NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES - possibly more than one....PLEASE HELP!!!

Quick background: I have one Nirvana Blackberry and one Nirvana Swiss Cheese in Fox Farm Ocean Forest/perlite with mycorrhizal fungi. They both get the same nutrients (EcoGrow) every week mixed at 75-100% strength, plus I spray them on occasion with harpin protein. Water pH after nutrients is 6-6.5 and runoff is 6-6.2, so there shouldn't be any nutrient lockout.

Blackberry clearly had the stronger genetics from the beginning and thus shows the least nutrient deficiency. I suspected a Mg deficiency (in both) so I sprayed them with dissolved Epsom salts which may or may not have worked. BB1 shows leaf discoloration, BB2 shows some lime green spindly top growth, and BB3 shows red stems which occur on every main stalk.

Swiss cheese has been a problem child from day 1. Growth was weak and spindly from the second it popped out of the dirt so I'm not surprised it has the most problems. There are red stems and stalks rampant throughout, and various leaf discolorations.

Please note Blackberry pics are labeled BB1-BB3 and Swiss cheese are SC1-SC8.

Any helpful feedback is MUCH appreciated!!!!

Also, none of the problems are heat related as I use two LED ufo's.

to me it looks like they are starting to get a little bit of burn on the tips...to solve that, just back off on ur nutes a bit....i also see a mag deficiency...which u can take care of by mixing epson salt with water or just use cal/mag products

ive dealt with a mag deficiency personally before...and if left untreated all the fan leaves will turn brown and crispy and fall off...we dont want that...so try to get some mag to em' quickly as possible....ganja

I just dissolved 1/3 teaspoon of Epsom salts in water and sprayed them down last week. Do you think they are still Mg deficient?

What is causing the red stems and stalks? Nitrogen? Phosphorous?

ganjaluva2009 said:

to me it looks like they are starting to get a little bit of burn on the tips...to solve that, just back off on ur nutes a bit....

Click to expand...

I second that. I wouldn't give them anything beside a flush. pH6.5 tap water.

Seem you are using an awful lot of products. I'm considering:

The ultimate potting soil—everything your plants need, in one bag. Ocean Forest® is a powerhouse blend of premium earthworm castings, bat guano, and Pacific Northwest sea-going fish and crab meal. Composted forest humus, sandy loam, and sphagnum peat moss give Ocean Forest® its light, aerated texture. Start with Ocean Forest® and watch your plants come alive!

Garden tip: Perfect for containers and ready to use right out of the bag. Ocean Forest® is pH adjusted at 6.3 to 6.8 to allow for optimum fertilizer uptake. There’s no need for nitrogen fertilizers at first; instead try an organic blend like FoxFarm Big Bloom™ Liquid Plant Food to encourage strong branching and a sturdy, healthy growth habit.

Click to expand...

Which specifies it's a '..powerhouse blend of premium earthworm castings, bat guano, and Pacific Northwest sea-going fish and crab meal. Composted forest humus, sandy loam, and sphagnum peat moss give Ocean Forest® its light, aerated texture..'

That essentially means you handed over some of the control you would otherwise have with an inert grow medium.

(EcoGrow) every week mixed at 75-100% strength, plus I spray them on occasion with harpin protein

Click to expand...

I'm guessing it's 'Ecogrow Standard (10-8-14 N-P-K)' which doesn't look to be correct for this stage of your plant's growth. Also considering the NPK of your fully charged grow medium, I'm sure your soil is quite HOT. 75-100% would therefore be far too much.

Just flush them with pHd water for a few days my good friend .. 'If in doubt, leave it out'

Do you have an EC meter? This is handy for getting an overall indication of the potency of what you plants roots are absorbing.

fox-farms-ocean-forest-n-p-k.html

Here's a short discussion of the grow medium you are using. Fox Farm responds to this thread and informs the querier 'We do not have an npk on our soils , it has a balanced ratio of nutrients that will feed your plants in a sustained gentle manner. '

home.grower said:

I second that. I wouldn't give them anything beside a flush. pH6.5 tap water.

Seem you are using an awful lot of products. I'm considering:



Which specifies it's a '..powerhouse blend of premium earthworm castings, bat guano, and Pacific Northwest sea-going fish and crab meal. Composted forest humus, sandy loam, and sphagnum peat moss give Ocean Forest® its light, aerated texture..'

That essentially means you handed over some of the control you would otherwise have with an inert grow medium.



