering every 3-4 days recently, while in these 5g pots.

These plants are about 3-5 weeks old.

When I came out of seedling stage I ramped up to 40k-50k LUX which I think was a mistake, I dialed that back down to about 35k for now.

I do kinda like @Growitpondifarm's idea to put some layer above the soil such as a straw mat or something, to keep the top layer more moisture-balanced. I am not sure where I can find a suitable staw however. Maybe cardboard? I wonder if you concur @kratos015 whether that is a good idea? Otherwise the top layer is inactive for a couple of days after it has dried out and before the next watering.

 

[Overgrowtho]

Here are additional latest pics. Pls ignore hydrometer since door was open.

 

[kratos015]

I am using two types of super soil but not the brands you have in the USA since I am in Asia. I did not make them myself. The types I have are well to pretty-well aerated with plenty of COCO or a bit of Pertlite.

That, along with being in the airpot/smartpot it really makes the top layer/s dry out quick like 2 days.
The bottom remains wet for about 3 days. The middle is kinda moist-dry after a few days.

I have been watering every 3-4 days recently, while in these 5g pots.

These plants are about 3-5 weeks old.

When I came out of seedling stage I ramped up to 40k-50k LUX which I think was a mistake, I dialed that back down to about 35k for now.

I do kinda like @Growitpondifarm's idea to put some layer above the soil such as a straw mat or something, to keep the top layer more moisture-balanced. I am not sure where I can find a suitable staw however. Maybe cardboard? I wonder if you concur @kratos015 whether that is a good idea? Otherwise the top layer is inactive for a couple of days after it has dried out and before the next watering.

Thanks for the photos friend, very helpful indeed.

Unfortunately, to be the bearer of bad news that soil looks mediocre at best. The soil looks super compact and has too many wood chips to be light, airy, and fluffy enough for your roots. Also looks like there's little to no perlite in the mix.

Sadly, coco is not a source of aeration and is nothing more than a basic substrate. The soil in the photos you posted looks like it doesn't drain very well at all, so it likely isn't being aerated enough either.

The way you describe the moistness of your soil confirms the lack of drainage/aeration for me. The bottoms of your pots have stagnant water cultivating anaerobic bacteria, creating acidic soil conditions, and causing nutrient lockout. This is the source of your issues IMO.

I definitely agree that using some sort of mulch, such as straw or hay is a great idea. However, the unfortunate reality of the situation is that putting mulch on your soil will not solve the issue of your soil having insufficient drainage and aeration.

Whoever sold you that soil, and had the audacity to call it "super soil" should be taken behind a dumpster and shot. The soil this asshole sold you will make it incredibly difficult for you to water properly. This is why you're seeing the issues you have, unfortunately.

Your temps look good, humidity could be a tad higher but 40-45% is decent enough. Neither of these are the issue, nor is the light.

Lack of drainage is 100% the issue here. Your watering schedule seems on point, every 3-4 days is pretty typical so overwatering on your part is definitely not the issue here.

The issue is that the soil you're using drains so slowly that it is causing water to remain stagnant in your pots. Your roots are suffocating from a lack of oxygen, and the stagnant water is causing acidic soil pH, resulting in nutrient lockout.

You only have three options here, unfortunately. You likely won't like any of them.. but just consider I'm not saying any of this to be an asshole or put you down.

1) Transplant these into new pots with better quality soil. Since you're in 5g pots, you'd need to upsize to 7-10g pots. Seeing as space looks like an issue for you, this likely will not be an ideal solution for you.

2) Let it ride, keep doing what you're doing, and get better soil the next time you get a grow going. Don't be discouraged, please. Unfortunately, trying to grow in this soil will result in poor yields and mediocre quality. This is a better option than #1 IMO. It'd be better for you to continue doing what you're doing, because you're doing things right.. the asshole that sold you that soil is just a POS and the soil is your problem, not you.

That said, there is only so much that you can expect from that soil, in both quality and yield.

3) Start over again. From scratch. I know, not ideal for sure, but IMO this is the best option if you're able to afford new soil, taking the loss on the 1 month of electricity expenses, and can procure new seeds. But, if you do this, you will have even greater results than any of the methods I listed above.

Find a better soil, or better yet, build your own! Not sure what kind of ingredients you can procure in Asia, but I'd recommend 40% Peat or Coco, 40% perlite, and 20% compost. Amend that with Neem, Crab, and Kelp Meals and basalt for minerals. Plenty of us here that would love to help you build a soil that will give you the results you want, but we'll need to know what's readily available in your region. Amazon has all of these ingredients, but I'm not sure what nurseries/hardware stores you have in your region or if Amazon ships to you. Please forgive my ignorance on the matter.

