Need Help Identifying Leaf Discoloration

[Brolociraptor]

Hello all I’m a brand new grower and I’m having trouble identifying what this discoloration might be. The plant is bag seed from a dispensary so I don’t have much information on the strain itself but it started very early in growth and has not gone away. All new growth takes on this discoloration. The leaves are also textured somewhat wrinkly.
temp:20-23C
Rh:55-60
I use fox farm trio and a dash of cal mag at about 225 ppm, 6-6.3 PH feeding every other day or so with dry days in between. I will begin feeding at a higher ppm soon. Any other problems or tips spotted would be appreciated. I’ve added a healthier looking plant for comparison. Thank you

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi @Brolociraptor and welcome to the forum! It would help to know what sort of soil you have partially filled those cups with. I would also like to confirm that you have drainage holes in the bottom of those cups.

That being said, I don't believe your nutes have anything to do with this... the plants have need for little other than Nitrogen at this point, and most good soils have plenty in them to get the plants by... not that you can't feed them early to get more rapid growth, but you don't have to feed in order for the plants to survive, at least in some soils.

Your problems look to be more to do with your watering method. You are doing it all wrong... this is a weed, not a garden vegetable. Watering a weed to often can harm it, and I believe this is what you are doing by watering every other day. It is very important to let the soil dry out all the way to the bottom between waterings, or the lower roots can get in trouble. They need to see oxygen periodically, and the only way to do that is to let the soil dry out so completely that you can't feel any water weight at all in the cup if you lift it up. The plants should be as dry as the Sahara before you water and just on the verge of wilting because the water has run out. Watering by the calendar, every other day, will kill these plants.

Since you only partially filled the cups, you will run out of room in there before it is really time to transplant, that is if your goal is to build a rootball in this first container. The next time the container dries out all the way, I would squeeze around the sides so as to loosen the soil in that cup, and then lift the plant up out there long enough to put some new soil in the bottom, so you can raise that plant up to the top edge. This fresh soil will give your plant a little boost, and definitely more room.

Then, lets figure out your watering ... and see what sort of a wet/dry cycle your plant is capable of at this moment. For more information on the wet/dry cycle, I invite you to read my How to Properly Water article, the link is below in my signature lines.

 

[Brolociraptor]

Hi @Brolociraptor and welcome to the forum! It would help to know what sort of soil you have partially filled those cups with. I would also like to confirm that you have drainage holes in the bottom of those cups.

That being said, I don't believe your nutes have anything to do with this... the plants have need for little other than Nitrogen at this point, and most good soils have plenty in them to get the plants by... not that you can't feed them early to get more rapid growth, but you don't have to feed in order for the plants to survive, at least in some soils.

Your problems look to be more to do with your watering method. You are doing it all wrong... this is a weed, not a garden vegetable. Watering a weed to often can harm it, and I believe this is what you are doing by watering every other day. It is very important to let the soil dry out all the way to the bottom between waterings, or the lower roots can get in trouble. They need to see oxygen periodically, and the only way to do that is to let the soil dry out so completely that you can't feel any water weight at all in the cup if you lift it up. The plants should be as dry as the Sahara before you water and just on the verge of wilting because the water has run out. Watering by the calendar, every other day, will kill these plants.

Since you only partially filled the cups, you will run out of room in there before it is really time to transplant, that is if your goal is to build a rootball in this first container. The next time the container dries out all the way, I would squeeze around the sides so as to loosen the soil in that cup, and then lift the plant up out there long enough to put some new soil in the bottom, so you can raise that plant up to the top edge. This fresh soil will give your plant a little boost, and definitely more room.

Then, lets figure out your watering ... and see what sort of a wet/dry cycle your plant is capable of at this moment. For more information on the wet/dry cycle, I invite you to read my How to Properly Water article, the link is below in my signature lines.

