Hey guy having few leaf tip issues

Ratio was
coco 50% , Soil 25% , Perlite 25%
I agree with your Coco majority theory and treated them as such at approx 5.5 - 6.5 all the way. Now I'm worried the soil got too low. Either way I'm going to do Soil only next time. Compare and then decide for future..
The seaweed I have doesn't have ratios or even nutes written on it so I wasn't aware.. Darn it.
OK I'll go trace and Cal Mag next feed/water. Thanks for looking at it guys!

3rd Monkey said:

It is a K tox/excess from the damage. You're leaves will be dark blue/green/purple under white light.

Stop feeding bloom, just calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and trace.

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Thanks again, hey just to ask, what is a good source of sulphur and why is sulphur important with my issues?
Thanks!

Snowchaser said:

Thanks again, hey just to ask, what is a good source of sulphur and why is sulphur important with my issues?
Thanks!

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Epsom salts add a decent amount of mag and sulphur.

Sulphur metabolizes N, regulates it and metabolizes it for use. That will help burn up some of that excess K. It also produces lignin and pectin, which is basically the block and mortar of your plant, buds included.

It's also necessary for chlorophyll formation. With excess K, it's like a reactor meltdown. It causes the chloroplasts to overload and basically self destruct... hence the necrotic tips and it will move further in on the leaves.

Just back off and the K for a while and let it feed off and all should be well.

Snowchaser said:

Ratio was
coco 50% , Soil 25% , Perlite 25%
I agree with your Coco majority theory and treated them as such at approx 5.5 - 6.5 all the way. Now I'm worried the soil got too low. Either way I'm going to do Soil only next time. Compare and then decide for future..
The seaweed I have doesn't have ratios or even nutes written on it so I wasn't aware.. Darn it.
OK I'll go trace and Cal Mag next feed/water. Thanks for looking at it guys!

Click to expand...

Not really a theory. I run soil/coco mixes. It holds true. Anything less than 60% soil, isn't going to behave like soil.

3rd Monkey said:

Not really a theory. I run soil/coco mixes. It holds true. Anything less than 60% soil, isn't going to behave like soil.

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Excellent to know, about the less than 60%, thanks. I am considering just using soil with a good blend of slow release organics next time in the hope of avoiding all these fluctuations. Is that kind of how it works? Soil is less labour intensive but also less precise?

Snowchaser said:

Excellent to know, about the less than 60%, thanks. I am considering just using soil with a good blend of slow release organics next time in the hope of avoiding all these fluctuations. Is that kind of how it works? Soil is less labour intensive but also less precise?

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I suppose that depends on how you go about it. Building a soil requires a bit of physical labor, then takes a few weeks to a month to cook down.

Bag mix has the benefit of being easier in terms of not having to do that, but you're at the mercy of the manufacturer and their nutrition. Sometimes it's too hot, sometimes it's real weak.

Biggest thing with soil, is that you want to feed your microbes. They will take care of the plant as long as you take care of them.

There's really not much fluctuation in soil. Ph is irrelevant most of the time. Ppm is worthless. Both of which are simply my opinion, others take great pride in their meters.

As far as amendments go, you'll need to add them 2 or so weeks in advance, so they have time to break down. Your amendments will dictate soil ph, which is about the only time ph matters in soil. People will argue, but the fact is weed grows in ditches and culverts, marshes and swamps, dry mountains in high elevations, etc. Nobody is ph'ing that water lol. That's microbes at work.

If you want speed and precision, go hydro. Personally, I don't find either to be "hard", but it boils down to your setup and time you can devote.

3rd Monkey said:

weed grows in ditches and culverts, marshes and swamps, dry mountains in high elevations, etc. Nobody is ph'ing that water lol. That's microbes at work

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Haha exactly.
So you're saying, mix it up a few weeks before you pot up, with all the elements you plan to add, let them simmer, and then.... Do you need to check soil pH once thats all done to see what you've created and what pH water to use or do you always just water in soil around 6.0 to keep everything balanced?
To be honest it's probably too late for me to mix up now since my seedlings have sprouted and I've got 4 cuttings about to root. Maybe I should give Coco and bag mix one more try..

Once you build the soil, it helps to check soil ph in case you need more lime or whatever. Some will say a slurry test, but I prefer just taking a cup of soil and a cup of water and testing the runoff. Either or, doesn't hurt to check it. 6.0-7.0 is ideal. A little lower ph is better than higher in my opinion.

I don't check ph of the water for my soil. Soil has a high CEC (cation exchange capacity) and buffers well. Beyond that, microbes do the grunt work. I use microbes in my hydro buckets and don't check ph there either, so that should tell you something.

Why not run straight coco? It's faster growth, you can still use microbes and some soil amendments, but you'll need to feed/water more often.

If you're looking to stay organic, you can do that in straight coco too.

3rd Monkey said:

If you're looking to stay organic, you can do that in straight coco too

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I don't understand exactly, are you saying you can run coco with organic fertilisers and that's 'organic'? Im pretty sure I don't fully understand what's meant by organics. I think your grow medium knowledge is far far superior to mine!!
I was under the impression that organic mix is all plant based or mineral without synthetic or concentrates. But I'm totally new.

Snowchaser said:

I don't understand exactly, are you saying you can run coco with organic fertilisers and that's 'organic'? Im pretty sure I don't fully understand what's meant by organics. I think your grow medium knowledge is far far superior to mine!!
I was under the impression that organic mix is all plant based or mineral without synthetic or concentrates. But I'm totally new.

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Coco is organic. You can use some organic soil amendments in coco. You can use some as a top dress.

As far as "organic" goes, I don't know what everybody's definitions are these days. For me, it's using organic amendments that are broken down by microbes to feed the plant. That's ALL organic chelation.

In the end, it doesn't matter what you run as far as the plant is concerned. Taken in basically the same way (not entirely). It's the environment that suffers, not so much the plant.