Sick Skywalker, Leaf problems w/pics

vilentelf · #1 (**permalink**) 03-03-2009, 02:17 AM

Flowering 1 large (28 days in) and 1 small/medium (7 days in). I use Fox Farms soil mixed with other top quality soils. Fox Farms nuts, Superthrive.

I am growing Skywalker feminized and have recently been having problems with my undergrowth being burned/eaten (not quite sure). I was having trouble with leaves curling at the end and turning yellow and then black. This only happened to undergrowth and only to my plants in flowering (12/12 under 2x150w hps). My first thought was that my plant was just root bound because I overgrew her and only used a 3 gallon pot. Shortly after putting a much smaller/younger plant in flowering, however, the smaller plant also started to show the same symptoms of dying undergrowth--leaves curling and turning black. That virtually eliminated my root bound theory, because this plant was small for its pot. Also, the smaller plant seemed to show more drastic leaf death. Its leaves would usually not even turn yellow, but just straight black.

I then turned my attention to ph, as I had never really worried about it in my soil grows. I bought a ph meter and over the last few weeks found my soil to be between 6.9 and 7.1. That seemed normal, so I began investigating the possibility that bugs might be infesting my growth. Although 95% sure that no insects were present, I had to be sure. The symptoms of fungus gnats and aphids seemed like they could both be present, due to the undergrowth death and slightly stunted growth. My local grow store owner recommended two products, so in an effort to eliminate both possibilities I used a PCO Fogger for the aphids, and watered/sprayed my plants with Organocide for the fungus gnats. I also cut some of the dinky undergrowth on the large plant.

It is four days later and while the problem on my large plant is stable/slightly better, the smaller plant in flowering actually got worse. It is only 7 days into flowering and should not have such damaged/black leaves. My plants in vegetative do not show any signs of problems on their leaves, but their growth has been quite stunted compared to cloning experiences I have had in the past. I hope someone can tell me what is going on with my plants, particularly the problems I am having in flowering. These are pictures of leaves off of the smaller plant in flowering. There were quite a few more than these sample. I also included a good picture of the larger plants buds, just to show I at least can grow something well : )

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45970

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45971

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45972

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45973

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45974

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45975

And the better pic.

http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost.../ppuser/145290

Klutter · #2 (**permalink**) 03-03-2009, 02:59 AM

There are some pieces ya failed to mention: What is your soil made of? What are you feeding these?

TheFrizzleFry25 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-03-2009, 06:24 AM

Im growing some skywalker as well, and ive been having the same problem. It resembles quite a few nute problems, but i have tried flushing and still havent had results. I know where ya are bro and if i figure it out, ill let ya know.

vilentelf · #4 (**permalink**) 03-03-2009, 08:04 AM

Thanks Frizzle, nice to know I am not alone in this problem. I am growing in Fox Farms Happy Frog soil, with All-Mix mixed in 20%. Perlite is the bottom inch of my grow buckets for proper drainage. I keep thinking it is a nute problem too, but watered for 3 days no nutes and small plant got worse. And i'm not ph locked, unless my brand new ph meter is messed. Plus, I am using same nute strength from end of veg to flower, just replacing Tiger Bloom for Grow Big. Therefore, I shouldn't be burning them.

vilentelf · #5 (**permalink**) 03-03-2009, 08:06 AM

Oh and for nutes, I am using Fox Farm Big Bloom (1/2 teaspoon/gal) with either Grow Big (1 tsp/gal) veg, or Tiger Bloom (1 tsp/gal) flowering. I also work in a drop or two of Superthrive from time to time.

Raziel · #6 (**permalink**) 03-03-2009, 07:34 PM

Jeez man, I'm growing the same strain and I'm facing a similar problem: older leaves get ripped and show necrotic areas on them... I flushed the soil too, but the plants now look just overwatered...
Really don't know what to do... later I'll add some pics, as soon as my camera will be charged.
I hope we will manage to solve that problems... and let me say this strain sucks: it's a too unstable hybrid.

