Tacoing

ninebyframe

Active Member
Hi all, first time grower here. Indoor setup, very simple: Super Silver Haze (a sativa, i think) in a 6 in. flowerpot filled with Miracle-Gro moisture control potting mix. Been in the pot for a little less than two weeks. It's in a somewhat well ventilated closet but there is no fan in there, nor do I know the temperature but I would estimate it around 80 degrees. Light comes from a 400 watt metal halide bulb hanging about two feet from the top of the plant. I've been watering every 36-48 hrs with tap water which has sat uncovered for a minimum of 24 hrs. I haven't gotten around to buying a spray bottle for spraying the leaves with water, but when they have been looking dry I have sprinkled water on them by hand - not often, only a few times. I have a ph strip device for a fishtank (which had ripped open to get at the strip itself) and a corresponding color chart that leaves much to be desired (it jumps from 5.2 to 6.2 in one color interval). Anyway given the dubious nature of this jury rigged system I can only estimate the ph of the soil to be between 5.6 and 5.8, slightly more acidic than I would like. The ph of my watering solution (more on that below) is in the range of 6.2-6.5, so I figure (read: hope) they're balancing one another out more or less.

Anyway I am experiencing what I believe is called "tacoing" with the second pair of "real" leaves to come in (this excludes the initial rounded germination leaves and the first leaves consisting of a single leaflet each). This set of leaves consists of two leaves opposite one another, each with three well developed leaflets and two tiny ones. The main leaflets of each have tacoed considerably and have been that way pretty much since they came in (3-5 days ago, if I recall correctly). I've attached two pics but I'm afraid the plant isn't in the best focus since I have only a phone camera to work with.

Two main variables have been changed recently: 1) I recently started to add Foxfarm Grow Big liquid concentrate to the water - 1/2 tsp to each gallon. I have only watered the plant with this solution once, the last time it was watered (about two days ago). That amount of dilution is about half what the bottle suggested for a regular watering. I wanted to prevent overfeeding since I wasn't sure exactly how much the potting mix was feeding the plant. Also in the past 36 hrs I have increased the amount of light per 24 hrs from 18 to 20 hrs. The tacoing had definitely begun before these changes but it has since become slightly more pronounced.

All in all the plant looks healthy and vibrant, the first two leaves with a single leaflet each are just barely beginning to suggest a lighter green/yellow tint near their tips and curling over ever so slightly. Should I be plucking them off the plant? What about the initial rounded leaves? They are very yellow...should I prune them too? The newest growth - which I'm afraid is terribly out of focus in the pics - does not look tacoey so far. I am also concerned with the growth of the plant in general seeming a bit bunched up and the leaves generally pointing upwards.

Any thoughts? I know next to nothing about what I'm doing, and have no idea whether to actually be concerned or if I'm being paranoid about non-issues. Hell, I don't even know if this tacoing is bad but from scanning this and other forums I get the impression that it's not great. I do plan on getting a spray bottle for the leaves and a small fan for the closet today. Am I overfeeding by using the liquid concentrate? Please, deliver me from my ignorance.

Thanks a lot in advance for any and all wisdom you can provide.

PS: here are the guaranteed analyses for my two feeding components:

Potting mix:
N = 0.21%
P2O5 = 0.07%
K2O = 0.14%
As = 3.33 ppm
Cd = 0.119 ppm
Co = 7.7 ppm
Hg = 0.0183 ppm
Mo = 0.46 ppm
Ni = 9.1 ppm
Pb = 21 ppm
Se = 1.37 ppm
Zn = 68 ppm

Foxfarm Grow Big liquid plant food:
N = 6% (2.9 % ammoniacal, 3.1% nitrate)
P2O5 = 4%
K2O = 4%
Mg = 0.6% (water soluble)
B = 0.02%
Cu = 0.05% (chelated)
Fe = 0.10% (chelated)
Mn = 0.05% (chelated)
Mo = 0.0009%
Zn = 0.05% (chelated)
 

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Possible Mg deficiency... i'm not sure how you came up with all those numbers, but it doesn't do a lick of good if you can't read the plant... The plant tells you pretty much all you need to know... i wouldn't prune any leaves unless they're more than 50% damaged... i.e. 50% of the leaf is yellow... at this early stage every square centimeter of leaf you have on the plant speeds up growth, so the more you prune = the slower your plant grows... if you over water your leaves will look like a soaked piece of paper = limp and dangling down... your leaves should point up at the sky! goodluck man, give them a LOW dose of something with a balanced NPK and some trace elements with some Mg... that's my 2 cents! goodluck man, and be patient, they look perfectly fine except the minor deficiency you have
 
I just got those numbers from the plant food bottle and the miracle gro website. I figured I'd include that in case I someone would be able to tell I was obviously over or underfeeding. I'm sure it's greek to most as it is to me.

Thanks for your help. The leaves are very much pointing to the sky so I'm sure I have nothing to worry about in the long run.
 
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