1st Hydro grow - HELP!

[thylacinelives]

Hi, I use to grow in coco/perlite with Green Planet nutes but was convinced to go hydro. I bought two DWC tubs and Hy_Gen grow n bloom + bud link. The veg state was brilliant. Quick green large growth. Then flipped to flower and all was well until 3 weeks into flower and I am getting this rust colour on leaves and the buds are very soft n thin, not much of them.
I emptied and rinsed the container yesterday and added filtered ph water @6.7 and added half the recommended dose of nutes.
Questions:
1: What is going on with the rusty leaves? PH??
2: How often do you feed in water? I was doing every 3rd day as per coco grow.
3: How often should I drain and add fresh water?
4: how do I fatten the buds?

All help appreciated, thanks

 

[Absorber]

Ph should be at 5.8-6 for hydro, so you are probably locking out a range of nutrients,
And some CalMag probably wouldn't hurt too

 

[Porky]

When you say you feed every 3rd day that doesn't make sense if it's DWC as DWC is constantly feeding because you have feed in the bucket all the time?
How are you feeding them?
You would usually change the water weekly in flower with DWC!
They look very well fed so I would assume it's a lockout problem from pH being out!
Lift a plant up and stick a pH pen in the bubbling water and check the pH.

 

[thylacinelives]

When you say you feed every 3rd day that doesn't make sense if it's DWC as DWC is constantly feeding because you have feed in the bucket all the time?
How are you feeding them?
You would usually change the water weekly in flower with DWC!
They look very well fed so I would assume it's a lockout problem from pH being out!
Lift a plant up and stick a pH pen in the bubbling water and check the pH.

I just mix the nutes and pour into the container. I do this every third day.
Thanks I will do this.

 

[thylacinelives]

OK When I say I feed them every third day I just mix up the nutes and pour into the container via the plug at the top. This is the ones I have.

 

[Bullfrog]

calcium and magnesium demands go up during the first few weeks of flower

 

[Porky]

OK When I say I feed them every third day I just mix up the nutes and pour into the container via the plug at the top. This is the ones I have. View attachment 41080

Ok. First thing I would do is check the pH in the buckets. If it's not between 5.7 to 6.1 I would tip it out and mix a fresh batch of nutes. If you can I would lower the N in the feed and add a bit more cal mag!
If your just pouring more nutrients in every 3 days your getting a build up of N and you ec will probably be very high also so check that too!
I'm guna go with pH being out causing lockout! To much N can lockout other nutes too.

 

[Bullfrog]

im gonna go with your using filtered water and no calmag. if im wrong i owe porky an icy pole

 

[thylacinelives]

im gonna go with your using filtered water and no calmag. if im wrong i owe porky an icy pole

So just use tap water?

 

[Bullfrog]

So just use tap water?

depends on your water quality I guess.
can i assume you dont have an EC meter either ?

 

[thylacinelives]

im gonna go with your using filtered water and no calmag. if im wrong i owe porky an icy pole

depends on your water quality I guess.
can i assume you dont have an EC meter either ?

Urmm, nope. Just ph meter. I have a TDS meter, unsure why I bout it tho. Obviously not important.

Just went to the store and bought a bottle of Go Green, and a new Ph Meter just in case.

 

[Bullfrog]

Urmm, nope. Just ph meter. I have a TDS meter, unsure why I bout it tho. Obviously not important

yeah might as well throw it away

 

[Bullfrog]

or keep it and use it. Id personally go with option 2.

 

[Bullfrog]

@thylacinelives
all jokes aside. what does your tds meter say when you stick it in your water ?
also do you calibrate your pH meter regularly ? you could be locking out nutrients and not know because your pH meter is telling lies.

 

[med180]

Just to chime in I'd say p.h is your problem. I run my dwc buckets at 5.8 and I start noting issues if it get much higher than 6 or so. You should be able to wing it without an ec meter for now, Start with all fresh nutrient solution with p.h @ 5.8, you should see improvement in 48hrs.

 

[benn0]

I'm almost tempted to say its nute burn but nute burn usually affects the tips first then burns inwards this seems to be originating from the middle of the leaf

 

[Bullfrog]

@med180
how would that explain the calcium defficiency ? when hes feeding it at the optimal range for calcium uptake ??
I usually see yellowing leaves as part of a nutrient lockout too. thats why Im not sold on the pH unless his pH meter is broken

 

[Tunks]

What's the temps mate? You running a chiller? If not you'll be fucked now it's getting hotter

 

[med180]

@med180
how would that explain the calcium defficiency ? when hes feeding it at the optimal range for calcium uptake ??

I'd say

@med180
how would that explain the calcium defficiency ? when hes feeding it at the optimal range for calcium uptake ??
I usually see yellowing leaves as part of a nutrient lockout too. thats why Im not sold on the pH unless his pH meter is broken

At half strength nutes what little food is there is insufficient and locked out by p.h. and like tunks said unless your in tassie then your water temps would be well over 21 which affect everything too
Edit. My autos in flower in dwc are running nutes at nearly twice recommended dose on the bottles!

 

[Bullfrog]

yeah thats true but it was fine til he flipped it. and if hes tasmanian hes got bigger problems