What Do You Think? Is This Fertilizer Burn From Being Too Zealous With Fertilizer?
This has been a huge learning curve as I am teaching myself how to transfer my gardening skills from vegetable and perennial flower growing to that of the herb, cannabis.
Early on, I bought Jorge Cervantes' book "The Cannabis Encyclopedia" and have been working up my nerve to share my growing follies with you as I teach myself how to be a "grower".
I freely admit that I am making mistakes and that it's a little bit embarrassing and uncomfortable to put my neck out on the line in exchange for the expert scrutiny, advice, knowledge and wisdom that exists on the Steemit platform.
I humbly request your patience with me, as I learn to grow this medicine by my own hands.
Everyday for the last 2 months, I keep reminding myself that cannabis is a weed and it wants to grow despite my ignorance.
Here's my challenge: learning to get my water and fertilizer amounts just right. Early on, I was water and fertilizing too much. I "think" I've gotten better, however I still have some leaves that are not doing well.
Let me present exhibit #1:
The leaf in the middle is what the majority of my leaves look like but I'm still getting leaves which are curling at the ends and look rusty or burnt in the middle.
The worst leaves, look like these two.
This is what they look like underneath:
The leaf (burn damage ?) appears not to be all the way through the leaves' structure and the leaves are curling.
Other leaves are showing "spotty-type" damage.
A fan is blowing on these plants, which are growing in soil, inside and the humidity is at 61%.
(I suspect the humidity level is too high and I should be running in the neighbourhood of 50-60% tops, but this is just my gut feeling.)
Should I be concerned about any of this and is it too late to fix my obvious leaf problems, given that I am in week 7 of flowering?
I welcome your comments, opinions and suggestions for this novice grower.
In all sincerity,
~ Rebecca Ryan
It could also be lacking magnesium or iron. I'm a big fan of Jorge Cervantes, especially the indoor/outdoor medical growers bible. I have had much better luck with more natural fertilizers - compost, guano, etc. I must live in dryer climate than you because my humidity levels are not that high and I have to work to get them as high as they are, but those levels don't seem too high to me.
Thanks for sharing what you think with me @richardcrill. I greatly appreciate it.
I'm using an organic fertilizer line that's called Dutch Nutrients. It was formulated by an experienced grower (30+ years ago) and has been sold across Canada in hydroponics stores for over 2 decades.
In the beginning I had lots of yellow leaves so learned that I was over watering and was able to correct that.
I also had my light height set too high because in their veg state they grew more lanky than I would have preferred, reaching for the light. Even though I have them bent over to force more bud growth and so that I could lollipop them. I would say from the top of their pots that they are growing in, they're about 42 inches tall at the moment.
I'm still doing something wrong or I am lacking something or, maybe this is the left over from something that I didn't do right, early on.
Just trying to make it to my first harvest and I'd be happy with a tiny bit of produce for the effort. :)
I've mostly used organic hydroponic fertilizes from hydro stores for hydroponic plants indoors with great success!. In soil I have much less experience, but yeah the guano and compost. Do you know about pinching the tops(new growth) of your plants during the veg stage to make them shorter and bushier? there is also a technique called the FIM technique to help make them bushier too. My very first post was about growing and I think I made a post about the FIM technique too. Its really awesome to see what it does to your plants. Also, when growing indoors, you really need indoor seeds. When growing outdoors usually indoor or outdoor seeds will work. Plus you want to have your light the optimal distance away from the tops of the plants, maybe around 10 inches depending on what light you are using (I use HPS) which means you will be continually moving it as it grows so you are going to want to setup a mechanism to move it easily.
Thanks @richardcrill!
I will start combing through your blog. I do think I vaguely remember reading your article that you are referencing.
When they were just babes, I did get the main stalks pinched and bent over but I didn't learn about taking the lower branches to produce 2 more than 4 more etc.
In crop #2, I will be doing a lot of things a little bit differently including making sure I get the plants at the correct distance from my grow light.
@richardcrill. the first weeks or so you can put a tl light (in dutch we call it tl) a few cm above your seedlings.
What did you do with spruiting? how high or low did you put the light and how much light if i may ask?
Growing out seeds you can easily start with flowering (12/12)since the spruit, that way they will not grow to your roof. And become compact and bold. (Thats what a lot of indoor growers here want)
Growing weed is easier said then done, especially indoor where you are mother nature. You got my respect for even trying. You will learn it one day, so you can give me some advice
I wish you a good yield:)
Thanks so much @markush! LOL! I will learn eventually. :)
You should definitely invest in the book that @richardcrill is referring to by Jorge Cervantes...
