I've had soil issues for almost the last year.It's a homemade mix of organic soil,it's a fairly standard mix I learned form the organic section. The latest mix is over 4 months old.So it's sat plenty of time 1cf lobster compost 1cf blueberry/muscle compost 2 1/2 cf pro-mix give or take a little about 20 quarts of EWC a mixed blend of kelp/alfafa meals,and organic powdered plant food 3 cups per CF 20lb's Buckwheat hulls Sometimes I wonder if the buckwheat does give enough aeration.Jerry swears by them,but the don't.y seem that airy to me...Could that even do this? The soil PH test is around 6.5 possibly a ltitle higher,but under 7.0.It's a digital meter with no settings between 0.5 increments.My water PH's at 6.2...Runoff is 6.3 What happens is say when I put a plant in the soil,its fine for a few weeks.Then lockouts start happening.What looks to be mag,and phosphorus in the leaves,and purpleing stems.Usualy a high PH issue. The retarded thing is,if I transplant the plant to a larger container with more of the same soil,it comes right back to life again for awhile.With nice green new stem growth,and darker correctly colored leaves.Then here we go again with the lockouts.I just don't get it. Here's a pic with various stages of decay...
Is the soil mix still heavy/wet? Yes - I do swear by my buckwheat hulls - I add as needed to get the soil structure I'm looking for. A soil shouldn't stay wet - just moist. What have you added for nutrition? J
Umm,I listed all the soil amendments...I thought I didn't need to add anything else,except water...Though I do have earth juice,but it doesn't seem to help the problem Are you saying it looks like damage from too wet soil?It seems to dry out finer,though it is also kinda heavy while wet. This is the same issues we spoke of months ago jerry,I'm ready to give up on organic growing.Ever since I switched,I've been struggling...I know it makes no sense at all.
Yes - refresh us on the powdered plant food? Is it a blended organic fertilizer? I sure wouldn't give up over one mix. I'm sorry for your frustration. J Edit: I also wanted to ask if we could see a picture of the entire plant(s)? Is this happening over the entire plant? Bottom leaves? Working its way up or down the plant? Is new growth affected?
its coast of maine plant food...yes blended..everything is coast of maine...compost,plantfood,EWC..except the kelp ,and alfalfa meals This is my second mix J... I can't get a good picture of the plants atm.i frigged my camera up...Most of the damage starts at the bottom,but it is random in higher places,until finally the whole plant will end up this way...they turn really yellow as well like nitro def,it doesn't explain all that weird purple,grey,black/blown spots shit.They plants will just keep on dieing no matter what I've done...
Calcium toxicity? Soil ph is within acceptable range. http://www.autoflowering-cannabis.com/secondary-nutrients-calcium-magnesium-sulfur-for-cannabis.html You did say you thought it looked like Mag' and Phos' deficiency.
Mag comes last,you saw the pictures of the damage.I don't understand...You said let me see pics....No guesses? it happens almost over night...4-5 days ago those leaves were perfect. Again,why would transplanting it into a bigger pot of the same soil form the same container I keep it in.fix the issues for a short period of time... I've kept the mix moist its the whole time.I don't see adding watering plants to changing it much..I just don't get it...
This statement might be contributing to your issue. Also the mix looks really heavy in the compost area. Damn near 50/50 humus/promix. It may be getting too dense, combined with EJ. No bueno. My 2 pennies. FWIW
I've only added the EJ after the problems start to try and correct... So to dense of soil can mess it up? It really would make sense,and the more I water it compacts the soil..Can this be a problem?
There is nothing wrong with the mix you've put together. I'd use it no problem. The Coast of Maine are high quality organic products and I've been using them successfully for some years now. There just has to be something else going on. Could the water itself be off? Ie: chloramine/city water? Curious - approximately how often are you watering? It can't be too wet right? I keep coming back to that because I feel that the mix is good. It's not too hot/ too humid? J
I thought I expressed to you (in the other thread) that it was important to see the whole plant in order to correctly diagnose any potential problems. Jerry asked in post #6. I've given my best guess based on the information that you've provided. Did you read the link I provided in post #9? The part on calcium TOXICITY? It states that diagnosing cal' tox' is almost impossible by looking at the leaves. But signs of Mg, P, and Mn deficiencies are indications of cal' tox'. Do you pH adjust your water?
Yes yes yes You will see exactly what you are seeing without oxygen in your soil. The materials you are using are top shelf - I just feel its too heavy and dense - which WILL cause yellowing and discoloration of your leaves. I do not believe you have any deficiencies or lockouts or cal mag this or that. I feel that you are just too dense and heavy - but of course I haven't seen the soil either. Call it an educated guess. J
My water is well water,with less then 80 ppm...I've used it fine before all this...I still PH my water,and soil yes... As I said before my soil tester reads 6.5,bot it could be anywhere form 6.5-6.9...
If it is too dense,would it be ok to cut it woth more pro-mix for now as I Have no perlite atm...it actually doesn't feel real dense,but it as I said it does seem to compact with more waterings...
Yes. Compacted soil will also create the reactions that you are seeing. What's the VOLUME of 20# of buckwheat hulls? I know your camera's f'd. Can you borrow one from a friend? We need to SEE...
Pro-mix will not add the aeration you need. It does contain perlite, but not the amount you need to fix a compacted soil.