Leaf discoloration - What deficiency is this?

[desiBud420]

My Black Indica clone was doing superb until 2 weeks ago. A slight discoloration began at the lowest part of the stem leaves. I watched to see if it would go away and keep an eye on my feed/nutes and watering.

I did overwater it once, and also used some Hydrogen Peroxide to aerate the soil a bit as well as kill a topsoil gnat issue I had that seemed to be returning.

pH of run off seems to be closer to 6 than 7 according to the color strip range chart, but nothing major. Ive done no foilar sprays apart 1 pesticide spray, and then wash 20 mins after right before lights off (saw a small spider mite issue recurring that ive fought with my first grow. I lost that battle and had to chop-cop earlier than expected and didnt get much bud density from a range of issues the plants experienced in my 5 month start to harvest. Those buds are currently curing, with MITES! I wash the glass jars daily, dry it out and put the buds back inside in under 15 minutes of each extended burp. Thats helping the situation a bit.)

I digress.. ive stopped giving any NPK 20-20-20 by Growmore (even those dosages were at 1/2 or 3/4, never full since this stuff is quite potent.) pH seems fine closer to 6 than 7. One H202 soil watering, and now im just using regular tap water and rain water (collected last few rainfalls) to water it bit by bit judging by pot weight and knuckle depth in soil when necessary.

Soilmix is something Ive made at home with peatmoss, soiless black dirt, perlite, fist of dry cow manure (are these the cause to my spider mites, where do they come from???!), pinch of dolomite and thats pretty much it. The ratios are fitting to a 5 gal pot im using. Transplanted once from yogurt pot to 5 gal with excellent results up till now.

Am I facing a deficiency of sorts here or have I missed something altogether? Pls see the color edges change (yellow and brown at middle plant points) and the overall green color has lost its depth as it had before the problem began.

Heres where the middle of the plant began to get discolored. I saw this after first feed 2 days ago. I think.

The current situation as of today. Looks more like a Magnesiumj/Potassium deficiency.

Any takers? I still have time to resolve this before it gets worse. I want to shift to flowering asap. Well as soon as the 2 cuttings I took set into clones.

 

[TanR]

Hi desiBud420.

Sorry for your struggles. I'd like to start by commending you for what I beleive is the best write up I've seen in a request for help.

Very rarely do I find the symptoms of a definciency to be caused by just one thing. More often I see too much or too little of one thing, causing a lock out or immobilization of one or more other things. With that said, I suspect the 20-20-20 Growmore to be the culprit here. During the vegatative period, cannabis needs nutrients in roughly a 3-1-2 ratio. Given your use of the fertilizer, which I suspect is a general purpose lawn/garden type, I'm going to venture a guess that you don't have easy access to any cannabis specific nutrient formulations. If that is correct, might you have access to something that provides roughly the ratio above? Might find it in a fertilizer for house plants even.

For now, I would flush this plant like crazy, and provide no nutrients for the next 10 days to 2 weeks.

Be well and happy growing!

 

[Red58]

Try next watering with some Epsom salts, 1tsp per gallon.

Red.

 

[desiBud420]

Hi desiBud420.

Sorry for your struggles. I'd like to start by commending you for what I beleive is the best write up I've seen in a request for help.

Very rarely do I find the symptoms of a definciency to be caused by just one thing. More often I see too much or too little of one thing, causing a lock out or immobilization of one or more other things. With that said, I suspect the 20-20-20 Growmore to be the culprit here. During the vegatative period, cannabis needs nutrients in roughly a 3-1-2 ratio. Given your use of the fertilizer, which I suspect is a general purpose lawn/garden type, I'm going to venture a guess that you don't have easy access to any cannabis specific nutrient formulations. If that is correct, might you have access to something that provides roughly the ratio above? Might find it in a fertilizer for house plants even.

For now, I would flush this plant like crazy, and provide no nutrients for the next 10 days to 2 weeks.

Be well and happy growing!

Hi TanR!

First off I cant thank you enough for being as generous as your comment. I was blown off a while back by someone for composing a completely confusing and unstructured post representing a class of members that would not respond to me. Even though he meant to help me he sure came off hard and I felt asking for help might bring out more finger-pointing than helping a fellow grower out of a tight mess. In my defence, I was high AND I was neck deep in so much online research and information my mind was on fire. So in that confusion I made a fart of a mess with that and have been careful to keep it short and clear as possible.

