Spots & yellowing fan leaves, flowering auto

[Cwmoore577]

Setup:
Strawberry Cheesecake Auto from seedsman.
3 gallon bucket - Fox Farm Strawberry Fields soil.
Lights: cheap 100watt output full spec LED and a SunSystem HPS 150.
Humidity: 55-65%
Temp: 70-75°F
Sprouted Oct 28th so it’s in its 6th week.
Noticed flowering Nov 28th so it’s in week 2 of flowering.


Watering/feeding schedule:
Oct 28-Dec 3rd:
I knew the soil ran a bit hot from my last grow so for the most part let the soil do it’s thing. I’ve watered with mostly RO water and a couple times with tap water (150ppm) every 4-5 days letting the soil dry out well in between.

Dec 4th:
RO with Calmag (490ppm)

Dec 7th:
Noticed it start to yellow
RO water with small dose of BioThrive Bloom (2-4-4) ph 6.7, 320ppm.

Dec 10th:
Yellowing progressing and small spots showing up
RO with Calmag and BioThrive Bloom (2-4-4) at ph 6.7 and 680ppm.
Also did a foliar spray with calmag water at 400ppm.

 

[Dusted]

you should be using lower pH water and nutrient. 6.2 max. Nutrient lockout due to pH

 

[Hydroholic]

Setup:
Strawberry Cheesecake Auto from seedsman.
3 gallon bucket - Fox Farm Strawberry Fields soil.
Lights: cheap 100watt output full spec LED and a SunSystem HPS 150.
Humidity: 55-65%
Temp: 70-75°F
Sprouted Oct 28th so it’s in its 6th week.
Noticed flowering Nov 28th so it’s in week 2 of flowering.


Watering/feeding schedule:
Oct 28-Dec 3rd:
I knew the soil ran a bit hot from my last grow so for the most part let the soil do it’s thing. I’ve watered with mostly RO water and a couple times with tap water (150ppm) every 4-5 days letting the soil dry out well in between.

Dec 4th:
RO with Calmag (490ppm)

Dec 7th:
Noticed it start to yellow
RO water with small dose of BioThrive Bloom (2-4-4) ph 6.7, 320ppm.

Dec 10th:
Yellowing progressing and small spots showing up
RO with Calmag and BioThrive Bloom (2-4-4) at ph 6.7 and 680ppm.
Also did a foliar spray with calmag water at 400ppm.

What size pot are you in?

 

[Cwmoore577]

What size pot are you in?

It’s around 3 gallons.

 

[Cwmoore577]

you should be using lower pH water and nutrient. 6.2 max. Nutrient lockout due to pH

Most of what I’ve read says 6.3-6.8 in soil. Everything except last two were ph’d to 6.4-6.5. Measured runoff on Nov 30th and ph was low around 4.6 so I did the two waterings at 6.7.


Still think it could be high pH lockout?

 

[Dusted]

Yes

 

[Cwmoore577]

Yes

Should I flush or just continue watering on schedule with lower ph?

 

[Hydroholic]

I am growing 2 strawberry cheesecakes also and both of mine had the turned down fan leaf ends. 1 stopped after stretch, the other is just starting stretch. Because old leafs look damaged and new growth doesn’t I think you have a deficiency and not toxicity. I would up my food with a little extra cal Mag.

 

[Dusted]

Should I flush or just continue watering on schedule with lower ph?

Just continue your routine with correct pH. Flush not needed

 

[Dusted]

I am growing 2 strawberry cheesecakes also and both of mine had the turned down fan leaf ends. 1 stopped after stretch, the other is just starting stretch. Because old leafs look damaged and new growth doesn’t I think you have a deficiency and not toxicity. I would up my food with a little extra cal Mag.

This is a soil grow so there should be sufficient nutrients if the pH allows them to be used

 

[Hydroholic]

This is a soil grow so there should be sufficient nutrients if the pH allows them to be used

I’m in soil and I still give nutrients every 2.5 days on watering. Soil that is organic and living yes but he is already pushing nutrients to supplement. I agree not to flush.

 

[Farnheit]

I think I have the same problem I didnt know what it was until yesterday when I found out its nitrogen or phosphorus defiency and I caused it by giving my plant lower dosage of bloom. Somewhere I read that autos need only half of what is written but probably thats a lie. She was doing good until flowering now she needs more nutrients.

