Organic super soil, deficiency issue?

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
This is my first run with pure organics. Handmade s.s mixture, going pretty samn well. I'm 3rd day into week 5, and I notice what looks to be the signs of a n deficiency. Am I right, or am I getting worried about nothing.

(Checked for pests and plants are clean.)
[S.S ingredients]
(Base)
Spaghnum peatmoss
Bio char[charged]
Ewc
Bu's blend, biodynamic compost
Lava rock
Top soil(pro mix mycorrhizae)

[Amendments] "1 cup per 15 gallon pot"
Oyster shell
Aloe(dry powder)
Crustacean meal
Mineral mix 3.0(buildasoil)
Alfalfa
Kelp
Gypsum
Neem cake
Humic acid(granules)
Comfrey leaf top dressed with more ewc and covered with straw and barley
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youraveragehorticulturist

Well-Known Member
Your soil recipe looks good and your plants look bushy and strong. Big, healthy plants can easily suck all the nutrients out of the soil.. My soil mix is pretty similar to yours, and I get the same issues half way through flower.

Personally I would be more worried about Phosphorus (general yellowing in flower when Phosphorus is needed) and Magnesium (yellowing between veins in leaves, purple stems) than nitrogen right now.

I've been using an all in one dry fertilizer (Happy Frog Fruit and Flower) to topdress and keep things green through flower. Or some fish hydro.

You could probably top dress with some Crustacean meal and kelp meal if you just wanted to use what you have.
 

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
Your soil recipe looks good and your plants look bushy and strong. Big, healthy plants can easily suck all the nutrients out of the soil.. My soil mix is pretty similar to yours, and I get the same issues half way through flower.

Personally I would be more worried about Phosphorus (general yellowing in flower when Phosphorus is needed) and Magnesium (yellowing between veins in leaves, purple stems) than nitrogen right now.

I've been using an all in one dry fertilizer (Happy Frog Fruit and Flower) to topdress and keep things green through flower. Or some fish hydro.

You could probably top dress with some Crustacean meal and kelp meal if you just wanted to use what you have.
Gotcha. I'm still figuring out this organics thing. I was thinking it odd that they would be lack N right now, since at this point in flower, I figure they're using a lot less nitrogen. I'm brewing a tea right now, just ewc and bu's blend with kelp and molasses. Would hitting them with that help. I just looked at that happy frog, and I'm ordering it right meow. Should like a cup top dressed under the mulch layer do just fine?
 

youraveragehorticulturist

Well-Known Member
Gotcha. I'm still figuring out this organics thing. I was thinking it odd that they would be lack N right now, since at this point in flower, I figure they're using a lot less nitrogen. I'm brewing a tea right now, just ewc and bu's blend with kelp and molasses. Would hitting them with that help. I just looked at that happy frog, and I'm ordering it right meow. Should like a cup top dressed under the mulch layer do just fine?
I totally agree about plants using less nitrogen in this stage.

The compost tea you're brewing won't hurt, it will probably get some microbe activity going, that'susually good. But compost tea doesn't have a lot of nutrients, and I believe that's what your plants are hungry for now.

I think a cup of the Fruit and Flower would be good. Maybe a cup and a half, if your plants are like 3 feet tall or bigger. In like 10 days everything should be better.

From what I can see your plants look good except for this yellowing situation. It looks like you're doing a great job for your first time. Nice mulch and use of comfrey. Next run through I would take Steve's advice and top dress like 2 weeks into flower to head off this situation.
 

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
I totally agree about plants using less nitrogen in this stage.

The compost tea you're brewing won't hurt, it will probably get some microbe activity going, that'susually good. But compost tea doesn't have a lot of nutrients, and I believe that's what your plants are hungry for now.

I think a cup of the Fruit and Flower would be good. Maybe a cup and a half, if your plants are like 3 feet tall or bigger. In like 10 days everything should be better.

From what I can see your plants look good except for this yellowing situation. It looks like you're doing a great job for your first time. Nice mulch and use of comfrey. Next run through I would take Steve's advice and top dress like 2 weeks into flower to head off this situation.
Definitely will do. My intent with these pots was to keep them as no till. I figured with the bio char, all I would have to do is top dress with a few inches of compost and mulch after every harvest. Should I reamend all my amendments after each use instead, to prevent this issue from happening in the future?
 

swedsteven

Well-Known Member
No till is more like in a bed or way bigger pot topdress is very good . Will you reuse your soil for next batch
 

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
That is the plan. I'm making a lot more pots to keep the cycle going, but I'd still like to reuse my pots. I'm just still a little confused as to how. Alot of what I read says that tilling the soil destroys the fungal environment, but I'm under the impression that soil used for growing cannabis is bacterial dominant soil, so tilling it doesnt matter because of how many billions of mycorrhizae exist in it already. (I could be very wrong, so excuse me if I sound misinformed). But I also read you want a minimum of 30 gallons for no till pots.

Anyways, I digress. Can I continue to reuse the same pots if I pull out main root ball, reamend with ingredients, till it up, and let it cook again
 

youraveragehorticulturist

Well-Known Member
I guess you'll be able to do that. No till guys do something like that, right?

For me it's just easier to get consistent results by reamending and remixing between grows. I use like 25-50% of the amounts I used to initially make the mix. Except for minerals, I might go 2-3 cycles before I add more dolomite lime.

I don't want to dis Water Only or No Till grow styles, I just think it's easier to mix up soil a little light on nutrients (to avoid burning messed up growth) and then feed when it's needed (to avoid yellowing) and not be bound by trying to stick to a strict method.
 

swedsteven

Well-Known Member
That is the plan. I'm making a lot more pots to keep the cycle going, but I'd still like to reuse my pots. I'm just still a little confused as to how. Alot of what I read says that tilling the soil destroys the fungal environment, but I'm under the impression that soil used for growing cannabis is bacterial dominant soil, so tilling it doesnt matter because of how many billions of mycorrhizae exist in it already. (I could be very wrong, so excuse me if I sound misinformed). But I also read you want a minimum of 30 gallons for no till pots.

Anyways, I digress. Can I continue to reuse the same pots if I pull out main root ball, reamend with ingredients, till it up, and let it cook again
I never stop reusing my medium. from organic to fertelizer and went back organic 4years ...no problem with peat reammend then just add a little dolomite lime every 6 month and perlite once a years for areation. bacteria are strong then top feed every 3week to a month. they have very good test on amazon (npk and ph) test all in one .
I never cook no soil lol .
 
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