Is this a potassium deficency?

HowardWCampbell

New Member
kp, I was gonna ask about superthrive. I just happen to have a bottle laying around. I use one drop per 2 liter bottle of 6.7 pH unchlorinated water anytime I've transplanted and so far haven't had any trouble. Should I use the same ratio this time? I'd also like to hear your tea recipe. Can I get my potassium from molasses? I've read that it's a good natural source.

I have some mg tomato food 18-18-21, would this work? I also started my biggest plants in 9oz cups using mg moisture control before I found organic soil locally. Should I try to transplant one of my plants back in to it?

Nearly all of my plants are showing the same symptoms, but it's most obvious in the larger ones. I think I'm going to do a few experiments and try to see exactly where I went wrong. I think I may put a couple of the smaller plants back in my seedling cabinet under 6500k cfl just to see what happens. The problems all started when I moved to my new, larger cabinet and added a 150w hps. That's also about the time I started adding nutes to my water, so there's just so many variables there.

I think I'll try kp and bonghits ideas with my larger plants, and experiment a little with my smaller plants. I'm working with bagseed here, and I have plenty more of it. I want to get this figured out before I order the Arjan's Haze #3 that I was so close to ordering before this started. If I lose a couple small plants on my first grow, but gain some knowledge then it's worth it. Thanks for all the help so far.
 

bonghits4all

Well-Known Member
your not kidding. im especially fond of getting my ass handed to me by someone who doesn't even grow,because he read in high times that a journalist has a different opinion.
 

bonghits4all

Well-Known Member
kp, I was gonna ask about superthrive. I just happen to have a bottle laying around. I use one drop per 2 liter bottle of 6.7 pH unchlorinated water anytime I've transplanted and so far haven't had any trouble. Should I use the same ratio this time? I'd also like to hear your tea recipe. Can I get my potassium from molasses? I've read that it's a good natural source.

I have some mg tomato food 18-18-21, would this work? I also started my biggest plants in 9oz cups using mg moisture control before I found organic soil locally. Should I try to transplant one of my plants back in to it?

Nearly all of my plants are showing the same symptoms, but it's most obvious in the larger ones. I think I'm going to do a few experiments and try to see exactly where I went wrong. I think I may put a couple of the smaller plants back in my seedling cabinet under 6500k cfl just to see what happens. The problems all started when I moved to my new, larger cabinet and added a 150w hps. That's also about the time I started adding nutes to my water, so there's just so many variables there.

I think I'll try kp and bonghits ideas with my larger plants, and experiment a little with my smaller plants. I'm working with bagseed here, and I have plenty more of it. I want to get this figured out before I order the Arjan's Haze #3 that I was so close to ordering before this started. If I lose a couple small plants on my first grow, but gain some knowledge then it's worth it. Thanks for all the help so far.
molasses is fine in flower for the sugars and potassium boosts it also creates bacteri in the soil use it anytime even with m.g. you wont get any help for your problem.superthrive is good stuff and will help you out.that tomato food sounds fine use it at a very diluted concentrate.
 

kindprincess

Well-Known Member
the tomato food will be ok, though it's not the formula i would choose. if you have it handy, use it; it should make a difference.

as for superthrive, 1-4 drops per gallon every watering and feeding until the beginning of week four of flower. superthrive can inhibit flower production later on, so that's why i say stop by the beginning of week four of flower.

molasses is a good source of calcium, potassium not so much. ash is potassium, and is relatively fast acting for a soil amendment... to make a tea, buy a bag of bone meal (phosphorous), blood meal (nitrogen) and pot ash (potassium). then mix these in the ratio you want, and water. it is best to work these into the soil before planting though, like a long term time release fertilizer....
 

bonghits4all

Well-Known Member
the tomato food will be ok, though it's not the formula i would choose. if you have it handy, use it; it should make a difference.

as for superthrive, 1-4 drops per gallon every watering and feeding until the beginning of week four of flower. superthrive can inhibit flower production later on, so that's why i say stop by the beginning of week four of flower.

