kandy kush seedling

Perlite, Azomite, mycorrhizae.... Are you using any actual fertilizers? Those are more soil additives. In addition to lacking macronutes, piling on micros can cause problems when there aren't enough macros to go with them. Micronutrients are needed when the plants make use of macronutrients and aren't any good without the macros.

the soil mix has bat guano, chicken manure, worm castings, kelp meal. i know those things are amendments ( Perlite, Azomite, mycorrhizae.... ) but i figured i would try to be as detailed as possible as to what i have going on in the soil . have not added any ferts yet. milo ( dr earth ) told me personally that his soil feeds for about 30 days so i have not added anything yet. i have some liquid fish here so maybe it might be getting time soon. my seedling just broke ground on 12/23 and going by what the doc says about his soil i didnt want to feed to early.

Oh alright, that sounds much better. Have you checked the soil pH?

i have not. ordered a new probe and should be here any day. i fuckin hate not having a meter. been using distilled water instead of ph'd tapwater. guess ill see shortly. i just looked at the email dr earth sent me and it said

" Our soils will sustain a plants growth requirements for approximately 30
days depending on the growth habits and rate of growth. Some plants are
heavier feeders than others such as tomatoes. This does not mean that an
additional boost of fertilizer during the time of planting will burn or hurt
the plant.
Thank you,
Milo "

maybe time to feed? missed that part about heavy feeders lol. noticed stems are starting to purple and its spreading in the direction of the fan leaves. N or P hungry im thinking.

Most stem reddening is genetic but yours do look a little problematic in that area. Low Phosphorus can cause stem reddening but if that's the case here then it could possibly be caused by incorrect pH locking out nutrients. The color of the leaves makes the problems look a little pH-related. If the meter is coming soon, just try to wait until then. When pH locks out nutrients, it needs to be fixed before feeding.

well it doesnt seem like it was the ph. my runoff was 6.4. i fed my plant 1/2 strength fish ferts and a dose of big bloom and in two days it turned around. looks like dr earth potting soil doesnt feed for very long. i have since then topped it and this morning repotted it. i didnt think to take a shot of the root ball but it was super white, very healthy. here she is now. i have a little burn on some leaves but im thinkin it may be from the neem. it wasnt all the way dry before i put it back under the light.

Runoff isn't a good way to test pH. What happens is you give the plant pure, pH 7 water. Your soil is, say, pH 5.8. The pH 7 water mixes with the pH 5.8 soil to create pH 6.4 runoff. It appears that the soil pH is ok but in reality it's too acidic.

Mother's Finest said:

Runoff isn't a good way to test pH. What happens is you give the plant pure, pH 7 water. Your soil is, say, pH 5.8. The pH 7 water mixes with the pH 5.8 soil to create pH 6.4 runoff. It appears that the soil pH is ok but in reality it's too acidic.

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man i have always thought that but i have never found anybody to word it like that.
Could you please tell me an effective way of testing ph? everyone says runoff, runoff
im in a soilless mix, bioterraplus, and have an ecoplus ph tester if that helps any

HB bob, not sure but, as young as the plant is and looking at your soil mix, its most likely a ph problem...

And i got a KK freebie last month, very excited to see if it turns into something worth keeping!!

sharpshoota said:

HB bob, not sure but, as young as the plant is and looking at your soil mix, its most likely a ph problem...

And i got a KK freebie last month, very excited to see if it turns into something worth keeping!!

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so you can look at soil and determine its ph?

hey mother how would you suggest testing the soil accurately? i never really ran into this problem because the soil mix i always use is buffered and i go start to finish with 6.5 adjusted water & ferts.

hillbillybobb said:

so you can look at soil and determine its ph?

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haha, guessing that was a smart ass response...
well you were considering the plants not receiving enough nutrients... from your ingredients in your soil and size and age of your plant, my hypothesis was PH. not your guess of not recieving enough nutrients. especially after the guy who created the mix told you 30 days.

sorry for trying to help bro. maybe you shouldnt ask for help then since you know it all...