I'm sorry friend, but there's really not too much you can do with that soil. Adding more nutrients will not help things in this case. You need a better quality soil, unfortunately.

Sorry I couldn't tell you anything better..

 

[Overgrowtho]

There are a few Super Soils brands I am experimenting with.

Here they are:

1. Premium Soil
Wood ash, blood meal, sand, lime, sawdust, pertlite, compost, vermiculite, peat moss, macronutrients, mirconutrients, mycorhuza, mucrococcus

2. GrowPro
Coconut fluff, Black Chaff, Chaff, Special organic fertilizer, Fish Amino Compost, mashed shells, 6 secondary minerals, microorganisms, yeast, Bacilus, Mycorrhizae

3. Tomdin soil:
Mycorrhizae, Worm Castings, Blood Meal, Bat Guano, Fish Bone Meal, Kelp, Epsom Salt, Dolomite, Azomite, Humic Acid, Gypsum, Rice Hulls, Pumice, Oyster Shell, Soybean Meal, Alfalfa, Coco Coir, Fish Fertilizer

The pots in the photos mostly consist of the first two which are less airy than the third (which I am using more for outdoor, since I cant control the heavy rainfall -- and I had success with it outdoors this past season).

I have done a lot of research and am only experimenting with reputed, popular brands in this market where I live. They are specially formulated for cannabis and being used by other cannabis growers. Nevertheless, I am sure they could be improved. I am looking forward to a newer product being on the market in the next few weeks, from a Japanese and American partnership but it ended up that the release date was too slow for my current operation.

I was hoping that by using air pots and smart pots I'd be avoiding any water-logging issues. I have it set up so there is air under the fabric smart pots (not only the air pots). I've tested pH with a few soil meters and it seems to be okay still.

 

[Overgrowtho]

Here is my best looking plant, earlier in the week and then today. I removed the 1 sick fan leave, and now it is looking healthy.


However the following ones are looking strange, with weird spots on the leaves and discoloration.



The healthier one that had recovered well, was closest to an oscilating fan. Thus I have turned all the 2 fans up to full power to see if that might help.

 

[kratos015]

There are a few Super Soils brands I am experimenting with.

Here they are:

1. Premium Soil
Wood ash, blood meal, sand, lime, sawdust, pertlite, compost, vermiculite, peat moss, macronutrients, mirconutrients, mycorhuza, mucrococcus

2. GrowPro
Coconut fluff, Black Chaff, Chaff, Special organic fertilizer, Fish Amino Compost, mashed shells, 6 secondary minerals, microorganisms, yeast, Bacilus, Mycorrhizae

3. Tomdin soil:
Mycorrhizae, Worm Castings, Blood Meal, Bat Guano, Fish Bone Meal, Kelp, Epsom Salt, Dolomite, Azomite, Humic Acid, Gypsum, Rice Hulls, Pumice, Oyster Shell, Soybean Meal, Alfalfa, Coco Coir, Fish Fertilizer

The pots in the photos mostly consist of the first two which are less airy than the third (which I am using more for outdoor, since I cant control the heavy rainfall -- and I had success with it outdoors this past season).

I have done a lot of research and am only experimenting with reputed, popular brands in this market where I live. They are specially formulated for cannabis and being used by other cannabis growers. Nevertheless, I am sure they could be improved. I am looking forward to a newer product being on the market in the next few weeks, from a Japanese and American partnership but it ended up that the release date was too slow for my current operation.

I was hoping that by using air pots and smart pots I'd be avoiding any water-logging issues. I have it set up so there is air under the fabric smart pots (not only the air pots). I've tested pH with a few soil meters and it seems to be okay still.

Hmm. I'll go over my opinions on the 3 soil blends you listed. While many of them do in fact have amazing ingredients, I'm seeing little to no aeration in any of your pots and I'm quite convinced that is the source of your issues at this point. I can tell just by looking at the soil, nowhere near enough perlite.

1) Soil is good, only thing I'm not fond of in this mix is the blood meal because of how "hot" it is. If the purveyor of this soil did not allow the soil to sit for long enough for the blood meal to fully decompose, the result will be a "hot" soil that will literally burn your roots. Blood meal can be wonderful, if you water and turn this soil for 30+ days. In the future, if you get this soil, add more perlite to it. Then water it and turn it with a rake/shovel/etc for a month and you'll get better results.