For that I thank you! You've boosted my mood overall and after a while I felt I dont need cannabis to keep my spirits up whereas everyday here is a struggle mentally and physically! In fact im not under the influence as yet. I had a numbing pain on MY right bladder area and I think its a mix of problems with age, lactose intolerance, way too many sugars before bedtime, and defo not enough water to keep me hydrated. Just to keep abit clear of the fear (not from cannabis) I'm just watching the clock and stabilizing myself mentally before I can enjoy a nice toke. Cheers for that my friend! I send good vibes and tidings your way with positive energy and peace!

About your assumptions.. yes, Yes, and YES! You are right on the money. I am located in one of the "is-Tan" regions, a highly agricultural region, but severely lacking in "Cannabis specific nutrient formulations". Ive requested one shop to get some stuff but, the only thing he COULD get was Perlite( THank goD!!!) I tell him im growing anything BUT cannabis, even though it grows like the measles at every other street corner and green land area, but.. no-one knows about anything cannabis related here. They tend to just boil it with milk for a 2-3 day trip, which is really weird. If I could Id love to get my hands on a years supply of CalMag/Some of that spider-mite/bug spray/ and General Hydroponics Tigerbloom, and those 2 others. I attempted to get some friends to bring this stuff down to me, but its illegal. Infact you can make explosive shit with it and most flights dont even allow it in your luggage. What they dont get is on the way heere, things are a bit relaxed as long as you can talk some sense into the authorities at airports. As long as you look the part as a gardenere (whatever that is to them) you should be good. Noone delivers online and generally such products are questioned. DOnt get me started how many times my parents have questioned the various experiements ive gotten up to with my babies that are growing now alongside some dates and Gojiberries.

Ok, so I have flushed it once. Another friend in Canada suggested I gently water the plant with no feeds whatsever so minimize whatever damage has happened. I'l do one more flush once the soil dries out a bit. Ive been delaying this beast from flowering since ive been trying to get 2 decent clones off of it. My attempts lately have been futile and my clones have been dying from browning/mushy effects. Here is the link should you be interested in having a look:

Dying clones - What's killing them?


I shall keep you posted mate! Thanks for the positive vibe and energy. I admit I get carried away at times, but when someone appreciates your unnoticed efforts, that goes a long way for me. Have a great weekend!!!!

 

[desiBud420]

Try next watering with some Epsom salts, 1tsp per gallon.

Red.

Is there an alternative I can use to Epsom salts? I'm not sure what source I can get them from in terms of a garden store, my grocery store, or some other place.

The nurseries use terminilogy im not familiar with and trying to explain Epsom Salts to them will be a mission because they dont speak english, let alone the translation of chemical names.

 

[TanR]

desiBud420,

Happy to help if I can, on any and all levels. Good vibes, positive energy and peace to you as well! Funny story that people in your area boil cannabis in milk and then are stoned for days! Your english is great desi, can you comfortably share where/how that came about? Part of my curiousity stems from my embarrasment that we Americans are so woefully unexposed generally to other languages and cultures for that matter.

I did notice your posting about your clones and I believe the suggestions I saw provided are good advice. They did seem to be suffering from being too moist and a lack of air flow.

I don't disagree with Red58's suggestion to use the epsom salt in your next waterings, but don't know that it's pivotal to helping them recouperate from the current issue. It is a great supplement to have for growing in general as it is essentially Magnesium sulfate. In the U.S., I would expect to find it in the health section of virtually any store as it is a great addition to bath water to soak tired, aching muscles and also serves as a mild laxative. Same section of the store I might buy asprin, cough medicine, etc...

A couple more quick thoughts - Once you get this plant stable and decide to allow it to enter the budding stage, you'll want nutrients in a 1,3,2, ratio. You might find something formulated for blooming vegatables or fruit to be suitable. I don't know if tomoto's are grown in your region but if so, tomoto food would work fine. Also, I suggest that any manure you mix in your soil be composted for a significant period prior to use. I would definately suspect it could be the source of your spider might problem, but in my experience pests can come from virtually anywhere.

I hope you feel better soon and can completely enjoy your opportunity to partake when it arises.