I'm guessing it's 'Ecogrow Standard (10-8-14 N-P-K)' which doesn't look to be correct for this stage of your plant's growth. Also considering the NPK of your fully charged grow medium, I'm sure your soil is quite HOT. 75-100% would therefore be far too much.

Just flush them with pHd water for a few days my good friend .. 'If in doubt, leave it out'

Do you have an EC meter? This is handy for getting an overall indication of the potency of what you plants roots are absorbing.

Click to expand...

home.grower said:

fox-farms-ocean-forest-n-p-k.html

Here's a short discussion of the grow medium you are using. Fox Farm responds to this thread and informs the querier 'We do not have an npk on our soils , it has a balanced ratio of nutrients that will feed your plants in a sustained gentle manner. '

Click to expand...

well put HB......awesome advice.+rep'd brother...Hey Queef(lmao), stick with what home.brewer is suggesting...hes right on point with his info....

Actually my NPK ratio is 8-4-8 in a 2 part solution. I didn't start giving nutrients until week 3 of vegetation at which time both my plants were showing signs of malnutrition. I understand FF Ocean Forest has organic nutrients in it, but I was making judgments based on how my plants looked.

It's still not clear to me how the stems and stalks are turning deep purple. This is indicative of anthocyanin buildup which is a telltale sign of N, P, or K deficiency. All the tables available on the internet say red stems and stalks point to macronutrient deficiency.

Can anyone explain this?

QueefCollins said:

Actually my NPK ratio is 8-4-8 in a 2 part solution. I didn't start giving nutrients until week 3 of vegetation at which time both my plants were showing signs of malnutrition. I understand FF Ocean Forest has organic nutrients in it, but I was making judgments based on how my plants looked.

It's still not clear to me how the stems and stalks are turning deep purple. This is indicative of anthocyanin buildup which is a telltale sign of N, P, or K deficiency. All the tables available on the internet say red stems and stalks point to macronutrient deficiency.

Can anyone explain this?

Click to expand...

i have a couple plants in veg that are going to be future mothers for me....2 of them have red/purple stalks and stems also...so i asked one of my homie(expert grower/old head)for his opinion and what he would do...he told me to give them a foliar spray of some very,waterd down bloom nutes....so i put 1ml in 2 quarts of water and sprayed with that....i just did it last night, so i dont have the results yet...will keep ya posted if u wanna know...heres a few pics of mine...do yours resemble these???...ganja

Not jackin' ur post bro, but i just noticed this is my 420th post....PUFF PUFF PASS YA'LL

heres a link to a nice def. chart>>http://www.greenmanspage.com/guides/tables.html

Yup. The purple stems and stalks are a spitting image. I would imagine the purpose of using bloom nutrients is to correct a phosphorous deficiency, as bloom nutrients contain much higher P levels than veg nutrients. I'm sure your plants will show improvement as will mine after I do the same trick. Thanks broheem!

QueefCollins said:

Yup. The purple stems and stalks are a spitting image. I would imagine the purpose of using bloom nutrients is to correct a phosphorous deficiency, as bloom nutrients contain much higher P levels than veg nutrients. I'm sure your plants will show improvement as will mine after I do the same trick. Thanks broheem!

Click to expand...

yeah, i forgot to add that...yes,that is the exact reason for the bloom nutes...yeah bro, they will be fine...very common problem...just foliar with the bloom and good to go...peace homey...ganja

Marijuana Garden Saver: AKA The Complete guide to Sick Plants,pH, and Pest troubles!

As I said

I'm guessing 'Ecogrow Standard (10-8-14 N-P-K)'

Click to expand...

which was only a guess since your description of the products left me wanting a needing more info ..

Based on the question and information presented I offered a response. Regardless of your nutrient n-p-k, your grow medium in not inert ..

The fact your plants may have showed signs of malnutrition does not indicate that your soil has been leached of all available nutrients and is somehow now inert .. All it suggests is that particular elements required by your plant are no longer available in their desired quantities .. So for you to assume the plant's visual deficiencies equate to a 75-100% strength feeding frenzy time is totally wrong .. The grow medium could be clogged full of elements that the plant will not use until other elements are made available .. This is probably why you have signs of nute burn .. You added the required elements to switch on the absorption of other elements but those other elements are in too greater abundance for your plant to cope, hence the suggestion of flushing your medium with nothing to leach away any build up.

As for red/purple petioles this can be derived from said nutrient issues as well as too greater fluctuation between day and night temps, which also affects nute uptake ..

Take it or leave it, but if you sign yourself up to International Cannagraphic Magazine you'll be exposed to the wisdom of farming professionals ..