Yellowing sugar leaves - pH or nutes?

chasingwaterfalls

chasingwaterfalls

Active Member
Hi all,

I got a White Widow Skunk plant in soil, late flowering:
- 5 weeks into flowering
- Fox Farms Ocean Forest
- Using Flora Nova Bloom (began feeding 2 weeks in flowering)
- LED light (Advanced XTE300) - currently pulling ~150w; was 18" away until this week, moved it to ~30" away

The tops have yellowing 'sugar' leaves - I'll attach a pic from my phone in a following post. The yellowing began on a few tops and has spread to every cola. The very tips of fan leaves are also burnt, but this doesn't seem to be spreading.

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of yellowing? It's a first for me (I usually see yellowing fan leaves, starting from the bottom up). I frankly wasn't adjusting pH for my tap water all throughout veg (tap water: 75 ppm, 8.0 pH), but I started to do so during flowering. I'm not feeding much, since the soil had a lot to begin with; I've been using 1/4 tsp of the Flora Nova Bloom twice a week (every other watering), and the plant hasn't looked underfed at any point.

Any and all insights appreciated! Not sure what to do/what to change, but I also feel like staying the course might not be the best idea either.
 
Kushash

Kushash

Well-Known Member
chasingwaterfalls said:
Hi all,

I got a White Widow Skunk plant in soil, late flowering:
- 5 weeks into flowering
- Fox Farms Ocean Forest
- Using Flora Nova Bloom (began feeding 2 weeks in flowering)
- LED light (Advanced XTE300) - currently pulling ~150w; was 18" away until this week, moved it to ~30" away

The tops have yellowing 'sugar' leaves - I'll attach a pic from my phone in a following post. The yellowing began on a few tops and has spread to every cola. The very tips of fan leaves are also burnt, but this doesn't seem to be spreading.

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of yellowing? It's a first for me (I usually see yellowing fan leaves, starting from the bottom up). I frankly wasn't adjusting pH for my tap water all throughout veg (tap water: 75 ppm, 8.0 pH), but I started to do so during flowering. I'm not feeding much, since the soil had a lot to begin with; I've been using 1/4 tsp of the Flora Nova Bloom twice a week (every other watering), and the plant hasn't looked underfed at any point.

Any and all insights appreciated! Not sure what to do/what to change, but I also feel like staying the course might not be the best idea either.
Click to expand...
It looks over fed by the dark color of the leaves.
You should do some reading on the difference between using fertilizers that feed the soil (organic) and fertilizers that feed the roots (synthetic).
The fert you are using sold by General Hydroponics is a synthetic fert.
Feeding twice a week even at a low dose seems excessive.
Is that really the only fertilizer you used this grow?
Overall you are doing well and learning more about fertilizers will help a lot.
If you are feeding it with it 2 times a week it is probably over fed.
 
chasingwaterfalls

chasingwaterfalls

Active Member
Roger A. Shrubber said:
looks like it could be either the beginning of an iron or zinc deficiency.
what are you adjusting your ph to? both of those deficiencys can be caused by your ph being too high
Click to expand...
I've been adjusting my plain water down to at least 6.5 (around 6.0-6.5), but I havent been re-measuring pH after adding nutes - figured adding light nutes would slightly lower pH but keep it at a good level.

Thanks for the thought that pH may be too high - it definitely was during veg, and I'll make sure to keep pH consistent
 
Kushash

Kushash

Well-Known Member
chasingwaterfalls said:
I've been adjusting my plain water down to at least 6.5 (around 6.0-6.5), but I havent been re-measuring pH after adding nutes - figured adding light nutes would slightly lower pH but keep it at a good level.

Thanks for the thought that pH may be too high - it definitely was during veg, and I'll make sure to keep pH consistent
Click to expand...
By plain water you mean tap water right? It would help us if we knew how hard your water is. A ppm or E/c meter is an important tool.
You can read about it here. They usually cost about $40.
https://www.growweedeasy.com/ppm

After you ph your water the nutes will lower your water ph as you said.
If your water has a low ppm reading the ph drop will be significant vs hard water with high ppms.
Some tap water testing at 500ppms or more and is not recommended for growing MJ.

You should use water with a ppm reading of 150 or less then you should be OK. If it is hard water it should be mixed with RO water to bring it down to 150 ppms.

Always mix nutrients 1st then PH the water.

I grow in soil and have a lot of experience using FFOF.
As a personal choice I only feed ffof organic fertilizers as top dressing, I mix my 500ppm tap water with RO water to get 150 ppm water and I never PH my water. I never check the PH of my water because the soil will adjust the PH itself.

Your situation is different as you are using a synthetic fertilizer.

Nothing wrong with using synthetic ferts in soil, some do it with great success, I prefer organic.
 
R

Ryante55

Well-Known Member
chasingwaterfalls said:
Hi all,

I got a White Widow Skunk plant in soil, late flowering:
- 5 weeks into flowering
- Fox Farms Ocean Forest
- Using Flora Nova Bloom (began feeding 2 weeks in flowering)
- LED light (Advanced XTE300) - currently pulling ~150w; was 18" away until this week, moved it to ~30" away

The tops have yellowing 'sugar' leaves - I'll attach a pic from my phone in a following post. The yellowing began on a few tops and has spread to every cola. The very tips of fan leaves are also burnt, but this doesn't seem to be spreading.

