Help! Bottom leaves turning yellow

[BeardedBudLee]

Hello!

I am a BRAND NEW grower, and I'm experiencing some issues with one of my bigger plants. I bought them both from a friend 3 days ago as clones, but the one I just recently transplanted was quite big for still being in a solo cup... So, I decided to transplant it, gave it a hefty bit of water (because it was severely dehydrated when it came to me), and she started looking WAY happier and perky within just 8 hours.

However... I noticed that there was a little bit of "yellowing" happening on the bottom few leaves, and before I went to work tonight, I noticed that it was only getting worse... The top of plant feels perfect to the touch and healthy, but the bottom few leaves seem like they're dying (even one of them is starting to turn brown. When I looked up the issue, an article said that there may be a nitrogen deficiency (lack of proper nutrients). I'm not sure how that can be because I bought a brand new bag of FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil, which I was told was a good brand of soil specifically for this kind of growing. I was also told that it should already have about 3 weeks worth of nutrients in it before I need to add any.

Is there a chance that I could be having a different problem, or maybe my soil isn't giving it enough nutrients as I thought? Again, I'm new, but as you can see, I've done my research, but I'm unsure of what action to take as I don't want to give it TOO MUCH nutrients and ultimately kill the plant by going the other direction with it. I gave it some heavy water in my fabric pots after I transplanted it, as I said, because it was very dehydrated, and some grey-ish water leaked out a little bit (but not a whole lot), so I'm hoping I didn't "wash out" the nutrients in the soil any by giving it a solid amount of water.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I've attached a couple photos of my plant with a closeup of the worse leaf itself. Hopefully this can help someone come to a better conclusion than myself!

ALSO, one of my buddies said to just cut those few off and that it was fine for that to happen. He said that it would turn around. He added that that it was probably because "he had it in the cup and it outgrew the cup, and he had some problems spraying it." Naturally, I have anxiety and OCD when it comes to these things, so I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing or that possibly I'm just overreacting haha.

PHOTO 1: This is when the plants first came to me
PHOTO 2: This is after I replanted the bigger one, gave it a hefty amount of water, and it was about 12 hours later
PHOTO 3: This is a close up of one of the worst leaves on the bottom. The rest are somewhat and sad looking, but this one is obviously dying.

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

hello , just keep the soil moist for a few days -not wet , that plant was in that solo cup for way to long it was root bound , give it a week , what kind of plant was it , i hope not a auto flower type , it will turn around keep your eyes on the new growth at the top , those bottom leaves are beyond repair and will fall off , these are a pretty tough plant .

 

[Old Salt]

First, to the forum!

I think your plant has outgrown its root system. It has deleted the nutrients in the soil. It needs to be fed. You can up-pot it. If want a bigger plant, and are still in veg this is the route I'd recommend. Up-pot in stages as Emilya recommends. The final pot size will depend on how large you want the plant to get. If you are in flower, or this is the size of plant you want, just give her nutrients.

You'll find lots of good information for soil growing in Emilya's award winning, just completed journal. Her paper, 'The Proper Way to Water a Potted Plant' is considered a must read for soil growers. Emilya now usually grows in LOS (Living Organic Soil), but has experience with Fox Farm products. Give her a shout after reading her article if you need clarification.

 

[BeardedBudLee]

hello , just keep the soil moist for a few days -not wet , that plant was in that solo cup for way to long it was root bound , give it a week , what kind of plant was it , i hope not a auto flower type , it will turn around keep your eyes on the new growth at the top , those bottom leaves are beyond repair and will fall off , these are a pretty tough plant .

The bigger one is Larry OG, and the smaller one is Northern Lights Big Bud. Yeah, I thought it was in that cup too long too. When I removed it, you could see the root system was wrapped around the soil at the bottom, it looked rough. The top 90% of it is looking healthier by the day though. Almost "fluffy".

 

[BeardedBudLee]

First, to the forum!

I think your plant has outgrown its root system. It has deleted the nutrients in the soil. It needs to be fed. You can up-pot it. If want a bigger plant, and are still in veg this is the route I'd recommend. Up-pot in stages as Emilya recommends. The final pot size will depend on how large you want the plant to get. If you are in flower, or this is the size of plant you want, just give her nutrients.

