Couple weeks into flowering - yellowing of flowering leaves

Sup guys, first of all i've been reading here and a few other sites and i've absorbed tons of info on starting up. So thanks to everyone who posts accurate helpful tips.

Anyway, this is my first grow. Sprouted exactly 2 months ago from today and I started flowering 2 weeks ago. It is bag seed.

I've been watering 2-3 times a week and adding 1/2 tsp. of Botanicare Pro Bloom Soil Forumula 1-4-5 once a week. My ph is a little low between high 5 and low 6 and I know I have to get that up.

A lot of the lower leaves were turning yellow like the first picture. And some of the top newer growth where the buds are forming seem a little off green and turning yellow in the second pic.

From those pic this plant is 100% a female right? I keep buggin out and checking it every hour to make sure I really am seeing those white pistils. I assume the females only produce the flowers that look like that so I guess I'm just being paranoid.

Thanks for the help.

...I'd add some rapid release dolomite lime as a top dressing, 1 tbls per gallon of soil and water as normal. Dolomite lime fights to keep your pH "in range" and adds cal./mag...good luck.

I'll go grab myself a bag.

Also on a side note I'm starting a new batch of seedlings in jiffy pots. This is my 3rd attempt because all them keep dying and wilting away. I think it's from the large fluctuations of temps and humidity. So I'm thinking of trying rockwool cubes with a heating mat and maybe a humidity dome. Let me know if this is a good idea.

Thanks again.

...sounds like a great idea. However, you shouldn't have issues with the jiffy pots. Have you tried using filtered water that is pH'd? ...or are you using tap? I would always suggest a heating pad and humidity dome for the young ones (seedlings/clones)

Those rockwool cubes need to be presoaked in a pH 5.0 - 5.5 overnight prior to using, so they say.

I've been using filtered water that reads a ph of 6. I use the ph test kit with the droplets and it gives a color legend so it's not dead on. I have the hanna digital one but I'm pretty sure it's inaccurate. I'll have to add more of the ph up to it when I water again.

Also, I bought that lime and spread it over the top layer of the soil and added some water to mix it up.

A few more details about my setup. I have a 400W hps sunburst about 10-12" from the plant and 3 CFL's of about 85watts surrounding it. I have 1 fan blowing air in the space between the plant top and the light fixture and another one exhausting it pointing toward the window where there's another fan exhausting outside. The temp usually stays in the mid to high 70's but reaches 85+ when it gets hot outside, so I def need to get the AC in.

I don't know why I ordered seeds online when I can't even germ bag seed, it must've been a miracle that the plant I have now made it this far. You think I should invest in the heat mat and put it under the jiffy pots? Or, I don't know if you know that Jorge Cervantes guy, but he uses the rock wool with the heating mat and perlite underneath it.

Sorry for jumping around so much but I'm def getting information overload these past 2 months.

btw that is def a female right? and you know any good places or sites to get the humidity domes and the heating pads? I'd rather get them in person than online though.

Thanks

the yellowing at the new growth around the colas points towards a zinc deficiency

My plant has gotten considerably worse and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas. I realized I should've waited later to add bloom ferts. I added a 1/2tsp of biggrow with the last water. About 5 more leaves fell off:

to much nutes.

they need more nitrogen, youve given them to much nutes tho, off bloom ferts, which is low in nitrogen

Ok, I'm back. Thank you all for the advice, it was definitely for the better.

I'm about 5 weeks into flowering. This is bag seed, so I'm not sure what the flower time is. I got one of those radioshack microscopes but I'm not sure where I should be zooming to find the trichomes. The hairs are turning orange so it must be somewhat close. Also, does anyone know what the discoloration on the top of the plant is?

Thanks again.

do you think foliar feeding with something high in Nitrogen will help?