What should I do??

Hey Folks, I really appreciate all the people here that are so generous with their time and wisdom.
That said, I think I need a bit of both.
It’s week 9 for my super skunk auto, under a 320w HLG, hanging at 22” from the top of the tallest cola.
Growing in Fox Farm Ocean Forest. I gave no nutes for the majority of the grow, but have been giving a roughly 1/4 “dose” of big bloom, tiger bloom, beastie blooms, and cal mag....also a couple rounds of Recharge.
My temps during bloom have stayed in the lower 70s/upper 60s, and the RH has been a tad lower than I’d prefer, averaging in the mid 30% range.
I have a couple concerns: the entire plant looks a bit pale, to me at least, and the leaves are slowly fading. Also in the close up pics you can see some spotting and severe fading on a couple leaves. These spots are only on a handful of leaves.
I know the plant will fade out as it nears the finish line, but looking at the buds, I’d say it will need another 3-4 weeks at a min. But this is my first auto and everything seems to happen faster....the breeder says 10weeks to finish but that’s not gonna be the case. I’m just finishing up week 9 and you see what the buds look like.....but maybe autos get it done much faster.
The soil has to be running low on amendments and I’ve given very little nitrogen....could this be the reason for its overall pale trend? And what’s causing the spotting/severe fading on the handful of leaves??
I don’t wanna burn it with nutes, but I think it needs to be fed well throughout the budding. I was considering giving it something organic next that contains a fair amount of N, and adding another organic, like sea bird guano, for the P and K. I figure this route can do less damage in a worst case scenario.
Lastly, do you agree with my estimate on the finish time? Just when I think they should be getting closer to ripe, they keep pushing out long white hairs....but the trichs are there for sure. They also look kinda pale, and I hope they will fatten and ripen like they should. I don’t care how long it takes....I won’t chop it before it’s done. So let me have your thoughts....so sorry for the long post, I tend to ramble. But your input is really appreciated and has been a huge asset. Cheers

Likely calcium deficiency. Feed it.

At least a month

Plant shows symptoms of being under-fed

Your temps are 10f too cool

hotrodharley said:

Likely calcium deficiency. Feed it.

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Do u think more cal mag specifically, or more of everything?? Up till now I’ve had burnt/yellow tips, which is why I’ve been light w/ the nutes. Thanks for chiming in.

Too low temps and lack of food....your finish line will be moved back accordingly. Those looks like week 6 buds. Ignore breeder timeline, you have a ways to go still.

Bullmark said:

Do u think more cal mag specifically, or more of everything?? Up till now I’ve had burnt/yellow tips, which is why I’ve been light w/ the nutes. Thanks for chiming in.

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How are you feeding and how much cal mag have you been giving? Phosphorous deficiency can appear as calcium deficiency. Often tied together.

Billy the Mountain said:

At least a month

Plant shows symptoms of being under-fed

Your temps are 10f too cool

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I can raise the temps easily, but the humidity will really fall.....and I already have 2 humidifiers cranking to get it to 40%.
Honestly, I’m a little afraid of the Fox Farm nutes....which is why I was thinking about steeping some sea bird guano, maybe bat guano with some N, and whatever else is needed. I’ve had yellow tips almost the entire grow....surely from the soil.
What would you feed if this was your plant??
Thanks a bunch.

Feed it, she's a hungry girl.

Sorry, I don't have experience with your Fox Farms medium or nutes. A safe bet would be to go from 1/4 to 1/2 dose.

Environment is often a balancing act, 70f will work but not nearly as well as 80f. I've had reasonable success with using a small humidifier outside the only open intake vent to raise humidity.

hotrodharley said:

How are you feeding and how much cal mag have you been giving? Phosphorous deficiency can appear as calcium deficiency. Often tied together.

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Feeding about a 1/4 dose of what Fox farms suggests....the plant gets almost a gallon every 3-4 days....whenever the pot is light, which happened faster this last time. As for cal mag, it calls for 5ml per gallon and I’m giving about 1/4 of that as well.
I haven’t been giving the veg nutes (Grow Big)....only Big Bloom, Tiger Bloom, and Beastie Bloomz. So very little N.
What’s interesting is I have another plant (pictured), same strain, and it’s 10 days or so younger. It started blooming at the same time, and is darker green, but showing no signs of needing anything....and the buds are moving along quicker....and it’s way stinkier, just looks better. Being fed the same thing....but it’s soil is less depleted of original amendments.

Bullmark said:

Feeding about a 1/4 dose of what Fox farms suggests....the plant gets almost a gallon every 3-4 days....whenever the pot is light, which happened faster this last time. As for cal mag, it calls for 5ml per gallon and I’m giving about 1/4 of that as well.
I haven’t been giving the veg nutes (Grow Big)....only Big Bloom, Tiger Bloom, and Beastie Bloomz. So very little N.
What’s interesting is I have another plant (pictured), same strain, and it’s 10 days or so younger. It started blooming at the same time, and is darker green, but showing no signs of needing anything....and the buds are moving along quicker....and it’s way stinkier, just looks better. Being fed the same thing....but it’s soil is less depleted of original amendments.View attachment 5047150

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Full dose of cal mag. In fact I'd increase my feed.

hotrodharley said:

Full dose of cal mag. In fact I'd increase my feed.

