A Deficiency Of Sorts

[D4ddy20ngLegs]

•Strain: Tangie OG
•Single-Plant Setup
•Medium: Coco Coir/Vermiculite (70/30)
•Week 4, Day 31 Mild Veg (60 total days)
•Lighting: ParfactWorks Ra1000 1,000w Full-Spectrum LED
•Nutrients: Gen-Hydro CalMag, Micro, Gro, and Bloom (Mix of 1/2, 1/4, 1/4, 1/4)
~PPM/EC: 283ppm / 602 units/cm
~pH: 5.5-6.0
•Distilled RO water
~PPM/EC: 6ppm / 12 units/cm
~pH: 6.8
•rH/Temp: 25-40%/64°-71°F (Night), 75°-81°F (Day)
•Photoperiod: 18/6 (LED roughly 24in. above new growth)
•Mixture/H20 temp: 65°F
•16 sq. ft
•No visible pests/white mold
•Watered 1 day after coco dries ([every 4th-5th day]Alternate feed/water sched.)
•Plant height: 10.5 in.
Hey guys! Asking for a little assistance regarding what type of issue I have going on, of course.
So, a first smidbit about myself to help bring y'all up to speed. This is my first time growing, preferring indoors as my environment for ease of control. I have a coworker that attends school for a newly introduced Hemp Horticulture and for other plant-related classes. He's told me about controversial growers and entomologists (bugs) with YouTube channels, articles, researches, podcasts, and even locally-held events and expos (like Tad Hussey of KIS Organics and Suzanne Wainwright-Evans). Being the sole-proprietor of helping inform me and start me off into the Cannabis cultivation culture, he uses hydro as his current method. When he harvests here within the next month or so, he'll be switching to full-organic with use of predator bugs, vermicomposting, etc to sustain his garden.
So, going more in-depth about this situation, I'm growing in my 16 sq ft. closet lined with Mylar sheeting, heated with a regulated heater fan and a HoneyWell circulating air and providing LST for the plant. This problem arose about 6 days ago when I had left for a day and gave instruction to water this amount at this time, and failed to inform about which gallon to be used for watering (I have 2, one for water and for nutes) and I came back to yellowing on the first 2 leaves and first node mature leaves. The first 2 leaves have already became necrotic and dried up, and I plucked the yellow ones just last night.
As you can see, I've provided pictures to help provide physical proof, but I feel it may be worth mentioning that I mistakenly germinated these seeds in MiracleGro mix, and burned the other plant in the process. This one recovered and continued to improve. Up until week 4 of mild vegetative growth.

• 
• This first picture is of the first node above where the first 2 leaves used to be. Note the brownish-burgundy colored spotting and interveinal chlorosis, leading to eventual necrosis...
• 
• This picture is of the 3rd node, showing interveinal chlorosis moving tip to node, more spotting, and even curling and lateral folding down of the blades and ridges...
• 
• After about 6 hours of light, healthier leaves straighten, while older ones keep their curl folds. There IS internodal branching, but will not be as exciting when or if my entire plant becomes necrotic! Also note the lighter color in the new growth...
• 
• I will provide updated pics of the plant after about 17 hours of light. More spotting on 3rd node, IV Chlor, curl...
• 
• This gives the whole operation. Plant color is more comparable, heater is not directly on the plant, the fan provides enough wind to strengthen the stem and circulate air (I open the doors 2 times during light to provide exchange awaiting ventilation work). This is also about half the size this grow room will be, expanding another 16 sq ft to house my parent strains to be bred for a new strain.
• 
• These are my supplementals and nutrients used. I have yet to use the pH up and down awaiting conversions and adding spec. amounts to a gallon, pH test kit, CalMag (1/2 recomm. dosage), Micro, Gro, and Bloom (all mixed at 1/4 recomm. dosage), Myco for later transition to organics, and Clonex for obvious reasons. I mix CalMag first, Micro second, Gro 3rd, and Bloom last.
• 
• After about 10 more hours of light, nearing end of cycle...
• 
• This just shows internodal branching and growth. Branching color seems to change, as well...
• 
• This is the end result of necrosis on her. 1st true leaves...
• 
• This is my pH container showing a firm yellow. The chart states 5.5-6.0. I also have a pH meter (w/ calibration solvents) that states the same reading.

