Need some extra eyes and advice

[My Name is Mike]

RIU,

I'm running an indoor 2x2 cab, 200w cob, 18" above, 2 waterfarms. Cab temps 77-80, RH 50-56%, REZ temps 74, current PPM 200-230, PH 5.6-6.0
Nutes- Flora Nova Bloom, cal-mag, hydroguard. I've only been using FNB and started a small dosage HG 2ml/2gal

I've been keeping PPM around 250 average. Day 25 I tried to pump them up after a flush to 450, 1.5tsp/2gal FNB and noticed nute burn signs 2 days later. Flushed again back to normal 1/8tsp/2gal and fresh PH water.

I'm in this in between weird stage, afraid to make changes and not sure if I did what direction to go. I'm at day 32 veg, would like to flip but afraid to flip until I'm confident they are in decent health.

I don't have any on new growth but maybe 1 leaf, otherwise I noticed a few other leaves have some weird markings, some have small micro holes and obvious either burn/deficiency. I could really use some eyes and opinions on this. I thought bugs but I've checked thoroughly and it's just not enough to think it's bugs. We're talking less than 8 leaves like this but I want to flip and won't until I know what I'm doing wrong.

 

[My Name is Mike]

I checked this morn, I've got Brown spots popping up again. PH is stable, PPM on both plants dropped 30PPM overnight which means ones around 180 and the other 200PPM. Both plants are drinking 1/2 gallon each. I top each night with cold PH water.

I use tap but it sits for at least 48 hrs uncapped.

I know my PPM are low from where it should be but no idea how to get on a decent feeding schedule.

Anyone?

 

[My Name is Mike]

I checked this morn, I've got Brown spots popping up again. PH is stable, PPM on both plants dropped 30PPM overnight which means ones around 180 and the other 200PPM. Both plants are drinking 1/2 gallon each. I top each night with cold PH water.

I use tap but it sits for at least 48 hrs uncapped.

Anyone?

 

[hotrodharley]

Res temps too high, PPM too low. Try raising it to 450 and wait. Anything to cool the res solution under 70 is better than nothing.

 

[hotrodharley]

Why was your starting PPM so low? I'm not the hydro expert but I always start around 350 in DWC.

 

[My Name is Mike]

Why was your starting PPM so low? I'm not the hydro expert but I always start around 350 in DWC.

Low and slow baby. Honestly, I was nervous to jump on nutes so I kept it around 300. I did try to bump it to 450 back on day 24 and both plants didn't like it.

My dilemma now is the plants are drinking, PPM drops which is telling me they like it BUT I don't have any clue how to add back nutes without draining each time.

I agree on rez temps and I'm proactive and top off each day with cooled water which drops it to around 64 and slowly climbs to low 70s. 74 is the highest it climbs to. I use hydroguard as precaution for root health. Both WF are insulated top and all around. Best I can do.

I only have flora nova bloom and cal-mag for nutes. I have the GH set that came with WF but I want to keep it simple. Thanks for jumping in though.

 

[hotrodharley]

Low and slow baby. Honestly, I was nervous to jump on nutes so I kept it around 300. I did try to bump it to 450 back on day 24 and both plants didn't like it.

My dilemma now is the plants are drinking, PPM drops which is telling me they like it BUT I don't have any clue how to add back nutes without draining each time.

I agree on rez temps and I'm proactive and top off each day with cooled water which drops it to around 64 and slowly climbs to low 70s. 74 is the highest it climbs to. I use hydroguard as precaution for root health. Both WF are insulated top and all around. Best I can do.

I only have flora nova bloom and cal-mag for nutes. I have the GH set that came with WF but I want to keep it simple. Thanks for jumping in though.

Add nutes in the same ratio as you had before they used it. 1:1:2 Or whatever. Add slowly. Allow to mix thoroughly . Check. If too low then add more. If too high remove some solution and dilute with water. Watch for pH peaks or dips. This can be a sign of root rot. Have you checked the roots?

 

[My Name is Mike]

Add nutes in the same ratio as you had before they used it. 1:1:2 Or whatever. Add slowly. Allow to mix thoroughly . Check. If too low then add more. If too high remove some solution and dilute with water. Watch for pH peaks or dips. This can be a sign of root rot. Have you checked the roots?

Yes, just took these, here is my crit cure

 

[My Name is Mike]

Here is my blueberry og

I took a better look and see micro black something and a cream color something. I can't tell if they're bugs. No movement and no magnifier

The big leaf pictures, look along the main vein and you'll see more what I see.

 

[My Name is Mike]

What I thought could've been bugs aren't, despite having peices of leaf missing and a few holes. I don't see any actual bugs. I had my head directly under my leds hovering the canopy and burned my damn hair which left remnants on some leaves. Some leaves appear to be dry which im led to believe is a def prob. I've drilled it down to possible PH fluctuation. I've given it 3 days to keep PH consistent and I've dialed in nutes. I have a few new leaves that have orange spots but I'm hoping it'll get better with the adjustments.