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Man I appreciate u taking the time to deal with me...I’m taking your advice for sure.
I have one very basic question: It seems that you must have the correct ph range for anything to work properly. I’m confused on how to really test the grow’s ph. I have a meter and make sure my feedings are within a range of 6.0-6.6.....but as far as testing the soil, I’m confused. I used to water until I had some degree of runoff, which I tested and it’s always tested 5.9-6.3. Then I was told by reputable source that when growing in ocean forest, it was foolish to water until runoff.....that I was only leaching the soil. I’m unsure if he was right or wrong, but how am I supposed to test for ph if I don’t have runoff ?
Thanks again

Ignore runoff pH

Billy the Mountain said:

Ignore runoff pH

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Maybe a dumb question but how do I check my ph? Slurry test? Or do I need to buy some sort of expensive device ? I have the ph pen....but nothing else.

You only need to be concerned with the input pH which you can measure with an accurate pH pen or drops.

Billy the Mountain said:

You only need to be concerned with the input pH which you can measure with an accurate pH pen or drops.

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Since the plant isn’t growing any new leaves to judge, what am I looking at/for to see that I’ve corrected the problem?

Your healthy leaves stay healthy, affected ones don't get worse.

You in soil don’t

Bullmark said:

Since the plant isn’t growing any new leaves to judge, what am I looking at/for to see that I’ve corrected the problem?

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even worry about PH as soil buffers it’s self so just give it a full dose of the cal/mag per gallon and up your feed to 1/2 the recommended dose and see how it goes. It’s not in bad shape yet but as stated it looks hungry.

So my overall take is the plant is basically healthy but hungry and beginning to show it. I was more worried about the slow growth for the buds and hope a better feeding schedule will have an impact on the last month or so of their development. From all accounts the strain is supposed to have darker green leaves. The plant with this one was started 10 days later....it’s color is much darker and the buds are progressing at a faster pace, are better looking in general and smell stronger.
I guess the older leaves will stay pale green but the buds will ripen properly once it starts getting fed enough....
I’m gonna stay with the Fox Farm lineup and increase the amounts, along with a stronger dose of cal mag. Stay tuned and I’ll report back.

Next time, simplify your grow. There are so many voodoo opinions out there about growing MJ that it can get downright confusing. I've been in this game for 11 years, growing indoor and outdoor MJ plants, with fantastic success.

First, your water. I used to check the PH in my water until there's no tomorrow. After watering your plants and fertilizing them, the PH won't be what it was because of contact with the soil and the fertilizer that is either used by you, or what is already in your soil. The easiest way to determine how good your water is, how does the rest of your garden or plants respond to your water? Also, is your water soft or hard? Hard water is better than soft, and plants will thrive on hard water. I know, my entire garden and lawn look unbelievable because our water is hard (loaded with minerals).

Next, your light(s). I'm not familiar with the HLG lights but I hear they work well. There is a science to the amount of lumens you need to grow a successful indoor plant, so be sure you have the correct wattage for the space and size plant(s) you want. My grow room consists of a 2x4 closet that is totally custom and stealth. I have a 250 watt fluorescent lamp I use for veg and 2 150 HPS lamps for flowering. What's nice is they only need 110 volts so I don't need 220, which can be an inconvenient problem. And if I'm correct, I believe the lamp you're using is 110, another nice feature of LED's. And be sure to bring down your lights as close to the plant as possible. Those buds LOVE light!

Now, the soil. This is where things get really weird when growing pot. People have all kinds of potions and lotions, and to be quite frank, this is a total waste of time, IMHO. Since day one, I've been using Miracle Grow's premium Moisture Control potting soil. I have turned on numerous growers to this soil and the results have been stunning. What's nice is, regardless if I'm growing indoor or outdoor, I don't use fert's until flowering. The soil is already loaded with plenty of nutrition, so just water until you begin to see the flowers appear.

Next, fertilizer. I just use good old Miracle Grow bloom booster. I watch the plant very closely to make sure I'm not overdoing it and I have to use more fertilizer on the outdoor than the indoor. I just harvested my outdoor grow and one of the plants was a 12 footer, loaded with huge buds. Got 4 pounds of cured product of that nice behemoth, not including shake for oil and hash! Just follow the directions on the box, which is pretty to close to the amount you'll need.

And last, your grow pot size. Believe it or not, 1 gallon per foot will work just fine for indoor. I do go over that, but not by much. I have a 4 foot plant growing right now in a 5 gallon pot. Now outside, different story. That 12 footer was in a 30 gallon grow bag.

Like others have already mentioned, your plant looks super hungry. And I also agree, your temps are way too low. Right now, my indoor grow is running at about 80-85 degrees during flowering. And the humidity isn't a real issue unless it's so low it's unhealthy in your home. I live in a very dry climate, so I do run a home humidifier that sits right under the intake for the HVAC system. This is the unit I use. Not too expensive and works great.