Yellow tips, please help a novice.

Hey,

Im 2 weeks into bloom on my second indoor grow. Im using my own soil mix (1/4 perlite, 1/4 vermiculite, 1/4 Biobizz light mix and 1/4 peat moss) with Biobizz Grow, Bloom and Topmax. I have 2 Silver Haze plants and 2 Trainwreck. All 4 plants seem pretty healthy but lower fan leaves on the taller Silver Haze plants have yellow and brown leaf tips. Ive been light on ferts, introducing them gradually. I now feed each plant about 1 litre of water every 2 days with 2ml Grow, 1ml Bloom and 1ml Top Max. Any idea whats causing this as its freaking me out!! What can I do to prevent this problem?? Thanks in advance



Damn camera would not focus close up............

When the leaf tips start to turn yellow and brown it is a good indicator of nute burn. I would flush it for a week with filtered water supplemented with some Clearex. Clearex is a salt leaching solution made by Botanicare, and it does a wonderful job of ridding your soil mix of nasty accumulated salt build-up. Do that and see where you're at in a week or two. Also, double check the PH and TDS content of your water to make sure that's not an issue.

Thanks rolla. I'll get into a garden center to see if i can get some clearex. Also, if PH is an issue, how the hell to you sort that? i know there is a recommended ph level but how do you adjust the levels in your water? I presume there are 2 products you can add to increase or decrease the PH?? all help is gratefully received!!!

Regarding the Clearex, you probably won't find it at your average garden store. Find a local hydroponics shop or, if you are unable to find one, order online. As for the PH, that's simple. Get yourself a PH test kit. You should be able to find that at a regular garden shop, pool store, or Home Depot garden center. You want the PH of your water solution to be between 6.3-6.8 for soil applications, or 5.3-5.5 for hydro applications. You can buy solutions to either raise or lower the PH depending on which way you need to go, but I always use vinegar to lower the PH and baking soda to raise it. Keep in mind that a little goes a long way and you don't want to get into a battle of raising and lowering the PH.

yeah, youre right about clearex, rang a few places, never heard of it. I'll order it online. i was reading the plant problems section of the grow Faq and it looks like potassium defiency. this is normally caused by lockout which in turn is caused by over ferting. thing is, ive been VERY careful not to overfert. However, in my case, my plants are in a tent in an uninsulated concrete outhouse which can get pretty cold (outdoor temp in dublin yesterday was 2degreesC. I have a small heater which is bringing the temp in the shed to around 10degreesC but its still quite cold. the temp inside my tent when the lights are on is ok at about 22c but drops to 10c when the light goes off. ive also noticed condensation around the bottom half of my pots which is being caused by the soil in the pots being colder than the air in my tent. could this be the problem? have you (or anyone else that might be reading this) come across growing indoors in a cold enviroment? thanks again for your help.

You can order Clearex online at Hydroponics Garden & Supply for about $10. This is my local hydroponics shop and they offer great service. For more info on the product, check out the Botanicare website.

As for your growing conditions, I've only grown indoors in a fully insulated environment so maybe someone else here could shed some more light on the situation. I can tell you that wildly fluctuating temperatures can cause quite a few problems with the plants, primarily slow growth rates, increased possibilities for root rot and mold, and even the possibility of frost damage if the temperatures drop too low.