vilentelf · #7 (**permalink**) 03-23-2009, 11:19 PM

So, I have made some progress on my issues over the last two weeks. I had a ph issue, which is now remedied. The big problem is that I have some sort of soil infestation. I noticed that as I watered my plants (one in particular), little white larvae/bugs would become visible at the surface of the soil. My initial thought was fungus gnats, but after reading about symphilids they seemed to be the culprit. I fogged my grow area and watered with Organocide and water (2 oz to 1 gal). After a few days the bugs still appeared at the surface of one of the plants soil, but only after watering. I then used pure Organocide unmixed and soaked the soil of that one plant. It has now been five days and I have not seen any insects on top of the soil, whether it is dry or just after watering. However, I just found what looked like grouped up dust on top of the runnoff following a thorough watering. After closer inspection and a little poking, I realized that these are little larvae/bugs. They do not appear to move unless I disturb the group. After being scattered they re-merge into a mass and just float there. I got a few of them on the end of a pencil and saw them squirm around. I do not have the ability to take extremely up-close pictures of them individually, but I tried to get a good pic of the group. They are white, all the same size, and only move when disrupted. I have never seen any insects on the leaves or stem of my plants; only on the very top of the soil or in the runoff at the base of the plant. I threw all my soil out after realizing I had a soil infestation, but just wish I could get rid of these pests. Does anyone know exactly what these bugs are, and how I can get rid of them?

vilentelf · #8 (**permalink**) 03-23-2009, 11:48 PM

Here are some pics of the bugs floating on the water. The insect cluster is directly in the middle of the three pictures. Also is a pic of two plants in veg. They are the same age, but have different soil. The one on the right was the extremely infested one. It has had about triple the insecticide treatments.

vilentelf · #9 (**permalink**) 03-25-2009, 04:04 AM

After researching more on the insect problem, I have determined that they are fungus gnats. What is the best way of killing the fungus gnats? I have read that putting sand on top of the soil will kill the eggs. I have already removed any soil or leaf bits from my grow area, and have put sticky traps out for the adults. Oddly, I have never seen a flying gnat, so I am not sure how I have the babies. I have also sprayed the last of my Organocide on the top of the soil to try killing any eggs that are laid. Anyway, I have also heard that products containing BTI are good. I just want them gone forever and would love to ensure that without wiping out my whole operation. Everyone of my 7 rooted plants shows signs of infection...where do I start?

vilentelf · #10 (**permalink**) 03-25-2009, 04:23 AM

I re-posted the pics I linked above in my first post. Only recently did I realize how to properly attach the images, so this way they will be easy to see.

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#1 (permalink) 03-03-2009, 02:17 AM
vilentelf Fourth grow Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 19	Sick Skywalker, Leaf problems w/pics Flowering 1 large (28 days in) and 1 small/medium (7 days in). I use Fox Farms soil mixed with other top quality soils. Fox Farms nuts, Superthrive. I am growing Skywalker feminized and have recently been having problems with my undergrowth being burned/eaten (not quite sure). I was having trouble with leaves curling at the end and turning yellow and then black. This only happened to undergrowth and only to my plants in flowering (12/12 under 2x150w hps). My first thought was that my plant was just root bound because I overgrew her and only used a 3 gallon pot. Shortly after putting a much smaller/younger plant in flowering, however, the smaller plant also started to show the same symptoms of dying undergrowth--leaves curling and turning black. That virtually eliminated my root bound theory, because this plant was small for its pot. Also, the smaller plant seemed to show more drastic leaf death. Its leaves would usually not even turn yellow, but just straight black. I then turned my attention to ph, as I had never really worried about it in my soil grows. I bought a ph meter and over the last few weeks found my soil to be between 6.9 and 7.1. That seemed normal, so I began investigating the possibility that bugs might be infesting my growth. Although 95% sure that no insects were present, I had to be sure. The symptoms of fungus gnats and aphids seemed like they could both be present, due to the undergrowth death and slightly stunted growth. My local grow store owner recommended two products, so in an effort to eliminate both possibilities I used a PCO Fogger for the aphids, and watered/sprayed my plants with Organocide for the fungus gnats. I also cut some of the dinky undergrowth on the large plant. It is four days later and while the problem on my large plant is stable/slightly better, the smaller plant in flowering actually got worse. It is only 7 days into flowering and should not have such damaged/black leaves. My plants in vegetative do not show any signs of problems on their leaves, but their growth has been quite stunted compared to cloning experiences I have had in the past. I hope someone can tell me what is going on with my plants, particularly the problems I am having in flowering. These are pictures of leaves off of the smaller plant in flowering. There were quite a few more than these sample. I also included a good picture of the larger plants buds, just to show I at least can grow something well : ) http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45970 http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45971 http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45972 http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45973 http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45974 http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost...hp/photo/45975 And the better pic. http://forum.grasscity.com/photopost.../ppuser/145290

#3 (permalink) 03-03-2009, 06:24 AM
TheFrizzleFry25 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Couve, Washington Posts: 21	Re: Sick Skywalker, Leaf problems w/pics Im growing some skywalker as well, and ive been having the same problem. It resembles quite a few nute problems, but i have tried flushing and still havent had results. I know where ya are bro and if i figure it out, ill let ya know. __________________ "Father Time keeps a nice place, but Mother Chaos is winning the race."

