...hey bro, I've been running the lucas formula for a few years now....I believe you have either over fertilized, or you've knocked your pH out of wack.....when was the last time you calibrated your pH meter? ...I personally would refill your res with a fresh batch of lucas without any pH adjustments and see how they do....it'll take a few days to notice any difference, but I believe your problem lies within your pH.....good luck dude.
Well I began seeing additional spots and damaged tips & margins. I thought the problem was solved. The new growth looks mor normal now but it is still twisted. The yellow spots spread to a handful of leaves. I removed the worst ones (pictured below). Any thoughts?
...I guess what I'm trying to tell you is, I do not have to adjust my pH while using the Lucas formula.....0-8-16 and everything falls into place.
Thanks for the input!! I need all of the help I can get I checked calibration on my meters and they are good. PH was right on on the low end (4) and .1 off on the high end (7). TDS was off just a bit. 1321ppm test indicated 1380ppm. Less than 5% off. My PH was running stable 5.7-5.9. Replacing the nute solution appears to have helped. I am still concerned about the spots that showed up and the new growth, while looking better is still a bit twisted. Here are a couple of new pics:
My tap water is 7.1 or a bit higher. When I started out with low nutes I had to use ph down to keep my nute solution under 6. When I increased nutes I no longer needed to use ph down other than to get my top off water under 6 before I add it to the res. I haven't had to tweak the res PH otherwise.
...you wouldn't happen to be using RO water would you? ...alot of growers add cal/mag along with the Lucas formula when they use RO water. ...damaged leaves won't repair...keep watching the new growth.
I am not using RO yet. I am planning on switching to RO in the near future. For now it's tap water that starts out about 7.1PH & 130ppm TDS. I have a 30+ gallon holding tank that I fill from the tap, toss in a bit of H2O2 and PH down to 6 and let sit for at least 24hrs before using. I then use it for topping off or nute changes as needed. I understand that damaged leaves sill not repair. My concerns are: 1) What caused the damage and how can I prevent it in the future. 2) Are there more spots today than yesterday? I don't think so but I am not absolutely certain...... I had considered pinching off all of the damaged leaves so I could be sure that no new spots were appearing but decided that taking that much foailage off of the plant would not be good for it. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and answer questions. I REALLY appreciate your time! FJ
By the looks of those leaves you said were the worst it's deff nute burn. When I first saw it I thought it may have been a nitrogen deficiency, that can sometimes cause a yellowing of the leaves as well, however when the tips start to get spotted and brown up like that it's a sure sign of nute burn. I would flush out the res completely, and clean it out fully before refilling it to be sure all the excess nutrients are out.
Sorry for the second post, scattered thoughts. But as well you CAN take those damaged leaves off. Only a few at a time so it won't send her into shock. As well of you dont feel comfortable doing that you can just cut the very tips of the leaves where it is burned and the plant will use its energy elsewhere instead of trying to use its energy to try and repair leaves that are helpless. This may also help you get light to other/lower parts of the plant. Just a thought. Whatever you decide I hope it works out!
Thanks Brian. I am running Lucas formula with GH nutes. My TDS prior to changing out the nute solution was in the 900's. Since the change I have been gradually bringing my nute level back up. Currently at 800ppm. Too much N? Or just waited too long to change the nutes?
New pics. Day 49 (?): Having flushed & replaced nutes and moved the lights up a bit, the girls are looking a bit better.
beautiful set-up man. i really like the clean look you have going. sorry i cant say the same about your plants, hopefully they pick up soon. they dont look terrible but they sure as hell dont look normal...
Thanks No they have been a bit "twisted" all along. The early growth was substantially "asymetrical". Like one side of the leaf grew much faster than the other. Very strange looking. Then a series of "learning experiences". I still have twisted growth in one spot on one plant. The steps that cleared everything else haven't kicked in there. Biggest troubles: 1) Change nute solution every 10-14 days. In my setup I thought I could go longer because of my larger resivore. Not so..... 2) Lights too close to the plants. I have done as described in many places. I held my hand over the plants and never felt enough heat to be even a little bit uncomfortable. I wanted to keep the lights as close to the plants as I could. (inverse square law). While chasing "what's wrong with my girls" I moved the lights up 8" and within 24hrs the grils were much happier. Someone commented on how unusually compact they were. When I moved the lights up they stretched notably. Latest: The girls are looking pretty good. I did notice small white spots on a couple of leaves. They brushed off easily. Concerned, I went out for a microscope to have a clower look. What I found was what appear to be mineral/water spots on a couple of leaves and LOTS of tric's!! I did not expect to see them on lower fan leaves. Wish I could post a pic showing them. New pics:
[quote name='"FarmerJames"']any thoughts on that last set of pics? The problem is getting worse. I changed out the nute solution last night and bumped the Micro nutes a bit.[/quote] It looks to be one of three things going on wit ur plants, imo the first thing is ur lights have always been hps and not mh or a blue sectrum for veg, and second it looks like these may have been reverted clones or the product of a cloned auto or lastly just hermaphodite reason for not much bud and so much leaf. In terms of the leaf twist and claw i saw that in the beginning of My grow as well but everything straitin out im growing the auto too nlxbb wirld of seed
Thanks Bggrower, They were grown from WOS NL x BB Auto Fem seeds. I believe from the changes I have seen that I had my lights too close and nutes too strong. They were growing extremely short & compact and twisted on the new growth. Since I moved the lights up they have more than doubled in height. Perhaps stretching a bit.. They have gotten so big they are crowding each other. Take a look at the latest pics and let me know what you think?
Follow up: I started with HPS and 6 CFLs 6400k. The first two pics show the most extreme stretch. The last two are a better overall view. Now I am battling to keep my temps down. Weather has warmed and it has been running 78-83F in the tent. Thank you again everyone for your input!!!!!
[quote name='"FarmerJames"'] Thanks Bggrower, They were grown from WOS NL x BB Auto Fem seeds. I believe from the changes I have seen that I had my lights too close and nutes too strong. They were growing extremely short & compact and twisted on the new growth. Since I moved the lights up they have more than doubled in height. Perhaps stretching a bit.. They have gotten so big they are crowding each other. Take a look at the latest pics and let me know what you think?[/quote] This is a lot better i see your leaves are starting to turn purple too their probably gonna be some that develop a cool purple line right up the vein of the leaf as im hoping this spreads to the bud, for me as well. your buds have made themselves known. only thing to do now is be patient. Ive been having to add more water everyday mine is drinking so much, so remember to stay on top of that too. Good job
Wow! Day 70: Vertical growth finally topped out at 32". Quite a bit taller than I expected. They have pretty much overtaken the space I have. I have not been able to keep things as cool as I would like either. I think I will be buying an air conditioner this week. Flowers are looking sweet...