I flipped to 12/12 so I have no choice but to keep a close eye. Frustrating how many different possibilities it can be.

 

[hotrodharley]

What I thought could've been bugs aren't, despite having peices of leaf missing and a few holes. I don't see any actual bugs. I had my head directly under my leds hovering the canopy and burned my damn hair which left remnants on some leaves. Some leaves appear to be dry which im led to believe is a def prob. I've drilled it down to possible PH fluctuation. I've given it 3 days to keep PH consistent and I've dialed in nutes. I have a few new leaves that have orange spots but I'm hoping it'll get better with the adjustments.

I flipped to 12/12 so I have no choice but to keep a close eye. Frustrating how many different possibilities it can be.

How high is that light over the canopy?

 

[My Name is Mike]

How high is that light over the canopy?

It was 21in, originally, plant grew and came within 14in, I raised it to 20in 4 days ago to eliminate that as a possibility.

 

[hotrodharley]

It was 21in, originally, plant grew and came within 14in, I raised it to 20in 4 days ago to eliminate that as a possibility.

I would suggest at least 24"

 

[My Name is Mike]

I would suggest at least 24"

I can't, it's at its highest point. I can dim it down. Do you think the leaves are a result of the light?

 

[hotrodharley]

I can't, it's at its highest point. I can dim it down. Do you think the leaves are a result of the light?

I'm not an expert on this but lately there have been a large number of posts by LED users with plant issues.

https://www.maximumyield.com/10-mistakes-to-avoid-when-using-led-grow-lights/2/4885

https://www.growweedeasy.com/cannabis-light-burn

 

[My Name is Mike]

Yeah it's possible but I'm open to any insight at this point. I dimmed them a little. It's spreading to top growth which is pissing me off. Checked roots they are white and extremely healthy looking, doubled in density. Rez temps are 70-74, PH was at 6.5, I let it climb from 6.1 in case I was facing cal/mag def for better absorption. I added cal/mag yesterday.

Now I'm seeing brown outline along front half of leaf tips which is new. Maybe it's my tap water. I really can't think of anything else that would dramatically affect my plants. PPM are 330, plants are drinking up to half gal each, PPM slowly declines. I top with cool PH tap water. Tap water is 130ppm. I let it sit out minimum 48 hours uncapped. I have good air circulation and exchange. It's gotta be either flora nova bloom is fking them up or it's my tap water itself.

Can anyone add some direction here?

 

[OldMedUser]

High Mike

Have you ever got a water report from your supplier? 130 isn't too high but what's in it can cause problems too. I've only ever used RO or distilled water for my plants whether in DWC or pots of soilless. Usually a call to your local water works will get you an emailed copy for free so I'd look into that if I were you. If they ask just tell them you want to raise fish or make beer as if it's any of their beeswax.

Tap water can be high in some minerals that build up quickly and interfere with others. Sodium, iron and manganese are commonly high in tap water. Excess minerals in tap water add to the salts load in your plant and contribute to toxic salts buildup that doesn't really show up until you're half way thru flowering. Dry crispy leaves going yellow/brown like nute burn run amok. Mainly starting on lower, older fan leaves but often shows up in the leaves closest to the lights due to higher temps in the area drawing up more salt-laden water in an attempt to cool off. That draws in more salts that stay in the leaves and start the burn.

Using tap water you have to take it's ppm into account when testing your rez. So if it's at 330 then it's 200ppm nutes and 130ppm unknown water minerals. The unknown mineral ppm gets higher every time you add back water to the system so you should keep track of the amount of water you add back and change once you have added back as much as the system holds or sooner.

To increase your ppm without changing just add some more nutes to the rez in the same ratio you fed them in the first place. If I were running 3-part nutes at a 1-1-1 ratio I'd just top up, add equal amounts of all three then test the ppm again and now how much it's gone up from say a Tbsp of each. Then you know how much to add to get to the ppm you want with a little simple math.

From the last pics your plants are looking pretty damn good so far. I like to add extra bloom nutes and a half dose of Big Bud a week before flipping to 'Prime the pump' so to say. Gets nice buds forming after a week of 12/12 and I give them the other half dose at the time I flip.

Here's some reading material for you.

I found a great spot to download FREE POT BOOKS. I downloaded a grow bible first and got lots more. Books look great and complete like the real ones I have here. No web site but just a page of links. Just right click on what you want and then "Save Link As" to download so they don't open first as some are 50+ megs. They got lots. Enjoy.

 

[My Name is Mike]

High Mike

Have you ever got a water report from your supplier? 130 isn't too high but what's in it can cause problems too. I've only ever used RO or distilled water for my plants whether in DWC or pots of soilless. Usually a call to your local water works will get you an emailed copy for free so I'd look into that if I were you. If they ask just tell them you want to raise fish or make beer as if it's any of their beeswax.