EDIT : and you stated that you didnt have a ph tester, or a good one at that...

sharpshoota said:

haha, guessing that was a smart ass response...
well you were considering the plants not receiving enough nutrients... from your ingredients in your soil and size and age of your plant, my hypothesis was PH. not your guess of not recieving enough nutrients. especially after the guy who created the mix told you 30 days.

sorry for trying to help bro. maybe you shouldnt ask for help then since you know it all...

EDIT : and you stated that you didnt have a ph tester, or a good one at that...

Click to expand...

since you wanna get technical the guy who made the soil mix said 30 days depending on the growth habits and rate of growth. Some plants are heavier feeders than others such as tomatoes. This does not mean that an additional boost of fertilizer during the time of planting will burn or hurt the plant.

im not claiming to know it all but i just didnt understand what you meant by " looking at your soil mix " seemed like you were coming off rude but whatever.


"EDIT : and you stated that you didnt have a ph tester, or a good one at that... "

i guess your right about not having a good ph meter. i mean how could my $ 50 hanna tester ever compete with the human PH reader. your truly amazing. maybe you can look at my vegetable garden and give me a lime reccomendation.

sorry for being so vague. miscommunication.
also the traits of strains differ, just like humans, even in the same strains. and some are more susecptable to nute burns as well... unless your taking clones of coarse. your plants are young, and most defeciancies are created by PH problems. not saying that yours are, its just a good possiblity you must take into consideration.
i think your headed on the right track with the transplant. youll figure it out, trial and error sucks buts its how we learn.
Also, I havent had my medicene today!!!!! NOO!!! but im bout to roll me one right now tho!!!

ill smoke to that

are you suppose to water right when u plant it or let it knock off the little seed casing lil after then water

My apologies for losing track of this thread during the past week. Since Iloveganja bumped it, I'll try to answer the questions I missed.

Imo the best way to test soil pH is to use a probe-type pH meter, and also have a secondary soil pH test kit to verify the probe's readings once in awhile. The capsule-type kit is a nice cheap way to make sure the probe is still accurate. They can read soil pH when the soil's dry as well, unlike the probe. We currently use the cheapest analog probe tester available. Over the years, we've bought a number of meters and haven't had longer life with more expensive ones. I once bought the most expensive digital pH meter in the store. It read 6.0 straight out of the package and we had to take it back. It was supposed to read 7.0 when turned on.

Runoff is not the best way to test pH. The pH of the runoff tends to be roughly the average of the soil's pH and the liquid's without providing an accurate reading of either one. Runoff can even be water that ran straight down the side of the pot, not even soaking into the soil. When using a probe to check soil pH, the soil has to be very wet. However, the sooner after watering you test pH, the less time the substances in the soil have to dissolve into the liquid. Plants can be watered, have their soil pH's checked and then the next day when the pH's are tested a second time, there can be a slightly different reading. Some common sense should be used to determine pH. For example, if you water with pure, pH 7 water and right afterward test the soil pH, you might get a reading like 6.8. The next day when you test it, let's say you get a reading of 6.6. In this case, the most acidic reading you get (6.6) is the closest one to the soil's pH. We can assume that you got a higher pH reading (6) to start because the soil pH had not completely equalized with the pure water's. The soil pH should be decided after a few readings and shouldn't be based on one single test.

As far as soilless goes, if the medium can be tested in the capsule-type kit and shows something other than a completely neutral pH then your medium has a pH value and should be able to be tested using a probe. Some of the more inert soilless mediums don't carry a pH value, always ending up at the pH of the liquid you used. With these, only the pH of liquids you water with needs to be monitored. Many soilless substrates also require liquids given to them to have a more acidic pH of around 6.0. It should be noted that even a pH-less substrate can become coated with residues over time, causing it to have a pH value and affect the final pH after liquids are given.

Iloveganja- You don't actually "water" the seeds when planting, you plant them in pre-moistened soil. Once germinated and planted, the soil slowly drying out encourages growth. Be sure to allow about the top third of the soil to dry completely before watering again.

ok and also your not suppose to plant the seed too deep in the soil right just basicly cover it with alittle dirt so its easier to get to the surface of the soil? or how do u plant ur germd seeds to ensure sucess and not waste any by losein em in the soil or bein buryed to deep

I'll send you a pm so we don't discuss your issue further in Hillbilly's thread.