What's wrong with this picture?

mikey123 said:

Is the epsom salt just for the perkiness?

Click to expand...

Typically it's for Mg def. I don't see that in your plant. It also has sulfur, maybe he's recommending it for that.

It looks like overwatering. Soil ph rises as it dries. If it's kept too wet, it could limit the availability of N at higher ph.

I would put 40% perlite in that soil next time. It looks too dense/heavy. (I like perlite. Lots of it.).

I think it looks better. I'm letting it dry a bit more. I sized the photos so the pot is the same size in both so you can eyeball what four days growth looks like. I'm starting to think the sun may not be the best source of light for a color judgement. In Colorado in December the sun is about as low as it's gonna go and I'm sure the camera's sunlight setting is calibrated for summer time light.

Thanks for all the comments. I've carefully considered everything said and it makes sense. I didn't know the moisture cycle is important for nutrient absorption. I always let plants dry just to prevent root rot.