#4 (permalink) 03-03-2009, 08:04 AM
vilentelf Fourth grow Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 19	Re: Sick Skywalker, Leaf problems w/pics Thanks Frizzle, nice to know I am not alone in this problem. I am growing in Fox Farms Happy Frog soil, with All-Mix mixed in 20%. Perlite is the bottom inch of my grow buckets for proper drainage. I keep thinking it is a nute problem too, but watered for 3 days no nutes and small plant got worse. And i'm not ph locked, unless my brand new ph meter is messed. Plus, I am using same nute strength from end of veg to flower, just replacing Tiger Bloom for Grow Big. Therefore, I shouldn't be burning them.

#5 (permalink) 03-03-2009, 08:06 AM
vilentelf Fourth grow Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 19	Re: Sick Skywalker, Leaf problems w/pics Oh and for nutes, I am using Fox Farm Big Bloom (1/2 teaspoon/gal) with either Grow Big (1 tsp/gal) veg, or Tiger Bloom (1 tsp/gal) flowering. I also work in a drop or two of Superthrive from time to time.

#6 (permalink) 03-03-2009, 07:34 PM
Raziel Newbie Toker Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Babylon A.D. Posts: 2	Re: Sick Skywalker, Leaf problems w/pics Jeez man, I'm growing the same strain and I'm facing a similar problem: older leaves get ripped and show necrotic areas on them... I flushed the soil too, but the plants now look just overwatered... Really don't know what to do... later I'll add some pics, as soon as my camera will be charged. I hope we will manage to solve that problems... and let me say this strain sucks: it's a too unstable hybrid. __________________ What "do ut des" actually means? The more you look after your plants, the more they will reward you with a better yield. Always enjoy the result of your hard work responsibly. Nothing is better than my ganja!

#7 (permalink) 03-23-2009, 11:19 PM
vilentelf Fourth grow Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 19	Skywalker bug problems So, I have made some progress on my issues over the last two weeks. I had a ph issue, which is now remedied. The big problem is that I have some sort of soil infestation. I noticed that as I watered my plants (one in particular), little white larvae/bugs would become visible at the surface of the soil. My initial thought was fungus gnats, but after reading about symphilids they seemed to be the culprit. I fogged my grow area and watered with Organocide and water (2 oz to 1 gal). After a few days the bugs still appeared at the surface of one of the plants soil, but only after watering. I then used pure Organocide unmixed and soaked the soil of that one plant. It has now been five days and I have not seen any insects on top of the soil, whether it is dry or just after watering. However, I just found what looked like grouped up dust on top of the runnoff following a thorough watering. After closer inspection and a little poking, I realized that these are little larvae/bugs. They do not appear to move unless I disturb the group. After being scattered they re-merge into a mass and just float there. I got a few of them on the end of a pencil and saw them squirm around. I do not have the ability to take extremely up-close pictures of them individually, but I tried to get a good pic of the group. They are white, all the same size, and only move when disrupted. I have never seen any insects on the leaves or stem of my plants; only on the very top of the soil or in the runoff at the base of the plant. I threw all my soil out after realizing I had a soil infestation, but just wish I could get rid of these pests. Does anyone know exactly what these bugs are, and how I can get rid of them?

#9 (permalink) 03-25-2009, 04:04 AM
vilentelf Fourth grow Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 19	Fungus gnats After researching more on the insect problem, I have determined that they are fungus gnats. What is the best way of killing the fungus gnats? I have read that putting sand on top of the soil will kill the eggs. I have already removed any soil or leaf bits from my grow area, and have put sticky traps out for the adults. Oddly, I have never seen a flying gnat, so I am not sure how I have the babies. I have also sprayed the last of my Organocide on the top of the soil to try killing any eggs that are laid. Anyway, I have also heard that products containing BTI are good. I just want them gone forever and would love to ensure that without wiping out my whole operation. Everyone of my 7 rooted plants shows signs of infection...where do I start?

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