First time grow - yellow/brown spots - Not sure what route to try

[mrgreen4040]

Hey, been reading the forum for some time now and started my first couple of plants from bag seed 4-6 weeks ago. They've been doing pretty good until now. I have some yellow/brown spots on some of the leaves. I will include pictures. Around some of the smaller spots, there is a whitish area. After looking around at other threads and trying to find as much as possible on my own, I think I have it down to a few possible problems. P deficiency, Mg deficiency, or splash burn. They are in a combination of 1 part composted manure, 1 part worm castings, 1 part topsoil, and 4 parts pro-mix. PH has stayed between 6.8 and 7.0 the whole time. I use city water that has sat in a bucket for a few days to de-chlorinate (not really sure if that's a word, but it works lol) I think the curling is at least partially due to a lack of water because I was sick for a couple of days and wasn't able to tend to them. They have a small fan blowing on them while the lights are on (18/6). I am using a CLW 200w panel and 2 23watt cfls for lighting. The lights are approx 14-18" above the tops of the plants. Using blue mountain organics 2-1-1 every other watering. Have been watering 1 liter every 4-5 days (4 gal pots). Just changed it to 1/2 liter ever couple of days or when the top inch is dry because the top is drying out a lot faster than the bottom half of the soil.
Anyways, hope that's not too much rambling and hope I didn't leave anything important out lol. On to the pics....

 

[Smokemupm8]

Hi mate, how are you??
Hmmmm.. Your problem looks rather similar to what im experiencing at the moment.
I think i may have a cal/mag deficiency, but its symptoms are also like a Mg defic and maybe even Boron!! But ive had a few problems along the way with this grow..
Now from what i can gather, the things you made your growing medium with may be a small part of your problem. Usually we d start at the PH, Now you say its between 6.8/7.0, that SHOULD be ok - as my soil is at 6.4 and im being told that i may need to raise the PH levels as she cannot take in certain nutes with this PH - BUT - ive successfully grown plants within the 6.2/6.5 PH range before without these symptoms.
So i do not know 100% if having your soils PH at nearly 7 is TOO HIGH? That may lock out mg or something and you may just need a quck dose of some dissolved Epsom Salts and either foliar or water feed. 1 teaspoon p/ 3 liters roughly i think??
Now, the soil itself.. The 4 parts PRO-MIX, and composted manure could be TOO HOT - if you know what i mean?? It may have slightly high amounts of a certain nutrient and burning your girl, or causing a lock out, but it shouldnt be at this stage IMO? You may just need to add some light nutrients with N,P,K and trace elements, Cal,mag,etc; at quarter strength next feed.
ou may need to just make up some fresh soil, any good potting mix and some organic soil, Humus soil is good if you can get it as thats what i use in my mix, and it has an active microbe base and compost that breaks down to feed your plant and also contains N,P,K in it..
You dont have to mate!! Its just a suggestion, as it always good to make sure your soil is adequate to sustain your plant.
Hopefully someone may be able to help you a little further, but thats just my thoughts, as she is still young she d be ok to transplant so thats just what i thought may save you from any soil issues later on..
Ive read alot about people using certain potting mixes that have alot of high dose nutrients and they simply crisp your plant! Some are really good, but unfortunatly i dont know of brand names whre ur from..
Goodluck with it all and hope she bounces back!!! She should mate, theyre pretty hardy Catch ya, SMOKEMUPM8

 

[Jimmycricket]

Smokems in the house. Fuck that Mickey Mouse!

Cricket is here, now wheres the beer?

 

[Smokemupm8]

Well Jimmy,
If i could send ya a beer via email or Osmosis - YOUD HAVE A SLAB!!
So what do you think of my prognosis on this case Doc?? Am i roughly giving him the right advice??

 

[Jimmycricket]

It would be better if you went back to your old way of watering. and upped it to 1.5 liters or even 2 per watering and do it every 4-6 days. The top of the soils drying completely out is a good thing.

I am guessing a CLW light is a LED panel? if so then the distance is ok, however those CFL lights should be 2-4 inches away from the plant for best effect.

I would add a little sulfur to your soil to let the PH drop slightly more.

TBH those leaves look burnt to me. Like light burned. Hence why they have a wavey crinkly and I assume also a slightly dry feel to them. Did water get on them with the lights on?

Calcium is another possibility. Not from being locked out. But instead from simply not having enough, or possibly (but less likely) that you have no boron.

 

[WizHigh]

Probably salt build up. It has the same effect as nute burn and if the lights are close then its more so to happen because the plants are trying to replace the moister in the leaves so its uptake is more salty. Whats your humidity and temp?

You also have a phosphorus deficiency going on. The purple stems are bad. Looks like the top is real yellow like its a sulfur problem. Also the new growth looks bunched up together. Upload a picture of the top of the plant.

