Lower Yellow leaves with brown tips - 4 week flower

chico1st

Active Member
Hello. thanks for your help in advance!!
  1. Im not sure if these plants are healthy or if this is normal flowing yellowing.
  2. I just hit week 4 of flowering and the plant on the left in the image below, has it's lower leaves yellowing and the tips are turning brown.
  3. Everything up top seems healthy.
  4. My nutrient schedule is:
    1. Day 0 flowering both plants got 2 TBSP of bone meal
    2. Then I every 2 weeks I alternate between: 1 tbsp kelp meal + sprouted seed tea OR 1/4 cup worm castings. (as in day 0 = bonemeal, day 14 = worm castings, day 28 = kelp+seed tea)
    3. I started everything in 3 gal of ocean forest and once a month I would give 1 tbsp of alfalfa meal/ plant.
  5. I dont imagine I am over fertilizing the plants but the brown tips are like nutrient burn so I'm confused :(. Does anyone have an idea of what's going on?
 

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youraveragehorticulturist

Well-Known Member
Bro!

That's a lot of Bone Meal for a 3 gallon pot. I think you may have added too much Phosphorus, and now excessive P is locking out other nutrients. It's so hard to tell, but those brown spots along the edges of your leaves could be lack of Potassium (K).

Anyway, the yellow color and thin, papery look of your leaves looks just like what happened to me when I top dressed with too much High P bat guano.

I agree with the other guys that some nitrogen could be good. Maybe continue to top dress some of that alfalfa meal you used before and kelp meal.

In the future, go easier and slower with the bone meal! Maybe 1-2 Teaspoons instead of tablespoons.
 

Rozgreenburn

Well-Known Member
I just changed over to TLO organic method from synthetics and have @ of my fave girls side3 by side and I am blown away by the difference in appearance. Greener, thicker, and just plain happier. 62 yo and I'm excited again, wow! What the hell can I do with these synthetics which I'll probly never even look at again? I'm sure I'll have some new trials but, if my girls are very happy, so am I. Roll on
 

Rozgreenburn

Well-Known Member
Hey again, I was wanting to say that I've had N problems before, looks just like what you have. Din't mean to go all Organic, just exited for the first time in years. Peace
 

chico1st

Active Member
That's a lot of Bone Meal for a 3 gallon pot... Maybe 1-2 Teaspoons instead of tablespoons.
Oh damn. I looked up how much to add and I couldn't find anything so I thought I was starting easy! I'd also read it's slow release so I just did the 1 dose on day 1 of flower. Maybe that's stupid too??

My favorite thread on the topic...these plants need plenty of nitrogen during flowering https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-never-ending-abuse-of-phosphorous-bloom-foods-to-enhance-flowering.158144/
Nitrogen addition it is! I thought I was doing well since I was mostly using kelp and worm castings but as The bone meal reply, I might have way overdone my flowering nutes!
I added alfalfa today :O I hope I didn't bugger up this grow!
 

youraveragehorticulturist

Well-Known Member
I think you'll be OK. Some of your leaves will probably drop off and some will remain yellow for awhile. But most will hang on and turn green again! Except for the alarming color your plants look pretty good. I don't think you've killed them or anything.

You had the right idea providing a little extra Phosphorus for the flowering stage. I think you just came on a little strong, a little early.

Personally, I feed a little less, a little more often. And I don't like to load up a single nutrient. I would probably start with 2 teaspoons alfalfa, 1 teaspoon bone meal during the beginning of flower.

Anyway, hang in there man.
 

ComfortCreator

Well-Known Member
I am an organic supersoil grower...but in your case where you are you want to water and feed your plants fully to some runoff. I would use an organic bottled formula for flower.

My point here is at this critical stage trying to micromanage the deficiencies or overall balance is very hard, and having problems now causes a poorer harvest.

Feed ASAP with any bottled flower formula in small doses and water the plants fully to some runoff at least once. My 2c. It will fix your problem in a week or 2 while there is still time to get a great harvest.
 

Northwood

Well-Known Member
I am an organic supersoil grower...but in your case where you are you want to water and feed your plants fully to some runoff. I would use an organic bottled formula for flower.

My point here is at this critical stage trying to micromanage the deficiencies or overall balance is very hard, and having problems now causes a poorer harvest.

Feed ASAP with any bottled flower formula in small doses and water the plants fully to some runoff at least once. My 2c. It will fix your problem in a week or 2 while there is still time to get a great harvest.
I really hate to agree with this post, but I think you're right. Adding alfalfa now will add available mineralized nitrogen in a month maybe if his biology is going well, and that definitely won't help these plants before harvest time. It's both the curse and the blessing of organic growing methods. I'm now on cycle 8 (well the seeds haven't sprouted yet) but I'm already thinking of cycle 9. There is vegetative stuff I'm adding now that will only be available by cycle 9. For cycle 8, what's done is done and hopefully everything I did during cycle 7 (my Pink Lemonade) will be enough to take me to harvest.

The OP could even consider giving them a shot of some high nitrogen source of synthetic bottled nutes, at least a couple of times (at a lower dose than hydro) to "recharge" the caption exchange sites in the peat moss and whatever is in there. Nitrates derived from organic material are identical to that synthetically created anyway, so being the thrifty person I am I'd go for whatever is cheapest. In the next grow, thou shalt acknowledge their mistakes and go forth better prepared ;)
 

myke

Well-Known Member
I am an organic supersoil grower...but in your case where you are you want to water and feed your plants fully to some runoff. I would use an organic bottled formula for flower.

My point here is at this critical stage trying to micromanage the deficiencies or overall balance is very hard, and having problems now causes a poorer harvest.

Feed ASAP with any bottled flower formula in small doses and water the plants fully to some runoff at least once. My 2c. It will fix your problem in a week or 2 while there is still time to get a great harvest.
Ive managed to save one of my first organic attempts by doing just this.I noticed heavy yellowing at week 3 of flower,I fed her 3 times since with my bottled stuff and Im just finishing week 9 ,she looks so much better then the others that only got organic feeds.
Live and learn for next time.
 

ComfortCreator

Well-Known Member
Ive managed to save one of my first organic attempts by doing just this.I noticed heavy yellowing at week 3 of flower,I fed her 3 times since with my bottled stuff and Im just finishing week 9 ,she looks so much better then the others that only got organic feeds.
Live and learn for next time.
To me its about quality. Growing a plant, especially indoors, isnt some great earth saving move. It uses a LOT of energy, lots of artificial elements - fans, heat, ac, etc.

Being green is great, but nobody ever says yeah, this bud sucks but at least its organic! It is definitely about learning and I learned to do this from much smarter folks than me.
 
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