Has anyone else run into cal mag deficiencies running the coast of maine stonington blend?It seems there soil is a little to alkaline. Doing slurry tests and runoff having the ph come out at 7.4 confuses me to no end when all water ever added has been around 6.2. only things that have been added where fish shit and recharge and very little.
Coast of maine cal mag deficiencies
- Thread starter Benmass
- Start date
Each plant was in a smaller pot for first several weeks they where all doing great. Started to show deficiencies put them in bigger pots some went from 1 gallon to 1.7 gallon pots and others went into 7 gallon pots. I'm assuming I ran the soil out of nutrients thus putting them into bigger containers but it's a cal mag deficiencies leading towards a pH imbalance.
Bukvičák
Well-Known Member
I think you went wrong determining deficient element, this is more likely potassium deficiency...
Rurumo
Well-Known Member
I think you may be right
Bukvičák
Well-Known Member
I am almost sure in this, now lets figure out why...
The only things I've added to this grow have been recharge and fish shit. Last watering I added some cal mag seeing as I thought it was a cal mag deficiency. The root ball wasn't that big to be honest. I've also had a bad habbit of not feeding water frequently enough so the whole medium was really dry
I was hoping that putting them in bigger pots with more soil would help them bounce back. But it's only been a week. I guess with not watering frequently enough and the plant had taken all the nutrients from the soil seeing it was about a month into growing them probably a big contributer. Do you guys really think it's a potassium issue?
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
I think it is an absorption issue but adding ph adjusted water to a ph balanced mix does not change the ph nor does checking runoff ph tell you anything useful. I can tell you from years of experience growing in organic mixes that if you are not adding back compost in the form of teas or top dressing your soil is lacking microbial activity. Ph is related to microbial activity; that’s why adding organic materials drops ph. Adding compost as a top dressing will slowly push it in range for full absorption but brewing up an aactea will go to work faster.
That or you need to give soluble NPK at this point unless you can pot up to larger containers; either way adding in some EWC should help. If you just potted up give it a couple weeks to see how that works but I would brew up a tea to get the party rocking.
Bukvičák
Well-Known Member
Underwatering as well as over watering can cause deficiencies. With overwatering it not so bad unless you do it systematicaly, but with underwatering leading to totally no water in medium its really bad. Not only because of microbial life but also because of salts can crystalize in your medium. Another thing is that every balanced food contains quite high ratio of K does not matter if veg or bloom. Can you be more specific about that “fish shit” and calmag U used?
Well then it seems that I ran the nutrients dry from the soil. It does say after about a month that'll happen I guess I should brew a good tea to help push them along. Do you have a recipe you could recommend that's high in potassium?
Fish shit is a soil conditioner filled with microbes. I use about 12ml to a gallon and the cal mag I've used just once at 10 ml a gallon
Bukvičák
Well-Known Member
Sounds both way too much for me even thou you was not specific at all. Your deficiency can be very easily caused by nutrient imballance in your medium, since there is no ballanced food provided. You not gonna fix it adding high potassium content suplements and additives...
I have plants that look very similar to yours.
You described the worst thing with soil. A flower pot takes 3 to 5 days to dry out. Another 3 - 5 days to dry after a plain water flush. Then 2-5 days to see if the new fertilizer additions/subtractions were effective. That's 1 - 2 weeks of flower time.
I just switched from FFOF to PROMIX HP+ in hopes it'll dry out faster.
