RO WATER

Hi all, been having serious issues with my autos producing pollen sacs mid flower for the past 5 runs. Everything goes well till week 4 flower, then I start noticing a few on lower nodes. I bought new tent, light and ducting for this run and still happened. They are on 20/4 light schedule and temps average 24°c. I'm in bio bizz light mix using living soil dry ammendments. The last thing I've narrowed it down too is my water. I currently use tap water left out for 24hrs but my water is very hard. Generally around 8.5/9ph. I then bring it down to 6.4 but have noticed if I check the pH of left over water a day later, it has risen again to 8ish pH. Also I get really bad calcium deposits around all of my faucets in the house. I'm wondering if this is what's stressing the plants, causing lockouts etc... Would using an ro filter help stabilise the water? I've also heard that with ro water I need to add calmag before ph'ing? Would I still need to add this before watering using organic dry ammendments?

What are the ppm's of your tap water?

MickFoster said:

What are the ppm's of your tap water?

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380 ish after sitting

What genetics are you running?

Not sure if your water is the problem.......I've never grown in living soil with dry amendments.
If you use RO you will probably need a calmag supplement.
You can always mix half RO and half faucet.......it should even out around 200.
You don't have to let the water sit out.

TCH said:

What genetics are you running?

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Tried many different ones fastbuds, royal queen, Memphisto, they all just Hermie, but I do get alot of lockout everyrun, which is why I'm now putting it down to the water. I think the water pH is rising over a period causing the soil pH to be way out and thus causing lockouts and un needed stress, possibly enough to cause hermies

Not that I don't believe you and I don't mean to offend you, but I find it hard to believe that all your grows from those quality seedbanks end up being hermies.
Are you sure that what you see as seed pods on the lower plant aren't just swollen calyx's (bracts)? Pics would help.
I see many threads asking whether a swollen calyx is hermie sign.

MickFoster said:

Not that I don't believe you and I don't mean to offend you, but I find it hard to believe that all your grows from those quality seedbanks end up being hermies.
Are you sure that what you see as seed pods on the lower plant aren't just swollen calyx's (bracts)? Pics would help.
I see many threads asking whether a swollen calyx is hermie sign.

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No offence taken, defo pods, the one I found today had opened, lower node and pollen on soil, I spray water over the area to minimise pollen spreading, don't have any pics apart from the actual plant. I send pic of where it was in a bit

Do they look like this?

MickFoster said:

Do they look like this?
View attachment 5345534

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No, they are just the brachts, believe me I know what a pollen sac looks like, plant is heavily stressed die to some form of lockout

If your tap water is .76EC, you should consider using RO water.
0.3 EC or less is considered "good" tap for horticulture.

MickFoster said:

Do they look like this?
View attachment 5345534

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It had developed next to the bracht here, which is just below main kola.

I had H2O almost that bad and had to use a RO filter. After RO it was around 7 ph and 5 to 10 ppm. I use jacks 321 and It comes out at 6.1 or so using RO for mixing. I did notice that a small amount of ph down did a lot more lowering after running the RO. I think the water co put something in the water to save the pipes.

I see no male parts.
If you're referring to that pear shaped thing on the stalk in the 3rd pic.........it's a female part, not male.

popeyesailorman said:

I had H2O almost that bad and had to use a RO filter. After RO it was around 7 ph and 5 to 10 ppm. I use jacks 321 and It comes out at 6.1 or so using RO for mixing. I did notice that a small amount of ph down did a lot more lowering after running the RO. I think the water co put something in the water to save the pipes.

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Could this be what's causing my issues?

MickFoster said:

I see no male parts.
If you're referring to that pear shaped thing on the stalk in the 3rd pic.........it's a female part, not male.

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There's something happening which causes my plants to yellow randomly around this time in flower and then I notice sacs. Defo not light leaks as I've even tried a 24hr light cycle and still same thing.ive also tried Bacs nutrients, bio bizz, shogun and still yellowed and hermied at this point. My last guess is the water is raising soil pH, causing lockout then the lockout is stressing the plant and herming

Greenthumbgrower1986 said:

There's something happening which causes my plants to yellow randomly around this time in flower and then I notice sacs. Defo not light leaks as I've even tried a 24hr light cycle and still same thing.ive also tried Bacs nutrients, bio bizz, shogun and still yellowed and hermied at this point. My last guess is the water is raising soil pH, causing lockout then the lockout is stressing the plant and herming

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You should then measure the pH to confirm or dispel your theory.

I don't see any indication of a hermie on any of your plants.
A stressed plant can throw out nanners (male stamens) late in flower........but that's not considered a hermie.
A true hermie will have both balls and pistils early in flower.
If you're having the same issue with the leaves every grow........change something.........your plants are not hermies.

MickFoster said:

I don't see any indication of a hermie on any of your plants.
A stressed plant can throw out nanners (male stamens) late in flower........but that's not considered a hermie.
A true hermie will have both balls and pistils early in flower.
If you're having the same issue with the leaves every grow........change something.........your plants are not hermies.

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So what was the open sac for on the lower node with white powder inside of it that had opened, the powder which I believe to be pollen was all over the soil

MickFoster said:

I don't see any indication of a hermie on any of your plants.
A stressed plant can throw out nanners (male stamens) late in flower........but that's not considered a hermie.
A true hermie will have both balls and pistils early in flower.
If you're having the same issue with the leaves every grow........change something.........your plants are not hermies.

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I've changed pretty much everything other then water, tried Coco, bubbler, organic dry nutes, liquid nutes, new light etc water seems to be the only common denominator