So I have MG deficiency, and it's getting worse rather quickly. These pictures were taken 2 days ago and today. Okay so here we go: My pH is low, which I know inhibits Mg uptake. I'm running about a 6.2 pH in the soil, and I know I need to raise it. So I purchased some hydrated lime. HOWEVER, my plants have already been transplanted into their final container. My soil mix DOES contain buffers, but I guess it's just not enough. I thought it would be. My mistake. After I seen that leaf today ,I went out and bought some Epsom salt and just misted the sick plant pretty good, and gave the others a light misting, can't hurt. I can't find any good instructions as to how to add hydrated lime to the soil after they've been planted. How much to use, and all that good stuff. I need to water them with a nute solution tomorrow, and I figure that'd be a good time to add the lime. Any ideas? Also how much Epsom salt should I be using to mist the foilage. I put in a pinch (1/8th tsp) in a 1.2 L bottle and filled it with water. I'm using FF grow big, which does contain Mg, so most likely it's the low pH problem. I'd like to get it up as close as I can to 7.
Hold on, let me clarify something: The directions on the package say: 1 tbsp per gallon of water for potted plants. All the instructions I can find online say to add it directly to the soil and to not mix it with nutrient solution. Now I need to give my plants a nutrient solution tomorrow as well, so is it safe to mix it in with the solution? Edit: I just answered my own question after about 30 mins on goggle =/ Anyway, you're not supposed to mix hydrated lime with the nutrient solution. I guess fixing my pH should be priority over applying nutes.
First of all, congratulations on correctly diagnosing the Magnesium deficiency on your plant, it can be a tricky one to figure out. More than likely you also have a Calcium problem because the two usually go hand in hand when there is a nute lockout at low PH levels. You're right, if you don't act fairly quickly the problem will accelerate. Epsom Salts are a good start but I found they really only slow down the deterioration of the problem, they don't resolve it. Misting the leaves is a good way to start because you'll need to do something right away. In my case I used 1/4 tsp to a quart of water, misted the leaves 3 times a day, and that seemed to halt the progression of the problem, but it won't resolve your low PH issue. Adding Lime to the soil will help over the long run but it won't help you much over the next couple of weeks, as it has to be leeched down to the roots of your plant. Typically you would pour some Lime on the surface of the soil and then use a tool like a gardners fork to carefully work the lime down into the top couple of inches of the soil. Be careful that you don't get down to the root levels. In my experience the quickest way to resolve the PH and Magnesium problem at the same time is to get yourself a PH Up / PH Down kit, a bottle of Cal-Mag nutrient supplement, and a liquid PH test kit. Mix your typical fert solution in a gallon of water, and add about 1/2 - 3/4 of an eye dropper of PH Up to your fert mix, and 2 tsps of Cal-Mag. You will want to use the liquid PH test kit to test the fert solution before adding it to the soil, make sure it is at the perfect PH level before adding it to the soil. Also, be careful with the PH Up, it can be potent. If you find you added too much PH Up, you can use a little PH Down to balance out the PH until it's just right. This took me a few gallons to become familiar with how much PH Up to add, lol After my first mistakes with PH imbalance, and Calcium/Magnesium deficiencies, I always balance the PH in my fert solution and add a couple of teaspoons of Cal-Mag, I have never had the problem since using this regement of feeding my plants. Assuming you are able to do this, you should see an improvement in your plants within 5 - 7 days. Sorry for the long winded post, hope this helps.
