GCers, What in the world is going on with this plant? In FFOF with tons of perlite. Watered with distilled water and FF Tiger Bloom (every other watering) and molasses (every watering). I had NOT been ph adjusting the waters and nutes (because I stupidly didn't realize that the nutes would change the ph of the distilled water). This is its fifth week of 12/12, not sure when actual flowering began but it was very soon after 12/12 was started (<= 4 days or so). Yellowing on bottom leaves (which are also coming in extremely small and withered and overall really sad looking). The yellowing is moving up the rest of the plant's larger fan leaves. Also there is a severe curling in and up on fan leaf tips. (Shown in the first two pictures attached) I just recently started PH adjusting the nute'ed water to anywhere from 6.4-7.0. Today Ph'ed water and nutes to 6.8 and runoff came out 6.4. So not too bad right. I also added 1 Tsp of epsom salts to the mixture for the first time. Do I need to get some Cal-Mag because I think that may be the problem? OR should I continue to water with PH adjusted water and see if it improves? I have 4 plants total in my cab and only two are showing these problems. Please any more info that is needed to help me, ask and I will be prompt with responses. I have put so much time, money, and energy into this grow, that if it fails now I am not sure what I will do. Pics attached showing problems, also some bud porn from this same sick plant(who doesn't love bud porn) to help spur along any potential answers.
Stank........if I could give one guess, I would say to back off on the molasses. Molasses is rich in minerals, which plants like, but so is your fertilizer. The other thing that molasses is rich in is carbohydrates.(sugar) The plants create sugars on their own. (sticky buds). I grow organically, and use molasses sparingly. I use it as a food source for microbes in my compost teas, and 2-3 times throughout the entire grow with watering. I only use about 1 tbsp/3 gallons of tea and 1 tsp/ga when watering. I water with molasses in the last 3 weeks. An occasional watering during veg won't hurt, but I'd only use 1 tsp/ga. This would be for a treat to the soil microbes. The good news is that yellowing is perfectly natural toward the end of flowering. I've just harvested my grow that went into 12/12 on 10/19/09.....here's a pic at 8 weeks, or you can go to the organics section and see several more. IMO, Don't sweat the yellowing, and back down on the molasses.
Wow thanks for the quick reply. I can def. cut back on the molasses. Just a FYI though, I didn't start using molasses until maybe two weeks ago, so I hadn't been using during veg and all. I will def. check out your grow as soon as I am done with this reply. I think I will change my schedule to water, water, water, nute+water+molasses, water, water, water, nute+water+molasses etc. Thanks again and I'm on my way to your links now.
Thanks for the reassurance, but since I'm only a month into flowering, isn't that a big difference than yellowing 2 months in (which would be natural). I still have a month and half at least to go. Also, is the severe curling that I showed in the first two pics symptomatic of something that is well known amongst more experienced growers than I? Cause it sure looks like it should be dramatic evidence of some sort of problem. But for now I will try and take your advice, chill, roll, smoke, and relax.... we are snowed in here anyways so not much else to do.
I thought you said you were 5 weeks in......If you have 6 more weeks to go....then I think you've got the right idea in your water, water, water, feed etc. protocol. I don't typically see the yellowing begin until about week 4-5. My strains are indica dominant and finish in 56-60 days. If you've got sativa dom strains, I can see where you'd only be halfway through.
Ok, so the plant has been getting worse, a lot more yellowing and small withering leaves. I can't tell if its because this particular plant is closer to harvest than the rest, but this is worrying me because I'm only in the start of the 5th week of 12/12. (I started 12/12 on 11/20/09). I have been measuring the water and runoff and it has been all within bounds (i.e. today 6.8 water, 6.4 runoff). So I decided to buy Cal-Mag and give her a dose, because I was thinking it was a cal or mag issue. I gave it 1 tsp in a gal mix of water. Is this bad during flowering? Oh and a picture of one of the buds on this plant, it is from random bagseed, so I'm not sure of its pedigree, but does look sweet. She has been given the affectionate moniker of pinky, for reasons that I am sure will become obvious when you see the pics. (sorry for the bad pic but I didn't feel like taking the plants out of the cab again for pics.)