weird angular leaf growth... also is this N deficiency?

Unfortunately I finally had to swallow my pride with this one and come looking for help :)

I started this Blue Dream plant as a clone, and put her in FFOF soil, which I understand to be the best organic soil commonly available. My intention was to keep her as a mother.. but it might not be in the cards. She looked really funky even at the beginning, showing some weird leaf angles. Then around week 3 or so everything went droopy and yellow. I have started adding some 3-2-4 the last two waterings but, no apparent affect yet.

Second and third pics are the orrigional problem, and the first adn last are the new problem:
April 24 2010 092.jpgApril 3 2010 028.jpgMarch 29 2010 023.jpgApril 24 2010 090.jpg
I know that's confusing sorry..

All of your advice is much appreciated!!!
 

below0

Active Member
What is your PH at? and maybe try some nutes a little stronger for a plant in that stage, probably not much left in that soil if thats all you have been giving her.

You could try Foliar feeding the plant for a quick nutrient fix.

Try something 10-10-10 or around that.
 
Thanks.. like I said, I've only used nutes for 2 waterings so far. In the first picture there there are a few spots on the leaf is there any way this is burn? there are some spots on a few of the other leaves as well. If there is no way I'm burning then I would be happy to turn it up. The pH is actually slightly basic (7.5ish)

Any thoughts about the angular growth? Especially when the plant was younger the leaves were shooting out twisted and often ran into each other in odd ways.

thanks!
 

below0

Active Member
You need to bring that PH down to about 6.5, could be part of the problem also, nutes are not absorbed so well at that PH

The growth could be the strain or mutation..
 
yea, it's kind of weird. I did grow blue dream once before, but it seemed way more robust and grew normally. Same exact conditions.

I appreciate the foliar recommendation. I never really looked into what it was before. it seems like exactally what I need to do.

I'll let you know how it goes.
 

below0

Active Member
yea, it's kind of weird. I did grow blue dream once before, but it seemed way more robust and grew normally. Same exact conditions.

I appreciate the foliar recommendation. I never really looked into what it was before. it seems like exactally what I need to do.

I'll let you know how it goes.
I wouldn't use it as a long term solution, just a quick fix until you can get your soil conditions where they need to be :)
 

bwatte

Active Member
This looks like a nitrogen overdose and a magnesium deficiency! You need to flush this thing right away and get the ph right. Remember if you overdose with nitrogen or calcium, this can lock out the plants ability to use magnesium. By looking at your plants, it would make perfect sense of a nitrogen overdose.

What is the ppm you are feeding with? and what is the ppm of the plain water before adding any nutes?
 

bwatte

Active Member
Oh and remember that when feeding your plants in fox farm ocean forest, unless you added dolomite lime the ph needs to be somewhere in the 7's. I feed with a ph of 7.5 and my runoff ph is always perfect, between 6.3-6.8

I noticed that without dolomite lime, the soil will drop the ph like a bad habit. At least this was my experience a few days ago
 
wow. I never thought about that. I'll have to look into it. I dont know what the PPM was/is. I dont have a meter. Maybe I need one. What concentrations would you consider appropriate?

Thanks for the ideas.
 

bwatte

Active Member
Honestly I don't use a ppm meter, mainly because I don't have the cash for one haha. But what I do know is that fox farm already has 30 days worth of nutes, keep in mind everytime you transplant you are getting another 30 day supply of nutes along with it. My tap water is around 270 ppm. With plain tap water and the nutes in ffof soil, I use the Lucas formula but a little customized to suit the needs of the nutes already present. Instead of 0-4-8 and 0-8-16, I do 0-3-6 and 0-5-10. Keep in mind that I gradually work my way up to 0-3-6 starting at week 3. Once your plants get bigger and show signs of deficiency, you can bump up the formula as needed. Just remember with the lucas formula, the 3rd number is always double the second number! Hope this helps!!
 

below0

Active Member
I am curious as to how this is too much N? Isn't N Overdoes usually DARK GREEN leaves... those are clearly, very yellow.

He also stated he just start using nutes very low nutes also 3-2-4 or something, I am no expert, but I don't think you need to be cutting N out of that plant, and still your PH is high, very well could just be locking out your nutrients that might already be in your soil maybe even some Sulfate problem. I really think this is PH related

Also what kind of lighting is that plant getting?

And its hard to see in that picture but are the stems turning purple?
 
The high N suspicion is confusing to me. but I'm "green" enough not to know :)

the light is a 400w HPS.

I saw a chart today that indicated most nute's get locked out at low pH (<~6.4), where as mine is a little high.. which seems less bad. Also, I checked my run off pH. It came in at 7.0 flat. So I dont know WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON! I'm getting some epsom salt tomorrow for the Mag to see if that helps.
 

below0

Active Member
How are you checking your PH? Digital or by liquid color test kit? cause your ph run off of 7 might actually be 7-7.5, and your actual PH of soil could be 7.5-8.5

They also say to test the first few drops that come out, to get a more accurate reading, is this how you tested?
 
I used liquid indicator which is only accurate to about .5pH. and I actually tested the first few drops as some run off in the middle and last few to squeeze out.. all tested ~7
 
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