I need help from a true growing genius

I've been growing for years and this is the first issue that truly has me stumped.

I've been growing the same two strains for a long time without issue and now the last few grows I've been experiencing an issue where my crop seems to suffer very badly in it's ability to grow firm roots and struggles very badly with all sorts of signs of deficiency a few weeks into veg. In very early veg and late veg (right before I switch to flower) the plants seem to be rather healthy other than the fact they never grow strong thick white roots like they used to. I've tried everything from adjusting ph to completely changing bottles of nutes for fresh ones and the same problem for the last 4 grows and it has absolutely devestated my veg time and yields.

Some general info:

-I monster crop my clones 14 days into flower.

-Growing in canna coco with canna nutes

-I maintain a 5.8-6.2 ph throughout the grow

-The plants are fine for around the first month under t5 but generally get sick very quickly after being put in the flower room under hps (still in veg lighting)

-The signs of sickness are generally yellowing and black twisting leaves. Lower leaves affected the most with some middle leaves. The top leaves tend to stay healthy.

-Roots are not healthy and strong like they used to be throughout the entire grow. The party cups I used under the T5 used to be nearly rootbound by the time I would transplant and now after a month they are hardly rooted at all.

-I've battled spider mites ad infinitum but the severity of the mites at any given moment doesn't seem to have any effect on this problem, and the war with the spider mites was happening long before this problem ever appeared.

The only factor I can even think of at this point that may be relevant or different is that I've been using the same reverse osmosis water filter for about 2 years. Also the same res tank. But if that were the problem would the timing of the problem make any sense?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
The thing that I think is so puzzling about this is that not a single factor I can think of has changed. Same nutes, same pH, same temps and humidity.
 

TacoMac

Well-Known Member
Plants are WAY too big for those small cups. The roots are already starting to spiral (which leads to root bound).

I think your problem is simply that your plants are growing better and faster than they used to and they're running out of room and sucking that medium dry.

They should already be in 5 gallon pots by the time they're that large to give them the room and nutrient reserves they need to take off.
 

boilingoil

Well-Known Member
Sounds as if you've acquired a virus or pathogen. Not unusual after fighting a bug outbreak. Insects are the biggest carriers for disease in the plant world.
 
Plants are WAY too big for those small cups. The roots are already starting to spiral (which leads to root bound).

I think your problem is simply that your plants are growing better and faster than they used to and they're running out of room and sucking that medium dry.

They should already be in 5 gallon pots by the time they're that large to give them the room and nutrient reserves they need to take off.
I usually transplant sooner but I wanted to see if it would make any difference if I kept them in cups this time. After transplanting they drink so slowly they don't dry out after the first water for about 6 days. As it is in the cups they only dry out once every 48 hours.
 

TacoMac

Well-Known Member
I usually transplant sooner but I wanted to see if it would make any difference if I kept them in cups this time. After transplanting they drink so slowly they don't dry out after the first water for about 6 days. As it is in the cups they only dry out once every 48 hours.
If that's the case then the gent that suggested a virus or pathogen is probably right.

Trash it all, bleach everything, buy all new water filters and ro membrane, bleach the canisters that hold it all while changing them, and start over.
 
Is there anyway for me to start over and preserve my genetics. Even if I could I'm not sure it's an option for me at the moment. I depend on the constant flow of production
 

TacoMac

Well-Known Member
Is there anyway for me to start over and preserve my genetics. Even if I could I'm not sure it's an option for me at the moment. I depend on the constant flow of production
Nope. You'll just start the disease all over and contaminate everything all over again.

The only way to get rid of a virus is scorched earth. Everything has to go. Everything has to be bleached.
 

shimz

Well-Known Member
You have broad mites. Inspect with 60x microscope to see the little bastards chewing on your hard work.
 
You have broad mites. Inspect with 60x microscope to see the little bastards chewing on your hard work.
do you think that this alone could be causing the problem?

I've been fighting with 2 spotted spider mites I haven't caught a glimpse of something else but I certainly consider that it's possible they're there.
 

shimz

Well-Known Member
2-spotted you can see, broads you gotta break out the scope. What you describe is almost exactly what I went through. Plants would limp through veg with curled tops and yellow crispy bottoms, perk up in early bloom and then die from the bottom up in late bloom.
 
2-spotted you can see, broads you gotta break out the scope. What you describe is almost exactly what I went through. Plants would limp through veg with curled tops and yellow crispy bottoms, perk up in early bloom and then die from the bottom up in late bloom.
Sounds like you may be right. I haven't spotted them when looking with a microscope before but then again I was only really looking at the 2 spotted mites. I really hope you're right, I'll let you know in a couple hours if I find any when I check. I just sprayed everything yesterday with Doktor Doom Spider Mite spray. Not sure if that will have done anything to the broad mites.
 
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