How I accelerate fade in soil

Charles U Farley

Well-Known Member
The cool thing is everyone can do it their own way if it's what they think is right for their plants. I'd just say I've done it both ways with salt nutes and dry amendments and feeding to the end with tapering off slightly at the finish produces the best plants for me.
As I say when I want to irritate my kids, "That's what you kids call a "mike drop", isn't it?"
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Interesting point. I get the water PH down to about 3.3. I would think that would cause some lockout?...
You do this deliberately or things just go sideways sometimes?

Something I've been meaning to try is when you figure you have a week or so to the chop you cut the plant down at the base and sit it in a pot of RO/distilled water while it's still under the lights so it tries to keep growing. With no access to nutes it burns up what mobile nutes it has and that causes rapid fade. Something about taking off all the big fans too so it accelerates the process.

Some of the plant research I've been reading about points to excess P and K being the main culprits behind black ash and that 'chem' taste so I'm feeding less of those especially in the last weeks of flowering. When they need a big boost of nutrients is during the stretch when the plant undergoes a huge growth spurt. I let the heat get up to 90F add extra light and CO2 along with a good dose of all nutes and a dash of Big Bud a week before flipping to 'prime the pump'. After the stretch when using hydro nutes I'll switch to Lucas Formula style feeding to limit N but also drop the ppm either in a tub for DWC or the feedings I give a pot of ProMix.

The vast majority of the pot I grow is destined to be made into concentrate for use in edibles so I'm not so concerned with the colour of my ashes tho I do like to slow dry and cure some of the best colas to have some decent smoking bud on hand for friends and an evening toke here and there.

I've always done experiments while growing to keep it interesting and tho I don't see this watering with pH 4 water as having any real effect I haven't done it so until I do I can't really say one way or another.

:peace:
 

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
That’s what they say about incomplete combustion - organic compounds . I tossed PK boosters long ago.
Boosters to add filler weight to the buds. Quality doesn't change, just makes it plumper. Long known dirty secret to raise profits, just like the beef industry does.
 

budrock61

Active Member
You do this deliberately or things just go sideways sometimes?

Totally deliberate. I only do it to plants that aren't fading enough to my liking. And I ONLY do it in the last 2 weeks, or last 1 week of flower, depending on the plant.

Something I've been meaning to try is when you figure you have a week or so to the chop you cut the plant down at the base and sit it in a pot of RO/distilled water while it's still under the lights so it tries to keep growing. With no access to nutes it burns up what mobile nutes it has and that causes rapid fade. Something about taking off all the big fans too so it accelerates the process.

That is basically what I'm doing. I'm theoretically locking out nutes at the roots, so now the plant has to cannibalize from the leaves.

Some of the plant research I've been reading about points to excess P and K being the main culprits behind black ash and that 'chem' taste so I'm feeding less of those especially in the last weeks of flowering. When they need a big boost of nutrients is during the stretch when the plant undergoes a huge growth spurt. I let the heat get up to 90F add extra light and CO2 along with a good dose of all nutes and a dash of Big Bud a week before flipping to 'prime the pump'. After the stretch when using hydro nutes I'll switch to Lucas Formula style feeding to limit N but also drop the ppm either in a tub for DWC or the feedings I give a pot of ProMix.

Yeah, there's a shit ton of debate about what causes black ash, bad taste, harshness, etc. All I know is I've grown a bunch of green weed, and a bunch of faded weed, and the faded weed usually looks and tastes better, and smokes smoother, IMO. YMMV.

The vast majority of the pot I grow is destined to be made into concentrate for use in edibles so I'm not so concerned with the colour of my ashes tho I do like to slow dry and cure some of the best colas to have some decent smoking bud on hand for friends and an evening toke here and there.

I've always done experiments while growing to keep it interesting and tho I don't see this watering with pH 4 water as having any real effect I haven't done it so until I do I can't really say one way or another.

It seems to be working for me. I'll need several more runs to have a solid opinion. But so far so good. Now you got me curious what the buffered runoff PH will be if I dump 3.3PH water into soil...