molasses is a good source of calcium, potassium not so much. ash is potassium, and is relatively fast acting for a soil amendment... to make a tea, buy a bag of bone meal (phosphorous), blood meal (nitrogen) and pot ash (potassium). then mix these in the ratio you want, and water. it is best to work these into the soil before planting though, like a long term time release fertilizer....
All good advice letme ad that if your going to mix that tea dont use it in mg soil.if your going to use faffard then mix in the blood meal the bone meal and get some guano 2-5-0.mix that with the faffard let it stew for at least 10 days (cure in the sun) and dont put young plants in this mix.only use it for flower.Make sure you ph that soil after 10 days keep it around 6.5-7.0
 

HowardWCampbell

New Member
Should I focus on nitrogen right now or do I need phosphate and potassium as well? What n-p-k ratio would be ideal? I'm going to give at least one of the plants plain water only, I'll probably do another organic only using what I have available already, and another with mg or something similar. I'll try to take pictures along the way.

I'm thinking if it's a lack of nutes, the plant getting mg would show signs of recovery first, followed by the one getting the organic tea. The plant only getting water would continue to get worse.

If it's nute burn, then I think the plant(s) getting water only would recover first. The others would get worse, with the mg plant probably declining quicker.

Does that sound right?

I'm also probably going to mix in some perlite when I transplant next time. I'd been holding off on getting it because I could only get mg and it has nutes in it. I just looked at the web site, and they are in such a small amount I don't know that they really would matter much at all anyway.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan?
 

bonghits4all

Well-Known Member
right now your at waiting for the soil to dry out to find out if its just overwatered. If it turns out to be worse then 2 options that kp and i suggested should get you rite.
 

bonghits4all

Well-Known Member
if they respond to less water! well then your good to go. start the fish emoulshion tea 2weeks b4 flower,.stop after week three.mix the fish bone meal and guano with molasses to your ph ed water. you will be mostly organic this way.Let me suggest you get a chemical bloom boost (i use big up powder by humboldt nutrients. 0-23-33) for your final 3 weeks of flower.then i do a royal flush on the day b4 chop.
 

bonghits4all

Well-Known Member
you now have all the info you need to get fixed right in this thread.you even have tea recipes. if its nute burn -no m.g. no fish. no nothing.If its overwatered and you know how much you watered so you would know if thats it.(more then twice a week while at that age = 2 much). then just back off the water did you know that when you spray with fish and water your also giving water to the plant and roots through the leaves? its called foillar feeding.so good luck keep it green.
 

HowardWCampbell

New Member
I went out today and got some 24-8-16 mg all purpose plant food, and some 12-0-0 blood meal as well. I using my 3 largest plants for this experiment. I'll post pics later.

Plant #1 Blood meal based tea. Is 1 tbsp per gallon a correct? I'll also add some 5-3-2.5 chicken manure as top dressing to the soil.

Plant #2 water only

Plant #3 MG 24-8-16 at full strength.

2 drops superthrive per gallon in all 3. I haven't watered since last friday, so I should be able to do all this tomorrow morning without fear of overwatering. The soil feels pretty dry, and the pots are pretty light as well, so they're probably thirsty by now. They haven't shown any improvement since I watered them last week, so I don't think it's overwatering at this point.

kp and bh, does this sound ok to the both of you?
 

nici

Well-Known Member
I say dont feed it! I used Fafard my first growth...it wasnt the organic one, but even without adding any nutes it burned my plants...it has shitload of nutes...thats what probably happened. Do you check the ph of your water and soil regularly?
 

nici

Well-Known Member
I would flush them...its like a good rain for them and I really think its the soil...nute prob.
 

HowardWCampbell

New Member
6.9 is a little high. I aim for 6.7, but my eyes can't judge lower ph readings as well as I'd like. I know for sure it's always under 7 though. I know it's not ideal, but it's not too far off.

#2 will get water only, so if it's nute burn that one should recover best. I think between my 3 different approaches I'm covering it from just about every angle. I'm hoping it's low nitrogen, because that would be easiest to prevent in the future. I'll give updates once I start to see any changes.
 
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