Hi all,

First time posting, really appreciate any advice you kind folk might be able to offer

I've been growing a white widow auto from ILGM (pictured), under 500W UFO LED lamp, using Hy-Gen coco nutes with Canna coir. It's planted in a 16L pot, about 80% full of medium

Growth is in week 7, about 2 weeks since flowers appeared. I've been feeding bloom nutes exclusively since the start of week 7 (as per Hy-Gen's instructions). Also regularly feeding Mega Crown bud booster and terpene juice, in doses per manufacturer instructions

I have been watering whenever the subsurface soil is not-quite-dry, with a dose of plain Ph'd water between feedings wherever they've been frequent. The root system under the plant seems to be very strong and dense

The bud formation was quite slow, but over the past few days, it's accelerated, with each of the heads seeming to fill in visibly, a bit each day. New leaves are also appearing on the heads each day

However, the discoloration you can see in the pics has really taken hold over the last day or two. It appears to be N-deficiency, from everything I've read (fan leaves yellow and falling off, discoloration "travelling" up the plant), but it occurred only *after* I gave the plant a good dose of bloom nutes - so there should have been an increased concentration of N in the roots, rather than decreased). I guess it would be using a lot of N to produce new bud sites on the branches - and probably drawing it from elsewhere on the plant, so maybe I just need to add more (?), but I don't want to risk overfeeding. Doesn't seem to be a lockout issue as Ph is within acceptable range and the acceptable range for N is really broad (not that I can really measure it properly, the plant hasn't produced any runoff for several weeks - no matter how much water I add). In case it is lockout, I've also looked into foliar feeding, but I'm unsure as to whether I should be doing that so far into flowering

There is another plant from the same type of seed sitting next to this one in the grow room. It's a week behind this one as it was sewn at the same time, but the seed was slower to germinate. That one is exhibiting the same symptoms, but nowhere near as pronounced

I'm sure experienced growers will have picked up a lot of rookie errors in the above description. This is my first grow, so it's a steep learning curve!

I'm also not sure whether I should prune the lower branches. Best practice seems to suggest I'd lop about half of them (any below 50% of max height), but I've read many posts (including from Bergman) cautioning against pruning autos in any way. If anyone can provide clarity on that also, it would be much appreciated!

I should also add that humidity has been (sporadically) very high the last couple of weeks due to heavy rain. The baseline level is ~50%, but I've seen the meter up as high as 80%. I have ordered a dehumidifier online with express delivery

Please let me know any tips you might have for a stronger harvest

Thank you!
 

Attachments

NanoGadget

Well-Known Member
appears to be N-deficiency, from everything I've read (fan leaves yellow and falling off, discoloration "travelling" up the plant), but it occurred only *after* I gave the plant a good dose of bloom nutes - so there should have been an increased concentration of N in the roots, rather than decreased).
What is the NPK of the bloom feed you gave the plant? That is most definitely classic N deficiency.
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
I've been growing a white widow auto from ILGM (pictured), under 500W UFO LED lamp, using Hy-Gen coco nutes with Canna coir. It's planted in a 16L pot, about 80% full of medium


I have been watering whenever the subsurface soil is not-quite-dry, with a dose of plain Ph'd water between feedings
wherever they've been frequent. The root system under the plant seems to be very strong and dense
You're treating coco like soil. That will cause issues.
 
What is the NPK of the bloom feed you gave the plant? That is most definitely classic N deficiency.
Thank you. I thought so. The NPK on the bottle says 1-1-2. Do you think I should keep using it and supplement N? Or will the uptake just balance out if I feed it enough of everything?
 
I completely missed that somehow. You never give a plant in coco plain water.
Wow. I feel like an idiot now lol. The only reason I did that was there was a build-up early in veg, causing high Ph in the coco. I had considered flushing, but a couple of articles said adding Ph'd plain water (at like 4.8-5.0) was a gentler way to balance it out. It seemed to solve the problem so I kept on doing it. So should I just add a full dose of nutes every time the plants need water going forward?
 

NanoGadget

Well-Known Member
Thank you. I thought so. The NPK on the bottle says 1-1-2. Do you think I should keep using it and supplement N? Or will the uptake just balance out if I feed it enough of everything?
You can up the ratio of N a bit if you want, but I think the bigger issue is watering with no feed. That is a no no in coco. There should always be nutrients present when feeding in coco.
 

