Because if you can't measure your EC or TDS or pH you will fail in hydro unless you are very lucky. Hydro is not really like soil even when the substrate looks like soil. It's the proverbial horse of another color.
My plants are dying, please help.
- Thread starter MisterBlack
- Start date
BongerChonger
Well-Known Member
It's very general, basic advice. Soil is tricky, it's all different. But all much the same if you know your stuff.
Amending soils really isn't difficult. Especially if planning on using fertilizer as well.
The two major factors whilst amending soils are - not adding ample or sufficient aeration/drainage, and adding too much rich material.
Doing so encourages compaction problems and salt build up, in the form of minerals, silts and dissolved solids. That's why aeration and proper drainage is so important.
The Miracle Grow potting mix, or soil, sounds a lot like it's intended for outdoor use. It'll have too much water holding capacity and be too heavy. You must properly amend it, if you intend on using it.
Fwiw I don't think there's a single potting mix I've ever purchased, that I haven't immediately added perlite to growing mj.
Honestly, I don't ever think about it anymore, I just add it.
^^^^
Point I'm trying to make, is if you're using too heavy soil, all those things become a reality.
Not because of you.
Because of environment.
If you want some easy potting mix, although not too cheap, try Canna Terra Professional. Add 20-30% perlite or so and treat it the same as DTW.
Give you an idea I've had great fun using 50/50 Terra Pro+ Perlite. Watering once, up to a maximum of twice per day, in 18L pots.
I don't recommend the ''Canna Terra Professional Plus'' though. Comes loaded with nutrient already.
GL.
p.s. - all this advice is for container planting in soil or potting mix. It's not intended advice for coco coir or hydro.
speedwell68
Well-Known Member
That is utter nonsense.
Modern Selections
Well-Known Member
Lord have mercy, there is a Miracle Gro fan club??!!?? The world has officially gone completely off.
michojay
Well-Known Member
I think it’s all been covered here man. If you’re trying to save some of the photos (and let me be clear if this was me this is what I’d do not saying it’s right) it appears that you are loving them to death! Stop with whatever nutrients you are feeding and I’d repot them in a very well draining soil/medium give them only water for a while maybe and just maybe some light foliar spray since they’re likely locked up. If they recover you can take some fresh cuttings and try again. My advice is do some more research on hear and the other forums and keep it simple for a while. Youll get the hang of it after a few grows and then start trying other stuff. Nutrients aren’t some magical powder that the more you throw at a plant the bigger it gets. It can only use so much before it starts to poison itself. Most good soils have ample nutrients available already. Just my 2 pennies. Good luck
MisterBlack
Active Member
Yes, but again, it is only a test to see if the soil it was in was causing a nutrient lock out or burn. All I am going to do is give it water for a while. If it looks better I will put it and the others in new soil. I think she did not read the thread or did not get why I put this one plant in coco. New clones are a dime a dozen around here, I just want to solve the problem.
MisterBlack
Active Member
It's Christmas time, so I will probably go with the pro mix I have had success with before due to the cost. Otherwise the kids get coal this year. Would you mix pro mix with worm compost or not?
MisterBlack
Active Member
I agree with you and had pretty good results with it until now.
MisterBlack
Active Member
My tomato and pea plants were 9 feet tall and would have been taller but I couldn't keep the pots upright anymore.
StareCase
Well-Known Member
Speaking from my experience - I wouldn't amend Pro Mix or any peat based mix. But I also use the full line of Remo's bottled nutes (that probably sent shivers down a few RIU growers spine ... ) and haven't needed to amend the medium.
And with the peat based substrate, the pH of my source water/feed is further lowered to between 6.0 and 6.1.
BongerChonger
Well-Known Member
I'd just keep things simple. No added organic matter. And likely add some perlite. As it may stay a bit too soggy initially, after being watered without.
If there're plenty grows online of people adding perlite to their promix, I would too. 20% or whatever.
Then you just need a decent 2-part nutrient, or any nutrient you've had success growing mj before.
Regardless, just make sure you drain the promix properly with each watering and all should be cool.
Don't use pots that are too large to start with either. Can make watering them more difficult. For all the same reasons.
MisterBlack
Active Member
That is very reasonable. It is something in the soil or a pH imbalance. Best to start with new soil. I am only growing these particular photos because they were forced on me. Except for the Scarlet Queen, which I have grown before and really like. The others I am told are limited releases and somewhat rare, so I would like to keep them alive and healthy if I can. I can get all the cuttings I want for free but I don't want to grow them. I would rather pass them on to folks who want those strains. I have a bunch of misc autos that people whined about earlier in the thread that I only grew because I wanted to dial in my germination technique before starting some seeds that I really want to grow. You are right, I think it has been covered.
MisterBlack
Active Member
Ok, I will not add compost. I'm not sure about nutrients. Maybe I will do a side by side test. I did a side by side test using only lake water once, but only for about 6 weeks. At the time I stopped with the lake water, there was no difference. Might try it again in the spring. Anyway that's beside the point lol.
Dorian2
Well-Known Member
Yeah, that makes sense. The only reason I personally don't want to try MG is because of past experience with overfeeding. I'm certainly not saying don't use it though. Your plants look similar to my grow last year when I tried my first hack at a super soil recipe that didn't turn out as expected. I'm guessing that if I used it outside for the regular plants I wouldn't have seen those same issues. It was actually the first time I used worm castings as well, but my understanding is that it's not as potent as the Sheep shit I typically use outside. This year I've been using straight HP Promix and MegaCrop with the occasional addition of Liquid Karma. Only reason I'm using that is because I bought a few extra's last year to try to fix my indoor grow issues. Here's an example of the 1 Super Silver in the middle as the only one with major issues really. Kinda strange as everything was the same as far as medium and feeding..
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speedwell68
Well-Known Member
I'm not a fan of Miracle Gro, I have never used it. But to suggest that it is full of chemicals that will be absorbed by the body and cause harm when smoked is utter crap. You are just repeating shit you have read on the internet as if it were fact.
Miracle Gro is just the same as any other mass produced salt based fertiliser. As you know so much, can you please explain what is wrong with this...
MisterBlack
Active Member
That's what I will do. I grew EVERYTHING in 5 gal and 3 gal felt pots this year because the deer eat my crops if they are in the ground. I put everything on the back porch last summer, and the pots made it so I could move them if the deer came up on the porch. Had about 130 plants on my back porch haha. I do think I have been underwatering these in the sense that I did not get enough run off. Probably caused a build up, although I did flush them as I mentioned. Maybe it was too late or they were starving for essential nutrients after. Well. I'll just start over I guess.
So what will you learn from starving a plant in coco? Your logic eludes me. Your plant is both burned and locked out. Just get some reputable soil and begin again without reusing the soil until you get further along in your journey.
MisterBlack
Active Member
That does look similar. Similar circumstances. I gave the outside plants more fertilizer with no problems too. Here is one of my Scarlet Queens from this Fall.
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MisterBlack
Active Member
I think I will just water it for a bit and see what I see. If something looks like an improvement, I can always add some fert later. I am going to start with new soil on the rest when I get it but for now I will see what it does.
BongerChonger
Well-Known Member
I think that's a great plan of action. Good luck. I'm positive things will turn-around.