Tap water can be high in some minerals that build up quickly and interfere with others. Sodium, iron and manganese are commonly high in tap water. Excess minerals in tap water add to the salts load in your plant and contribute to toxic salts buildup that doesn't really show up until you're half way thru flowering. Dry crispy leaves going yellow/brown like nute burn run amok. Mainly starting on lower, older fan leaves but often shows up in the leaves closest to the lights due to higher temps in the area drawing up more salt-laden water in an attempt to cool off. That draws in more salts that stay in the leaves and start the burn.

Using tap water you have to take it's ppm into account when testing your rez. So if it's at 330 then it's 200ppm nutes and 130ppm unknown water minerals. The unknown mineral ppm gets higher every time you add back water to the system so you should keep track of the amount of water you add back and change once you have added back as much as the system holds or sooner.

To increase your ppm without changing just add some more nutes to the rez in the same ratio you fed them in the first place. If I were running 3-part nutes at a 1-1-1 ratio I'd just top up, add equal amounts of all three then test the ppm again and now how much it's gone up from say a Tbsp of each. Then you know how much to add to get to the ppm you want with a little simple math.

From the last pics your plants are looking pretty damn good so far. I like to add extra bloom nutes and a half dose of Big Bud a week before flipping to 'Prime the pump' so to say. Gets nice buds forming after a week of 12/12 and I give them the other half dose at the time I flip.

Here's some reading material for you.

I found a great spot to download FREE POT BOOKS. I downloaded a grow bible first and got lots more. Books look great and complete like the real ones I have here. No web site but just a page of links. Just right click on what you want and then "Save Link As" to download so they don't open first as some are 50+ megs. They got lots. Enjoy.

Hey, thanks MedUser for your help. It makes total sense as I do have a little surface build up of salt I rinse away every 2 weeks.

I just did a complete rez change with 50/50 tap/distilled water with nutes and PHed. I hope this will help as I'm trying to avoid full on RO or distilled water as its a pain in the ass to refill.

In regards to your explanation of PPM. It makes sense to compensate for tap PPM but where I'm confused is I typically top each day half gallon of tap water. Since that's how much they drink. When I add in that half gallon lets say at 130 ppm, and my rez at the time gave a reading of 230PPM, will I then be at 360PPM? I guess I never took a PPM reading after topping off but I will now moving forward. That's where a lot of my confusion comes from. It stems from not having a consistent pattern of knowing when to add nutes at what strength and how often. Even adding nutes at equal parts has an uncertainty of whats been used or what minerals I'm adding back in from tap.

I attached my water report that I'm not sure what to look for/be concerned about. Haven't had a chance to research any further.

 

[My Name is Mike]

Also, thanks for that link. That's an incredible resource. Do you have any specific recommendations?

 

[OldMedUser]

I read over that report and there's a lot of info missing or that's not the whole report.

No mention of pH, ppm, calcium/magnesium, carbonates, alkalinity etc.

Nothing nasty in what is shown tho.

When I add in that half gallon lets say at 130 ppm, and my rez at the time gave a reading of 230PPM, will I then be at 360PPM?

Your ppm from the added water will only be a percentage of the 130 depending on how much the whole system holds.

For example say the total is 10 gallons and you have to add one gallon to top up. You're only adding back 10% of the total so you'll raise the water ppm by 1/10th or 13ppm. Once you have had to add back 10 gallons then you will have added an extra 130ppm of water minerals and be up to 260. A bit less as the plants will have used up some of what was in the water but not much if you have better nutrients of the same minerals already there.

It's not that hard to keep track of that kind of stuff so you know very closely how much of the ppm is water minerals and how much is the nutrients your plants need to grow with.

I rarely change my nutes until after the stretch and have done many DWC grows without changing nutes even once. Been doing it since '01 so have had a bit of practice. It's crazy to toss out good nutes on a weekly schedule especially when plants are small and eating very little of it. Just makes the company richer when you have to buy more often.

We buy RO water for drinking and my plants as our water comes from a dugout on my property and gets filtered down to 5 micron but no sterilization. It's also around 400ppm and fairly hard at pH8. Next time I have a few hundred to spare I'm setting up my own RO unit.

Do you have any specific recommendations?

I'm partial to Jorge Cervantes, (have two of his books), and he has a beginners book in there that goes a lot further than just the basics. Rosenthal is another golden oldie tho when I wrote his column in Cannabis Culture magazine back then about trying to make DWC work for pot he didn't think it would likely work well. Changed his tune since. I've always used RubberMaid tubs for my grows but using two of the new ones with cold weather plastic the roots wouldn't grow so after 3 weeks I pulled the survivors and put them in pots of soilless ProMix HP. I really think there is something in the new plastic that screwed with the roots but haven't been able to find any info after searching around for clues. 3 Critical Mass clones in one tub and 6 CBD plants of 3 strains in the other. Never had that happen after around 50 grows. Same nutes I've been using for a couple years now so it's got to be something else.