Strange discoloring - can't put my finger on it HELP PLZ!

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I hope you're all fine and high.

I'm writing cause one of my 2-week-old auto-dinafem white widows started showing a strange yellowing on its second set of leaves like 4 days ago, and I can tell it's getting worse as the days progress.

I'm pretty sure it's not nitrogen deficiency because as you can see on the pics I've attached, this yellowing looks sorta splotchy/mottled/uneven.
Also, looking very closer, I can see a little browning at the very tips of older plants.

Plant looks "healthy" otherwise, quite perky, no drooping or wilting either.

more info:
-outdoors (summer here in Chile now)
-never been applied fertilizer yet
-soil: mix of coco, perlite, worm castings, compost and garden soil
-soil pH: about 6.5
-been watered only when soil gets dry 1 inch deep

The other plant shows no issues (same soil, same light/water regime etc.)

I'd really appreciate if you could shed some light on my issue here.

Thanx!

It looks hungry to me.

you mean water hungry or nute hungry? after I took the pic, I watered the pot from the bottom, that's why the soil looks dry on the surface but it's pretty moist at the bottom.

Luchosoto420 said:

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I hope you're all fine and high.

I'm writing cause one of my 2-week-old auto-dinafem white widows started showing a strange yellowing on its second set of leaves like 4 days ago, and I can tell it's getting worse as the days progress.

I'm pretty sure it's not nitrogen deficiency because as you can see on the pics I've attached, this yellowing looks sorta splotchy/mottled/uneven.
Also, looking very closer, I can see a little browning at the very tips of older plants.

Plant looks "healthy" otherwise, quite perky, no drooping or wilting either.

more info:
-outdoors (summer here in Chile now)
-never been applied fertilizer yet
-soil: mix of coco, perlite, worm castings, compost and garden soil

-soil pH: about 6.5
-been watered only when soil gets dry 1 inch deep

The other plant shows no issues (same soil, same light/water regime etc.)

I'd really appreciate if you could shed some light on my issue here.

Thanx!

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It's definitely nutrient related. 6.5 is good so it's not your ph. It isn't N. Nitrogen deficiency shows as an even yellowing that is stronger at the bottom and fades to healthier green toward the top. Yellowing with blotches and brown spots is about a perfect description of cal/mag deficiency but that plant is way to young for any deficiency in a half decent sized pot.

Did you mix the soil yourself? The only thing that makes sense from what you've said is that something is hot and burning the plant. Probably the compost. Also, if they're all from seed and only this one is showing the problem it's likely that this is also just a sensitive individual.

SchmoeJoe said:

It's definitely nutrient related. 6.5 is good so it's not your ph. It isn't N. Nitrogen deficiency shows as an even yellowing that is stronger at the bottom and fades to healthier green toward the top. Yellowing with blotches and brown spots is about a perfect description of cal/mag deficiency but that plant is way to young for any deficiency in a half decent sized pot.

Did you mix the soil yourself? The only thing that makes sense from what you've said is that something is hot and burning the plant. Probably the compost. Also, if they're all from seed and only this one is showing the problem it's likely that this is also just a sensitive individual.

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Thank you for your input. Yes, I mixed the soil myself, (drains quite well), and never had this problem in particular (just slight N def but correct it w/N fert when it shows up).

Here in Chile the tap water is quite "hard", therefore it shouldn't be that low on Calcium (or maybe she just needs MORE -- nute hungry plant?) Thing is I can't find Cal-Mag at the local stores. Only have access to Epsom salts, which I read can fix Mg defs --provided that's the issue.

Yesterday I applied a teaspoon Epsom salts in 4 lt (1 gallon) of water. I put about 250cc of this solution into the soil --now the soil is quite moist. I also sprayed some on the leaves but dunno if it works as foliar feed. Today the plant looks pretty much the same.

Luchosoto420 said:

Thank you for your input. Yes, I mixed the soil myself, (drains quite well), and never had this problem in particular (just slight N def but correct it w/N fert when it shows up).

Here in Chile the tap water is quite "hard", therefore it shouldn't be that low on Calcium (or maybe she just needs MORE -- nute hungry plant?) Thing is I can't find Cal-Mag at the local stores. Only have access to Epsom salts, which I read can fix Mg defs --provided that's the issue.

Yesterday I applied a teaspoon Epsom salts in 4 lt (1 gallon) of water. I put about 250cc of this solution into the soil --now the soil is quite moist. I also sprayed some on the leaves but dunno if it works as foliar feed. Today the plant looks pretty much the same.

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Epsom is good for mag. I believe it also works as a foliar. If the plant looks the same and continues to over the next couple of days then you've fixed it. Some of the green may come back but there's likely some damage that won't go away. Watch to make sure it doesn't get worse and to see if new growth stays healthy and then you'll know that was it.