You'll find lots of good information for soil growing in Emilya's award winning, just completed journal. Her paper, 'The Proper Way to Water a Potted Plant' is considered a must read for soil growers. Emilya now usually grows in LOS (Living Organic Soil), but has experience with Fox Farm products. Give her a shout after reading her article if you need clarification.

Thank you for the helpful information! I'm still very new to growing marijuana, as well as growing PERIOD haha! But I've done a lot of research, and I'm just trying to make sure I'm doing everything right. I'm going to be checking it when I get home and probably snip the leaves that seem to be gone for good. But the test of the plant is looking healthier by the day.

 

[Old Salt]

When you up-pot make sure you cut through the circling roots in three or four places. These shots are from a previous journal:

Cream & Cheese - Note Signs of cal/mag Deficiency

Candida - Roots Cut on Candida #1

Sapphire Scout - The Only One of Five that Made It.​

All of the plants had their roots cut on each of the four sides to break the circling before transplanting them into 11l caged grow bags. Each plant was given 3l of the nutrient solution to ensure they were fully hydrated. I got about 50% run off for this stage. After letting them drain, they were returned to the tent.

 

[NOOOBIENOT]

why would you want to cut the roots , this sure seems like a lot of added shock to the plant i would think , they should just expand out ward as they search for water and nutes , i have up potted a million times and never have done this before , but i am willing to learn something new , just dont see the science in this but maybe some one else can chirp in on this idea ?

 

[Old Salt]

why would you want to cut the roots , this sure seems like a lot of added shock to the plant i would think , they should just expand out ward as they search for water and nutes , i have up potted a million times and never have done this before , but i am willing to learn something new , just dont see the science in this but maybe some one else can chirp in on this idea ?

This is done for root bound plants only. It breaks the circling of the roots, and encourages lateral growth to form a larger root ball. Bigger root ball = bigger plant = bigger harvest. It's best to avoid letting the plants get root bound, but if it happens this is how plant nurseries, and greenhouses handle it for ornamentals, and vegetables. Cannabis is no different, and I've seen numerous posts here and other cannabis sites describing the process.

 

[BeardedBudLee]

It looks like I might be experiencing a pH problem... I've added a couple new photos (to include the little one, that is now experiencing this dilemma...).

Seems like the yellowing is working its way up the plant now...

What are you thoughts?...

 

[Greenlizard]

That small plant looks very dry. It's great to dry them out but she's begging for it now.
If you have just transplanted them you will have to wait a couple days to see how they are performing. It takes time.
Once you up-potted did you water and feed?
What is your ph going in? Keep in mind you want to check your ph after adding any nutrients to the water. 6.5 is what you should shoot for.

 

[BeardedBudLee]

That small plant looks very dry. It's great to dry them out but she's begging for it now.
If you have just transplanted them you will have to wait a couple days to see how they are performing. It takes time.
Once you up-potted did you water and feed?

I haven't up-potted either of them. I just got home from work with those new photos. The small one is still damp less than a fingernail deep. Do you think it still needs more?

 

[Greenlizard]

Okay so with that being said "still damp less than a fingernail deep" I believe you might also need to dial in your watering practices. One thing not to do is measure your need to water with your finger. This will lead you into bigger issues.
Here is a link that you may find very useful. The Proper Way To Water A Potted Plant
In my opinion your plant's health will not improve until you transplant and free her from her prison. Then with proper watering, PH, and some food the yellowing should stop.

 

[BeardedBudLee]

Okay so with that being said "still damp less than a fingernail deep" I believe you might also need to dial in your watering practices. One thing not to do is measure your need to water with your finger. This will lead you into bigger issues.
Here is a link that you may find very useful. The Proper Way To Water A Potted Plant
In my opinion your plant's health will not improve until you transplant and free her from her prison. Then with proper watering, PH, and some food the yellowing should stop.

I appreciate the information. A lot of articles need to be redacted then because there are a TON of resources that say "knuckle deep" or the top of the soil "should be cool to the back of your finger".

