Need Help with Yields
- Thread starter genna_mj
- Start date
TacoMac
Well-Known Member
If a plant shows no signs of anything, then you're doing it right.
By the time you see a deficiency, that should tell you that you weren't feeding enough all along.
Conversely, when your plant goes dark and shows burn signs, that shows you over did it. It's when your plant shows no signs of anything that you know you're doing it right.
That's why all nutrients come with directions. FOLLOW THEM PRECISELY. Read ALL OF THEM.
For instance, you'll see some people bash Miracle Grow as "always burning plants". Well, that's because they didn't read the directions and overfed. Then you'll see a lot of people blame burn on other things.
The vast majority of the time, burn is caused by one thing and one thing only: error on the growers part. They either don't read the directions and way overdose their plants, or they get this idea in their head that if they double the dosage or start their nutrients earlier than directed they'll get double the growth.
Just follow the directions carefully and 90% of the time you will never have a problem. On those rare instances that you do encounter a problem, it will be easy to identify what the problem is and more times than not is easily fixed.
By the time you see a deficiency, that should tell you that you weren't feeding enough all along.
Conversely, when your plant goes dark and shows burn signs, that shows you over did it. It's when your plant shows no signs of anything that you know you're doing it right.
That's why all nutrients come with directions. FOLLOW THEM PRECISELY. Read ALL OF THEM.
For instance, you'll see some people bash Miracle Grow as "always burning plants". Well, that's because they didn't read the directions and overfed. Then you'll see a lot of people blame burn on other things.
The vast majority of the time, burn is caused by one thing and one thing only: error on the growers part. They either don't read the directions and way overdose their plants, or they get this idea in their head that if they double the dosage or start their nutrients earlier than directed they'll get double the growth.
Just follow the directions carefully and 90% of the time you will never have a problem. On those rare instances that you do encounter a problem, it will be easy to identify what the problem is and more times than not is easily fixed.
genna_mj
Member
Thanks for all of your help TacoMac!! I'm trying to stay on a precise nutrient schedule now. My oldest in flowering (went under the hps on Aug 19th) is showing a lot of claw from the soil during the new pot transfer right before flowering. It's just fox farms ocean forest and I think the lack of nutrients prior to that caused her to be stunned by the fresh good soil. I hope it doesn't stunt her too much after the last disappointing harvest.
The two that I have at week 6 of veg look good and are on week 3 of nutes. They have about 2 more weeks before switching to flowering.I think I need to ramp the nutes up though because some of the bottom leaves are yellowing. I'm pretty much at full dose per the feeding schedule provided with the Fox Farm nutes though.
The two that I have at week 6 of veg look good and are on week 3 of nutes. They have about 2 more weeks before switching to flowering.I think I need to ramp the nutes up though because some of the bottom leaves are yellowing. I'm pretty much at full dose per the feeding schedule provided with the Fox Farm nutes though.
RM3
Well-Known Member
Upcanning right before the flip is a waste of soil and is your true problem on your low yield. Plants need a minimum of 2 weeks more veg time after an upcan. You would do way better to go from solo cup to final pot and veg for at least 4 weeks minimum after transplant. Second to that is the use of distilled water, change those 2 things and you'll see a vast improvement
RM3
Well-Known Member
I know, I've read lots of bad advice as well, happens in these forums all the time
Try it and watch, I've been growin for over 40 years and have mostly always done it this way. feel free to check my sig links, I do grow against the grain but never give bad advice
RM3
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I don't agree with all the nute stuff posted earlier and I would not use FFOF but that is because I'm a control freak, I grow in peat so that I know exactly what is in the pot. And not sayin that that soil is bad I know know lots of growers that use it with much success. You simply need to fill the pot with roots before ya flip
coreywebster
Well-Known Member
You should only need one-two plants with the amount of veg time you had to get max yield from a 400w hps.
The only things I can think are
1 your hps bulb is very old or far too high above plants.
2 you didn't say anything about air exchange during veg.
At 8 weeks veg a plant should be far far bigger than 1 foot high, unless you trained it to be so short which you didn't imply you had.
So I'm wondering about your veg set up. I have no idea about the power consumption of t5 or the output of them but I know lots of folks swear by them for veg.
Your plants in flower will reflect what has been put in in veg. Your problem must be pre flowering.
I don't see how its a nutrient problem either if you didn't have some nutes in the medium your plants wouldn't of got to harvest and wouldn't have a single leaf left on them.
Temps of 80degrees are not an issue.
