Help...I suck!!! 1st Aerogarden Grow

Please look at my gallery for pics. I have 6 plants. 5 of them are just under 2 weeks and 1 is 3 weeks. The 3 week old is bag seed and the biggest 2 week old is Crystal. Both mentioned plants are showing signs of nute burns, or something like that. I am using Fox Farm and cutting the feeding schedule amount in half. I switched last Sunday to a stronger dosage and that is when it started. I have since emptied the reservoir and replaced with distilled water...no nutes. I have an EC meter coming in the mail. Did I flush the system correctly by adding only distilled water? Also, I dont think I want to add any nutes until my ec meter arrives. This will probably be at least a week. Is that too long with no nutes? The roots are a little dark, but I think that is from the nutes. Any suggestions?

Gr8lay said:

The roots are a little dark, but I think that is from the nutes. Any suggestions?

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Your roots are dark because they're dying - they should be bright white.

You cannot grow in hydro without a PH meter and an EC meter.

Distilled water has a Ph of 7.0 - way too high for hydro. Without a Ph and EC meter, you're guessing and poking around in the dark.

I don't really know what to tell you - you have no way of putting the right Ph water into your reservoir. Get a ph and ec meter ASAP and put the correct ph water in there with the correct ec level of nutrients for their current stage of growth.

Babygrow

Thanks for your response!

I have a ph kit. The Target brand distilled water has a ph of 6. My tester only has a color chart for 6.2 - 7.8. The color is lower than 6.2 so I'm guessing its around 5.8 - 6.0. I have a new ph wand coming as well. The reason I thought the nutes had something to do with the dark roots, Fox Farm Big Bloom is really dark and when the nutes settle in the water it has dirt and dark stuff (guano) sitting on the bottom. This same stuff is on the roots. Did I do the right thing flushing with only distilled water? Assuming the ph is correct? How long should I flush before I add a VERY small amount of nutes back?

Gr8lay said:

I have a ph kit. The Target brand distilled water has a ph of 6. My tester only has a color chart for 6.2 - 7.8. The color is lower than 6.2 so I'm guessing its around 5.8 - 6.0. I have a new ph wand coming as well. The reason I thought the nutes had something to do with the dark roots, Fox Farm Big Bloom is really dark and when the nutes settle in the water it has dirt and dark stuff (guano) sitting on the bottom. This same stuff is on the roots. Did I do the right thing flushing with only distilled water? Assuming the ph is correct? How long should I flush before I add a VERY small amount of nutes back?

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Okay fair enough. To be honest you need a hydro grower to advise you - I'm a soil grower

Yeah flushing with ph correct water is fine - but distilled water should be 0 EC, which means the plants not getting any nutrients at all, not even the trace elements in the water.

You ideally need to get back to feeding asap, can Fox Farm be used in Hydro? You'd be better off getting a nutrient designed for hydro and following the instructions.

Pm kindprincess, she'll help you out.

Will do...Thanks for your help. Fox Farm has nutes designed especially for hydro. I think it is the user not the product

If your chart only shows 6.2, and you are using guess work to determine the colour below it this may be your problem.

Also, if you've overnuted you've done exactly the right things, unfortunately you now need to wait for the plant to get better. I'll never add nutes after flushing until I see signs of slight undernuting on the plant. Usually this is purpling leaf stem and purplish stripes down the main stalk. Your leaves must turn a full lush green again. It could be around 7-10 days before you add nutes again. Even then you need to take things easily. Even take them back a couple of weeks on the veg' feed you give them. Meaning that as they are so far in development you've increased the nutes you give them. take this back and treat the plants as though they are a couple of weeks younger.

Gr8lay said:

Will do...Thanks for your help. Fox Farm has nutes designed especially for hydro. I think it is the user not the product

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Hah!

No worries mate - hope you get it sorted.

I've just looked at your pic's and the plants look fine.

Have you been misting the leaves?

Skunk

7-10 days...Thanks. I have read all through Tek's Aerogarden post and he suggested to flower at 2 - 3 weeks. With one week of no nutes this will delay and mess the feed schedule all up. Once the plants are healthy they will be around 3 weeks and one plant will be 4 weeks. Should I flower then, or wait a week after they are healthy? Also, when I start to flower how do I go from very little nutes to flowering nutes without burning them? Thanks.

Skunk

They look fine? Didnt you see the brown spots on them?

ok, i need some details; first, i need a link to the exact fox farm product you're using. i haven't used ff before, so i need to see what's in it, what it's made of, and what the values are. next, i need to know if your res is light proof, what the temperature of the water is, and your lighting schedule (18/6 or 24/0 etc).

then, i need to know what KIND of water you're using when you fix nutes; well water, tap water, distilled, etc.

please answer these q's for me, and get me that link. we'll get you figured out

kp

kindprincess said:

ok, i need some details; first, i need a link to the exact fox farm product you're using. i haven't used ff before, so i need to see what's in it, what it's made of, and what the values are. next, i need to know if your res is light proof, what the temperature of the water is, and your lighting schedule (18/6 or 24/0 etc).

then, i need to know what KIND of water you're using when you fix nutes; well water, tap water, distilled, etc.

please answer these q's for me, and get me that link. we'll get you figured out

kp

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Thanks for your help Here is a link to the FF nutes. American Garden Supply

Click on kits on the left and I bought
[SIZE=-1]Fox Farm Super Six Pack Hydroponics

The feed chart is on that site as well. The reservoir is light proof except that I have an airstone in there so some small strip of light can probably get in (Right about where the roots are dark). Good thinking...I will change that right now. The lighting schedule is 16/8 (I heard that will give more females). The water I am using is distilled. The ph seems to be 5.8 - 6.0. My tester sucks and I'm getting a new one. I do not have a temp on the water. Thanks kindprincess. I see where you get the name



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ok, while i go through these products, i need a couple more tidbits....

if you stick your hand in the water, does it feel cold (not cool, cold)? you may have mentioned, but what light/s are you using, and what is the ambient room temp?

also, and don't laugh, cuz i'm serious... you DID buy the six pack for HYDRO, right? not soil?

k, going to find out what i need about foxfarm, see ya in a few.

kp

i'm pasting this here so i can read it; i figure it will be good for the thread and the site anyway...

