30 days flowering probs

PeeDee420

PeeDee420

Well-Known Member
So a few days ago I noticed some leaves near the top to middle of my plant getting brown/orange spots. The leaves then started to curl and dry up. At this point I have lost at least 30 fan leaves which isnt that much because I have quite a bush growing.

From what I read it could be from a low PH. I just started adding 1Tbl of molasses per gallon to my normal full line of fox farms nutes feeding. My runoff is testing between 5.5-6. Its hard to get an exact ph because I only have ph drops & since the runoff is not clear I dont know how accurate my readings are.
The plant is do for a feeding tonight.

So I was thinking of flushing my 3 gallon pot with 3 gallons of distilled 7ph water & then adding 1 last gallon with my nutes but with only 1tsp of molasses. Does that sound like it would be a good idea? Check out my grow journal in my sig to see the plant while it was healthy. I dont have pictures of the problems yet.
 
PeeDee420

PeeDee420

Well-Known Member
I forgot to say that the buds look great and 90% of all the other leaves look nice and healthy.
 
Kriegs

Kriegs

Well-Known Member
Man, everyone seems to run into this right around 30 days flowering.. I went thru this exactly as you describe.

Pics would help me be sure, but it def sounds like pH. This problem arises from too much / too frequent fertilization. Commercial fertilizers are nasty-acidic, especially Foxfarm.. they are why the pH drops. Try pH'ing your FF nutes once just for fun.. you'll be shocked. To be clear, I think FF are good products. They just need to be limited to about 1/4 strength; maybe 1/2 tops.

I like your solution to a point. I would add this -- NO NUTES in your final volume of water. Just keep it plain. Give it two weeks after flushing, and then reintroduce your nutes at 1/4 strength every other week. That means you may have two, possibly three feedings before your plants wrap up.. no more.

My last suggestion would be to work in 2 tablespoons of granular dolomite into the top inch of your soil. Because of the roots, you can't really get any deeper than that. The dolomite will help hold your pH around 6.5 - 7.0 from here out. Be sure to get a product that clearly says "dolomite" on the label. There are all kinds of "limes" out there; some can swing your pH way back the other way and give your plants a whole new shock.

Have faith.. flushing does work to correct this. I was messaging with about 5 other RIU'ers with pH issues.. we all flushed and got thru to harvest. Good luck.
 
Kriegs

Kriegs

Well-Known Member
PeeDee420 said:
Ya I was just saying it started right around the time I added molasses. I did read though that molasses can lower PH, I dont know if thats true though.
Click to expand...
And yes, molasses can lower pH 'cause when sugars are digested by bacteria, acids are left behind. BUT.. this is far-and-away a minor contributor to your problem.

If it were me, I'd quit the molasses too.. plants in the midst of these problems need less going on, not more...
 
PeeDee420

PeeDee420

Well-Known Member
Kriegs said:
Man, everyone seems to run into this right around 30 days flowering.. I went thru this exactly as you describe.

Pics would help me be sure, but it def sounds like pH. This problem arises from too much / too frequent fertilization. Commercial fertilizers are nasty-acidic, especially Foxfarm.. they are why the pH drops. Try pH'ing your FF nutes once just for fun.. you'll be shocked. To be clear, I think FF are good products. They just need to be limited to about 1/4 strength; maybe 1/2 tops.

I like your solution to a point. I would add this -- NO NUTES in your final volume of water. Just keep it plain. Give it two weeks after flushing, and then reintroduce your nutes at 1/4 strength every other week. That means you may have two, possibly three feedings before your plants wrap up.. no more.

My last suggestion would be to work in 2 tablespoons of granular dolomite into the top inch of your soil. Because of the roots, you can't really get any deeper than that. The dolomite will help hold your pH around 6.5 - 7.0 from here out. Be sure to get a product that clearly says "dolomite" on the label. There are all kinds of "limes" out there; some can swing your pH way back the other way and give your plants a whole new shock.

Have faith.. flushing does work to correct this. I was messaging with about 5 other RIU'ers with pH issues.. we all flushed and got thru to harvest. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the info! Two weeks sounds like along time without nutes. I worry that my buds won't get as big as they could. So you dont think it had anything to do with the molasses? Because I have been using FF nutes full strength every other watering up until now & it has worked with great results my plant is huge.
 
PeeDee420

PeeDee420

Well-Known Member
Anyone else have an opinion on not feeding for 2 full weeks right in the middle of flowering?

And one last questions. When the leaves are like 75% curled up I am pinching them off. Should I just let them die naturally? I figured if I pinched them off the plant would have more energy for the healthy ones.
 
Kriegs

Kriegs

Well-Known Member
PeeDee420 said:
Thanks for all the info! Two weeks sounds like along time without nutes. I worry that my buds won't get as big as they could. So you dont think it had anything to do with the molasses? Because I have been using FF nutes full strength every other watering up until now & it has worked with great results my plant is huge.
Click to expand...
Two weeks is not at all a long time without nutes.. there's just so much a plant can use. And MJ by its very nature doesn't require much. We get hyped into overdoing these things.. happened to me, too, as I said.

What probably happened in your case is that initially, your plants were able to make use of what you were adding, but each successive addition was dropping your pH. Once pH falls below 5.5 or so in soil, your plants lose the ability to take up ANY nutes, added or otherwise (hence the spots, curling, and leaf drop).

It takes time for plants (all plants) to express what is going on with them. They don't immediately show the effect of any particular move we make... that's why it's important to stand pat for awhile when you make a correction to a problem. About the only exception is underwatering -- a dry, wilted plant will pop back in hours after watering (but... a droopy, overwatered plant may take days to process out extra water and return to health).

Just so you know, damaged leaves never recover. Look for the expression of "I'm okay now!!" in your new growth. Also, you may see some continued "death march" in your leaves after the flush, but this should arrest itself in 2-3 days.

BTW, "Pee Dee"... as in Pee Dee River? I've run every inch of that place from Blewett Falls on down, if that's where you're referencing.

Good luck with your plants....
 
PeeDee420

PeeDee420

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input guys! And PeeDee is just what some people call weed where I live. I think it comes from the song puff the magic dragon. Check out my grow journal in my signature I posted new pics last night.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top