Sativa plants pale green all over with yellowing middle leaves

I have these plants which are Armageddon Sativa – supposedly with a 7 week flowering time. They are outdoors in soil in 18 gallon plastic containers (not yet budding), a 15 gallon garden pot and a 10 gallon smart watering pot (both budding<forced>). I am using a moisture meter to find out how often to water. Currently I am watering the “sick” ones 2-3 gallons per week since the plants seem to be not growing properly. I am watering the healthy ones 5-7 gallons per week. I have been using fish emulsion & bat guano for fertilizer. They have been outside for 2 months and are about 5' tall.


The problem is that the plants that are in the 18 gallon plastic containers are looking “pale green” and leaves are turning yellow (middle – closet to main stem, mostly), and the growth is not impressive right now. The other plants in the other containers are looking a healthy green. Attached is a picture with a healthy plant next to the pale green/yellow plant, and some pictures of the individual sick plants.


I really think the problem is from the potting soil mixture I used. It was a cheap soil and I only added “Happy Frog” wood chips(?). The soil seems to be dense and sandy, - not ideal. I have checked the ph and its at 7.0. The plants also get plenty of light. Just in the last 3 days I put a lot of 1 ½” holes on the sides of the 18 gallon plastic containers to help get air to the roots….
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Does anyone have any idea what REALLY could be the problem? Do the plants look like they are lacking nutes? If so, what kind? Or… if it is the poor quality soil, is there anything I can do to fix that[/FONT]

Hummm... Is there any thing I left out in the description?

I saw the same thing in my fastest-flowering plants (this is my first grow), and it turned out to be a nitrogen deficiency. Apparently the plant is leaching nitrogen from the leaves to build the quicker-growing parts of the plant. I shot it with a more nitrogen-heavy fertilizer, and after a day or two you couldn't even tell there'd been a problem.

I thought it may be a nitrogen deficiency, except that the middle leaves (but close to stem) were yellowing and not the lower leaves so I thought it could be a Mo deficiency.

But I really think it is has something to do with the dirt being so dense...

But I am going to try your idea on put a nitrogen fert on it...

Yeah, I wish I could be more help. It would be odd to have an N deficiency when you're giving it fish and guano. Is it just the 18-gal containers you're having problems with? If so, do the 18-gal pots drain properly? You may be right about the soil, but even then the fix should be simple...more or less water or fertilizer, and it sounds like you have those bases covered. That's why I ask about the drainage. I never suspect specific deficiencies (in the gardening world), but if I were concerned the only thing I would do is top-dress them with some good rich compost, either homemade or a bag of the commercial stuff. That will give you a broad spectrum of organic nutrients, along with naturally helping with any pH problems you might have.

That is happening because a lack of calcuim. If you make some hardboiled eggs, after yo crack the eggs, you should break the egg shells up as much as possible and put it into the soil. And that will produce a really dark green leaf

Egg shells for calcium? Wouldn't just be better to put some lime on instead? or Chicken bones?

Those look just like some mexi sativas I had a while back. I would agree with previous post.. Some eggshells will give them needed calcium and break up the soil a bit. Also I am having to give 2 sativa strains I have a little extra magnesium. Im doing 1tsp/gal for foliar once or twice a week in addition to nutes or you can do 1 tbsp/gal in the dirt. It seems to work. I was having leaves both pale and then some with yellow leaves that fell off form bottom. Don't overfeed them. The shaman and mexi redhair I have both do well on med levels of nutes.

My grandpa used to use coffee grounds to break up the soil. Works good.

check you ph your in soil so 6.7 and add a tad of nitrogen