Alright guys... total newb when it comes to growing and learning a lot as I go, so be gentle. I picked up a few Master Kush clones from a local dispensary a couple weeks ago. They looked very healthy when I first bought them. After vegging them for the last 10 days or so, they've progressively gone down hill. This is the worst of the bunch... I'm getting fan leaves that are drying. They are turning dark, then drying out. The new vegetation is coming in good and growing quickly but the existing stuff is slowly dying off. I was planing on vegging for another week before putting them into 12/12(they are 24/7 currently)... They have grown nearly 6 inches in the last 10 days and are currently 9-10" tall. They were about 3-4 inches tall when I picked them up, in large plastic cups. I transplanted them into 2 gallon buckets using a pre-mixed potting soil(think it was Kellog brand) that contains no nutrients. I've been giving them a VERY mild dosing of a 15-30-15 fertilizer with every other watering. I wait till the top 2 inches of soil is dry before giving anymore water. These are under a 400 watt HPS setup, about 15 inches away, 85-ish degrees with plenty of good air flow. Soil PH is approx 7.0. I don't see any signs of pests or anything else obviously wrong. The problem seems to be mostly localized on the older\larger fan leaves towards the bottom half of the plant. Any help or guidance is most appreciated!
hey... to start off i would take the ph down to 6.5 ... second the nutes for vegging consist of equal ratios of NPK.... rather than 15-30-15 i woulg go 15-15-15.... droopiness in the leaves could indicate overwatering... how often do you water? .... also since the problem only affects older leaves and not new growth I would think of a buildup of some sort, which is weird at low dosages of nutes.... unless the soil is pre nuted or something....... but I'm not too sure about my last opinion..... you should wait for more opinions before making your mind up....
I water about every 3-4 days. I wait till I have to dig down 2-3 inches to find moisture. It didn't seem like excessive watering to me but the top leaves(new growth) seem to say otherwise. Maybe I should extend it out another couple days between watering...? The soil was just plain pre-mixed potting soil... no nutrients or anything in it. After doing a little more research, I believe you are correct about the wrong fertilizer. I'm thinking it might be an excess of phosphorus. Maybe I should try flushing(with lower PH water?)?
i think you have nute burnt her... then nute burnt her again.. .then maybe again once more. looks like bad soil and a bunch of nutes when she didn't need any to start with. what soil is that?
It's just cheapo, 5 dollar a bag at Lowes, non-nutrient, potting soil(mistake #1 I'm finding out). I'm building my "grow kit" on the (seriously)cheap and as I get some more grows under my belt and find out what needs to stay or go, I'll upgrade. I like to experiment and find out for myself what works, what doesn't. I think you are correct though. After doing some more research, it looks like phosphorus and mild nitrogen burn. I've been giving them a hair less than half a dose every other watering... maybe I should have started at a quarter, or even less than that. I flushed with plenty of water this evening and trimmed off any severely damaged vegetation. Once everything dries out, I will get them started on a less agressive watering\fertilizing regimen and put them on 12/12(shooting for Oct 1st to start flowering). I might have been a little on the enthusiastic side with my watering. This learning to grow thing is kinda fun...
not too late for good soil. get you some fox farm ocean forest and transplant carefully. you will be amazed at how she will bounce back... every grow will get better. you are developing a skill. good luck.