5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud growth?

[sl48]

classic yellow new growth. will they be ok? they are in the stretch and new growth is yellow due to rising PH which happens during rapid growth with high nitrate-nitrogen consumption. bicarbonate ions are exchanged raising ph causing lockout

I'll flush tomorrow with 1 gal of sledge hammer treated water, then ph and resupply 1gal with grow big and tiger bloom nutes. 2 gal flush for a 3 gal pot.

 

[illizm775]

Re: 5 days into flowering and an iron deficiency...what effect does it have on bud gr

I thought you have to double the flushing 2:1 ratio so 6gal for 3gal. At least that was my understanding with sledgehammer

 

[illizm775]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

I hope this helps cause I just use it as a guide not as a schedule because it's too overpowered to follow the recommendations.
https://www.foxfarmfertilizer.com/images/pdf/hydroenglish2015.pdf

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

Yours is pretty mild. The cool thing about iron def is its reversible and the leaves can regain their colour again if conditions improve. I make sure to keep the calmag (contains iron) levels up during the stretch period.

 

[sl48]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

good advice. Funny, I added cal-mag on the last gallon of the flush. my other 4 plants have the same issue but less so. I'll flush tonight with plain water and add cal-mag.

 

[sl48]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

here is the science behind the issue that I found on a farming site.

Iron deficiency is particularly prevalent during times of rapid vegetative growth, when plants are taking up more nitrate-nitrogen. Nitrates are negatively-charged ions and when a plant takes up a nitrate ion, it has to get rid of another negatively-charged ion such as a bicarbonate ion. The more bicarbonate ions leaked by the roots into solution, the higher the pH. I once tried to grow sweet corn hydroponically, but it was such a heavy nitrate feeder that I had to adjust the pH and EC twice a day. Once the pH rose above 6.5, the leaves would start to develop yellow stripes, but as soon as I lowered the pH the yellow stripes would start to fill in with green again.

To help prevent iron deficiencies during periods of fluctuating pH, the best hydroponic nutrients include iron in a chelated form. Chela means claw, so a chelate attaches to an iron ion like a claw, helping to keep it soluble in the hydroponic solution. To know which chelate is used, check the label. The three most common synthetic chelates are EDTA, DTPA and EDDHA. EDTA is the weakest, DTPA is stronger and EDDHA is the strongest. EDDHA remains stable even at high pH levels, but it is much more expensive than the other forms. Most hydroponic nutrients include the iron in the DTPA

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

That's interesting. Fits with what I've seen too. P

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

opps double post-

In my nube days I used to switch to bloom nutes too early, and/or not add enough calmag during the stretch.
Had many a yellow plant.

 

[sl48]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

yeah,.it makes total sense. you see this a lot in photos when people switch to flower and it usually resolves on its own after the stretch because it stops producing bi carbonate. he'll, my PH test last night was appx 6.5 which is great but locks out iron. I'll get the rest of my plants to 6.0 and add calmag. then all should be ok

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

To resolve this I don't usually flush really, just feed/water with lots of runoff, at the low end of the ph range. In general I always feed at the low end, as my ph goes upwards in the pots to take in the rest of the range they need. I'm growing in peat moss soilless though so I use the hydro range and ph in the low fives.

 

[sl48]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

I'm in roots organic standard mix. is 6 ok? this is my first grow. 5 plants. you helped me early on with overwatering slow growth and now those plants a Champs. I added 3 more to the grow 3 weeks in and they are all the same size now
I'm in the home stretch now. 5 days in and I see pistles

 

[texasdjj]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

Yours is pretty mild. The cool thing about iron def is its reversible and the leaves can regain their colour again if conditions improve. I make sure to keep the calmag (contains iron) levels up during the stretch period.

Ok, I'll bite: Is there an "iron probe" that I need to buy and put on the shelf with the PH Meter, EC Meter, temp probe, humidity monitor?

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

Sounds good to me. I'm not a soil grower. But depending on your soil mix (and normally it will have dolomite lime in it which will
tend to make whatever is added gravitate towards 7-ish.) I think it usually works best to stay on the low side. You'll have to learn by trial amd error.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

Ok, I'll bite: Is there an "iron probe" that I need to buy and put on the shelf with the PH Meter, EC Meter, temp probe, humidity monitor?

No. And although soil growers don't normally have to deal with ph control so much- if you figure you will need to be managing ph a lot (usually much more of an issue in hydro/soilless) then get the best quality meter you can afford.

 

[dc534]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

I am glad to have been reading this. I literally just switched to flowering a little over 1.5 weeks ago. I noticed the tops yellowing and just figured it was part of the growing process. I had no idea that it was a deficiency. I am going to have to take a closer look at all this.

The thing I love about being a new grower is learning about these things.

 

[sl48]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

I am glad to have been reading this. I literally just switched to flowering a little over 1.5 weeks ago. I noticed the tops yellowing and just figured it was part of the growing process. I had no idea that it was a deficiency. I am going to have to take a closer look at all this.

The thing I love about being a new grower is learning about these things.

it really ends up being a ph issue. locking out iron causing a deficiency.

 

[texasdjj]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

No. And although soil growers don't normally have to deal with ph control so much- if you figure you will need to be managing ph a lot (usually much more of an issue in hydro/soilless) then get the best quality meter you can afford.

I have all the meters I listed - but was wondering how the pros are monitoring their "nutrient levels"? How do I know if I have enough "iron" or Phosphorous?

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

All the decent/appropriate commercial fertilizer mixes will have that stuff - it's more a matter of monitoring ph and feeding levels

 

[ChronicAffair]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

If you are using a brand name nutrient brand, you don't have an iron deficiency. 99.9% of all deficiencies are macro. Not micro. You have a CalMag deficiency. The purple under the leaves is mag. The curling of the leaves to the side "shoestringing" and the darker inner leaf veins means calcium.
Stop the nonsense about pH/ nutrient lockout. When a plant gets over watered, the root hairs rot , not allowing water and Nutrient uptake. Either you are watering her too much or your grow media is holding too much moisture.
As long you keep your Ph between 5-7 , use a ppm/ EC meter for nutrients, keep your light high, and your canopy temperature in a comfortable zone- it's a weed, she'll grow anywhere.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: 5 days into flowering & an iron deficiency - What effect does it have on bud grow

He said/ implied that his ph got too high. Hence the iron def.