This mellow is too damn yellow!

[Yamumzbum]

Look at this sad old girl,, I need some ideas on where I've gone wrong.

So I recently made the transition from coco to living soil using High Powered Organic's premium product Grow-Dirt.
Ducks nuts according to old mate at my local and I been loving this shit. No mixing fukn nutrients and all that other tedious crap.

So fast forward 10 weeks or so and I'm roughly 6 weeks into flower and it's gone to shit as you can see. She's budding alright sorta but here's where it went weird.
This bitch is dropping leaves like Putin's dropping bombs and I dunno what the fuck is going on.
it's yellow as all fuck and one would think maybe a nitrogen deficiency or something but I've given her a few worm shit milkshakes and that did fukn squat.


I'm an absolute amateur when it comes to organics and I ain't never had this issue with Coco.

Much appreciated.

 

[HGO]

Overwatering can cause leaf drop in soil
looking at that leaf tip burn you have fed her enough already and because its already well on its way towards
harvesting I'd just suggest cutting back on watering , no more feeds and just try to keep the ph stable until its ready

 

[Gazza]

I’d be looking at your ph to start with, process of elimination. Have you grown this strain out before do u know what the finish time is roughly?

 

[Sedge]

My guess the soil is just about depleted of food ,,

normaly would need amendments added as a top layer with living soil .
also looks to be suffering from cold temps.
but yeah first check ph as mentioned above ,,

 

[Old fox]

Looks overwatered. Clawing leaves that dont start drooping at stem is typical symptom, along with that yellowing. Soil is easy to overwater, especially in this cold weather. If possible, try making a few holes on side of pot, about 2-3 inches from bottom.

 

[Yamumzbum]

HGO thanks for your response. Overwatering is a definite possibility, one which I'm trying to get a hold of.
I didn't realise how useful perlite was along with coco it drains so damn well.

Farmer Gary, very much appreciated your help. I am yet to invest in a soil pH tester although old mate down the local hydro reckons just test the run off with my bluelab but thing is I got no run off, nothing like with coco anyway.
It's a Wedding cake X Og Kush n I think it was listed as 9 weeks.
Y'know this all began right after flicking it to 12/12.
One thing perhaps worth mentioning is I fed her some herb superb (bloom amendments) straight away, possibly bit early you think?
She was a real stunner in her younger years, 6 weeks ago to be precise and fuck knows what happened after flicking to flower.

Sedge that's a fair point although the soil I've used is good for 6 months growth, apparently, before requiring re-amending.
Saying that I've fed her a little but mainly just leveled water with Mammoth P.


Old Fox, you old Fox you haha I reckon it's down to either overwatering or soil pH. Or perhaps both.
I do adjust my water to between 6five and seven, that's alright isn't it mate?

I'm certain as soon as I figure this out I'll be a convert but this is pretty concerning to be honest.
Thanks again for your help mate.

I'm assuming there's a way to tag you fine gentlemen into my reply but I'm technologically retard3d.

Hope youse all receive my thanks.

 

[Porky]

Yeah test ya ph but I think it's soil is depleted. I haven't seen a super soil that has as they claim to water only get a plant to finish especially like yours with small pot and a decent size plant!
Give it a feed!

 

[Yamumzbum]

Yeah test ya ph but I think it's soil is depleted. I haven't seen a super soil that has as they claim to water only get a plant to finish especially like yours with small pot and a decent size plant!
Give it a feed!

Oh I feed the bitch Porky. And as everyone knows, fat chicks need lovin too!
Plenty of love to give but she's holding out on me haha

 

[Old fox]

Don't buy a probe to test your soil pH, as its grossly inaccurate. Just like trying to test water runoff from soil(that's a Coco thing, used by some people). Instead get a soil pH test kit from Bunnings, for about $15. Then do soil slurry tests, which indicate soil pH levels in various parts of the pot. Amongst other things, overwatering can also cause nutrient depletion. Photos of your issue are consistent with overwatering, although you may have secondary issues like pH etc. Decent size plant, it would be a shame to lose it this far into flowering.

 

[itchybro]

Hey Yam

imo almost all probs in soil stem from water , 2 much or 2 little , this causes PH to move round & lockouts a reality
plant can't access nutrients so it feeds on itself hence yellowing leaves that dry to a crisp & fall off

what size pot is that ? pot size can play it's roll as well , smaller pots can tend to fluctuate allot quicker moisture wise
this is a problem for soil life which needs to be active & consuming organic matter to convert into plant available nutrients
considering it's winter this fluctuation wouldn't be as prominent but to much water will cause soil to go anaerobic activating
a different set of non beneficial soil organisms

don't be adjusting PH with up or down this will negatively impact soil life , you can do as old fox suggests & buy a PH test kit
but the problem will still exist because you need to solve what got you to this position , if you don't solve the root of the problem
you could continue to have the same issues moving forward