Does anyone have any experience with this sort of yellowing? It's a first for me (I usually see yellowing fan leaves, starting from the bottom up). I frankly wasn't adjusting pH for my tap water all throughout veg (tap water: 75 ppm, 8.0 pH), but I started to do so during flowering. I'm not feeding much, since the soil had a lot to begin with; I've been using 1/4 tsp of the Flora Nova Bloom twice a week (every other watering), and the plant hasn't looked underfed at any point.

Any and all insights appreciated! Not sure what to do/what to change, but I also feel like staying the course might not be the best idea either.
Click to expand...
Ph is fucked or it's a Hermie look at every bud see if you can find any nanners
 
R

Ryante55

Well-Known Member
This late in flower you probably can't fix the problem imo chop the plant now get going on the next grow always pH after you add nutes. If you let it keep growing itit wi take an extra week if not 2 to finish you could have half an new grow done by then if you chop now
 
chasingwaterfalls

chasingwaterfalls

Active Member
Kushash said:
By plain water you mean tap water right? It would help us if we knew how hard your water is. A ppm or E/c meter is an important tool.
You can read about it here. They usually cost about $40.
https://www.growweedeasy.com/ppm

After you ph your water the nutes will lower your water ph as you said.
If your water has a low ppm reading the ph drop will be significant vs hard water with high ppms.
Some tap water testing at 500ppms or more and is not recommended for growing MJ.

You should use water with a ppm reading of 150 or less then you should be OK. If it is hard water it should be mixed with RO water to bring it down to 150 ppms.

Always mix nutrients 1st then PH the water.

I grow in soil and have a lot of experience using FFOF.
As a personal choice I only feed ffof organic fertilizers as top dressing, I mix my 500ppm tap water with RO water to get 150 ppm water and I never PH my water. I never check the PH of my water because the soil will adjust the PH itself.

Your situation is different as you are using a synthetic fertilizer.

Nothing wrong with using synthetic ferts in soil, some do it with great success, I prefer organic.
Click to expand...
I do have a TDS meter, but I frankly dont know what conversion from EC it uses. And yes, by plain water I meant tap water, sorry. Tap water measures 70-75 ppm and 8.0 pH. Even though the pH is very high, it also doesn't take much pH down to adjust it (I'm guessing because of the low ppm)
 
chasingwaterfalls

chasingwaterfalls

Active Member
And I also realize that this is a loaded question - but could FFOF + 1/4tsp of Flora Nova Bloom be too much or too little nutes?

I figured, out of context, 1/4tsp of FNB is on the lighter side, but since this plant hasn't looked underfed in any way, I shouldn't raise the nute levels. And it sounds like I shouldn't, given the advice/comments that the pH is fucked

Edit: 1/4 tsp FNB twice a week for a plant in a 5 gal smart pot
 
Kushash

Kushash

Well-Known Member
chasingwaterfalls said:
I do have a TDS meter, but I frankly dont know what conversion from EC it uses. And yes, by plain water I meant tap water, sorry. Tap water measures 70-75 ppm and 8.0 pH. Even though the pH is very high, it also doesn't take much pH down to adjust it (I'm guessing because of the low ppm)
Click to expand...
OK good and yes the lower ppm water will take little PH down to change vs hard water.
Try this as a test the results may surprise you.
Test the PH of your tap water then add the 1/4 strength nute to the water the way you always do except this time do not PH your water 1st. I bet the PH drops enough to take your PH down to a lower range without using any PH down at all.
 
chasingwaterfalls

chasingwaterfalls

Active Member
Kushash said:
OK good and yes the lower ppm water will take little PH down to change vs hard water.
Try this as a test the results may surprise you.
Test the PH of your tap water then add the 1/4 strength nute to the water the way you always do except this time do not PH your water 1st. I bet the PH drops enough to take your PH down to a lower range without using any PH down at all.
Click to expand...
Indeed it does! Adding 1/4tsp of the Flora Nova Bloom nutes to a gallon of tap water brings the pH down on its own to ~6.7 - so I figured giving it a little further bump by adding a little ph down would take care of balancing the ph.

I had thought that the soil would help adjust the ph accordingly, so this has been a good lesson (I used to grow in soil, and I never really had to worry about pH. But maybe I was just lucky with the tap water I had).
 
Roger A. Shrubber

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
6.7 is a little high to run all the time. it's a good idea to adjust all the way down to 6.2 once in a while, and let it rise to 6.7-8 once in a while, but try to center around 6.5, that's the sweet spot for soil, where most nutrients should be pretty available
 
jimihendrix1

jimihendrix1

Well-Known Member
I agree its overfertilized.

They say Feed, and then water with no fert 1 - 3 times, then feed again. Obviously this current schedule is to much. Way to much.

In a smaller container, stuff builds up quick. Id got for 3 waterings vs 1.
They are also very nonspecific. They have a Feed Chart, but doing exactly as they say is both to much trouble, and not needed, making it to complicated, and $$$$$ than it needs to be
I myself would use 1tsp per 5 Gallons Water Flora Nova, and use every time.

They use 1tsp... 5ml per 1 gallon water, and say up to 3 watering no food. Id just dilute it, and feed it every time. But would not feed anything at this time. At least 3 waterings. YMMV.

Also a thing to remember.

If a plant gets really dry, the salts will concentrate, and then when you add more fert/water, it releases the concentrated salts, and burns the plants.

While I have been growing for 45 years, I still like to use a cheap Lowes Moisture Meter,, and never let the moisture level get below LOW MOIST>>>> NEVER EVER TO THE DRY/LOW MOIST LINE> CLOSE< BUT NEVER<. AS IN NEVER let them get that dry, or its asking for big trouble.
 
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