Please help me UB, about a week ago I transfered these to 5 gallon buckets since the leaves were cupping due to being root bound. Ever since the repotting I noticed the leaves curling even more and I read your stuff and am pretty sure im overwatering in these new bigger pots. But my main question is what the heck are the little spots? I doubt its a PH issue since I have many plants that get the same water/nutrient mix and they are all fine plus im pretty anal about PH testing my water. Can you please help me? I thank you in advance.
Howdy, been busier than a one legged man in an ass kickin' contest. Guess it's time to catch up. Regarding your concerns.....
pH is only relevant when it comes to nutrient availability, has nothing to do with moisture stress. A rootbound condition will not usually show up as leaf curl unless you're not watering your plant enough, or properly. Could be dry channels in the soil medium if you let them go too long without a thorough drench. Don't get me wrong, if it's severely rootbound then yes, the stress may show as leaf curl, but I doubt if that's likely in your case.
Leaf spotting can be due to several issues. If you have thrips, aphids, mites or any other insect which gets its nourishment by sucking moisture out of a leaf, then it will create spots as it bites/sticks. Most times leaf spotting is a reaction to too much salts. Can't help ya unless I know the NPK's, frequency, amount, etc. I don't go by labels, they are meaningless in the real world.
A 5 gallon pot is pretty big, but if you had root spin-out before you upcanned, then the roots should fill the pot pretty quickly....all depends on plant vigor, health, soil structure, etc. No easy answer. If you have spin-out, you can mechanically induce root branching by scoring the rootball with a sharp knife or razor blade. Starting at the top of the ball and working to the bottom, score the rootball about 1/2" deep, four times around it. Make sure you concentrate on slicing thru the spin-out at the bottom.
skunkyhead, once leaf damage is done, it's usually permanent and will not recover. Focus only on what the new growth looks like as to whether or not you took the right corrective action or not.
cya ~