I have 7 pots (5 gallon) and have already have large plants. However the bottoms are getting brown.(pics included) I don't over water.. I have only done 2 nute waterings. I am using 5 year old general hydrophobic liquid (flora micro, flora grow, and flora bloom). Last week did 1 tea of each with about 1 gallon per pot, so dont hink they were overnuted..wonder if this is a case of not enough nutes as they might have got diluted over the last few years? I know, get a ph tester, I had one but it broke and money is tight. Have a 6 dollar cheap green one but its junk. If I HAVE to get a ph tester whats the best and cheapest? I live out in the boonies and would have to get it on the net I suppose as they have nothing but the cheap ph testers at lowes and the dreaded WM.. Thanks for any help as last year was a total waste because I used pre fert soil and got NOTHING..
Yikes! I'd suggest SOME type of PH tester. You can go grab one of the regular little 5 dollar bottles of solution that you mix with the water, it'll get you in a ball park. Although, it doesn't look like a PH problem to me. Looks more like a Nitrogen deficiency. I'd check your fertilizers and make sure you are using the correct one. I'm guessing you are still in vegetative state, which needs more Nitrogen than flowering. I don't think you'd need to add all of those fertilizers all at once. My guess is you are over fertilizing. Go into the advanced grow techniques forum, and check the sticky 'Fertilizing Wisely'. Read through it, it's kind of an eye opener about over fertilizing your plants. Good luck!
I've had bad luck with the flora series in soil, wound up with N, MG deficiencies. I switched back to FF and started giving them 1 tsp per gallon Cal-Max on plain waterings and they look so much healthier now. I'd leave the hydro nutes for hydro, but that's just my experience. I'm sure people have success with it, just not me. edit: I used the 3-2-1 ratio for veg and 1-2-3 for flower