I’m using FFOF for my medium and I do have drainage holes on the bottom of the cups. When I water I water only until a small amount of runoff comes out from the bottom then I will let the plants dry until the top is completely bone dry which I’ll then use a moisture meter to confirm it’s time. I’ll water when the meter is basically all the way dry. I will try to water less often and let them have more dry time. I’m just curious why this one plant has issues and the others don’t when they are all in the same exact conditions? If it were a watering issue wouldn’t all the plants be showing discoloration? I’ll add more soil but then again isn’t it almost time for transplant? When should I do that?

 

[NuttyProfessor]

Sometimes there is NO problem its just the seedling , some grow strange then grow normal , i have one that looks two tone ,

 

[Emilya Green]

I’m using FFOF for my medium and I do have drainage holes on the bottom of the cups. When I water I water only until a small amount of runoff comes out from the bottom then I will let the plants dry until the top is completely bone dry which I’ll then use a moisture meter to confirm it’s time. I’ll water when the meter is basically all the way dry. I will try to water less often and let them have more dry time. I’m just curious why this one plant has issues and the others don’t when they are all in the same exact conditions? If it were a watering issue wouldn’t all the plants be showing discoloration? I’ll add more soil but then again isn’t it almost time for transplant? When should I do that?

The reason we start in smaller containers is to restrict the roots and force them to grow into a dense rootball. Rushing to the next container does not do this, and results in weak roots.

Watering when the top is bone dry is exactly the wrong thing to do. Even though you are not yet able to see the effect of this on both of your plants, I guarantee the same problem exists in both. You ARE overwatering by watering too often. You can not overwater by giving too much water at one time, and watering to runoff is exactly what you need to do.

How you tell how strong the roots are becoming is by measuring the amount of time it takes for the plant to use all of the water you can suspend in that soil by watering to runoff. A weak rooted plant might take 5 days to drain all the water in your cups. If you force the plant to go dry between waterings, it grows new roots trying to find all of the water, but if you water before the plant sees a need, this never happens and your plant remains weak. A plant being watered correctly will get stronger with each wet/dry cycle and will able to drain the container in shorter and shorter time. A plant should start off at 5-7 days to drain that cup (fully filled) until finally it can easily drain all the water you can get in there in 36 hours or less. THIS, is the proper time to transplant... not before. It is at this point that you reach a point of diminishing returns as the roots begin to run out of space. Then, move her up to a container 3-5x as big, and start this process again, attempting to build up a rootball at each stage, before you move to a larger container. It is not a race... listen instead to your plants and move at their pace, not yours.

Regarding the meter... it is mostly worthless. Your meter has only one reading that can be considered to be accurate... WET. Measuring the moisture at the top of the container is worthless, because it is important for you to know where the water table is in that cup. Water table? When you saturate the soil and the plant starts to use it, gravity drops the remaining water to the bottom, forming a lake in that cup of soil. The surface of that lake as it falls, is known as the water table. If you insert your meter into the cup slowly, as you push it lower and lower it will read, moist, moist, moist, until the meter pegs out to the right and it reads WET. You have just found the top of the lake, the water table. As you wait for the proper time to water, watch that lake fall down into the last inch of the container. That last inch will never fully dry out, but when it gets that low, 90% of the water has been used in that container, and it is time to water. The most important thing about this, is that the top of that under the soil lake forms a diaphragm that as it falls, the suction it creates pulls oxygen from the top surface all the way down to the lower roots. Oxygen is just as important to these roots as water is, and letting your plants dry out each time all the way to the bottom will invigorate them like nothing else will. Keeping those lower roots under stale lake water all the time by watering too often, will keep that oxygen away from them, and eventually they will shut down trying to survive the flood waters. This is the point you are at right now.... the roots are showing you that they are starting to get annoyed.

 

[odinsmaster]

Looks like your ok to me, but possibly on the way to over watering. My babies about that size get water maybe every 4 days.

 

[Brolociraptor]

Sometimes there is NO problem its just the seedling , some grow strange then grow normal , i have one that looks two tone ,

I’ll keep this in mind. It’s what I was leaning to at first but like I said I’m brand new so I couldn’t be too confident. I’ll keep a close eye and if anything drastic happens I’ll update. Thank you. I’ll try the few tips given also.