you don't want runoff in soil , which you said you didn't have which is good , stick to the 10% or less rule = don't water anymore than
10% of the pots volume , 50littre pot only needs watering with 5litters or less , now that's a rule of thumb , if the pant is a seedling it'll
prob need less , if it's a large flowering plant it might need a little more same with winter = less / summer = more , but def aim for zero run off

a moisture meter would be a better purchase , you can get a cheap one from bunnings which like allot of cheap meters they aren't super
accurate but i think the moisture meter is easier to work with & get a feel for than a cheap PH meter which you'd need to be a little more
on the ball when running systems that require constant PH checking , if your keen look into the blumat moisture meter , a little more expensive
but a much better choice imo

try to avoid bottle feeding plants because that will also negatively impact plant health in a living soil system , the more a plant has to work for food
which involves attracting beneficial soil life to it's root zone the healthier it becomes , worm casting or compost extracts (mam P) are good because
they are mostly a inoculant rather than a nutrient feed , keeping in mind though over watering is still over watering regardless of whats in the water

which leads on to your water source , rain water would be a good choice , tap water not so good but you can do things to help remove chems from the water
( chems no good for soil microorganisms ) letting it sit or bubble to remove chlorine / chloramine , adding a small amount of fulvic or humic acid will cause
fluoride to bond to it , RO systems which aren't always the best of choices for a few reasons can also be used

living soil type systems require you to be looking after that life in the soil , anything that negatively impacts that life will negatively impact the plant growing
in that soil , I'm sure you've heard it before feed the soil not the plant , once you get a feel for this type of system & move away from the hydro type mentality
of " i need to feed the plant & control the system " the easier it'll get & the better quantity & quality you'll get , not that there is anything wrong with running
hydro systems , if i thought hydro produced the best quality produce i'd be using it

 

[Indy]

it might pay to strip out some of the dead foliage before it induces mould or something.

 

[Yamumzbum]

it might pay to strip out some of the dead foliage before it induces mould or something.

If not for her sickly look I'd be cheering Indy. I've never had it so easy mate. Defoliation involves kicking the trunk once or twice and all the dried up foliage drops to the floor

Trimmings gonna be a fukn breeze

 

[Yamumzbum]

Hey Yam

imo almost all probs in soil stem from water , 2 much or 2 little , this causes PH to move round & lockouts a reality
plant can't access nutrients so it feeds on itself hence yellowing leaves that dry to a crisp & fall off

what size pot is that ? pot size can play it's roll as well , smaller pots can tend to fluctuate allot quicker moisture wise
this is a problem for soil life which needs to be active & consuming organic matter to convert into plant available nutrients
considering it's winter this fluctuation wouldn't be as prominent but to much water will cause soil to go anaerobic activating
a different set of non beneficial soil organisms

don't be adjusting PH with up or down this will negatively impact soil life , you can do as old fox suggests & buy a PH test kit
but the problem will still exist because you need to solve what got you to this position , if you don't solve the root of the problem
you could continue to have the same issues moving forward

you don't want runoff in soil , which you said you didn't have which is good , stick to the 10% or less rule = don't water anymore than
10% of the pots volume , 50littre pot only needs watering with 5litters or less , now that's a rule of thumb , if the pant is a seedling it'll
prob need less , if it's a large flowering plant it might need a little more same with winter = less / summer = more , but def aim for zero run off

a moisture meter would be a better purchase , you can get a cheap one from bunnings which like allot of cheap meters they aren't super
accurate but i think the moisture meter is easier to work with & get a feel for than a cheap PH meter which you'd need to be a little more
on the ball when running systems that require constant PH checking , if your keen look into the blumat moisture meter , a little more expensive
but a much better choice imo

try to avoid bottle feeding plants because that will also negatively impact plant health in a living soil system , the more a plant has to work for food
which involves attracting beneficial soil life to it's root zone the healthier it becomes , worm casting or compost extracts (mam P) are good because
they are mostly a inoculant rather than a nutrient feed , keeping in mind though over watering is still over watering regardless of whats in the water

which leads on to your water source , rain water would be a good choice , tap water not so good but you can do things to help remove chems from the water
( chems no good for soil microorganisms ) letting it sit or bubble to remove chlorine / chloramine , adding a small amount of fulvic or humic acid will cause
fluoride to bond to it , RO systems which aren't always the best of choices for a few reasons can also be used

living soil type systems require you to be looking after that life in the soil , anything that negatively impacts that life will negatively impact the plant growing
in that soil , I'm sure you've heard it before feed the soil not the plant , once you get a feel for this type of system & move away from the hydro type mentality
of " i need to feed the plant & control the system " the easier it'll get & the better quantity & quality you'll get , not that there is anything wrong with running
hydro systems , if i thought hydro produced the best quality produce i'd be using it

You had me at cannabis cannibalism Itchybro

I've been hoping to find someone such as yourself who quite obviously has a wealth of knowledge and is happy to share.