"Fox Farm Super Six Pack Hydroponics
our customers will appreciate denser vegetative growth, bigger blooms, and tastier fruits and vegetables, and they'll love getting Fox Farm's Big Bloom, Grow Big-Hydrponic Formula, and Tiger Bloom in one convenient package. This trio of fast-acting fertilizers will provide balanced, high quality nutrition for plants in soil or hydroponic gardens. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Hydro for Hunger initiative.PLUS---Beastie Bloomz (0-50-30)Heavyweight Blossom Builder -Fortifies the inside of flower buds-Increases weight of blooms and fruit set-Customized micronutrient package Cha Ching (9-50-10)For Late Flowering -Stimulates heavy essential oil secretion-Maximizes flavor and fragrance-Extends flowering cycle Open Sesame (5-45-19)For Early Ripening Horsepower -Triggers early flowering sequence-Produces massive fruit and flower set-Delivers full spectrum micronutrients."

i see problems already.

do not use the three supplements, they are for friut bearing plants and vegetables. not cannabis; cannabis does not do well at all with super phosphates (all three of those are a form of super phosphate). this is a common misconception, most people who have grown anything will tell you that p will promote bigger, more vibrant flowers... this is true, even with pot. but, what they DON'T know is that cannabis preffers more potash in flower than phosphorous; anything over 30 (which is also high) is begging for a toxicity and lock out.

please tell me you've not used the supplements, and only ff grow big/ and big bloom, if that. i'm looking for the values, but i have to say, i dislike foxfarm already...

kp

Oh no!!! That sucks!!! I have not used anything but Big Bloom and Grow Big. So the other stuff wont work? Fox Farm was recommended on this site, and it was pretty expensive. The water is not cold, the temp where the plants are under the lights is 84 - 86 degrees. I also have a fan on them. I am using the cfl's that came with the garden along with 4 other cfl's that are 150 wat equivalent so 6 all together. Before the plants freaked out I was on 1/2 teaspoon of Grow Big and 1 teaspoon of Big Bloom. On week 2 I doubled that. I was thinking of going back to the beginning and lowering the nutes when the plants look better. What nutes should I use when it is time to flower? Not FF?

those two are ok, their values are fine. the others, see how they have p value is 50? waaaaay to high; i know people do well with boosters like this, but the fact is, they could do so much better.

for a supplement, look into advanced nutrients hammerhead. it's pk 0-9-18, great flower booster, the best i've ever used.

i think your water temps are too high, causing root rot. also, i'm not sure of the amount of micros in ff grow big and big bloom, and because you're using distilled, i believe your spots on the leaves are the beginnings of a calcium def. you'll need to get some cal/mag if this is the case, it's made by botanicare.

this is my assessment, you can check behind me, but my solution for you is to put nutes back in, as directed, you do not have a burn. stop your flush, add in your nutes. get some cal/mag, use as directed (one teaspoon per gallon).

now, for the roots; we need to cool that water down. roots do not like to be warm, not in hydro. if you're using a res, try dropping a frozed bottle of water in; it will last for a day, and will keep the water nice and cold.

kp

Does the aerogarden use spray nozzles, to spray the root mass? No ignore that, your machine is new (?) The light getting in will also brown your roots.

I asked if you'd been misting the leaves of the plant. I asked this because a lot of new growers will mist the leaves of the plant. They love it (the plants), this is true, but if you do it with lights on, even plain water will cause these brown spots on your leaves. I ask, because the spots are centralised on the leaf rather than out at the edges which suggests nute burn from where you pour in the feed. Have you been hitting the leaves with water?

Good to know. I bought some cal/mag. It will arrive in a week or so. I will get the hammerhead when the time comes. I will put the nutes back in and cool the water down. I guess the plants will just suffer until the cal/mag arrives? So does cooling the water down heal the roots? I am using distilled, should I be using something different? Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I wish I talked to you before I bought the FF nutes

skunkushybrid said:

Does the aerogarden use spray nozzles, to spray the root mass? No ignore that, your machine is new (?) The light getting in will also brown your roots.

I asked if you'd been misting the leaves of the plant. I asked this because a lot of new growers will mist the leaves of the plant. They love it (the plants), this is true, but if you do it with lights on, even plain water will cause these brown spots on your leaves. I ask, because the spots are centralised on the leaf rather than out at the edges which suggests nute burn from where you pour in the feed. Have you been hitting the leaves with water?

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No I have not misted the leaves. I fixed the light problem. Will the roots heal themselves? The worst plant still has a lot of healthy leaves. Kindprincess thinks it might be calcium def, not nute burn. My smaller plants dont have any problems. I'm guessing the bigger plants need more calcium? Thanks for your response Skunk.

If there is a deficiency it's more likely to be manganese. Calcium deficiency causes different symptoms.

With calcium deficiency you can expect the tips of your leaf fingers to hook over. The edges of the leaves will also curl upwards. You may also get distorted leaves, although often this is most likely a case of genetics.

Manganese def's are hard to pinpoint because of the variance of symptoms. Yet, to my mind at least, it is the only one it can be, if indeed there is a deficiency at all.