Just noticed what looks like CA deficiency in 4th week of flower

Darth Budder

Darth Budder

Well-Known Member
Hi All,

I am currently in my 4th week of flower running 6 plants sog style under 2 150hps planted in happyfrog 3/1 with perlite. I have been giving them a full feeding of tigerbloom + big bloom once a week for the past 2 weeks. Just last week as a precaution i watered with 5ml of calmag + (botanicare), but yesterday i noticed that a couple of lower leaves of two of my plants are showing what looks like classic CA deficiency.

Should i be worried or wait it out? My first grow was RUINED by a CA deficiency at about the same time in flower, so these rust spots make me a little twitchy. I know my soil runs acidic, ive put a ton of lime in it after the fact and have been watering with high ph water (and switched to a new soil blend for my next grow). I also dont know if I over did it with the tigerbloom and locked out the CA with potassium.

I watered with plain water today, I could do a flush tomorrow or the next day with clearex, or hit it with more calmag +, or just keep em on plain water for the rest of the week, what do you folks think?

DB
 
Darth Budder

Darth Budder

Well-Known Member
Hi Lady, thank you for the reply,

No actually, i had so many problems over watering my plants that i am compulsive about how i do it now. I pour into a 16oz solo cup and then water directly at stem level so my leaves do not get wet ever.

DB
 
Darth Budder

Darth Budder

Well-Known Member
woody333333 said:
pics................
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Sure thing woody, 1st is a pick of one of the plants. second is a pic of the leaf on that plant, third is a second plant, my best one, with a more advanced looking problem

cadefwholeplant.jpgcadef1.jpgcadef2.jpg

In both cases they are some of the lowest leaves on the plant. The upper leaves look fine, which is wierd because i though CA started from the top down.

DB
 
Dankfactory

Dankfactory

Well-Known Member
Darth Budder said:
Hi All,

I am currently in my 4th week of flower running 6 plants sog style under 2 150hps planted in happyfrog 3/1 with perlite. I have been giving them a full feeding of tigerbloom + big bloom once a week for the past 2 weeks. Just last week as a precaution i watered with 5ml of calmag + (botanicare), but yesterday i noticed that a couple of lower leaves of two of my plants are showing what looks like classic CA deficiency.

Should i be worried or wait it out? My first grow was RUINED by a CA deficiency at about the same time in flower, so these rust spots make me a little twitchy. I know my soil runs acidic, ive put a ton of lime in it after the fact and have been watering with high ph water (and switched to a new soil blend for my next grow). I also dont know if I over did it with the tigerbloom and locked out the CA with potassium.

I watered with plain water today, I could do a flush tomorrow or the next day with clearex, or hit it with more calmag +, or just keep em on plain water for the rest of the week, what do you folks think?

DB
Click to expand...
Few red flags: I've run Happy Frog for years( I bloom DWC but used to run it in bloom, and still use it for mothers)
The soil doesn't really contain an inordinate amount of peat, and it has less Humic Acid than Ocean forest. It's fairly neutral, I wouldn't call it acidic. I run it out of the bag with a 6.5 and never have any issues, ever. That's with any strain and any seedling. It's a well balanced blend as is.

" ive put a ton of lime in it after the fact and have been watering with high ph water"
A ton of lime? Unnecessary, and if anything counterproductive in Happy Frog. That soil is good to go right out of the bag. You can cut it with perlite if you wanted better drainage, but the lime was unnecessary. I wouldn't bother testing your runoff, as the lime doesn't really have time to buffer by the time you experience drainage. See if you can access roughly a square inch of media towards the bottom portion of the pot, then wring it out and test that water. That'll be a more accurate test.


" I have been giving them a full feeding of tigerbloom + big bloom once a week for the past 2 weeks. Just last week as a precaution i watered with 5ml of calmag + (botanicare), but yesterday i noticed that a couple of lower leaves of two of my plants are showing what looks like classic CA deficiency. "

Full strength anything is a bad idea. Especially in soil, especially in an already rich soil such as Frog. I'm sold on Iguana Juice, and I've never used Tiger Bloom, but from what I hear its easy to overdo it. Quarter or half strength is a good rule of thumb, especially in organics since it takes the plant several days to use the avail nutrients. You likely locked/ are in the process of locking them out, and in that case the Calmag dose was just fuel to the fire.

Id do the water test. If you're reading is off, I'd try a good flush since you have extra drainage due to your cutting of perlite.
Happy Frog is an outstanding soil. Piling stuff on as additives sounds attractive, almost as if your amping it up transforming it into a better mix, but this is a mirage that seems to be prevalent in the hobby. Less is more. You can always add more of what the plant needs, but its pretty hard to take away what the plant doesn't need. Usually by then the end product is already compromised.
 
Dankfactory

Dankfactory

Well-Known Member
Those pics aren't that bad. Interesting way of growing for sure, sort of a reverse lolly pop thing you've got going on there, which I've never seen before, but looks like you'll at least reach the finish line. Try running the Frog straight up next time. Cut it with perlite if you want. No need to change your soil.
 
Darth Budder

Darth Budder

Well-Known Member
LOL, Thanks all for your help

So IDK what the hell was wrong with my happy frog. Early in the game i had some ph problems that were causing growth slow downs and lockout. Runoff was comming out at below 5, when the water going in was 7.5. This is the only reason i have added lime. Lime went into soil as a top dress of 1 tsp per pot, pots are .75 gallon. I also for a week added 1tbsp of lime to the water. After this treatment water went in at 7.5, came out 6.5. I have heard a ton of folks have ph issues with certain bags of happy frog. Any mass produced product is likely to have some off time. Oh, and the bag was a little old by the time i used it too.

The "reverse lollypop" is due to my weak lighting. I cut some of the top fan leaves to let light get down a little lower. I was a bit overzelous i think.

So what, too much lime maybe then? To much Tigerbloom? I only went to full strength after they were taking half so well. 2tsp per gallon with 1tbsp of bigbloom.

Oh well. I will try a clearex flush next time i water, then go to 1/2 strenght for 2 weeks. After that im going to stop feeding anyway.

I did change out my soil for my 3rd and 4th grows. I went with a lobster compost (40%) + Perlite (40%) + Peat (20%). Seedlings seem happy so far, transplanted clones 50/50 but that is my falt (DB no mean smash rootball!).

Thanks again everyone!
DB
 
Dankfactory

Dankfactory

Well-Known Member
woody333333 said:
do u want to argue about something? is that it? ............ i do agree w most of what u said
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No. I'm a pretty mellow dude. Was simply curious how someone who came off so adamant had no concrete response with which to counter with, except for " dunno bout all that." Sort of painted you in the same light as the local townsfolk in that South Park episode " Goobacks", where they just keep saying" They took 'er jobs," but they never offered any definitive structure for their discontent.
 
W

woody333333

Well-Known Member
Dankfactory said:
No. I'm a pretty mellow dude. Was simply curious how someone who came off so adamant had no concrete response with which to counter with, except for " dunno bout all that." Sort of painted you in the same light as the local townsfolk in that South Park episode " Goobacks", where they just keep saying" They took 'er jobs," but they never offered any definitive structure for their discontent.
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i dont watch cartoons..................
 
T

Treeonmyhead12

Active Member
I dont see much of a problem. Pick one or two leaves that are showing the symptoms, take a picture of them now, and in a few days and compare. If its got alittle worse add alittle more. Only if it gets worse tho, cause those spots dont heal.
 
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