2) I'm kind of sketchy about the "special organic fertilizer". No offense, but theoretically I can take a shit in a bucket and call that "special organic fertilizer". The fact that they don't elaborate on what this "special fertilizer" consists of is a huge red flag for me. Not seeing any aeration in this mix either, but aside from those concerns the other ingredients are good. To be honest, I'd avoid using this stuff in the future.

3) This one appears to be the best soil out of the 3 you listed, however there are many "hot" ingredients in this mix and so you'll need to do the same prep work as soil mix #1. Blood Meal, Guano, Fish Bone Meal, and Alfalfa Meal are all wonderful organic inputs. The problem is that they are "hot", and if you don't water and mix the soil daily for 30+ days then you will have a "hot" soil mix and it'll burn the fuck out of your roots and cause a whole world of problems. This blend also appears to have the most drainage/aeration out of the 3 soil mixes you listed. Rice hulls are good, I just shy away from them because I run no-till and I'm not fond of my aeration decomposing over time. Pumice is amazing, much better than perlite but not enough to warrant the cost.

While air/smart pots do allow extra oxygen into the mix, ultimately this is useless without sufficient aeration inside the soil itself.

The GrowPro mix is worthless, I wouldn't use that shit personally. The "Premium" soil and Tomdin mix seem okay, with the caveat that you add extra perlite into the mix.




This is what I've got going on at the moment. The big plants are 5 weeks old from the time the seeds popped, the smallest ones are 2 weeks and the medium sized ones are 3 weeks.

Notice how much more perlite you can see in my pots than in yours?

I'm not trying to bust your balls, just trying to prove the point that it is in fact your soil that is your issue here.

Let me again reiterate, from what you've told me you're doing pretty much everything right. The soil your using simply does not have enough aeration/drainage in it and your success will be severely hindered unless you correct it.



I make this soil myself, I haven't bought bagged soil in years. It is overpriced and mediocre in quality. You can make a far better mix for cheaper. My mix is as follows, if you're curious.

Base soil: 40% Peat Moss/40% perlite/20% compost. (Dolomite lime to buffer the pH of the acidic Peat Moss)
Organic amendments: Neem Meal, Kelp Meal, TM7
Mineral Amendments: Basalt

Weekly top dress regimen

Veg: Neem Meal and compost
Flower: Karanja Meal, G&M 4-8-3 mix, and compost.

Foliar feed 1-2 times a week with: Aloe Vera, Coconut water, Epsom Salts, Protekt, FulPower, Liquid Kelp (once a month)

Weekly water drench: Aloe, Coconut Water, Grower's Recharge, TM7 (once a month).

For plants that are heavy feeders, I use Fish Emulsion (5-1-1) in veg and Fish Hydrolysate (2-4-1) in flower.

My soil literally starts off with no more than a handful of ingredients, and these are my results. I have the ingredients listed above on hand for when I need them for watering in, foliar feeding, and/or top dressing.

Less is more.

Price the ingredients listed above and try it for yourself.

Or, keep running the Tomdin soil mix if you can't source the ingredients listed above or simply don't feel like making the soil yourself. The Tomdin mix you listed can be good, but you need to water and turn it daily for about a month to ensure everything is fully decomposed. You'll also need to add extra perlite to the mix.

Sorry for the book, but I hope the information was useful to you friend.

 

[kratos015]

I'd also like to point out, the plant on the far left on the second row from the bottom (to the left of the largest plant in the picture) is showing severe Mg deficiencies already.. but it is the only one that looks like that. I've begun top dressing with Epsom Salts, as well as foliar feeding it more than the other plants.

My thinking is that this particular pheno (Critical Blue, 1 of 3 Critical Blue plants in this photo) gorges itself on Mg. Either this pheno is absolute shit, or it will be some incredibly flavorful smoke because of how much Mg it needs compared to the other plants. I'll find out soon enough, but for now I'm deeming it worth the trouble.

Another thing worth mentioning is that these are all underneath a 1000w DE MH fixture that is turned up to "super" which is supposed to be 1150w. Mg plays a vital role in photosynthesis, so if your lights are powerful having a Mg deficiency isn't too uncommon as a result of this.

 

[Overgrowtho]

Thanks @kratos015 I will chew over all this. Really appreciate all the feedback.
I was wondering how much LUX you have on them at this point? And what size fabric pots are those? 3G?
Seems like my main mistake was not adding a lot of pertlite. Damn!

I thought normally these soils should be pre-cooked so no need to water/sit for 30 days prior to use... I had better ask before assuming.

 

[myke]

Are you able to source any organic food like Gaia Green or Dr Earth ?