MoReJew-ce
Member
If it's only the lower growth, it does not tell u definitively. This is definitely an alkalinity problem. The spotting is spot on... and it's typical for those who repot their high alkalinity soil... It must be sprayed off the roots as best as possible or the lower leaves will remain in this state constantly, even if the test of the plant looks perfect. It will have slower growth also. Not terribly, but compared to other plants you might notice. The best treatment for this is the changing of soil.
Anyway, this post is surely bc of lime. It's easy to recreate if you'd like to see yourself. But it ALWAYS starts at bottom... PH problems spread further throughout. You have to remember, PH and alkalinity are totally different things. You can have correct ph in alkaline soil, but it is likely going to be high. This is common bc so many ppl online tell growers that lime is a neutralizing agent.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS... if you don't believe me, add finely pulverized dolomite to water, and give it a shake. It doesn't even have to dissolve. Your PH will shoot through the roof. A great way to kill off unwanted growth in some scenarios.
Just wanted to mention since others may have this problem and I didn't want them confused by your comment. Unless you've dealt with it, you cannot understand the panic, frustration and hopelessness it instills, you cannot do much and even xplant will come with the risk of damaging roots due to needing to clean the roots completely. If you don't, it's possible that the closer proximity limed soil can burn roots and cause odd, multi deficiency symptoms.
More ppl really need to read and understand more about PH.. not just the simple growers intro to the subject. There is a lot going on in the chemical processes, and most guides attempt to oversimplify the concepts to teach quickly. It's more effective to weed out bad info and bad habits tho. So, I'm not tying to dispute or argue, I'm just including info to help and I've exp'd firsthand in multiple occasions of different reasons and/or severity.
Btw... flushing will increase the reactions with the lime causing more co2 in the soil rather than the much needed o2. Simply water with lower ph water, ease on nutes unless ppm runoff gets low, and do not use PH up... only acids like PH down. Over time, depending on the amt applied and the granule size, you will remove some by flush/leaching, and even more by the plant using it. If some lower leaves change, no big deal. If it gets worse then you have far too high alkalinity or you are overeating on top, releasing too much Ca, locking out other elements causing the odd symptoms that mimic multiple deficiencies.
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