 

[mrgreen4040]

First off, I want to say a big thank you to all of you for your advice. It is greatly appreciated. It was 10 days between transplanting and the spots showing up. I watered with 5-2-5 when I first transplanted (not 2-1-1, that was a mistake on my part, was trying to remember without looking at the fert and seems I was way off). I then watered with no nutes 6 days later and then 4 days after that is when the spots showed. I could have missed them for a couple of days though. I'm thinking jimmy is right about the light burn (I called it splash burn) as I did get water on the leaves when I watered them...total noob mistake, which I shouldn't have made since I'm well aware of what watering outdoors in the middle of the day will do to almost any plant. Anyways, some of the smaller spots kinda looked like water spots you would get on a car when washing in the sun, just with a burn spot in the center.
I don't want to change the soil out just yet, but it's definitely a thought if they keep getting worse. Yes Jimmy, CLW is the company (california light works) that makes the led panel I have. It uses 5 watt diodes instead of the 1 or 3 watters that a lot of other ones use. No idea if that makes a difference or not. But guessing the stronger diodes may have made light burn worse than if they were lower wattage ones. As soon as I can make it to the store, hopefully tomorrow, I'll bring the ph down a touch and going to start watering with 1.5 liters the next time I water. So far what I've done is watered with a 5-1-1 fish fert mixed with 1/2 liter of water at full strength and the following day watered with 2-4-2 mixed full strength in 1/2 liter of water. Hoping that didn't mess em up more, but that was before asking for advice.
As for salt build up...can you get a salt buildup using a fert made from organic materials? The ingredients in the blue mountain fert are - Artesian Spring Water, High Nitrogen Bat Guano, Worm Castings, Azomite, Unsulphured Molasses, Humic Acid, Beet Root Extract, Comfrey Hay Extract, Alfalfa Meal Extract, Endo and Ecto Bacteria
And the purple stems- I noticed they were purple about 3 days after they sprouted so haven't worried about them...does that mean I def have a phosphorus deficiency or could it be that it's just normal for whatever strain it happens to be, which I couldn't even begin to guess about. Only using bag seed since this is my first grow and I want to have at least a little experience before spending money on clones. Seems I'm definitely getting some experience lol.
Again, thanks a ton for everyone's comments and help. I hope to be able to help others out one of these days as well

 

[mrgreen4040]

oh, and I'll post another pic of the plant as soon as I can. Working overtime this week so time is a bit tight.

 

[Jimmycricket]

I honestly think everything is fine besides that you burned them with light. The burned spots will not repair however all long as no new leaves get the brown, then you are safe and it was just light burn. Next time just make sure to shake off any water that spills on leaves, if the lights are on that is

 

[WhiteDynomite]

The purple stems are bad.

Why?

I have two plants growing now with purple stems ..strain, unknown. One I've had problems with (however it is starting to bud 70 days out) but the other is showing no deficiencies 40 days into veg. Couldn't this coloration just be dependent on the strain?

 

[WizHigh]

Why?

I have two plants growing now with purple stems ..strain, unknown. One I've had problems with (however it is starting to bud 70 days out) but the other is showing no deficiencies 40 days into veg. Couldn't this coloration just be dependent on the strain?

True but most purple stems mean phosphorus deficiency. Its common for plants to have purple stems but its a for sure sign of that def. Its nothing to worry about depending on how bad it is

 

[WhiteDynomite]

ok ..thanks. I'm pretty new at growing (anything) and of course ...not 100% on such matters. If that's the case and it is P deficiency, at what point should it become treated when the strain is unknown? When it hits the leaves? Or maybe just pop in a little liquid bone meal for shits and giggles?

 

[WizHigh]

ok ..thanks. I'm pretty new at growing (anything) and of course ...not 100% on such matters. If that's the case and it is P deficiency, at what point should it become treated when the strain is unknown? When it hits the leaves? Or maybe just pop in a little liquid bone meal for shits and giggles?

You said your plants are already into flower right? If you dont see purple running threw the veins or dead spots i wouldnt worry about it. It could mean that your plant has alot of phosphorus due to the fact its in flower, no worries

 

[mrgreen4040]

Update: No new brown spots and the old brown spots have not repaired so must have just been light burn. Thank you so much everyone for your help.

 

[Perfect Sun LED]

The reason your leaves are yellowing in the middle, starting from the middle, and it will work its way outward. If the veins remain green the whole time, but the leaves yellow around them, then it is most likely iron deficiency.

Also manganese deficiency starts at the middle, but unlike iron deficiency, in manganese deficiency, the veins start to yellow as well. Also, in later stages, you get dead spots, brown.

Easy to fix by just giving more cheleted micronutrients, and lower the PH. You can also leach the soil if it is bad.

To learn more, check out the growers bible my Jorge Cervantes.