Copper deficiency or something else?

K

kronicking421

Active Member
Hey, i was wondering if you guys know what the problem is with these plants? From pictures i have seen online it looks like a copper deficiency. I am growing all organic pro mix hp with gaia green dry amendments and worm castings plus effective microorganisms and biochar with bokashi bran for top dressing. Maybe it is the small pot (2 gallon) or because the pro mix is more than a year old and completely dry out of the bag possibly causing a problem with the dolomite lime. Maybe i should try to use some dolomite lime for a top dress? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks9579470E-2C2F-4567-B844-6E4581EAD2EB.jpegAE282135-D066-4E4A-95AD-52C061B18A34.jpeg5303F4C8-DC90-4C80-BD47-8B222F995B3B.jpegC02CC690-F14E-4245-A6A3-7223AC0C70FB.jpegB99ADC70-88C6-4DFB-92AD-2B7B9308E54B.jpeg
 
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Nutty sKunK

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
Deffo Cu def! I get it most the time but only light yellowing tips. Some folk confuse this as nute burn but it’s not the case.

Here’s a handy chart. Cu is antagonised by N. Lots of N is usually where it starts especially if you’re like me and have little to no copper in the water.1632839731734.jpeg

I use old copper UK coins as they are 95% copper. It’s helped but still getting yellow tips.

A better source of copper could be simply cheating and use copper sulphate.

If you are US/Canada you can order build a soils TM 7 or the XX 6 I forgot the name. But they contain all the micronutrients plants need
 
K

kronicking421

Active Member
Nutty sKunK said:
Deffo Cu def! I get it most the time but only light yellowing tips. Some folk confuse this as nute burn but it’s not the case.

Here’s a handy chart. Cu is antagonised by N. Lots of N is usually where it starts especially if you’re like me and have little to no copper in the water.View attachment 4997239

I use old copper UK coins as they are 95% copper. It’s helped but still getting yellow tips.

A better source of copper could be simply cheating and use copper sulphate.

If you are US/Canada you can order build a soils TM 7 or the XX 6 I forgot the name. But they contain all the micronutrients plants need
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Hey i am curious. Do you think using some liquid kelp would help? Maybe the problem is because i added gaia green bloom and this kinda got worse the day after but that seems quick for a dry amendment
 
Nutty sKunK

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
kronicking421 said:
Hey i am curious. Do you think using some liquid kelp would help?
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Depends. Kelp has more than just Cu. If your Cu deficiency is solely down to low Cu kelp would Would help but an imbalance in the soil like high N and P won’t do much good.

Here is a 20 day old auto showing signs of Cu. Note the yellowing - I’ve seen it progress further and doesn’t seem to effect my plants much.
FB5A37D1-AB1F-4E79-878F-4542C45784CA.jpeg
 
K

kronicking421

Active Member
All of my plants tthis far have had yellowing and my nugs arent as tight as my friends and was reading a copper deficiency causes problems with nug formation so i just want to try and get rid of this problem. Maybe i will try a couple different approaches. Try the kelp and use less worm castings. I think the problem got worse when i top dressed with the gaia green power bloom. Here are pictures one from 5 days ago before the top dress. B536B035-A389-43FA-AB99-42F73AF6AA99.jpeg691A7E17-407A-4CD3-9D3A-87D99462029D.jpeg
 
K

kronicking421

Active Member
Another thing is we got really good tap water where i live and it says that we got .042 part per million of copper in our water so maybe it isnt enough.
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
Ph is always the first question,old promix? Was it used or just sat for long time?Was lime added and did it have time to cook before planting?
 
K

kronicking421

Active Member
myke said:
Ph is always the first question,old promix? Was it used or just sat for long time?Was lime added and did it have time to cook before planting?
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it just sat for a long time in the open bag. I didnt add any dolomite lime and i planted as soon as i watered so no cook time. I also just changed the light out from the 315 watt cmh to 630 watt which i think has increased the problem but i dont want to switch it back so i will see how things go. I was thinking it might be a ph issue so i was thinking about top dressing with some dolomite lime but dont know of that would help.
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
kronicking421 said:
it just sat for a long time in the open bag. I didnt add any dolomite lime and i planted as soon as i watered so no cook time. I also just changed the light out from the 315 watt cmh to 630 watt which i think has increased the problem but i dont want to switch it back so i will see how things go. I was thinking it might be a ph issue so i was thinking about top dressing with some dolomite lime but dont know of that would help.
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Do a slurry test for pH,go from there.
 
K

kronicking421

Active Member
myke said:
Do a slurry test for pH,go from there.
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I just did a little watering cause the plants were on the light side. I noticed the top of the mix is hard and crusty i am pretty sure because of the gaia green and me going overboard with adding them. The water pools on the top and takes a little to absorb in even when i watered in intervals. I am not sure how to take a slurry test without ripping out roots with the soil because like i say it is all crusty and the stuff below the crust seems pretty compact.
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
If the drain holes are big enough steal some from there. If you mix the Gaia with ewc and keep it covered so it doesn’t get dry it will stay nice and fluffy.
 
K

kronicking421

Active Member
myke said:
If the drain holes are big enough steal some from there. If you mix the Gaia with ewc and keep it covered so it doesn’t get dry it will stay nice and fluffy.
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Awesome idea thanks for the suggestion on keeping the mix covered. Sounds like a really good idea once the plant starts drinking quick. I am using fabric pots so unfortunately i cant get any soil from there. Maybe i will just see what happens and buy some dolomite lime to top dress. Even if it doesnt activate and buffer the ph i will have it for the next grow.
 
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