plants stressing out when moved to flowering space

solst1ce

Member
I recently moved from a CFL growing box to separate growing tents for vegging and flowering. The vegging tent uses a single high PAR 200 watt induction grow lamp, and the flowering tent uses a 12 X 54 Watt T5 fixture (1/3 daylight+2/3 soft white).
I am growing in a soil that is Pro-Mix + Ocean Forest + Perlite + kelp meal + blood meal + dolomitic lime, and watering with aerated tap water.
The plant seem to be very happy during the vegetative stage, but when moved to the flowering space they start stressing out and failing. The first pic is a pair of plants in flower and a couple plants in veg together
(that for some reason uploads upside down??)
and the next picture is the same healthy vegetative plants just a couple days after moving to the flowering space... It looks like the new plants are going down the same wrong path as the previous plants- so I think I'm doing the same 'wrong' thing. I have tried making up a worm casting/molasses tea to provide a bit of cal/mag and some uptake friendly fungi but am not getting much of a response.
the previous plants are harvested, and matured quite quickly with tasty but disappointing yield.
I would welcome a little help here... is it a nute issue or a light issue??
photo-1.jpgDSCF2361.jpg
 

Doer

Well-Known Member
Or is it a WTF??? Who threw the switch so fast?? :)

What did you change besides the light?

What sort of transitioning did you do?

It is the tops now that matter.

Are they stretching? How soon do you expect stretching?

Define recently.

You know that Nitrogen is transported from the bottom during bloom, yes?

Did you change feeding?
 

foreverflyhi

Well-Known Member
One thing i kno about deficiencies is that they happen long before you see it, and when u do see it, alot of other deffeciancy are about to occur. This problem your experiencing is not a light issue, its a deffeciancy and less likely enviroment. But of course i may be wrong, if you feel that your plants are experiencing a light problem, then why not use the induction light along woth some cfls for flowering? Keep in mind also that diffrent strains react differently to the medium/lights/enviroment..

My question to you is, when and how long did you cook your soil, how long has the plant been vegging in that soil mix?
my only solution is too make worm teas and top dresss with alot of wormcasting. Maybe even look into a filter for your water. Double check enviroment. Also if possible, dont flower with these sorts of deficiencies, i would keep vegging until they heal.
Maybe a couple more pics of the top of the plants would help.
Keep doing what your doing, your garden still
looks great
good luck
 

solst1ce

Member
Thanks to everyone- some good ideas here.
The mix I am using was recommended by an experienced grower as a complete mix that performs well from veg to bloom using no additional nutrients. I've seen his growing room and he is getting VERY good results. The soil was mixed about 3 months ago, and the plants have been vegging from clones for about 8 weeks. I moved the plants to the flowering space a week before the picture was taken. I didn't do a gradual transition, i moved them directly from 18/6 to 12/12.
PH'ed the medium and it is at 7.0
I could put them back in the vegging space, but am concerned that it would stress them out more to have another light cycle change so quickly. I am also suspecting a Nitrogen deficit, but was afraid to try a fix that could make my soil too hot if i was wrong.
My previous grows have been pretty successful using a more neutral soil mix and feeding with Earth Juice Grow and Bloom... also have some bat guano on hand as well as fresh worm castings i can use to feed.
I'm going to mix up some Earth Juice Bloom and see if that helps
appreciate the input
 

Doer

Well-Known Member
You could have answered a single question. What is the use of coaching then? I'm out.
 

solst1ce

Member
Or is it a WTF??? Who threw the switch so fast?? :)

What did you change besides the light?
I was previously growing in a 2'x3'x4' box under 6 43 watt CFL ... the pictures of these plants are all from the new setup that is identical 2'x4'X7' grow tents with carbon filtered exhaust ventilation and fans to move air in the tents. The T5 runs a little hotter than the induction but it is still at 77 F and 25% humidity. The only difference between the two spaces is the light used

What sort of transitioning did you do?