 

[Hydroholic]

My 2 strawberry cheesecake. You can see the tip curl on the little girl. These stack on weight quick if healthy.

 

[Cwmoore577]

I think I have the same problem I didnt know what it was until yesterday when I found out its nitrogen or phosphorus defiency and I caused it by giving my plant lower dosage of bloom. Somewhere I read that autos need only half of what is written but probably thats a lie. She was doing good until flowering now she needs more nutrients.

I’m in soil and I still give nutrients every 2.5 days on watering. Soil that is organic and living yes but he is already pushing nutrients to supplement. I agree not to flush.

This is a soil grow so there should be sufficient nutrients if the pH allows them to be used

It’s gotten substantially worse. Do you think I should flush if it’s locked out this bad?
I watered last night with the biothrive bloom and calmag at 6.25ph, 830EC and 560ppm. Like you said there should be nutrients available in the soil, I measured the runoff at 4.5ph, 1500ec and 1030ppm.
Looks terrible today and it’s pretty much losing all of the fan leaves.

 

[Dusted]

@Emilya may be able to help.

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi @Cwmoore577 and welcome to the forum!
yes, yellowing from the bottom up, a clear sign of a mobile macro nutrient deficiency... and it is getting worse. Everything this plant needs is NOT in that soil... you need to feed and you need to do it now and heavily. Don't believe the hype that you need to lightly feed an auto.... you lightly feed a small plant and a large blooming one you feed a lot more. No one should believe anyone who makes blanket assumptions... each plant is an individual.

 

[Cwmoore577]

Hi @Cwmoore577 and welcome to the forum!
yes, yellowing from the bottom up, a clear sign of a mobile macro nutrient deficiency... and it is getting worse. Everything this plant needs is NOT in that soil... you need to feed and you need to do it now and heavily. Don't believe the hype that you need to lightly feed an auto.... you lightly feed a small plant and a large blooming one you feed a lot more. No one should believe anyone who makes blanket assumptions... each plant is an individual.

Ok thank you for helping Emily.
Should I feed right now even with the soil wet or wait until next scheduled feeding? It’s losing the fan leaves quickly. What ppm range should I aim for?

 

[Emilya Green]

Ok thank you for helping Emily.
Should I feed right now even with the soil wet or wait until next scheduled feeding? It’s losing the fan leaves quickly. What ppm range should I aim for?

I would mix up the nutes you will be using on your next complete watering, and then today I would apply just enough of it to soak in about 4" deep, and attempt to only water the top set of spreader roots, without adding to the water table sitting in the bottom of the container. This way you can at least start getting the nutrition in there that your plants desperately need without overwatering the container.
As far as ppm goes, I don't have a clue. Soil gardeners do not deal with PPM... see if you have a tablespoon/gallon application rate on your nutes... if not, you didn't buy soil nutes, you bought hydro nutes, probably with pH needs outside of the soil range. Follow the directions the manufacturer suggest for plants of your age. Pay no attention at this point to the bad advice that autos need less nutes... you probably are suspecting by this time that this simply isn't true.

 

[Cwmoore577]

I would mix up the nutes you will be using on your next complete watering, and then today I would apply just enough of it to soak in about 4" deep, and attempt to only water the top set of spreader roots, without adding to the water table sitting in the bottom of the container. This way you can at least start getting the nutrition in there that your plants desperately need without overwatering the container.
As far as ppm goes, I don't have a clue. Soil gardeners do not deal with PPM... see if you have a tablespoon/gallon application rate on your nutes... if not, you didn't buy soil nutes, you bought hydro nutes, probably with pH needs outside of the soil range. Follow the directions the manufacturer suggest for plants of your age. Pay no attention at this point to the bad advice that autos need less nutes... you probably are suspecting by this time that this simply isn't true.

Yea the recommended application rate is 2 tsp/gal for light feeding and 4 tsp/gal for heavy.
I watered Sunday like you said with 2.5tsp/gal and added calmag. It still seems to be getting worse with the leaf symptoms still progressing.

Don’t mean to bombard you with my issues but if it doesn’t seem to slow symptoms with heavier feeding is there anything else to do?

 

[Hydroholic]

New leaves or old leaves? The old leaves may go ahead and die out. No big deal. What does the new growth look like. The plant pulls what is missing from the lower leaves first. Toxicity usually is on the new leaves. I use this chart.