First Grow: Small Brown Spots Appearing

[mateenah95]

Hi guys, this is my first grow! She is in her 3rd week of veg and some small brown have just started appearing since the last day or two! Should I be worried! I’ve done some digging around and from what I’ve found it could potentially be a magnesium or manganese deficiency! Is this so? I really can’t tell due to lack of experience!

Type: Autoflower Feminized
Medium: FoxFarm Ocean Forest
Light: 150w (3 x 50w) CFL Bulbs
Space: 24 in x 12 in x 10 in
Week 3 In Vegetation
Nutrients: None so far.
Light cycle: 24/0
RH: 20-30%
Temp: 22-28 degrees celsius

 

[Blew Hiller]

24 hours of light, imo, is not beneficial for any plant. There is much discussion about plants using dark periods to synthesize essential sugars and amino acids for growth. I have tried both 20/4 and 18/6 and seen no appreciable difference, so now I run 18/6 because its less electricity and autos seem to love it. I suggest you consider a sufficient dark period .

It is hard to tell from the photo, but it also looks like that is a pretty small container for your plant @ 3 weeks. Did you plan on transplanting?

FFOF is a nutrient rich soil so be aware of that if/when you do add nutrients. At this point in the grow, in that soil, there really should be no nutrient deficiencies.

I would guess the spots are a result of lighting, though I have no experience with CFL. What I have read it that CFL is generally on the lower end of the spectrum for the amount of lights plants need. Let's wait and see what others say.

 

[mateenah95]

24 hours of light, imo, is not beneficial for any plant. There is much discussion about plants using dark periods to synthesize essential sugars and amino acids for growth. I have tried both 20/4 and 18/6 and seen no appreciable difference, so now I run 18/6 because its less electricity and autos seem to love it. I suggest you consider a sufficient dark period .

It is hard to tell from the photo, but it also looks like that is a pretty small container for your plant @ 3 weeks. Did you plan on transplanting?

FFOF is a nutrient rich soil so be aware of that if/when you do add nutrients. At this point in the grow, in that soil, there really should be no nutrient deficiencies.

I would guess the spots are a result of lighting, though I have no experience with CFL. What I have read it that CFL is generally on the lower end of the spectrum for the amount of lights plants need. Let's wait and see what others say.

I will try to switch them to a 18/6 cycle to see if that helps fix issue. The pot she currently is in is a 1 gallon. I had her in a solo cup for her seedling stage right upto end of week 1. Since my final target size was the gallon pot I transplanted her relatively early. I do not intend on transplanting her to a larger container as of yet due to space restrictions but if push comes to shove and the gallon pot is bottlenecking her then I might consider upgrading to a larger size. When do you suggest I start feeding nutrients? I have not added anything to the soil other that ph corrected water ofc. Are you sure that dosent like look like Manganese or Magnesium deficiency? From my research online the symptoms shes showing resemble these deficiency

I also have a spare 300w full spectrum LED grow light lying unused and can switch to that but will have to but upgrade to a tent for that as her current grow box isn't large enough for the light.

 

[CS21]

Hey there, let's see if we can help.
How often are you watering and are you checking PH?? There is no mention of this

 

[mateenah95]

Hey there, let's see if we can help.
How often are you watering and are you checking PH?? There is no mention of this

i water when the top half inch of the soil has become dry, usually by poking a finger into the soil gently. i check ph before watering. the kit i have is not a digital one. its one of those solution based kits that takes a sample of water and usually by adding a testing agent it turns to a certain color. the color usually indicates water is at a ph of 6.5 when watering. the runnoff has a ph of around 5.8-6.0

 

[CS21]

Well if your in soil you definately need to make sure it's getting a good wet/dry cycle.
I'm not a soil guy so cant help ya too much that way but, Knowing how and when to water is a must!! Pot size could have something to do with it...
@Emilya has a fantastic thread in her signature about watering a potted plant properly and is a soil expert you might say!!

 

[Blew Hiller]

i water when the top half inch of the soil has become dry, usually by poking a finger into the soil gently

This is an unreliable method....you are better off getting her into a larger pot and then just watering her 2x a week maximum. She needs to cycle through wet and dry, and if there is sufficient soil then she'll have plenty of moisture to thrive. You'll likely see the improvement in her new growth....those spots are just a hiccup in her progress.

Anything is possible, but if FFOC is "ready from the bag" (or whatever their marketing says) then she should have plenty of (manganese or magnesium) nutrition, especially at this early stage. My only comment on adding nutes, as I am mainly water only in my soil, is not yet.

Consider starting a grow journal...you'll get a lot of help here.