:peace:
 

budtoker221

Well-Known Member
Looks like you need more nitrogen. Cute little leaf you have there though.
yea the yellowing on the new growth got a bit worse after this pic was taken, which I corrected with more nitrogen. Also at that point in the grow I was using base nutes without micros, and there was some calcium silicate added to the coco as well which I think caused the slight yellowing on the new growth.

I was hoping the leaves on this Babu would stay this cute maple leaf shape but they’ve since evolved into a more typical dinosaur leaf.
 

twentyeight.threefive

Well-Known Member
yea the yellowing on the new growth got a bit worse after this pic was taken, which I corrected with more nitrogen. Also at that point in the grow I was using base nutes without micros, and there was some calcium silicate added to the coco as well which I think caused the slight yellowing on the new growth.

I was hoping the leaves on this Babu would stay this cute maple leaf shape but they’ve since evolved into a more typical dinosaur leaf.
Sorry that was sarcasm. They look borderline nitrogen toxic.

You should feed them start to finish with a balanced nutrient regiment. I don’t see how Ca₂SiO₄ would make leaves yellow though.
 

budtoker221

Well-Known Member
Sorry that was sarcasm. They look borderline nitrogen toxic.

You should feed them start to finish with a balanced nutrient regiment. I don’t see how Ca₂SiO₄ would make leaves yellow though.
I know what you mean they do look very dark green as if maybe too much nitrogen however if you look at the new leaves there is a slight yellow shade there. And all the leaves took on more of that yellow tone a week later since I didn’t feed them too much N after this pic was taken.
I have a bad habit of over feeding my plants N and sometimes it’s obvious like all the leaves staying dark green at harvest that’s why I must rely on drastic measures like OPs new strategy here.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
yea the yellowing on the new growth got a bit worse after this pic was taken, which I corrected with more nitrogen. Also at that point in the grow I was using base nutes without micros, and there was some calcium silicate added to the coco as well which I think caused the slight yellowing on the new growth.

I was hoping the leaves on this Babu would stay this cute maple leaf shape but they’ve since evolved into a more typical dinosaur leaf.
If it's new growth yellowing then it's not from lack of N. Main cause of yellowing in new growth is low Fe or Zn. Low Zn presents similar to low Mg in older leaves but happens in the newest growth. Interveinal chlorosis leading to burnt tips and margins. Low Fe shows as yellowing starting from the base of the leaves then works up toward the tips with interveinal chlorosis as well so easily confused with low Fe.

Any time new growth is affected it's from lack of micronutrients which can come from nute lockout due to pH being out of whack or just none left in the medium. Pretty much all the micro nutrients are immobile with only N-P-K, Mg an possibly Zn being mobile and able to be relocated to where it's needed the most.

CervantesNutrientChart.jpg

:peace:
 

budtoker221

Well-Known Member
If it's new growth yellowing then it's not from lack of N. Main cause of yellowing in new growth is low Fe or Zn. Low Zn presents similar to low Mg in older leaves but happens in the newest growth. Interveinal chlorosis leading to burnt tips and margins. Low Fe shows as yellowing starting from the base of the leaves then works up toward the tips with interveinal chlorosis as well so easily confused with low Fe.

Any time new growth is affected it's from lack of micronutrients which can come from nute lockout due to pH being out of whack or just none left in the medium. Pretty much all the micro nutrients are immobile with only N-P-K, Mg an possibly Zn being mobile and able to be relocated to where it's needed the most.

View attachment 5185681

:peace:
the base nutes I was using here had magnesium sulfur and calcium but not zinc boron iron etc
 

twentyeight.threefive

Well-Known Member
I know what you mean they do look very dark green as if maybe too much nitrogen however if you look at the new leaves there is a slight yellow shade there. And all the leaves took on more of that yellow tone a week later since I didn’t feed them too much N after this pic was taken.
I have a bad habit of over feeding my plants N and sometimes it’s obvious like all the leaves staying dark green at harvest that’s why I must rely on drastic measures like OPs new strategy here.
Better to fix your overfeeding issue than relying on bro science.
 
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