First grow - Lower leaves yellowing

[Canobud]

Hi,

Two of my three Widow plants (seed planted 3/15/16) are starting to show some yellowing in the lower leaves. They're in Fox Farms Ocean Forest w/perlite and I began using 1/3rd strength FF Big Bloom a little over a week ago. Is this a nutrient deficiency? CalMag perhaps? This plant's leaves also droop a bit more than the others. Not sure if that's overwatering or not; I fight low RH%s during lights-on and this soil in Jiffy pots dries out pretty quickly. The two plants in Jiffy pots end up getting some watering almost daily, whereas the Solo cup plant is 5 days younger, growing faster, and doesn't need watering as much. I'd appreciate any help.

 

[Canobud]

Don't all jump at once, guys. :rolleyes3

 

[iwltfum]

The plants in the jiffy pots look a little over-watered. The brown part of the new growth is a good indicator of that too. Maybe wait a day or two in between waterings for those two.

I've never found low humidity to be a problem ever, especially if it goes back up at night.

 

[Major PITA]

The only thing worse than clay pots are jiffy pots. They wick moisture and speed evaporation. I'd transplant into bigger plastic containers. They do look over-watered, but can't be sure. Drench/dry/repeat. A good drench usually lasts me 1-2 weeks for seedlings.

 

[TanR]

Hi Canobud,

Can't help wondering if your plants might benefit from less frequent but more thorough waterings. I would suggest trying to totally saturate the soil to the point the jiffy pot itself is soaked then allowing it to dry completely before repeating the same saturation point watering again.

Be well and happy growing!

 

[Canobud]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the comments. I've learned my lesson with Jiffy pots, believe me. That said, is the yellowing not a nitrogen deficiency? Should I be adding some calmag to my distilled water for watering without Big Bloom? Or is this a sign to start using Grow Big or Tiger Bloom with the Big Bloom feedings?

 

[iwltfum]

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the comments. I've learned my lesson with Jiffy pots, believe me. That said, is the yellowing not a nitrogen deficiency? Should I be adding some calmag to my distilled water for watering without Big Bloom? Or is this a sign to start using Grow Big or Tiger Bloom with the Big Bloom feedings?

The yellowing could be from the watering issues. I would try and correct that before trying anything else. Make sure to take the yellow leaf off a day or two after you start watering correctly. That way, you can tell if any more are turning yellow.

 

[TanR]

Canobud,

I think it might be a little early for signs of a nitrogen deficiency since Ocean Forest comes "enriched" with several sources of nitrogen already. Not a big advocate of the whole distilled water or RO water when growing in soil, so I'm not the best person to address your Cal/Mag question.

Hang in there brother as you've got 98% or more of it all moving in the right direction. These plants are a lot tougher than one might suspect given the occasional "I've killed my plants" stories you read.

 

[Canobud]

Canobud,

I think it might be a little early for signs of a nitrogen deficiency since Ocean Forest comes "enriched" with several sources of nitrogen already. Not a big advocate of the whole distilled water or RO water when growing in soil, so I'm not the best person to address your Cal/Mag question.

Hang in there brother as you've got 98% or more of it all moving in the right direction. These plants are a lot tougher than one might suspect given the occasional "I've killed my plants" stories you read.

Thank you, TanR! This weekend marks one month since these sprouted, and since I'm planning to up-pot them Saturday (into 3 gallon Smart pots) again using ocean forest and perlite, I'll hold off on additional supplements. My tent will ultimately only hold one of these through harvest, and the Solo cup plant seems to be winning so far. I intend to keep all three going for a while though for my own educational purposes before culling two of them for space reasons.

So distilled/RO water isn't ideal for soil grows? For the first week or so after planting I was using spring water, then switched to distilled. Bad move on my part?

 

[Major PITA]

I don't think it is 'N' deficiency - too early. If anything it could be too much of a good thing.
The weird thing about over-watering is, it mimics nute deficiencies. The roots get waterlogged or rotted and can't soak up water and nutrients. The plant looks like it needs more, but in reality, it has more than enough and is drowning.

When in doubt, err on the side of too little water. If you think it needs water, don't. When you KNOW it needs water, drench/soak the heck out of it and then wait.....