 

[Greenlizard]

I appreciate the information. A lot of articles need to be redacted then because there are a TON of resources that say "knuckle deep" or the top of the soil "should be cool to the back of your finger".

Yes, you are right. There is a ton of bad info out there. Stick with this site and take info from unknown sources with a grain of salt. When I learn something new, or read something that contradicts my previous understanding I like to cross reference with this site and it's combined knowledge before applying new practices.

 

[BeardedBudLee]

Yes, you are right. There is a ton of bad info out there. Stick with this site and take info from unknown sources with a grain of salt. When I learn something new, or read something that contradicts my previous understanding I like to cross reference with this site and it's combined knowledge before applying new practices.

I will take those same precautions! Thank you. Now, I hope my little one isn't going to die... I gave her some water, but I'm still curious about the yellowing... it seems like it's on random leaves and some of the top ones are starting to lighten a bit... is that a pH problem? Unfortunately, I bought a PPM meter that I thought did both, so I don't have the tools at the moment to see if it's pH or not, but you all seem to be pros enough to look at it and tell.

Also, I just watered the little one, should I wait to transfer her to her home pot until it's a little more dry of soil? Or should I just do it now?

 

[BeardedBudLee]

Yes, you are right. There is a ton of bad info out there. Stick with this site and take info from unknown sources with a grain of salt. When I learn something new, or read something that contradicts my previous understanding I like to cross reference with this site and it's combined knowledge before applying new practices.

I forgot to add that the soil I have in the big one should have nutrients in it already for up to 3 weeks. The small one I have been told has no nutrients added to it, just standard soil. But I plan to do the same process with the little one, but the guy I bought them from said he checked the roots and it still needs a couple weeks? I don't know how much he knows, but he said he yields anywhere from 1.5 to 7oz for his indoor grow.

 

[Greenlizard]

Just to hold you over you could go to a pet store and pickup a cheap ph tester. They usually sell the one with the strips, and the color chart. Cheap and easy. Not 100% accurate but it will get the job done.
I would transplant them today and follow up with a full watering, and a light feeding all around the edge of the new pots to encourage lateral root growth into the new space. Keep in mind I do not know what type of soil you are using so perhaps just stick with the water for the first watering after transplant to avoid overfeeding. Someone who grows in soil will better assist from here. I use a soilless mix so I'm not the best one to direct you on what to add to your soil at this point to be honest.

 

[BeardedBudLee]

Just to hold you over you could go to a pet store and pickup a cheap ph tester. They usually sell the one with the strips, and the color chart. Cheap and easy. Not 100% accurate but it will get the job done.
I would transplant them today and follow up with a full watering, and a light feeding all around the edge of the new pots to encourage lateral root growth into the new space.

I'm assuming if there's a pH problem, I'm going to have to transplant them both to new pots since the water I put in the big one is probably tainted?

 

[Old Salt]

I will take those same precautions! Thank you. Now, I hope my little one isn't going to die... I gave her some water, but I'm still curious about the yellowing... it seems like it's on random leaves and some of the top ones are starting to lighten a bit... is that a pH problem? Unfortunately, I bought a PPM meter that I thought did both, so I don't have the tools at the moment to see if it's pH or not, but you all seem to be pros enough to look at it and tell.

Also, I just watered the little one, should I wait to transfer her to her home pot until it's a little more dry of soil? Or should I just do it now?

The yellowing starting from the bottom and moving up is a nitrogen deficiency. The spots on the leaves are due to a calcium deficiency. This is to be expected due to the small solo cups, largish plant, and not feeding the plant. More deficiencies will show up, but right now is where the plant needs nitrogen the most.

If you follow Emilya's instructions, this should all be corrected.

 

[Old Salt]

I'm assuming if there's a pH problem, I'm going to have to transplant them both to new pots since the water I put in the big one is probably tainted?

Correct the problems you can now. Don't go looking for more, as they may or may not be imagined. Yes, get a reasonable pH pen with an accuracy of at least ±0.05. An EC pen is also a good tool to have. Many folks use TDS(PPM), but this is a regional scale. The conversion to TDS(PPM) can range from 500 to 700, depending on the region. EC is universal.