Struggling First Timer - Looking For Your Expertise! Thanks!

[firecat74]

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Thanks in advance for any help. My problem is that while my girls keep growing, I randomly have leaves where the stems start to turn purplish and get soft, the tips start dying, progressively takes over the whole leaf, and then the leaf falls off. Here is the run down of my setup.

Started small 7" clones with a few leaves Nov 21, 2015. Strain: Serious Happiness
Vegging 61 days now
40 Gallon RDWC system that I built with 3" piping using 13 gal buckets and eight inch deep net pots (recirculates constantly about 9 times/hr)
Grow room 5' x 4' with circulating fan and orca grow film throughout
Water level about 2" below net pot
Room temp 72-75 degrees at all times
Humidity varies between 50 & 55%
480 Watt fluorescent grow lights about 18" above plants
Water reservoir temp maintains 66 degrees
Using Remo Micro and Grow Nutrients with addition of Cal Mag (started with 25% recommended ml and progressed to 50% recommended over time)
PPM 700 (using blue lab truncheon meter stick)
PH Always between 5.9 and 6.2 Rarely fluctuates. (using blue lab ph pen)
using city water that ppms at 150 by itself, Recently have been melting snow (zero ppm) and straining for top offs
Plants currently 18" tall

Im getting frustrated as I feel all the characteristics are well within reason, but yet leaves keep dying.
My friend said I'm going to have to switch to flower cycle in about two weeks, but I'm scared about the dying leaves and what will happen in flower. I have a lot of money invested into this project and really need to produce something!! LOL

Thanks again, this has been fun watching them grow, but I just wish I can fix the problem!

 

[Blue281]

Try your PH at 5.8 for a RDWC system. I always use the grow weed easy's website as they have a great problems and sysmtoms section. I've used it to diagnose my plants problems on my first two plants and found it quite useful. You can find it on google by searching diagnose my plant. Hope this helps!


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[Rifleman]

5.8 is the sweet spot. When I worried about pH I would drop it to 5.6ish and let it climb from there. Click on my blog entries link(to the left under my name) and there is an entry with all sorts of charts for pH, and diagnosing problems.

Be sure your pH meter is within calibration also. Don't ask how I learned that lesson.

 

[Torst]

Double check your PH meter is calibrated correctly, and then buy a 2nd one! PH is so important I never trust a single meter, like Rifleman I learned my lesson!!!

 

[JimmyJames905]

Buy ph strips. They're always right.


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[LEDBud]

Ph 5.9 to 6.2 rocks its not your problem a lack of cal mag is or was at one time. Old leaves like that do not recover cal prevents more growth from suffering. When in doubt dump the nutrients and mix up a fresh batch as lock out will show up as deficiencies. Your overview of them is important , keep an eye on the conditions.

 

[firecat74]

Thanks to all who responded, turns out was a cal-mag problem..Started adding some with nutrient changes and now ready to flip the switch to bud..pic is 70 days into veg, and started out as a small stem with a couple leaves!!!

Ph 5.9 to 6.2 rocks its not your problem a lack of cal mag is or was at one time. Old leaves like that do not recover cal prevents more growth from suffering. When in doubt dump the nutrients and mix up a fresh batch as lock out will show up as deficiencies. Your overview of them is important , keep an eye on the conditions.

 

[LEDBud]

Nice to hear and see ! Looking real good firecat

 

[Blue281]

Nice! Some great looking plants you've got there


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[firecat74]

Day 19 of bud..Thanks again to all for the feedback, as you can see, the girls are doing quite well!