I sincerely appreciate your time and patience in explaining all that.

What you said in regards to the plant cannibalizing itself really seems right on the money.
Exactly as you described, the yellowing of leaves going crispy and falling off is the main worrying symptoms im seeing and which are puzzling to me because prior to flicking to flower she was a stunning specimen and I thought I was on the right track to an even more beautiful budding plant. Sadly this wasn't the case.

So I've got her in a ten gallon bag and my water source is out of the tap but I take many of the same steps you have mentioned such as allowing 24ish hours for the chlorine gas to escape.

Although not entirely oblivious to the fact, I didn't think I'm aware of just how much a negative effect chemical based pH adjusters have on living soil.

So I have a 250 litre reservoir which I fill from the tap which gets constantly agitated with one of them ocean current simulation thingymebogs they use in aquariums so as not to sit becoming stagnated.
To be honest I don't really use all that much pH down since it flows out at a pretty neutral 7.

The only bottled additive i consistently have in my water is Mammoth P which I add post adjusting pH levels.

I think I've Linda convinced myself that it won't cause too much harm if I adjust pH first, then add Mammoth P.

Something tells me you're gonna put me straight on that one mate coz I need to hear it haha.

While on the topic of bullshit broscience I heard a fella on a podcast share his method for removing the chlorine which was to simply stir the water with his arm fully submersed for ten minutes.
According to this genius our skin will rapidly absorb the vast majority of the chlorine!!! Faark lol I reckon it's downright criminal how these fukn idiots who run the water treatment plants are dumping copious amounts of fluoride, chlorine and fuck knows what other nasties.

It'll be years until they discover it's detrimental to our health.

Anyway I'll cut this post off coz it'll send readers to sleep haha.

Thanks again for your response.

 

[afghan bob]

+ 1 for itchy..........sultan of soil

 

[Yamumzbum]

Oi @itchybro just between you and me coz I'm feeling like a bit of a dickhead but i do believe I've figured out me problem..

Yellow bottle's Bloom Ooze causes a dramatic drop in pH and I've only just figured this shit out ffs.

Fuck man I love this stuff but I made the assumption it would have little effect on pH.
Don't ask me why mate,, I'm a dickhead but no lie the recommended dose drops pH by 3 whole points!!!

No wonder she looks pissed she's drinking 4.0 water!!

Shit I dunno.

 

[Yamumzbum]

I know I can google it but would you mind sharing a few natural methods of lifting pH?

I vaguely remember someone telling me either lemon juice or bicarbonate soda, does that sound about right?

 

[Yamumzbum]

Baking soda!!

Do I get a trophy for answering my own questions on here? Fuck I should

 

[HGO]

Dolomite Lime if your using soil

 

[itchybro]

yep veg is generally the easy part flower is the business end of proceedings when the plant switches modes & really starts to take on nutrients
if something ain't right , flowering mode is where you'll see that issue come to the forefront

pot size = bigger the better imo but 10gal during winter should be fine , during summer double that would be better even if you have multiple plants
in a 20gal with a bit of training to spread them out a bit but in general the larger the soil volume the more consistent the moisture will stay , it won't
fluctuate as quick , one of the things life in a pot won't hang round for is drying soil & if you loose these organic matter composters you loose the food
source for the plant , what comes out a worms arse for instance are nutrients in plant available form (in the right ratio like cal to mag) otherwise organic
matter uncomposted is useless as food for a plant

mam p is a liquid culture of bacteria , chems will kill them , chlorine , fluoride , PH up /down will all cause problems for those bacteria , considering the price
of mam p last time i looked you want to get the most out of it so killing them means your dollars are wasted
in a living soil system you have no need to PH liquids , this is hydro mentality , a living soil system will sort PH out for you , i never PH anything when watering
i always water slowly = small amounts , letting the the water slowly seep down & wick through the pot , a bit like rain would
you do use things like dolomite or crab shells = calcium carbonate ( many options ) as liming agents in soil mixes but once the life in the soil is thriving you
have no need to PH adjust any liquids

keep a lid on your rez as I'm sure you already do for hydro & agitate as your doing
yes using your arm to stir water will help remove chlorine & fluoride but would rather find a better way than using your skin as a chem remover
mulch layers can also work as a filtration system as long as you water slowly as mentioned above

I use EM-1 which is not exactly the same but a bit like mam p & it's PH is 3.5 roughly & i never adjust PH , as long as the life is active in your soil they will
sort PH out for you

read the first post on this thread https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/no-till-gardening-revisited.1400505/ it'll sum up what you want to achieve in a living soil system
read this as well https://buildasoil.com/pages/the-complete-system for the same reason as above

 

[itchybro]

we try to avoid bottle nutrient feeding , living soil growers feed the soil via top dressing which is allot more forgiving
if you put 2 much it doesn't have the same effect as if you liquid feed 2 much although 2 much is still 2 much either way
less is more as they say