NanoGadget

Well-Known Member
Wow. I feel like an idiot now lol. The only reason I did that was there was a build-up early in veg, causing high Ph in the coco. I had considered flushing, but a couple of articles said adding Ph'd plain water (at like 4.8-5.0) was a gentler way to balance it out. It seemed to solve the problem so I kept on doing it. So should I just add a full dose of nutes every time the plants need water going forward?
Definitely. What is the PPM or EC of the recommended feed strength of the nutrients you're using? I'm running pro mix HP right now which is kind of similar to coco and I haven't fed above 920 ppm. Sometimes the companies recommended feed schedules can be a bit too aggressive.
 
You can up the ratio of N a bit if you want, but I think the bigger issue is watering with no feed. That is a no no in coco. There should always be nutrients present when feeding in coco.
Definitely. What is the PPM or EC of the recommended feed strength of the nutrients you're using? I'm running pro mix HP right now which is kind of similar to coco and I haven't fed above 920 ppm. Sometimes the companies recommended feed schedules can be a bit too aggressive.
The EC target (inflow) is 2.2 (see here), but that's with a lot of extra products I don't use. By the time I've added all the nutes, I'm getting a read of 1.6-1.7 each time. I don't have a ppm meter. Do you think I need one?
 

NanoGadget

Well-Known Member
The EC target (inflow) is 2.2 (see here), but that's with a lot of extra products I don't use. By the time I've added all the nutes, I'm getting a read of 1.6-1.7 each time. I don't have a ppm meter. Do you think I need one?
Ppm is just a conversion of EC. For example I use the 500 ppm scale so if my ppm is 900 I'd be at 1.8 EC. So I'd say if you have enough light 1.7 would be fine.
 

bernie344

Well-Known Member
The EC target (inflow) is 2.2 (see here), but that's with a lot of extra products I don't use. By the time I've added all the nutes, I'm getting a read of 1.6-1.7 each time. I don't have a ppm meter. Do you think I need one?
Yes you need a EC/PPM Meter its a must have for growing in coco.
 

MickFoster

Well-Known Member
Yes you need a EC/PPM Meter its a must have for growing in coco.
I disagree..........I haven't owned a ppm meter in over twenty years..........since I ran DWC.
Coco is simple........feed light nutes daily to run off.
Never give plain water and never let it get dry.
 

bernie344

Well-Known Member
I disagree..........I haven't owned a ppm meter in over twenty years..........since I ran DWC.
Coco is simple........feed light nutes daily to run off.
Never give plain water and never let it get dry.
You can Disagree but your wrong, just because you may hav lucked it without an EC meter DONT give bad advise to others.
 

MickFoster

Well-Known Member
You can Disagree but your wrong, just because you may hav lucked it without an EC meter DONT give bad advise to others.
I don't consider it bad advice.........unless you're talking about DWC. In that case a ppm meter is definitely required.

In coco you start with 1/4 of the recommended amount by the manufacturer and increase as the plant grows.........just read the plants and don't use all those expensive supplements.

Or you can use a proven feeding chart.........there are very good feeding charts available for growing in coco, and a ppm meter isn't required.

Peace.
 

NanoGadget

Well-Known Member
I don't consider it bad advice.........unless you're talking about DWC. In that case a ppm meter is definitely required.

In coco you start with 1/4 of the recommended amount by the manufacturer and increase as the plant grows.........just read the plants and don't use all those expensive supplements.

Or you can use a proven feeding chart.........there are very good feeding charts available for growing in coco, and a ppm meter isn't required.

Peace.
I'm at the point with my pro mix grow that I just know what they like and the quantity required to achieve that ppm, so I don't need to check. For a new grower though, even in coco I'd probably recommend checking ppm and ph every time they mix a new batch.. mistakes happen when you're new and its better to spot it with a meter than watching it fry a plant. Just a matter of the experience and competence of the individual I suppose.
 

bernie344

Well-Known Member
I'm at the point with my pro mix grow that I just know what they like and the quantity required to achieve that ppm, so I don't need to check. For a new grower though, even in coco I'd probably recommend checking ppm and ph every time they mix a new batch.. mistakes happen when you're new and its better to spot it with a meter than watching it fry a plant. Just a matter of the experience and competence of the individual I suppose.
Don`t worry about anyone else, its all about MICKF
 
Top