I appreciate any and all help from you guys here on the forums! And thank you for considering the possible problems of MY plant, when I know we all have stuff going on in general.

 

[NewMexicannabisFarmer]

Top dress with compost will fix most nutrient or pH issues in my experience. Given the compost is quality, not some walmart stuff. not saying you cant find find good compost there, maybe you can but make sure it is quality.

 

[D4ddy20ngLegs]

Top dress with compost will fix most nutrient or pH issues in my experience. Given the compost is quality, not some walmart stuff. not saying you cant find find good compost there, maybe you can but make sure it is quality.

What do you suggest would suffice given my unknown deficiency?

 

[NewMexicannabisFarmer]

People on craigslist where I live sell worm compost, that is super cheap and works like a charm give that a try. But if you do not want to top dress with compost. Get your water closer to 6.5 or 6.8 so you can uptake more phosphorus, which is attached to other nutrients since it is a anion (negative charged molecule) that will also bring up the levels of calcium potassium iron and magnesium your plant is getting. I strongly recommend top dressing compost and also mulching your soil will help speed up the soil life and get your plant back to full health.

 

[NewMexicannabisFarmer]

What do you suggest would suffice given my unknown deficiency?

Keep us updated on what you end up doing with the plant! I would like to know how it turns out! good luck!

 

[D4ddy20ngLegs]

Keep us updated on what you end up doing with the plant! I would like to know how it turns out! good luck!

Thank you! I will keep you posted!

 

[D4ddy20ngLegs]

Keep us updated on what you end up doing with the plant! I would like to know how it turns out! good luck!

I have now fixed the pH to be at 6.7, read from a meter and pH test solution done in a vial to confirm. Correct me if I'm wrong, but with my pH being so low before, it could lock out important nutrients, like Magnesium and Nitrogen?
In essence, I believe I am considered aggressive vegetative (pertaining to nutrient feed recommendations) and only use 1/4 of the dosage, aside from CalMag. Considering I'm in straight coco/vermiculite media (70/30), I'm aware that nutrients aren't present unless added. So pertaining to possible N and Mg deficiencies, I've corrected pH and will soon switch to nutes mixed at 1/4 strength of aggressive veg

 

[D4ddy20ngLegs]

I have now fixed the pH to be at 6.7, read from a meter and pH test solution done in a vial to confirm. Correct me if I'm wrong, but with my pH being so low before, it could lock out important nutrients, like Magnesium and Nitrogen?
In essence, I believe I am considered aggressive vegetative (pertaining to nutrient feed recommendations) and only use 1/4 of the dosage, aside from CalMag. Considering I'm in straight coco/vermiculite media (70/30), I'm aware that nutrients aren't present unless added. So pertaining to possible N and Mg deficiencies, I've corrected pH and will soon switch to nutes mixed at 1/4 strength of aggressive veg

I have also trimmed the necrotic foliage in half, at least past the point of death to continue photosynthesis

 

[NewMexicannabisFarmer]

I have now fixed the pH to be at 6.7, read from a meter and pH test solution done in a vial to confirm. Correct me if I'm wrong, but with my pH being so low before, it could lock out important nutrients, like Magnesium and Nitrogen?
In essence, I believe I am considered aggressive vegetative (pertaining to nutrient feed recommendations) and only use 1/4 of the dosage, aside from CalMag. Considering I'm in straight coco/vermiculite media (70/30), I'm aware that nutrients aren't present unless added. So pertaining to possible N and Mg deficiencies, I've corrected pH and will soon switch to nutes mixed at 1/4 strength of aggressive veg

I know you can lookup the chart for plant nutrient uptake based on pH, I wanna say off the top of my head that yes nitrogen and calcium are not uptaken as easily below 6 in soil.

