Is this nute burn???

Hey guys. I'm a new member here and it's my first time ever trying to grow. I honestly used some random soil I found in my apartment already to see if they'd grow at all, and it turns out they grew great. However, when I made up a soil mixture of approx 20% perlite, 10% sand, and 70% Scott's soil and transplanted 4 of the 7, I went to class and came back and they looked bad. They've been getting worse but I'm too new to tell whether its a nutrient deficiency or if they've been over fertilized.

I haven't fertilized them at all whatsoever (I have been foiler feeding them a few times a day, but not with fertilizer added), but the Scott's soil has nutrients that are in it and release over time (I know that's bad but it's all I could find)

Also note that I moved these plants rather early. I moved them into the newly made soil after about 1.5 weeks

Someone please help me out! What does this look like to you?

Kill them is the dreaded capulaous they will get into everything destroy them not and burn the evidence

Thanks for being absolutely useless.

Give the a good stem lick they really like that ga

Well if anybody has any real knowledge it'd be really helpful to know it

what u using for lights?

It does look like a nute burn but maybe also if you are foliar feeding them under hps or mh the spraying and high intense light could cause the burn

iamacat said:

It does look like a nute burn but maybe also if you are foliar feeding them under hps or mh the spraying and high intense light could cause the burn

Click to expand...

i agree with him 100%

I'm not using high powered lights. I'm using four THEORETICALLY 23watt bulbs (CFL's that advertise being equivalent to 75watt or 60watt bulbs while only using 23watts of energy) for all of the plants. The lights have always been at least 2inches + away and I'm 99% sure that isn't the problem. I know that it looks like nute burn... but could my babies get nute burn from simply being put into soil with fertilizer? I haven't fertilized them once.

Also, it cant be because I'm spraying them with water and leaving the lights on. The 3 plants I didn't transfer from the initial soil have been getting foiler fed as well, but they have no problems whatsoever... they look almost 120% healthy and they have the same amount of light from the same distance.

Any ideas?

well if your not giving them nutes with the spray them hold off on the spray for about a week and see what happens also check what the available npk of your soil is and if its loaded with nutes flush with luke warm water.

Soil is probably too hot.

burning of the leaves, grown from seed?

All these plants were grown from seeds. I germinated them with a wet paper towel and they sprouted fine. They're not feminized, nor do I know what strain they are. I don't know why the soil temperature would be too hot... the lights I'm using are relatively low power and far away. I used Scott's potting soil, which doesn't have the usual X-X-X number scheme for the nutrients. Instead on the back it says that there are these values of nutrients:

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Total nitrogren (N).................0.07%
0.04% ammoniacal nitrogren
0.03 nitrate nitrogen
Available phosphate (P2O5)............0.01%
Soluble potash (K2).......................0.03%
Derived from: coasted: ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, calcium phosphate, and potassium sulfate

A portion of the nitogren, phosphate, and potash sources has been coated to provide 0.03% coated slow-release nitrogren (N), 0.002% coated slow-release available phosphate (P2O5), and 0.01% cpated slow-release soluble potash (K2O)

Once again, I know that I am new, but I find it really hard to believe that it is nute burn when I haven't even fertilized the plants yet... Don't most growers usually start the seeds off in soil like the soil I transplanted my plants in to? It's obvious now that it is something in the soil as the other plants are still doing fine. It can't be the lights... and I've been keeping a close check on the moisture in the soil via the index finger method.

looking more closely.... would this mean that this soil is considered 0.07-0.01-0.03 for N-P-K? I can't figure out whether it's something like a potassium deficiency or the exact opposite being nute burn.... >.< >.<

These pre-fertilized soils are notorious for causing nute burn in young plants. MJ plants don't even need any external nutrients for the first 2-3 weeks -- they survive in, not thrive in, pre-fertilized soils.

Be that as it may, they usually pull out of this "early burn" just given time and watering absoutely no more than necessary (water releases the pre-added nutes in these soils, so you want to minimize this). Mine did the same in MiracleGro pre-ferted soil although they didn't get as bad as in your pics.

Another issue you've got going on is that your plants are getting too many nutes without enough light strength to help the plant process them all. But, you probably don't want to put more light on them until they work through their current issues.

Okay... this make sense. I do have a few questions though. Firstly, is it better that I try and wait out this plague I set on my plants, or should I try to flush the nutrients out of the soil and then water them with diluted fertilizer later?

