Worm castings "burn"..?

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by nernerderd, Jan 4, 2013.

  1. i believe you test the runoff when you water em. should give you the ph of what your roots are sitting in.
     
  2. I was thinking of trying to test the mix directly... Soaking some in ro water for a while. Will that even work?
     
  3. pffft PH pen, what's that? This is just my noob opinion. I have tried adding the dolomite lime and think I overdid it. Caused some issues, so don't add too much if you do. Know how you feel man, thought my plants were fubar. AS long as the new growth is a nice green you'll be good.
     
  4. Cycling and adding some lime should fix this in time.

    You got it. Also, listen to X and don't overdo the lime.

    You saw my clones in the "hot" mix - that was cycled long enough and with, most importantly, proper microbial activity.

    Don't bother checking your runoff, no of fence to OP.

    J
     
  5. #25 tripleduece249, Jan 6, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 6, 2013
    Ive experienced burns like these. They didn't cover quite as much surface area as yours. Only after transplanting. The spots take a day or two to develop but don't spread or get larger after the initial damage is done. The spots start out almost like a dark purple and develop into crisp brown dead spots.

    Ive always cycled my soil. I attributed it to the stress of transplanting and the fact that when you mix up your soil after it sitting for a while you kill a bunch of the soils natural flora and fauna which creates an extremely nutrient rich medium for a short time. Making it "hot".

    I wouldnt treat all the plants. Let a couple of them be.

    Let me know if it keeps progressing to more leaves or if it behaves like mine and stops after the initial damage. Dont confuse what i am saying. The spots themselves that are already effected will turn brown and die but whatever parts of the plant that weren't initially effected should be fine.

    Edit: I was also using wiggle worm in my soil mix back when that used to happen. I've since started using my own or buying better quality EWC. Can't really draw any conclusions from that though i guess.
     
  6. I've since started using my own or buying better quality EWC

    TripleD - which makes ALL the difference in the world - the key word here being "viable" worm castings.

    Quality humus - worm castings and compost, has been shown to very effectively balance and stabilize soil pH. I don't remember exactly how it works offhand, but work it does, where inferior humus will obviously not balance or stabilize pH as well.

    My first several soil mixes had no liming agents added at all. Granted, I used ProMix, which has a (very) small amount of line added to help offset the acidic peat, but I added no lining agents and my new soil worked perfectly. It wasn't for another year until I finally was able to source and add some oyster shell.

    I still use ProMix as my sphagnum peat base component, more out of convenience, because that's what my local Paris Farmers Union (farm & feed store) sells, but LD told me a long time ago that these folks have the equipment and know-how to get it right and it's always worked very well for me so that's what I use.

    Use the very best compost and worm castings you can find and you'll always be a step ahead for many reasons, soil pH included.

    J
     
  7. This is my near end result. This was my weaker mix with no cooking. you notice the similar "burn" effect as my clones are showing? This started around week 4 and progressed till the end. Buds seems to be ok. Decent size and what not. Maybe a bit better than a previous harvest. Still seems as if the plants are stressin abit

    View attachment 1076964



    View attachment 1076967
     
  8. #28 nernerderd, Jan 8, 2013
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2013
    Well I think I varified the suspect of my problems. I put about a pint or so of soil in a container with about a quart or so of water. Mixed it up, and let it sit for a while. I did this with just peat/ewc/perlite, some of my "hot" mix that has been "cooking" for a month or so, and some soil from the lighter mix that had a plant in it for two months.

    The plain base with no addition lime or anything ran a ph in the low 5's.

    The hot mix ran about 7.2

    The oldest soil ran just below 7.

    I know this method of ph'n may not be the most accurate. and im not planing to use this method in the future. this is why...

    Simply it has proved that the microbe populations and such are the key. Simply cycling has proven to make more ideal root homes. In just 2 months! I am confident future runs will continue to be better.

    This has been what you guys have been tellin me all along. Im a bit too technically minded sometimes, which makes me a skeptic. Not to mention there is a lot of bs out there. so my clones are in the bare mix... the one with the low ph. This is my problem. All I have to do in wait till the ewc culture, and then balance. Thats really cool to me.

    Thanks jerry.. You have been a great help, with a great attitude about it. and thanks to everyone else for pitchin in. its always a pleasure.

    -Shodan

    Ps. I pitched the pen.
     
  9. Hello, sorry to bring up an old post, but I am seeing the same thing. I am also using the same brand of EWC and my gut is telling me there is something going wrong there. I used the EWC in my no till mix, I also used it as a tea for my non no till soil and and a foliar spray for cuts/clones. I'm seeing the same reaction. definitely seeing signs of N toxicity, but also curling, wrinkling, and some distorted leaves.

    As this thread is now 2 years old, the problem has probly been forgotten, but any assustance is desperately needed. Thanks
     
  10. Pictures would help. Also, are you referring to Wiggle Worm castings?

    J
     
  11. I will work on puctures, and yes wiggle worm castings.
     

Share This Page