Greetings Organic Growers. I come to you with a set of persistent problems I am trying to address. These girls are all "home clones", cuttings from plants I've grown from seed. They've had some problems in the past couple of weeks, but they have shown fantastic improvement with their top-dressings and feedings, also responding well to hair cuts. But, we're still having issues.

To address some of their issues last week I went with a top-dressing in the form of a mix of 1Tablespoon ea./plant bone & blood meal + 2T/plant worm castings + 2T native clay (very red, likely full of lots of minerals). This was watered in with a mild tea of seaweed extract + fish emulsion at half strength. I am persistent, and I will get there, but I do believe that because these girls are all clones that their dietary needs are probably different from their mothers, who were grown from seed outdoors (all organically in soil).

Over all are two 4' standard shop fluorescent lights, normal output, stocked with Ecolux tubes (about 6700K, about 1300 lumens) + two 2700K 42W CFL bulbs off to the side. I've got them on a 24/0 photoperiod for now, just got a timer and a GFCI strip to plug all into.

Of note; the plants that look worst all have the lowest pH, in the low 6 to high 5 range. I believe using my unfiltered water should help this. The plants that look most happy and healthy are in the mid to high 6 range, according to my meter. I guess it's time to start numbering them so I can keep track of who is who, unless there's a better method (when keeping fecal logs I just described the dang fish, they were always individuals).

Persistent problems with weak stems on a couple seem to have spread, as has this yellowing of the leaf margins, and now a lightening or slight mottling on one (as seen in close-up). Some "borked" growth, a wee bit of twisting, that's no big deal as long as they seem to otherwise be working as leave should, I don't think. I have begun a regimen of foliar feeding with Epsom @ 1 tablespoon/gal, and seaweed extract @ 1 tablespoon/gal. Both sprays were made with filtered water (I use the Mr. Clean resin exchange thing). The plants are watered every few days, as they don't require a whole lot of water, placed into a tray and watered from the top, that's allowed to run into the tray and they stay there for about 20mins or so.

Each picture tells a thousand words. Very last photo of the girl in the bin was from last week, she has improved.

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Gotta bump this to the top before I head out!

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Definitely too much nutrients. You are watering with nutrients and foliar feeding with them as well, too much. Don't let them sit in their own runoff water either. Test the Ph of the runoff water and you'll see what I mean. You have to let the water flush through and runoff so they don't sit in their own sh%t. Also, if you do foliar feed, raise the light a little or maybe even turn it off and keep your fan going so it can slowly dry. If you have weak stems, aim some air on them to get the plants to move a bit, this will strengthen the stems. Hopes this helped and good luck.

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in dirt plants like a ph of around 6.8...lime mixed in the soil will help with any mineral diff. and will will ballance the soil PH out..a fan along with some silica added to the feedings with help alot with stem strength..ALOT..your stems will be strong and plants stong and healthy..i and alot of people use silica as a ph up ajuster..it works great for that..if you use RO and some nutes tend to lower PH..the silica will bring it back up ..silica.is found in soil..and the earth..it is just more concentrated for your plants..so if your wondering about organic..it is considered fine b y most people..good luck seamaiden

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everything i print write or show on here is a complete and utter lie..i cant help myself i am a terminal liar..all of this shit is just fiction and made up for entertainment purposes ONLY..

Seamaiden your soil pH needs to be above 6. Dolimite lime would be good. When the soil pH comes up, more nutes are going to become available. Don't feed anymore for a week or two. You need more light would help. Before you water again, wait until the plants actually start to droop. Then give them a good watering. Afterwards, count the days and do not water again until they start to droop a second time. That will give the the true number of days you should wait for watering. If it takes four days for them to droop. Water every three. If it takes six, water every five.
With a corrected pH, more light and a dialed in watering schedule you will be right as rain.

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All Natural Grower - Outdoors, with composted manures, bat guano, creek water, BMO products & the Sun.

Hey! People posted in this thread.

I've not been mixing foliar feeding WITH root feeding, I think I'd burn them. I got some pond test strips so I could test the actual run-off. I've stopped the foliar feeding since the pH isn't (relatively) accurately determined, and have let them dry out. I only put them in the tray to catch the run-off (it's not at all equivalent to shit, though, sorry, but that analogy doesn't fly) so it can both be re-used and so they have a chance to soak it up, as those pots dry out pretty easily and when you water super-dry soil it tends to run straight through. Then they're taken out and back onto the platform.

Someone suggested checking my temps, and I think they're too low. I am going to make an electric blanket sandwich, which I think will work in this situation.

Oh yeah, I've finally found a small package of dolomitic lime, had to go to Folsom to find it, and then I had to dig to find it. A small top-dressing won't hurt, but something tells me it won't help as quickly as I had wanted, either. Fortunately, we've got some seriously hard water and all I have to do is not filter it before watering.

Thanks all!

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Seamaiden,why didn't you just stay with the sea weed n fish emulsion?
I'd say keep it simple.
R.

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Once you try black,you never go back.
FEED THE SOIL,NOT THE PLANT.

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Very well put, I agree with Dr. Catincombs prognosis......
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Keep it Real....Organic....

Thank you for this thred....Im tryin to be organic...but I cant get away from using heavy metal lamps or just ....the tubes or whatever...If anyone has suggestions please let me know...I need to make decisions in the next ...ummmmm 72 Hours....Please help...link to the journal.

Nuther first timer.

Thanx for any help...and you kinda have to read it all to understand...(suppliments and watering and all the stuff)

Nuther first timer.

Thanx...Whirld Peas and keep it green

Growing indoors means we're tied to our own devices (the lights, etcetera). But, we can mitigate the impact and make what waste we produce as non-toxic/unharmful as we can (I know that's not a word, I can't think of a better one). That's my take on it.

Ok, SO! I tested my source water.. wait, lemme scroll up and see what I posted first.

Alright, hadn't looked at them for two days, WHAT a response to the extra food! Have to pull it back, just a notch, but I have learned (one of) the why's of the what's going on--my source water. Two pictures will tell the story. It's screwy I tell's ya! pH is so low it doesn't read (lowest read is 6.2), the alkalinity is also so low it doesn't read. I have high NITRITE levels, from a well that's very deep. And I have a very high level of general hardness (general, without carbonate hardness or alkalinity). Pix are of unfiltered versus filtered water. I'm trying to determine the accuracy of the test I'm using.

Oh yeah, monitored temps, they were a bit on the low side so I installed my electric blanket sandwich and it WORKED.

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