Deficient/Excess Nutrients...Unsure

Hi all,

I have about 25gal of soil in a large fabric pot that I am growing in and have recently started a new plant. The plant has been showing signs of stress since it popped up. I have the pot sitting on a square frame/tray on wheels so I can move it out of the tent for cleaning. I had a humidifier sitting on one of the corners of the frame and it spilled into the tray, so I was waiting for the soil to dry a bit in case the issues were due to overwatered soil.

Now that the soil has had time to dry a bit, some of the initial problems have reduced but there still seems to be some deficiencies or excess nutrients, I've looked at the visual guide charts and I am unable to figure out what is going on by myself. I thought it would be a good idea to share with more experienced growers and get some opinions.

I am including pictures taken from 5th April until today (18th April), a discussion would be appreciated on what the problems could be. I'm sure a soil analysis would be the best road to take, so I'm going to look into that aswell.

Well it looks heaps better now than on the 5th. What kind of soil are you using? At that tiny size it's unlikely to be deficient in 25 gallons of anything...

Growing pains when you start too small of plant in too large of pot

weedstoner420 said:

Well it looks heaps better now than on the 5th. What kind of soil are you using? At that tiny size it's unlikely to be deficient in 25 gallons of anything...

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For sure, it's doing way better and the growth is certainly accelerating. The soil is a coot's mix, built by myself with sphagnum peat moss, vermicompost and Vermiculite as the base.

Herb & Suds said:

Growing pains when you start too small of plant in too large of pot

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Starting in a smaller pot really makes a difference, huh? I figured i'd skip a step and put the germinated seed straight into the large pot.

I'll continue to monitor and won't do anything for now. I've been meaning to start a new seed, so I will put it in an appropriate sized pot.

lazl0 said:

For sure, it's doing way better and the growth is certainly accelerating. The soil is a coot's mix, built by myself with sphagnum peat moss, vermicompost and Vermiculite as the base.



Starting in a smaller pot really makes a difference, huh? I figured i'd skip a step and put the germinated seed straight into the large pot.

I'll continue to monitor and won't do anything for now. I've been meaning to start a new seed, so I will put it in an appropriate sized pot.

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Why vermiculite? Isn't that meant to help retain water/make the soil take longer to dry out?

lazl0 said:

Starting in a smaller pot really makes a difference, huh?

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Only the wet/dry, the smaller pots dry out quicker and promotes root health and growth. Other than that no advantage.

weedstoner420 said:

Why vermiculite? Isn't that meant to help retain water/make the soil take longer to dry out?

Perlite vs Vermiculite: What’s the Difference?

The difference between vermiculite vs. perlite can be a little confusing and has caused debate among gardeners. We explain it in depth here!

www.epicgardening.com

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I mispoke, it's actually perlite I used. Handy article to share though, thanks for the information

My first impression is overwatering, second would be potentially accumulated sodium from previous grow(s) in that 25gal pot. But I'll put my money on watering over sodium.

A plant that size shouldn't need water for quite some time in a pot that large.
Mounding compost to top off the pot would help in the near future. Later in veg when the plant is a bit bigger, I'd scratch in some organic 5-5-5 or something along those lines.

McShnutz said:

My first impression is overwatering, second would be potentially accumulated sodium from previous grow(s) in that 25gal pot. But I'll put my money on watering over sodium.

A plant that size shouldn't need water for quite some time in a pot that large.
Mounding compost to top off the pot would help in the near future. Later in veg when the plant is a bit bigger, I'd scratch in some organic 5-5-5 or something along those lines.

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The overwatering makes sense since the humidifier spilled into the tray. I haven't watered in quite a while and the soil is still damp.

Thanks for the input, i've been enjoying following along with you thread

Dang it! Looks like I have broad mites...noticed a few visible bugs on the leaves, very small, under the loupe they are translucent with a pinkish hue.

Broad mites is my thought as the growth is strange, and the pictures I've seen of plants under attack from broad mites looks similar.

Ah well...part of the fun, right? Didn't really have an IPM strategy, time to put one in place. I have done a foliar spray and sprayed the soil with neem oil. Ordered some diatomaceous earth to put around the plant.

I guess I'll probably have to pull the plant out, but I'd like to see if I can get the mites under control...if anyone knows where to get beneficial nematodes in Canada, please let me know

Sure it isn't just fungus gnats? Either way, boil some habaneros in water, strain the mix, put it in a spray bottle, and nuke those fuckers!

But, the gnats are just part of the problem. Where there are gnats, there is overwatering.

Unfortunately, this is why you don't want to start such small plants (and small root masses, by proxy) into excessively large pots. It invites overwatering.



How often do you water? Plant that size should only need water once, maybe twice a week. Especially since you have mulch to help retain the water against evaporation. Plant definitely looks overwatered, that isn't Nitrogen clawing, that drooping is from the leaves being too heavy because they're so full of water.

Go easy on the watering, and spray that pepper spray on your plants every 1-2 days. You can use it right up until the day of harvest with no ill effects to you. Just stop using the day before you harvest. Weed won't taste spicy, I promise

All the best, hope that helps.

I haven't watered since the first post...and the soil is just now starting to dry on top this is true if I don't count the neem oil foliar spray, which was about 1 litre of water.

I'll try the habanero spray, thanks for the tip.

lazl0 said:

I haven't watered since the first post...and the soil is just now starting to dry on top this is true if I don't count the neem oil foliar spray, which was about 1 litre of water.

I'll try the habanero spray, thanks for the tip.

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Happy to help. Just remember to wear a mask and protection, or you'll be coughing up a storm lol.