My plants are slowly dying!!!! PLease help

[amendment]

I have 1 600 watt HPS lamp covering 16 plants like this one in a tent lined Myanmar(however you spell it). I keep it about 14 to 16 inches above my plany, there is an oscillation fan at a medium setting blowing on them as well as a ventilation fan sucking the hot air at the top through a carbon filter. The plants are in three gallon containers using ocean forest soil. I have been watering them every three days and feeding them every other watering with tiger bloom and super thrive. I also give them some the big bloom when its the water. I Ph my soil to about 6.5 and the soil ph is about 7. the plant is an indica and the strain is Down South OG if that helps. The temps are steady around 80 to 85 with the lights on. I flushed the soil about 3 to 4 weeks ago and was feeding them at half streangth and slowly building them up to full which I did last watering.


I have been trying to figure out how to stop them from yellowing and wilting but nothing has really helped. Feeding them at full strength has slowed the yellowing down some but I still find some of the leaves falling off or being mostly dead. Please help me, I dont want to lose my crop as this problem is on all my plants!!!!

 

[watchhowIdoit]

What type of water are you using?

 

[amendment]

Tap water, the Ph is really high on it so I normally have to use Ph down to get it to 6.5 ....its high enough that the acidity of the nutes actually ph balances the water normally lol

 

[watchhowIdoit]

Really high pH water may indicate a high calcium content, high total alkilinity. Too much calcium can impede the uptake of potassium. Potassium deficency being the cause of your problems. You should get your water tested so you know what you are working with.

 

[MrDank007]

Flush with Distilled water and add back in Cal mag with your regular regimen. If your water PH is that high you need to test the hardness of it as well.

 

[amendment]

I dont know how I would test for it :/.......I guess I should invest in water filter? Or start buying a ton of purified water?....I have talked to other growers in my area and they said they seem to all say the using PH down works enough for them, but if there is too much calcium can it be leeched out?...........of course Id have to leech with water that isnt tap water Im guessing lol

 

[panhead]

If it was my plants in ff soil i dont think i'd flush them,its a nute rich soil which when combined with additional nutes can become smoking hot.

Another issue is your temps,healthy plants are ok at higher temps but sick plants struggle with them,i'd also look into bringing the temps down to below 80 degrees.

You've got a def for sure which could be caused by all the reasons listed so far,the thing is if the roots are locked up which is very possible no amount of additives will bring them back,thats why i'd bypass the roots & switch to foliar feeding.

Use your bloom nutes at 1/4 strength & mix in some HYDROPLEX,its got everything in it that cal mag does plus other micros,its also got P & K in it that cal mag does not,i'd foliar feed every day for a week with lights on & raised to a no burn level,after a week or so any def created through the root mass for whatever reason should be corrected.

I would also stay away from your tap water for the rest of the grow,as another member pointed out the whole def coulda started in the water,if so watering the plants with the same water, minus nutes ,will still keep the roots locked up.

If you do foliar feed just be dammed sure that 600 dont roast em.

 

[panhead]

If it was my plants in ff soil i dont think i'd flush them,its a nute rich soil which when combined with additional nutes can become smoking hot.

Another issue is your temps,healthy plants are ok at higher temps but sick plants struggle with them,i'd also look into bringing the temps down to below 80 degrees.

You've got a def for sure which could be caused by all the reasons listed so far,the thing is if the roots are locked up which is very possible no amount of additives will bring them back,thats why i'd bypass the roots & switch to foliar feeding.

Use your bloom nutes at 1/4 strength & mix in some HYDROPLEX,its got everything in it that cal mag does plus other micros,its also got P & K in it that cal mag does not,i'd foliar feed every day for a week with lights on & raised to a no burn level,after a week or so any def created through the root mass for whatever reason should be corrected.

I would also stay away from your tap water for the rest of the grow,as another member pointed out the whole def coulda started in the water,if so watering the plants with the same water, minus nutes ,will still keep the roots locked up.

If you do foliar feed just be dammed sure that 600 dont roast em.

 

[amendment]

I havent had experience with foilar feeding, whats the strength I should be using and should I do it at the start of light cycle or at the end just before the lights go off?

