Is this still cal/mag?

Cookiezealous

Well-Known Member
So I had nutrient lockout, a timer went bad and flooded my plants while I was at a funeral out of state. Re-potted all my plants in fresh living soil. They started to all bounce back, looking really good, but now they can’t seem to get past this weird piece. I just foliar fed with Epsom salt because to me it looks like a magnesium deficiency, but it’s every time that I get under this light that I start to have problems. My cheap Chinese made light that I use to clone and hold my plants in veg has zero problems. As soon as I put it under the Hlg rspec 600 they always get a little sickly looking. I’ve lowered the intensity of the light. I’m wondering if the soil that I’m using just can’t keep up with what these plants need under this particular light.
I’m hoping that this foliar feeding helps. I adjust the pH in my water because of how bad it is out here but I’m wondering if by lowering it there’s somehow a buildup in the soil and maybe I should be lowering it to seven instead of 6.5.
I know that you don’t need to adjust pH in living soil, but it comes out of the tap at 8-8.5
The two younger plants look fine but you can see that they’re about to start running into the same problem as the older plants. Older plants bounced back but they are staying in this weird limbo with this deficiency.
I have had zero problems in my other garden out of state, and now that I moved here and got this light, I’ve been doomed with deficiencies.
Anyone have similar issues?
 

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Cookiezealous

Well-Known Member
I use Big Rootz
It’s always been sufficient for the plants all the way through veg and in flower I top dress. It’s also a little tricky because everyone of those plants is a different strain.
I crossed runtz mint to strawberries and cream
On accident and I got two seeds
These are the babie. I’m hoping it’s awesome
Just can’t get past this issue
Some of the plants look really healthy and I’m assuming because they are different they need different things and the soil alone is not able to provide them with it
 

Cookiezealous

Well-Known Member
I would definitely start there.

Have you tried your regular water in the living soil, even if it's at 8.5pH?

Also, what is the ppm of that water (before treatment)?
Couple questions from your questions.
Do you think that me adjusting the Ph is what causing the problems? I did try but at this point it might have been something else and I compensated incorrectly.
 

GenericEnigma

Well-Known Member
Couple questions from your questions.
Do you think that me adjusting the Ph is what causing the problems? I did try but at this point it might have been something else and I compensated incorrectly.
I grow in living soil and have never adjusted pH, so I don't have direct experience with this type of nuance.

I have seen many posters with similar issues in living soil who fixed their issues by stopping their pH adjustments. In those cases, the issue could be likened to trying to fix something that isn't broken. Basically, what I'm saying is if I were you, that's the first thing I'd try.

Was there a deficiency or other plant problem that prompted you to adjust the pH of water for living soil?
 

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
The lighter colored one need calmag and more nitrogen as well. Its not a good idea to mist your plants either unless your watering overhead which I would also discourage.
Looks like lack of nitrogen, lower leaves turning yellow. I second this.
 

Cookiezealous

Well-Known Member
There was an issue when I first moved out here,
And I was doing everything the exact, same way that’s why I was so confused and the only two things that were different were the light and the water source .
I’m gonna try not adjusting the pH and see what happens
I have to water again tomorrow, so hopefully things start to turn around
They are never actually really sick. They are just not perfectly happy and it’s very frustrating. I’ve chased my tail on this issue. I’ve top dressed veg nutrients . I’ve used Ro water and added cal/mag.
Most recently, I turned down my light, that seemed to help a little bit, but probably because it wasn’t driving the plants as hard
I will stop adjusting the pH and see where that gets me, how long do you think until you see recovery if that’s the problem?
 

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
There was an issue when I first moved out here,
And I was doing everything the exact, same way that’s why I was so confused and the only two things that were different were the light and the water source .
I’m gonna try not adjusting the pH and see what happens
I have to water again tomorrow, so hopefully things start to turn around
They are never actually really sick. They are just not perfectly happy and it’s very frustrating. I’ve chased my tail on this issue. I’ve top dressed veg nutrients . I’ve used Ro water and added cal/mag.
Most recently, I turned down my light, that seemed to help a little bit, but probably because it wasn’t driving the plants as hard
I will stop adjusting the pH and see where that gets me, how long do you think until you see recovery if that’s the problem?
Dead parts on the leaves will never recover but new growth should look normal after a few days of correcting most issues. Sometimes if your adjusting too many things at once to correct a problem you will not be able to tell what is going on and you can stress your plant out. I would suggest waiting a few days between adjustments and see how plants respond to each one and take notes.

I've heard Fox Farms soils are all super inconsistent lately, especially in different regions of USA. One of my grow shops won't order it cause people complain about it being half wood chips. That type of inconsistency would make me believe there are also other inconsistencies with the product.
 

Cookiezealous

Well-Known Member
Ive been using big rootz super soil and it was great but recently I found large clumps of clay or something in it. Rockhard pieces of black stuff the size of a baseball.
It could definitely be inconsistencies with the soil as well. Tomorrow is watering day. Will not be ph’ing the water.
thank you for your input. We will see what happens
 

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
Ive been using big rootz super soil and it was great but recently I found large clumps of clay or something in it. Rockhard pieces of black stuff the size of a baseball.
It could definitely be inconsistencies with the soil as well. Tomorrow is watering day. Will not be ph’ing the water.
thank you for your input. We will see what happens
Yeah I think the big rootz is for water only. I have heard very good things about The Coast of maine super soil..
 
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