Would like to see some pics of plants and/or your veg area and flowering area
The only things I can think are
1 your hps bulb is very old or far too high above plants.
2 you didn't say anything about air exchange during veg.
At 8 weeks veg a plant should be far far bigger than 1 foot high, unless you trained it to be so short which you didn't imply you had.
So I'm wondering about your veg set up. I have no idea about the power consumption of t5 or the output of them but I know lots of folks swear by them for veg.
Your plants in flower will reflect what has been put in in veg. Your problem must be pre flowering.
I don't see how its a nutrient problem either if you didn't have some nutes in the medium your plants wouldn't of got to harvest and wouldn't have a single leaf left on them.
Temps of 80degrees are not an issue.
Would like to see some pics of plants and/or your veg area and flowering area
genna_mj
Member
I just have fans in the veg room but the doors of the room are open all day into a bigger room so there is a lot of air movement. The HPS is brand new and because of the good air exchange in that room I can keep the plants around 9" away with no heat stress. I never have them further away than 20".
They did get to 1 foot during veg but then the flowering stretch got them another foot. Like I said, a lot of factors seem to have been ok so I saw no signs of alarm....until my bud pretty much halted in growth the last few weeks before harvest and I ended up with little yield.
I've been wary of taking pics as my phone is my only option.
RM3
Well-Known Member
Just need an app that removes exif data in the pics
genna_mj
Member
Taco, are you an indoor soil grower? What size pot so they end up in? This is a revelation to me
coreywebster
Well-Known Member
Sounds like both my thought are redundant given what you say genna!
With you potting up just before flip maybe it was an excess of N or something from the extra new soil which prevented the bud development. Not a soil guy though so guessing really.
Next run get some pics up early on and keep everyone on here updated, lots of top folks on here will spot the issues.
As for what Taco said about not potting up, that's experience for you! Most of the basic rules folks follow are there to guide the inexperienced away from issues, in the case of potting up, over watering and root rot.
Wish you luck and better yields on your next grow.
With you potting up just before flip maybe it was an excess of N or something from the extra new soil which prevented the bud development. Not a soil guy though so guessing really.
Next run get some pics up early on and keep everyone on here updated, lots of top folks on here will spot the issues.
As for what Taco said about not potting up, that's experience for you! Most of the basic rules folks follow are there to guide the inexperienced away from issues, in the case of potting up, over watering and root rot.
Wish you luck and better yields on your next grow.
TacoMac
Well-Known Member
Yes I am, and it depends on what I'm doing. I mostly use 3 gallon nursery pots and use a small 175 watt MH lamp when I do one or two plants. When I'm doing 4 plants I use 5 gallon pots and a 600 watt HPS lamp.
genna_mj
Member
Taco - I saw in another post that you recommend using Dolomite Lime to help with mag deficiencies. I think I'm starting to see it in two younger plants that are 3 weeks into nutes. I'll post a pic tomorrow when the lights are on. I know I need to add it either way, but what is your suggestion for adding it to soil already mixed and in use? Like measurements? Making it water soluble, etc
TacoMac
Well-Known Member
If your case, I'd definitely mix it with water and water it in. It's a little tough to do, so it takes some perseverance. You'll want to get about 3 or 4 tablespoons per plant in there. The thing to do is mix one tablespoon in about a quart of water. Shake the flying hell out of it. Get it as dissolved as you possibly can and water it in quickly so it doesn't settle to the bottom of the container. Make sure you're moving it around the pot too for coverage. Do that with 3 or 4 tablespoons of it and that should do it. Then just go back to watering and feeding as usual.
It'll take several days to a week before your plant really starts sucking it up, but once it does you're in like Flint. It'll be the only dose you have to give them.
Lucky Luke
Well-Known Member
Pics would help but not using nutes is fine, as long as its already in the soil.
Either spend a few minutes building a soil or use a "neutral" soil and feed nutes. (have a read of the organics section etc)
Re-potting is a healthy thing to do with soil grows but it will slow the veg state which is fine. Whats a week or two in the grand scheme of things?
Either spend a few minutes building a soil or use a "neutral" soil and feed nutes. (have a read of the organics section etc)
Re-potting is a healthy thing to do with soil grows but it will slow the veg state which is fine. Whats a week or two in the grand scheme of things?
genna_mj
Member
This is what is going on with a few of the leaves on both of my younger plants that are in week 3 of nutes. I'm thinking its a cal-mag issue as it seems different from just the yellowing of bottom leaves. I added a few tablespoons of water dissolved lime this morning.