Well I don't know what else to do. Transplanted plant to bigger pot with better soil, added epsom salts, but the whitening progresses steadily and working its way up to the next set of leaves at the tips. Plant keeps growing though.

Weird thing is, first set of leaves (the one-fingered ones) were not affected. Only second set.

Really ran out of ideas here. If I don't know what it is there's not much I can do. Don't wanna keep on shooting in the dark and end up making things worse

I looked at this post last night, and im trying to figure it out myself, it's an odd one for sure. It's not magnesium. If you have hard water, it's best to check how hard it is, and what is making it hard, it's not always calcium, it can be lead or iron as well that is in abundance. Also, likely not the issue at all, but water from the top down when needed, rather than bottom up. Doesn't seem to be a nutrient issue, it doesn't have any tell tale signs of a deficiency or toxicity of any element. Since it appears that the top growth is fine, and the issue is with the lower part of the plant, it would be a mobile nutrient that the plant is not getting enough of, and that would be either nitrogen in the form of nitrate, phosphorus in the form of phosphate, potassium, magnesium, chlorine, molybdenum, or more recently added, nickel. it doesn't seem to be a pest issue either, and you say your ph is fine. Im stumped but curious! The only thing from the looks would be nitrogen.
As for foliar feeding with an epsom salt solution, that's for a magnesium deficiency, spray the under-side of the leaves only and you have to add a wetting agent so that it can properly coat the surface of the leaf and get absorbed..there are different ones out there..some people may add a drop of dish soap to the solution.

Do me a favor which really doesn't have anything to do with the original post. Take a magnifying glass to the underside of those leaves.

It doesn't look like a bug problem to me, but you are outside. It can't hurt to look, right?

I'm going bald from scratching my head over this. Sure it's not nitrogen def, you know how that looks, like an even yellowing. This is more like a splotchy whitening. Leaves don't feel dry to the touch...(yet?)

I've always watered my girls with tap water and never had any problems (once used filtered water on a girl some time ago, and suffered serious defs; brown spots all over the leaves.) but this looks nothing like that.

New soil is quite moist so it won't need watering for many days.

I've checked every diagnose chart/post out there to no avail.

Ive also been researching it as things like this interest me, i threw nitrogen out there as the only element that it can be, but yes, that yellows uniformly, and not in blotches or spots like yours are doing. It also doesn't seem to be a lack of calcium as that would not be starting at the bottom of the plant and it would look different than your pic. I've never grown outdoors so im not 100% sure of the challenges it represents, but hopefully we find a solution to this! In any case, it seems evident it's not an abundance of an element, and if ph is good, then try adding a light dose of fertilizer, not sure what you have, and see how it looks in 3 days.

truth be told, in that pic, the soil looks really dry! Have you always just watered from bottom up? How often do you give her water and how much?

Luchosoto420 said:

I'm going bald from scratching my head over this. Sure it's not nitrogen def, you know how that looks, like an even yellowing. This is more like a splotchy whitening. Leaves don't feel dry to the touch...(yet?)

I've always watered my girls with tap water and never had any problems (once used filtered water on a girl some time ago, and suffered serious defs; brown spots all over the leaves.) but this looks nothing like that.

New soil is quite moist so it won't need watering for many days.

I've checked every diagnose chart/post out there to no avail.

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Genetics. It will outgrow these oddities. Happens time to time with seedlings. So don't do anything more to it, you've given it all it needs!

Basically as it's making a root mass when it's young it's not very efficient. Throwing up odd growth patterns which can look like deficiencies but they outgrow them as their root mass becomes bigger and more efficient, providing all the necessary requirements are there it will grow and get stronger and stronger even if your soil is not optimal it will make it work.


I'm sure it'll be fine

Blitz35 said:

truth be told, in that pic, the soil looks really dry! Have you always just watered from bottom up? How often do you give her water and how much?

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I water it from both ends. I Always watch moisture levels with one of those meter probe thingies. Recently it was transplanted to new soil in bigger pot.

Nutty sKunK said:

Genetics. It will outgrow these oddities. Happens time to time with seedlings. So don't do anything more to it, you've given it all it needs!

Basically as it's making a root mass when it's young it's not very efficient. Throwing up odd growth patterns which can look like deficiencies but they outgrow them as their root mass becomes bigger and more efficient, providing all the necessary requirements are there it will grow and get stronger and stronger even if your soil is not optimal it will make it work.


I'm sure it'll be fine

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I hope so! In fact I stopped doing things to it when I transplanted it.

Ablaze said:

Do me a favor which really doesn't have anything to do with the original post. Take a magnifying glass to the underside of those leaves.

It doesn't look like a bug problem to me, but you are outside. It can't hurt to look, right?

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I'm quite proactive regarding pests. I always check them on the underside of leaves, and as I expected I found nothing. Always take precautions. Never had pests on my girls despite the fact they're outdoors. I'll just let her be and see what happens. I'll keep you guys posted anyway.