The reason we start in smaller containers is to restrict the roots and force them to grow into a dense rootball. Rushing to the next container does not do this, and results in weak roots.

Watering when the top is bone dry is exactly the wrong thing to do. Even though you are not yet able to see the effect of this on both of your plants, I guarantee the same problem exists in both. You ARE overwatering by watering too often. You can not overwater by giving too much water at one time, and watering to runoff is exactly what you need to do.

How you tell how strong the roots are becoming is by measuring the amount of time it takes for the plant to use all of the water you can suspend in that soil by watering to runoff. A weak rooted plant might take 5 days to drain all the water in your cups. If you force the plant to go dry between waterings, it grows new roots trying to find all of the water, but if you water before the plant sees a need, this never happens and your plant remains weak. A plant being watered correctly will get stronger with each wet/dry cycle and will able to drain the container in shorter and shorter time. A plant should start off at 5-7 days to drain that cup (fully filled) until finally it can easily drain all the water you can get in there in 36 hours or less. THIS, is the proper time to transplant... not before. It is at this point that you reach a point of diminishing returns as the roots begin to run out of space. Then, move her up to a container 3-5x as big, and start this process again, attempting to build up a rootball at each stage, before you move to a larger container. It is not a race... listen instead to your plants and move at their pace, not yours.

Regarding the meter... it is mostly worthless. Your meter has only one reading that can be considered to be accurate... WET. Measuring the moisture at the top of the container is worthless, but it is important for you to know where the water table is in that cup. Water table? When you saturate the soil and the plant starts to use it, gravity drops the remaining water to the bottom, forming a lake in that cup of soil. The surface of that lake as it falls, is known as the water table. If you insert your meter into the cup slowly, as you push it lower and lower it will read, moist, moist, moist, until the meter pegs out to the right and it reads WET. You have just found the top of the lake, the water table. As you wait for the proper time to water, watch that lake fall down into the last inch of the container. That last inch will never fully dry out, but when it gets that low, 90% of the water has been used in that container, and it is time to water. The most important thing about this, is that the top of that under the soil lake forms a diaphragm that as it falls, the suction it creates pulls oxygen from the top surface all the way down to the lower roots. Oxygen is just as important to these roots as water is, and letting your plants dry out each time all the way to the bottom will invigorate them like nothing else will. Keeping those lower roots under stale lake water all the time by watering too often, will keep that oxygen away from them, and eventually they will shut down trying to survive the flood waters. This is the point you are at right now.... the roots are showing you that they are starting to get annoyed.

gotcha I appreciate the information. Most of the info on the internet is misleading then since most say stick your finger in a couple inches at the top and if it’s dry it’s time to water.. I’ll pay more attention to watering as this is the part that confuses me the most

 

[Brolociraptor]

Looks like your ok to me, but possibly on the way to over watering. My babies about that size get water maybe every 4 days.

Definitely something I need to reconsider. I’ll pay more attention to watering cycles. Thank you!

 

[Emilya Green]

I’ll keep this in mind. It’s what I was leaning to at first but like I said I’m brand new so I couldn’t be too confident. I’ll keep a close eye and if anything drastic happens I’ll update. Thank you. I’ll try the few tips given also.

gotcha I appreciate the information. Most of the info on the internet is misleading then since most say stick your finger in a couple inches at the top and if it’s dry it’s time to water.. I’ll pay more attention to watering as this is the part that confuses me the most

Trust nothing you read on the internet unless it can be verified or you can test it yourself. There are a lot of people out here on the interwebs who like to sound like they know what they are doing, but who really don't. Be careful and be sure that your guru of choice is credible and has a well established following. Also keep in mind that the grow bibles and much of the stuff written before the 21st century is woefully out of date... there are good reasons that we grow the strongest pot today that has ever been grown... we have gotten away from many of the old wive's tales and antiquated growing methods that people in their basements were playing with in the 1960's and 70's.