  • I didn't do a gradual transition, i moved them directly from 18/6 to 12/12.​



It is the tops now that matter.
Yes, but my concern is that the plants are not getting sufficient time in bloom to develop proper buds because their health is compromised


Are they stretching? How soon do you expect stretching?
they are stretching a bit- I keep the light within 6-8 inches of the top and I've needed to raise the lamp about 6 inches in this week

Define recently.
this is my second time flowering in the new space.

You know that Nitrogen is transported from the bottom during bloom, yes?
Yes I expect some yellowing on the fan leaves and lower plant, but feel this is too much too soon

Did you change feeding?
not yet- the mix is supposed to be a little hot so I want to be careful
 

solst1ce

Member
You could have answered a single question. What is the use of coaching then? I'm out.
i'm sorry... i didn't mean to disrespect.
I thought I was addressing your questions as well as other responders in the context of my first reply.
I really appreciate you taking the time to consider my problem and your questions are very helpful - asking the right questions is the most important part of finding a solution.
BTW, I checked the NPK of Earth Juice Bloom and there is pretty much no N in it. If it is Nitrogen deficient, The quickest N uptake would probably be blood meal, but bat guano would be more balanced. Earth Juice Grow has got N and is balanced, or corn gluten meal is mostly N with a slow release.
Right now I'm thinking of using some earth juice grow and bloom combined...
 

st0wandgrow

Well-Known Member
i'm sorry... i didn't mean to disrespect.
I thought I was addressing your questions as well as other responders in the context of my first reply.
I really appreciate you taking the time to consider my problem and your questions are very helpful - asking the right questions is the most important part of finding a solution.
BTW, I checked the NPK of Earth Juice Bloom and there is pretty much no N in it. If it is Nitrogen deficient, The quickest N uptake would probably be blood meal, but bat guano would be more balanced. Earth Juice Grow has got N and is balanced, or corn gluten meal is mostly N with a slow release.
Right now I'm thinking of using some earth juice grow and bloom combined...
No need to apologize. Doer is a little sensitive. :-)

I agree with foreverflyhi. If you have access to high quality vermicompost a generous top dress of that would be where I'd start. IMO, most deficiencies in organic gardens are born from a soil that that has an inferior source of humus. We are relying on an army of microbes to both feed the plant, and buffer the soil ph. If you build a soil using bagged castings and/or bagged soil, you have no way of knowing (short of an expensive microscope) how well inoculated the soil is. If the soil is not "teaming with microbes" then PH swings are too be expected, and your elements will be locked out. IOW, you likely have *enough* nutrients in your soil, they are just not available to your plants. Top dress with a good source of castings/compost, and brew an ACT or two and you will see them bounce back.
 

solst1ce

Member
If the problem is nutrient lockout, adding more nutrient probably would make the situation worse. I did PH the soil with a calibrated digital tester and it is at 7.0- a few tenths lower would be better but it's not far off the mark.
I 'grow my own' vermicompost and have plenty fresh worm castings available. I mostly use it mixed with coco-coir to lighten it up for starter pots. Certainly would be doing no harm to top dress with it and treat it to a good cup of tea
 

foreverflyhi

Well-Known Member
If the problem is nutrient lockout, adding more nutrient probably would make the situation worse. I did PH the soil with a calibrated digital tester and it is at 7.0- a few tenths lower would be better but it's not far off the mark.
I 'grow my own' vermicompost and have plenty fresh worm castings available. I mostly use it mixed with coco-coir to lighten it up for starter pots. Certainly would be doing no harm to top dress with it and treat it to a good cup of tea


Although ph is part of growing, its not something we organic farmers really worry about. (Compared to hydro)

how are you getting the soil ph?
(Please dont say soil ph probe, thats not accurate)

Although your vermi is nutrient, dont look at it the same way you would with bottle nutes. Your vermi compost is full of micro activity and other goodies. So no, adding vermi compost should not contribute to the problem, but more likely solve it.
 
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