Spicysativa's Cheese Quake Grow

Why are you giving them stuff in super soil? I had all kinds of yellowing and burn issues when I tried to feed my plants in super soil. I finally just backed off trying to help my plants and make them doing even better than the super soil could and just gave them water the rest of the way through flower and I had NO more issues. If you made your super soil properly, it does NOT need anything else and giving it extra stuff IS the problem. Not saying that's what is happening, but something to consider as a possibility.

I would not recommend a soil pH meter -- just pH check your water to 6.5 and just give water -- if you mixed your super soil well and put enough in, they have everything they need til harvest. If they are < 4-5 weeks into flower and you're sure they need more food, topdress with 3/4-1" super soil and you'll be good for 2-3 weeks. Do not topdress in the last 2-3 weeks or you risk nitrogen in your buds (made that mistake last time). If in the last 2-3 weeks, just let them yellow.

Well... The reason I started adding nutrients is because this yellowing and necrosis started BEFORE I had added anything but pH adjusted water with CaMg+ (my tap water is only about 20-30 ppm) and a couple compost teas (...which I did not check or adjust the pH of). The last tea I gave them was geared toward fungi (with a LITTLE bit of fish hydrolysate and General Organics Diamond Black humic acids), so it very well may have had a low pH. Shortly after that, the symptoms came on QUICK. That's when I posted up on here and got the advise to feed them, so I did.

I'm just not sure if that tea messed things up or if they simply ran out of gas. Whatever it was, it started quick, and progressed quick. Today is day 34 of 12/12, so I estimate they have about 3.5 weeks left to go. I know it's almost time to just ride out the last bit and let them yellow, but this doesn't look like normal fade to me. The upper leaves around the colas are showing necrosis around the edges and between the veins before they even yellow or fade at all, and the lower leaves that ARE yellowing are just ugly... Brown blotches, wrinkly, just ugly... Not a nice colorful fade so much as a quick and ugly death...

I'd be grateful for any advice you guys can give me at this point. I have at my disposal a pretty wide variety of things line Sucanat, molasses, Hygrozyme, full line of Earth Juice (from a previous run), worm castings, Super Soil, fish, etc...

I just feel so bad for them... I've never had plants look so unhappy

Have you checked the ph of your run off? That'll give ya a good estimate of soil ph...not sure how critical that is with supersoil, but I do it every couple weeks with my nute feedings.
I would stay away from the teas and sugars for now and go with some hygrozyme. This will clean up any dead organics in the rhizo and get your ladies processing, flowering, ripening, hardening, etc, like they should be now.

I have not checked my runoff pH yet, but I plan to this evening. Do you think
i'd even get an accurate read of the soil pH after pouring hygrozyme through?

i dont see why you couldnt pH after hydrozyme as long as there is ample run off, but it looks like a potassium deficiency to me, my plants had this for a second, could be caused by pH lockout, no reason not to check, just my 2 cents, but i could be wrong

My guess based on your description is pH lockout from the teas, causing deficiency symptoms... you should just need to water thoroughly with pHed water. I do not even bother with runoff pH -- i find as long as I make sure the pH is good going in, I don't have to worry about it coming out... it's only when I don't measure going in that I have issues

It's possible they could have run out of juice but the most likely things to run out of with super soil are N & Mg -- if it's not those i'd suspect pH first and foremost. Even with those I'd suspect pH first and then an actual deficiency after, tho N is a real possibility any time you combine a heavy feeder without enough super soil.

Checked the runoff pH last night, and it was low (about 5.0). Hopefully I can bring that back up and finish them up right.

Thats pretty acidic for soil, most times straight tap water will bring it up.

Ya, I'm hoping that I can bring up the pH with water alone. I may also brew a bacteria-heavy AACT for next watering, because bacteria can help raise the pH.

I'm so close to the finish line at this point I'm not sure how much it's gonna matter. Today is the start of week 6.

it might be close to the finish line, but anything helps. do you not have pH up (base)?

I do have some Earth Juice pH UP (potassium bicarbonate). I had not needed it until this issue came up, because I was either watering with just tap water and CaMg+ (pH comes out at 6.5), or with compost teas, which I do not adjust the pH of. Now I know I need to stay more on top of pH with this Super Soil than I did when feeding with guano teas, compost teas, etc. When I was growing that way, I never even checked the pH of anything.

I have heard people say pH doesnt matter in SS but i feel like its bogus, I have never grown in SS, although it is very intriguing. I would advise to water with tap and CaMg+, and then check the run off

The New Jim Jones said:

I have heard people say pH doesnt matter in SS but i feel like its bogus, I have never grown in SS, although it is very intriguing. I would advise to water with tap and CaMg+, and then check the run off

Click to expand...

That's exactly what I did. PH was low, so I will be trying to bring it up a little.

hmmm, the soil pH can lie a bit low IME, ive rocked em with 5.5 before, but i wouldnt advise 5.5 or anything less than it, how low is it?

It was about 5, so I am trying to raise it up over the next few waterings. I'll post up some more pics soon.

Well... The problem is still spreading and worsening after that last watering (water, 1 tsp/gal CaMg+, 1 tsp/gal molasses, pH'd to 6.7 using Earth Juice pH UP).

Any suggestions before I water this evening? My gut is saying to feed them a 50-75% strength dose of Pure Blend Pro Soil Bloom (1-4-5, if I recall) pH'd to 6.7... But it's possible they are (still?) locked out. Maybe pour some pure water through, check the runoff pH, and follow with a Pure Blend feed if it is within range? Keep flushing if it's not?

I dont know what else you could do, but by the time your done with all that its probably only going to be a week or so before harvest, still, they could get really heavy in the last week

I'd just go straight water at this point. As Jim jones pointed out, by the time you figure it out, you will want to flush the food you gave it out anyways. Just my two cents.

sampras

Well, it's day 37, and I expect them to go about 60. They've still got plenty of fattening up to do, and time to do it. I'm going to give them one pH balanced meal of Pure Blend Pro Soil Bloom, then water only from there on.

Next time, more Super Soil and less AACT (which I won't give them unless it's pH is within range).

Still learning every day...