Super Soil deficiency in 5th week of flower!

daesonn

daesonn

Active Member
Hey guys,

I am using subcool's super soil, watering with RO water with 1tsp/gal added cal-n-mag instead of the recommended 1.75/2tsp/gal (which may be the problem). I also have a few gnats crawling on my soil despite azamaxx treatments. But what do you think is going on and how can i fix it before it takes over?

20140523_091912.jpg 20140523_091645.jpg 20140523_091653.jpg 20140523_170842.jpg

Most of the symptoms are near the bottom of the plant but that last pic shows the tips of the top-most leaves starting to turn! This scares me! Please help!
 
vostok

vostok

Well-Known Member
daesonn said:
@vostok

this is a super soil grow and I'm not adding any nutrients. I thought you don't flush in these cases?
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You have a valid point, but really what other options have you, nute burn or dysfunctional root zones can only be fixed by one method I know off, that the cursed flush!
I hate it myself I get soaked every time, but the plants love it ...GGRR!
 
Grow4myfriends

Grow4myfriends

Active Member
Whether or not you flush at this point should be decided based on the properties of ur soil. If it has slow-release nutes then flushing would be very bad - all sorts of weird and unpredictable things will happen in the next 2 weeks following the flush and I assure you your plants will not like these things. If your soil does not contain slow-release nutes then u can happily flush and you will succeed in lessening the amount of nutes in ur soil. But be sure to have good drainage and aeration in ur soil since it will need to dry out after the flush.

Your plant is a little pale and I see some reddish stems. There is a deficiency of sth. At 5 weeks into flower they gonna be needing some P and K right now for bud development.

All in all ur plant looks fairly healthy, I reckon your roots just hit a couple of odd little rogue nute hotspots (or maybe spots where nutes are lacking) in the soil.
 
daesonn

daesonn

Active Member
@Grow4myfriends seeing as it's super soil. It would be slow-release nutrients in which case I should probably avoid over-watering or flushing, am I right?

No disrespect vostok, I appreciate your input, but what grow said does seem to make sense...

I figure maybe I just topdress with more super soil, add a tsp of molasses, 1.75 of cal-n-mag per gal of RO water and see what happens?

No one can point out a specific deficiency from my pics so I dunno what else to do... lol This is a pretty massive plant and its been alive for almost 3.5 months already so it makes sense that the soil is just running out of some nutrients.
 
Grow4myfriends

Grow4myfriends

Active Member
yah u do not wanna flush or water excessively in that soil, if u do nutes will be completely arse over tit for the rest of ur grow. I would say keep watering to a minimum. In fact wait til leaves start drooping, then water and when u do, add some flowering nutes, say maybe some 2-3-4, only a real small dosage to start with and then observe.
 
AllenHaze

AllenHaze

Well-Known Member
Nice trichome development on those leaves :weed:. Looks like P deficiency on the first leaves. The red petioles is another indication but of course, that could be your strain. The burnt leaf tips are nute burn. Have you been adding extra nutrients aside from the calmag? Did you modify the recipe at all? Best Wishes :peace:
 
keysareme

keysareme

Well-Known Member
Yes, she is hungry. Whatever you do end up doing, share with us. Your experience will help. Very cool to hear you mixed up some super soil. I believe it's the best way to go, to make your own medium. This way you know precisely what's in it. Awesome plant man.

Edit, it looks like phosphorus, which would be understandable considering they love it during flower. I have encountered similar looking leaves during my first grow (using bottled organic nutrients) when I backed off on the amount of phosphorus I was adding during flower in the form of a steamed bone meal. The base nutrients have/had a good amount already, but the plant was rather large and most likely just wanted/needed more than what was in the base mix. Once I added in the bone meal again I saw no more signs of the need phosphorus. I'm not saying that a bottle is a cure-all, just that in this particular grow it's what the plant wanted, and it happens to relate to what you are experiencing with your plant.

Anyways, I hope that little experience and me sharing it had some value and insight. You have a nice girl growing.

Another edit,

If your in the vibe for top dressing, and want to try something out, I can suggest some of the best worm castings you can use as a top layer dressing, that have all your plant would want. Also, if you have some good Organic compost, a top dress layer of that can and will provide additional nourishment to your plant and medium, but you're aware of this already.
 
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daesonn

daesonn

Active Member
Uh oh! So I did a little bit of top dressing last watering, but not much, and I added a little bit more today with some bone meal before watering.

After watering, I saw this in the runoff!

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The gnat there is old news, but tons of these little white fuckers all of a sudden!? What are these are what do I need to do to ensure they dont ruin my crop!?
 
keysareme

keysareme

Well-Known Member
daesonn said:
Uh oh! So I did a little bit of top dressing last watering, but not much, and I added a little bit more today with some bone meal before watering.

After watering, I saw this in the runoff!

View attachment 3162386

View attachment 3162387

The gnat there is old news, but tons of these little white fuckers all of a sudden!? What are these are what do I need to do to ensure they dont ruin my crop!?
Click to expand...
If I am correct, and I hope that I am, those white insects are beneficial to your medium. It's a good sign that they are present. I am referring either to what you are showing in the picture, or to another small white insect that indeed is beneficial to the medium.

*Edit, springtails bro.

These insects are springtails, so-named because many species (not Onychiurus spp.) have a forked structure folded under their abdomen; when flicked out it propels the insect into the air and helps the creature escape predators or adverse conditions. Many species of springtail of various colours occur in garden soil but the types most frequently found in potting compost are white, such as Onychiurus species. Springtails are also sometimes known as collembola.
Control

None is necessary. These are harmless creatures that feed on fungal growth and decaying plant material. They are dependent on damp conditions and so will not spread away from pot plants or become a nuisance in the home.
 
daesonn

daesonn

Active Member
@keysareme

I appreciate your input. How can we be sure?

I tried to get a closer view of the bugs but even with a magnifying glass it was really hard.
 
keysareme

keysareme

Well-Known Member
What your pictures are showing does not signify to me any sign of white bugs doing damage to the plants or roots. What your plant is enduring seems to be to be a separate instance all its own from the bugs.

Springtails most often show up during watering, ie they spring up the to the top of the medium if you pour enough water in to create a layer above the medium before the medium absorbs it. Which would also confirm their presence in your run off saucer, they were most likely just crawling around in your soil and your most recent watering pushed them out.

Basically you should be just fine as long as they have enough decaying matter in the soil to eat, cause all they do is eat decaying matter and poop out nutrients. They pretty much provide you with insect frass for free, and they are for sure sign that your soil is healthy and full of nourishing life and that it is living, cause they are thriving on the alive decaying matter in the medium.
 
tekdc911

tekdc911

Well-Known Member
if its not affecting the buds
and you are within a few weeks of the chop its just a live and learn type of deal
most plants get crunchy around chop time
really doesnt matter seeing how the fans are clipped from the buds during trimming
 
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