TheFertilizer
Well-Known Member
Yeahh, these sure aren't looking good, I think I might have fed them too early. These are Panama x Malawi on the top row, and Platinum Girl Scout Cookies x Cherry OG on the bottom. They've been above ground since about the first of the month, and I fed them two weeks ago when their cotyledons started yellowing. They've been unhappy ever since and I've been thinking it's a watering issue but I wonder if these got nutrients too soon?
I also usually transplant into 1 gallon containers by now but haven't had soil until now. I've had these yellowing issues from getting two big in the solo cups before, but looking at the roots, they don't even seem root bound, but on at least one cup some of the roots are looking green and withered :/ They did go through a heatwave where the root zone got really hot. I mean I took the clear cups out to check them and the plastic felt hot to touch.
I used very light feedings of my EarthJuice nutrients. 1/2 tsp of all 5 parts plus OilyCann into 2 gallons of water. I bubbled for 24 hours and watered without pH'ing because I have been doing this for late flower with no problem, but I think for pots this size it definitely swung the pH out because I can see shifting issues real apparently. After that I waited for them to dry and watered with a similar strength solution at 6.0 pH. I water 6.0 pH because Happy Frog always runs high for me, so I do this so the runoff comes out at 6.5 range. I think I might have done it to 6.5, but in any case it shouldn't matter with EarthJuice and Happy Frog, at that range the buffers should have worked.
Past experience and instinct just tells me they need to be transplanted, but it's interesting that the roots aren't anywhere near root-bound. I think it's more likely to be a case of under-watering than over-watering. I know everybody's favorite go-to is over-watering, but I've let these pots get super light ( 160 grams ) and my moisture meters read bone dry, and the plants are in pre-wilt. It's definitely not over watering. I mean it could be they're staying too moist for too long, but I'm definitely letting them dry out. I feel like Happy Frog needs some perlite added to it.
They also kind of look like they have bugs, but I'm not seeing any signs in the loupe, just specs of dirt and sessile glands. I forgot to mention I also gave them a neem oil drench on that first nutrient feeding as well. I suppose it's possible the roots didn't like that, but I have never had a problem before. Then again, I've always had seedlings look this rough before transplanting them and I usually do an early neem oil drench, so maybe.
Anyway, past experience tells me as soon as I put these into 1 gallon containers they're gonna be fine so I'm not worried at all, but I just don't get why I can't grow a healthy plant in a solo cup. I've seen whole competitions where people grow them start to finish in a solo cup but I can't even keep my seedlings healthy in them. Just curious about what else could be the issue here.
Big possibilities in my mind are...
1. Over/Under Watering
2. Nute burn
3. Root burn
4. pH swings
Is it possible they don't like my light being so close? It's only a T5, I keep it about 6" above them.
As far as pH'ing goes, there's this big constant debate on this forum about whether you need to with organic nutrients and soils, but I think the problem with big wet/dry cycling is that the dry cycles kill off your soil life, leaving the only buffering action to be the dolomite lime that's added. I use fully organic pH up/down mix to adjust the pH levels, but I notice that in flower ( when I don't let the soil get bone dry ) that not adjusting pH has no ill effects. However, in this circumstances ( when I have let the soil get bone dry ) it definitely seems like it needs pH adjusting. *shrugs* I guess if the soil is buffered then it shouldn't matter either way, but I have to pH my water/feed to 6.0 just to get the runoff to come out under 7 so I feel like there's something going on there. Combine that with constant purple stems and I feel like the Happy Frog I get has some quality control issues or something. I'm actually planning on moving on to my own super soil mix.
I also usually transplant into 1 gallon containers by now but haven't had soil until now. I've had these yellowing issues from getting two big in the solo cups before, but looking at the roots, they don't even seem root bound, but on at least one cup some of the roots are looking green and withered :/ They did go through a heatwave where the root zone got really hot. I mean I took the clear cups out to check them and the plastic felt hot to touch.
I used very light feedings of my EarthJuice nutrients. 1/2 tsp of all 5 parts plus OilyCann into 2 gallons of water. I bubbled for 24 hours and watered without pH'ing because I have been doing this for late flower with no problem, but I think for pots this size it definitely swung the pH out because I can see shifting issues real apparently. After that I waited for them to dry and watered with a similar strength solution at 6.0 pH. I water 6.0 pH because Happy Frog always runs high for me, so I do this so the runoff comes out at 6.5 range. I think I might have done it to 6.5, but in any case it shouldn't matter with EarthJuice and Happy Frog, at that range the buffers should have worked.
Past experience and instinct just tells me they need to be transplanted, but it's interesting that the roots aren't anywhere near root-bound. I think it's more likely to be a case of under-watering than over-watering. I know everybody's favorite go-to is over-watering, but I've let these pots get super light ( 160 grams ) and my moisture meters read bone dry, and the plants are in pre-wilt. It's definitely not over watering. I mean it could be they're staying too moist for too long, but I'm definitely letting them dry out. I feel like Happy Frog needs some perlite added to it.
They also kind of look like they have bugs, but I'm not seeing any signs in the loupe, just specs of dirt and sessile glands. I forgot to mention I also gave them a neem oil drench on that first nutrient feeding as well. I suppose it's possible the roots didn't like that, but I have never had a problem before. Then again, I've always had seedlings look this rough before transplanting them and I usually do an early neem oil drench, so maybe.
Anyway, past experience tells me as soon as I put these into 1 gallon containers they're gonna be fine so I'm not worried at all, but I just don't get why I can't grow a healthy plant in a solo cup. I've seen whole competitions where people grow them start to finish in a solo cup but I can't even keep my seedlings healthy in them. Just curious about what else could be the issue here.
Big possibilities in my mind are...
1. Over/Under Watering
2. Nute burn
3. Root burn
4. pH swings
Is it possible they don't like my light being so close? It's only a T5, I keep it about 6" above them.
As far as pH'ing goes, there's this big constant debate on this forum about whether you need to with organic nutrients and soils, but I think the problem with big wet/dry cycling is that the dry cycles kill off your soil life, leaving the only buffering action to be the dolomite lime that's added. I use fully organic pH up/down mix to adjust the pH levels, but I notice that in flower ( when I don't let the soil get bone dry ) that not adjusting pH has no ill effects. However, in this circumstances ( when I have let the soil get bone dry ) it definitely seems like it needs pH adjusting. *shrugs* I guess if the soil is buffered then it shouldn't matter either way, but I have to pH my water/feed to 6.0 just to get the runoff to come out under 7 so I feel like there's something going on there. Combine that with constant purple stems and I feel like the Happy Frog I get has some quality control issues or something. I'm actually planning on moving on to my own super soil mix.