 

[Listersmeghead]

I know you can lookup the chart for plant nutrient uptake based on pH, I wanna say off the top of my head that yes nitrogen and calcium are not uptaken as easily below 6 in soil.

He's not in soil, he's in coco.
Coco is a soilless mix and behaves like hydro, so the ph should be closer to 5.9.

 

[Listersmeghead]

I have also trimmed the necrotic foliage in half, at least past the point of death to continue photosynthesis

Hiya,
The instructions you've received are for soil, not coco.
When in coco you should feed at least once a day,the water should be at 5.9 ph like what you were doing. Also, you should be watering your whole pot, coco shouldn't be dry.
Your plant is hungry, that's why the lower leaves are yellowing.
Recap: in coco always feed/water your plants at least once daily,water the whole pot until you get a small amount of run off. Ph should be 5.9.

 

[PE636]

Coco needs to be watered daily to runoff. Ph should be around 5.8 - 6.1. Perlite is the usual amendment not vermiculite. Do not treat it like soil.

 

[PE636]

That's right, your plants are starving to death.

 

[NewMexicannabisFarmer]

He's not in soil, he's in coco.
Coco is a soilless mix and behaves like hydro, so the ph should be closer to 5.9.

You can go ahead and give that advice if it work for you but, I grow in coco as well and treating it like soil works for me. I do not agree at all with watering every day, mulch it and water when dry especially when in plastic pots. @D4ddy20ngLegs up to you in the end what you decide to do. Good luck either way!

 

[NewMexicannabisFarmer]

That's right, your plants are starving to death.

Not starving to death, coco has a cec of 40-100meq, it hold on to nutrients very well. If one chooses to treat coco like hydro you need fabric pot, this plant is in plastic and could easily get rootrot if watered everyday. Once again @D4ddy20ngLegs up to you, mulch and don't worry about trying to over complicate growing a plant or pretend you are Fritz Haber (inventor of synthetic fertilizer) and risk ending up with an overwatered and nutrient burned plant. Like

 

[PE636]

If you treat coco like soil you are pretty foolish. There is no choice of coco being hydro or not, it either is or you're doing it wrong. To the OP, be careful whose advice you take. It's pretty obvious letting it dry and running even higher than soil ph is not working out... Yaaa.. CEC is cation exchange capacity. Not cation holding capacity.

 

[PE636]

And next time use perlite or nothing, not vermiculite.

 

[Listersmeghead]

Not starving to death, coco has a cec of 40-100meq, it hold on to nutrients very well. If one chooses to treat coco like hydro you need fabric pot, this plant is in plastic and could easily get rootrot if watered everyday. Once again @D4ddy20ngLegs up to you, mulch and don't worry about trying to over complicate growing a plant or pretend you are Fritz Haber (inventor of synthetic fertilizer) and risk ending up with an overwatered and nutrient burned plant. Like

I appreciate what you're saying, not everything has to come from a bottle,there's always a natural way of doing things,and I agree.
But you also talk about not over complicating things, then take a soilless medium put lots of ammendments in it and then treat it like soil, that seems to be complicated to me, why not just use a super soil mix and treat it like soil.
Like you say many ways of doing things.

 

[oldsmokey]

PE636 is giving you good advise!

 

[GHempster]

Coco just like peat moss can be used as a substrate and is not just for hydro. All depends what you add to it. Perlite and vermiculite will accomplish the same task neither is a supplement it gives zero nutrients as what a supplement does.

Just because someone grows different than you does not make it wrong. There is a thousand and one ways to grow cannabis and all are just fine as long as it works for you.

In the end, like said above the choice is all yours who you agree with and follow, select one of these awesome growers and ask them for some one on one help in private messages which you will need 50 posts to be able to do.