If that's a good idea, how long should I wait before watering them with 1/4 or so diluted fertilizer?

Also, how long should I wait before transferring my other 3 plants into the newly made up soil (if at all?). Will the pre-fertilized soils be damaging to the plants if they're about 3 or 4 weeks old?

Lastly, targeting your last question. When (if) they pull through this, should I give them more light? I don't have the funds to be buying lights that run for $60 or more as I am a poor cheap college student . Suggestions? I've tried lining open areas with tinfoil and reflective material in hopes to catch any escaping or reflecting light and give the plants all they can get... I got the seedlings to grow exceedingly fast this way despite the low power of light.

Also, last question I had... I still have the soil that I transplanted the seedlings from (where the other 3 plants are still growing absolutely fine). Should I just transplant my now obviously nute burned plants back into their original soil until they've been growing for 3 or 4 weeks?

if anyone could answer these last questions guys I'd really appreciate it

Yes they are burned. Be careful with that soil, the more you water, the more the nutes are released... Water ONLY when dry. If you sprasy them, don't put them under the lights till they are dry... The drops of water can be like a magnifying glass...

Zacarino said:

Okay... this make sense. I do have a few questions though. Firstly, is it better that I try and wait out this plague I set on my plants, or should I try to flush the nutrients out of the soil and then water them with diluted fertilizer later?

If that's a good idea, how long should I wait before watering them with 1/4 or so diluted fertilizer?

Also, how long should I wait before transferring my other 3 plants into the newly made up soil (if at all?). Will the pre-fertilized soils be damaging to the plants if they're about 3 or 4 weeks old?

Lastly, targeting your last question. When (if) they pull through this, should I give them more light? I don't have the funds to be buying lights that run for $60 or more as I am a poor cheap college student . Suggestions? I've tried lining open areas with tinfoil and reflective material in hopes to catch any escaping or reflecting light and give the plants all they can get... I got the seedlings to grow exceedingly fast this way despite the low power of light.

Click to expand...

You may do your self more harm than good with trying to flush the soil. The little capsules which contain the fertilizer are time released so you may just make the situation worse with flushing. They should pull through within a couple weeks of very modest watering.

The soil's fertilizer analysis doesn't look that strong however. I am more concerned with your pH and room temperatures. I had bought some cheapo soil that must have sat in the rain for a while at the depot. My seedlings were suffering and stunted . After I got a pH meter the soil registered at 3.1! I then saw mushrooms growing out the soil. Needless to say they were too young to survive all that.

Of course, the more lights you can get, the better. As long as your temperatures are good. Let them get strong first and then do a transplant into your good soil mix.

What about your water quality???
What's the PH?
Are you adjusting PH?
Should be 6.5 to 7.0 PH in soil
Are you letting the water sit for 3 days?
This allows the chlorine to evaporate, an
air-stone and pump helps the process.
You'll be watering your plants with highly
oxygenated H2O, the roots will love it!
City water is loaded with chemicals, this
may have caused the burns.
Buy water from those vending machines, the
quality is good and it's cheap $.25 a gallon.
I wouldn't spray your leaves down with water
as much as you do, once a week is good.
Use no nutrients until they show signs of
needing them, use only half the dosage then.
If you need more, use half the dose again.
Do you have any ventilation for your babies?
What all plants need is good water, soil, air
and sunlight; nothing more, it's not magic...
Good Luck.

The water I am using is indeed city water, but we have a Brita water filter on our faucet. I also let the water sit out for a few days to ensure chlorine evaporation. I know it can't (99% sure) be the water because the other plants growing in the original soil are still growing perfectly fine without a single sign of a burn... it must be the soil. Also, as far as foiler feeding them, same situation. The plants that I never got to transplant are doing perfectly fine being foiler fed as often with as much light intensity... it can't be burning the leaves that way.

I do honestly have NO idea what the pH of the soil is... I still need to find a way to test the pH. I haven't been putting a good ventilation on them yet, but I will have a fan in their small growing "room" (closet) by the end of the day.

The temperature that they are growing in is around 70-75.

My main concern right now is... should I wait to see if they pull through, or should I just transplant them back into the original random soil where they had no problems until they are strong enough for my self mixed soil? Also... when will they be "strong enough" to be transplanted back? a month? longer?

Lastly, when do you expect that the plants will require me to fertilize them with waterings? A month? 1.5 months? longer?


Thanks for all the help guys, this is really saving my babies