Thanks @wyzz2020! I actually have that book and it's what I have been consulting/using to teach myself to grow. Jorge has gotten me this far for my first time. :)
never planted cannabis so I can't help you but maybe .. just maybe .. from what I generally know about plants - browning of leaves means lacking something they need
Yes, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that we were mineral deficient and that's something we are currently researching. ;)
@rebeccaryan
Indoor growing has to be a learned experience, I would think. Outside, in the sunlight is the best, of course. But, the hours of darkness, no sunlight, has to figure in as well. When you are trying to duplicate the outside growing.
Outside growing is easy. The rain and sunlight do most of the work. Even in poor soil, crops grow and do well most of the time.
We have a tendency to overwater most plants. Keep in mind, that very little rain falls over the course of a growing season. A few inches. Say eight to sixteen inches of rain. It can vary a lot from year to year though.
I would stay on the low side. Cannabis should be like growing anything. I like organic soil and mulch. I wouldn't want the soil to be of the heavy variety. The water needs to flow through. Earthworms are also good. They are really good at fertilizing the soil and keeping it loose. Packed soil is not good in my opinion.
Enough of my rambling. The experts can really help you. My crop growing experience is outside.
Thank you for posting this though. When the time comes for legal growing here in the states. Many will be asking the same questions that you have here.
Francis
Thanks Francis!
If I can help someone else learn through my mistakes then it's a double win as far as I'm concerned. :)
Rebecca
You will be one of the leaders that people will turn to when the flood gates open. Trying to hold back cannabis at this point is futile. jmho
Just the subject alone, on Steemit, will garner many followers in the near future. Thank you for taking the lead.
And thank you for your upvote. I only wish I had the Steem Power to reciprocate in kind.
Please bear with me. Your day is coming. You have more than earned it.
Francis
Interesting, I have been using marijuana for a long time but never got into the growing process. It seems to be more intricate than most would think. I wish you the best of luck and hope these plants rebound with some great yields!
Me too! Thanks for commenting @jeffjagoe.
I just have to keep remembering that this plant is a weed and not to get myself too bent out of shape about the level of success of my first crop. :)
If this is your first one, you'll keep getting better and better from here! Keep on growing :)
Yes it is and I am willing to learn. :)
It's the whole "with time and practice" thing.
Aw, I know how heartbreaking that must be to see discolouration and curling on your leaves. When we grew with soil, I had the problem of overwatering which was damaging my leaves. We did not use fert though, so I have no experience with what over fertilizing would do.
I look forward to reading the post about you solving this problem, and having a beautiful, abundant harvest. You're gonna do great!
Thanks @lyndsaybowes! I am already over-joyed with the fact that I have even gotten this far. They smell amazing and if I produce even a little dried flower at the end of it all, I'll be thrilled. I've counted the small miracles all the way along...like even getting these seeds to germinate. LOL! Yeah, it doesn't sound like a big deal, but I thought it was. ;)
Oooh it's a BIG DEAL!! Cannabis is one of the greatest plants in the WORLD, if not THE Greatest! We got seeds from OvergrowCanada this year, unfortunately not a lot of them germinated, probably my fault, my first time germinating indoors, the last 2 years I just plunked seeds in the ground and let nature do her work :)
Congrats on all your progress!
Thanks Lyndsay!
It sucks to see such beautiful life demean but at least it can be put right for the future.
I think it has already been answered but by me just looking at it, it looks like there had been a lack of magnesium ions leading to the yellow colouration and degrading that has occurred.
That is my guess at what the problem is
Thank you @arckrai!
61% is not too high for humidity... It looks like necrosis from possible over-fertilization, water that has not been treated by reverse osmosis that has too many dissolved solids, or a deficiency in a micro or macro nutrients
Thanks for your sharing your knowledge @wyzz2020!
It could be all those things...getting better at watering and fertilizing.
Also am using water with a ph running between 5.5-6.
I think I need to look at magnesium next.
Welcome to Steemit. I have followed you.
indoor has so many factors that influence the plants. I like outdoor I have less issues. I know that most people cannot grow outside so they have to be super careful about their grow space.
Thanks for taking a minute to comment @wavemaster.
I appreciate it and have followed you.
I'm a novice too but i believe it must be the fertilizer! Actually i learned a lot from this channel, just check it out, maybe you'll find some solutions and let me know!
https://www.youtube.com/user/greenhouseseeds
Thanks
@progressivechef
Thanks @progressivechef. I will check the channel out. :)
I really hope it helps you out and you find the solution quickly!
WIth soil form the store, You often have enough nutrion for 6 weeks. You can test it on E.C. and P.H.
How is your water? do you measure P.H.?
Stop with nutrion for a while. And see how it goes.
just my thougts :)
Thanks for taking a minute to comment @markush.
I've used soil that I bought from a hydroponics store that is supposed to be formulated for handling the Dutch Nutrient line of plant food specifically.
The soil is neutral for ph.
I have been testing the ph of the water and so "think" that I have that part correct at 5.5-6.
I would double check the root health. are they bound? Grow bags that air prune are best.