 

[watchhowIdoit]

Go to Home Depot and get a test kit. It will tell you hardness, iron content, nitrate and nitrite levels and total alkilinity. Use your nose to check the sulphur levels, if you can smell the sulphur then its probaly too high. Or you can go to your local health dept or coop and get a test sample kit and follow the instructions for a more complete test on your water. You will send this one to a lab and they usually will email you the result in 2-4 weeks....

 

[panhead]

I havent had experience with foilar feeding, whats the strength I should be using and should I do it at the start of light cycle or at the end just before the lights go off?

Foliar feeding works at all times but it is most effective with the lights on,that is when the plant is the most active,feed with as many hours light as possible,no fans blowing/drying the plants,you want leaves to absorb.

As for exact percentages i have not used ff nutes in years,i personaly found their nutes to be over priced & not user friendly for hydroponics so i cant say with precision.

A safe maximum would be a 25% mixture of bloom nutes combigned with a quality enhancer containing all the micros plus p & k since this is where your def lies,botanicare hydroplex is one i know of,just take it slow & stay at 25% max ,dont lightly mist the leaves,be sure to give them a good soak until every leaf surface is wet.

Your light being in a tent may be an issue depending on how much space you can put between the bulb & the canopy,your lookin for about 3 feet to be sure not to cook the leaves from light magnification thru the water.

 

[amendment]

2 to 4 weeks is longer than Id like to wait lol....but I will test the water this week and see what it comes up with this week. I am interested in foilar feeding but I need some understanding as to how to do that...any guides or does anyone have some knowledge theyd like to share?

 

[amendment]

so by 25% you mean like something like one part nutes 3 parts water? which would be a lot higher than the recommended does for normal soil feeding correct?

 

[amendment]

so any guides on how to foilar feed properly?

 

[MrDank007]

You dilute the nutes to a very low strength and put the solution in a spray bottle and spray the leaves. Not as big of a deal in veg. Don't get any on the buds

 

[amendment]

I was thinking of using them half strength per gallon...I am well into flowering....or should I go lower on the strength to like half?

 

[amendment]

i mean go down to a quarter strength or more dilluted than that?

 

[panhead]

so by 25% you mean like something like one part nutes 3 parts water? which would be a lot higher than the recommended does for normal soil feeding correct?

Negative on the 3 to 1 ratio,that would cook the plants,the 25% ratio is 1/4 of what you would normally feed them with water through the roots.

Example,if your feeding them 20 ml's of fertilizer per gal of water you'd put 1/4 of that amount which is 5 ml into a gallon of water,then fill spray bottles & soak all surfaces of the plant,even the buds,the only time you need to avoid spraying the buds is in the final 10 days or so before harvest,the pistils & seed bracts which all buds are made up of have the ability to soak in & use the fertilizer exactly like the leaves & root mass.

Foliar feeding is simply spraying weak levels of fertilizer directly to all surface areas of the plant,the wet fertilizer is then taken directly into the plant via leaves,pistils & bracts,the fertilizer goes to the needed areas much faster than a typical root feeding.

Foliar feeding is nothing new ,its a standard pratice & one that gets right to the heart of the deficency,kinda like getting a shot from the doctor vs a pill,again there is no reason to avoid spraying your buds,you need to get the nutes in the plant asap & the pistils are very adept at moving nutrients,getting the plants back into good health as fast as possible is the goal.

 

[Bublonichronic]

hey, i never foliar spray, i think its the dumbest shit ever, lol...why wuold you want o clog up your stoma? let the leaves do the breathing and the roots do the eating!!

 

[panhead]

hey, i never foliar spray, i think its the dumbest shit ever, lol...why wuold you want o clog up your stoma? let the leaves do the breathing and the roots do the eating!!

Typical rollitup,zero advice on how to correct the problem,just comments on others remidies.

The plants are not eating properly,leaves are dropping right now,so come up with a better idea that dont involve a root mass thats possible locked up,lets hear your fix dont skate by on others comments put yourself out there with real grow advice that corrects a problem.

Clogged stoma,yeah rain water is just clogging the shit outta stomas on outdoor plants,you gotta be kidding me.