Hi guys and gals! I've been growing for about 5 years now and decided to try a no till setup for the first time. I have been successful in the past as a hydro grower and more recently using fox farm ocean forest with AACT and compost xtract. After doing a lot of research online "BAS" blog, etc. and reading books like "teaming" and Ruth Stout "no work garden" I decided I was ready. My soil is the classic CC recipe. I used Berger Canadian peat, lava rock for drainage and used a 50/50 mix of Malibu compost and california humus (vital earth) for my compost. I also added about 5% bio char. The nutrient and mineral mix came from BAS (CC mix). I top dressed with wonder worm worm castings, crab, kelp, lava rock, oyster shell, alfalfa, grokashi and modern microbes (to kick the party off) and baseline humic acid. First I let the soil cycle for about 3 weeks. I grew the plants out in 1 gallon containers using malted barley SST and coconut water as described by Bluejay in the no till thread. The plants were absolutely thriving! Just super happy, every leaf was green and praying. 3 days ago i transplanted into the 20 gallon geo pots and again top dressed with a few cups of the vermi mix (described above). I used 2 tbsp. mycos in each hole and mulched each pot with rice straw. I watered with rainwater that I checked the ph but did not adjust. The ph was 6.8. I watered about 2 gallons per pot. The soil already had some moisture but it wasn't over saturated or even dripping when I squeezed a little in my hand. In this step the plants go from being under T5's to HPS. I dial down the 1000watt bulbs to 50% to make the transition as easy as possible. After the transplant the plants showed very little if any shock. For the first two days the plants were absolutely jumping and dancing, as was I. They looked amazing. Here are some pics 2 days after transplant. So now day 3 rolls around (day 3 after transplant. I'm still 18/6) and that's when things started getting wierd. Usually about an hour before lights out the plants start to droop a little bit and I know this is normal. On the 3rd day after transplant the plants were really drooping and the ridges on the leaves were very pronounced. I let it ride and when the lights came back on the plants were still super droopy along with some leaves showing a yellowing (in between the veins) as well as some rust spots on a small number of leaves. I decided to give a small amount of water (.75 gallon) because they looked thirsty but now I'm thinking I have overwatered? Here are some images I took this morning I have never worked with containers this large. I also know letting the soil dry out too much using the no till system is a no no. The containers are heavy and the top of the soil is damp but not wet. I'm thinking I overwatered and letting the soil dry out for a few days will remedy the issue but the yellowing, rusty leaves (deficiency) are a huge concern to me. Any and all advice is much appreciated. Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Also wanted to add a photo of my soil while it was cycling. Check the "santa's beard"! This soil should have been very biologically active. Also wanted to add I have been keeping up with my IPM every 3-5 days. Thanks again for checking this out and adding any comments or questions. I hope the issue is from overwatering and not something more insidious! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Looks hot and dry to me. Others may have suggestions. Sometimes after a significant dry period you get rust spots or pale growth or whatever, maybe it's the soil life getting wet again and werkin... I have luck with a top dress and daily hydration when that happens instead of wet/dry cycles. Take care.
Thanks iggy! It turns out it must have been overwatering. The lights just came on and everything is perky and happy again. I guess the fact that the soil was damp when I transplanted along with the fact I've never worked with containers this large and I overestimated how much water they needed at first. Then when I saw the first signs of droop I gave them more water! The thing that is amazing me is how fast they got pale and how quickly the color came back! I wish I had a good white balance on my phone camera because the yellow rendering of the hps bulbs doesn't look great but I took a few pics anyway! I think I'll just keep updating this thread as a grow log if anyone cares or is listening!? Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Hi Tbar. Welcome to GCO. You might be better off either just using the flash on your phone while lights are off or dragging a regular incandescent lamp in while the lights are off to take a few pictures. Unless you've got a decent camera with the white balance option you'll never really be able to shop pictures of what you're seeing. HPS is pretty much the worst lighting for picture-taking. Glad you're garden seems to be back on track. J
