Discoloring on fan leaves close to the top.

[GenghisGreen]

Hey y'all. So first and foremost, I want to say thank you for even taking the time to start reading this. I'm fascinated with this website and so thankful to its creators for the mountains of information that I've been sifting through in trying to learn the ways of cannabis growing. And thank you to anyone with any guidance they could give on the matter at hand.

Before I begin, I think my plant's history and my history are in order. I started consuming cannabis six years ago when I got out of the military. I became obsessed with all things cannabis. But life did not allow me to be more of a consumer until recently. I started getting bag seed in some of my buys and I've always been big into growing cacti and herbs. So one day I just decided to toss some seeds into one of my empty herb pots and eureka! I had my first seedlings. This was back in January. I kept them in the same 3in pot all the way until the first week of June. The whole time it had nothing but a few sets of leaves. I just left it outside and watered it regularly. One day early June, I got a wild hair up my ass while bored and decided to transplant the biggest one into an 8in terra cotta pot using miracle grow as my medium. Mind you guys, I didn't know squat about growing cannabis. I was only a consumer.

Once I transplanted, I began doing some studying. Very quickly I took my plant out of that terra cotta pot filled with poison and transplanted again but to a 2.5gal pot using ecoscraps organic potting mix, mixed in with 20% miracle-gro perlite (which I strongly advise against as I did not find out until afterwards that it's supplemented with miracle-gro nitrogen fertilizer. She began to sprout out like a beast. I can't remember the timeline but early on in vegetation, I cut the main cola to break her apical dominance because where I grow (outdoors), I need the plant to stay low and bushy as opposed to growing freely and tall, due to Opsec purposes. So she has been growing very bushy and I've been doing LST to keep her even lower while further exposing the plants insides to get a nice SCROG going (if I sound like I know what I'm talking about, it's only thanks to the creators of this website).

Right now she is between week three and four since I put her to flower. She's coming along quite nicely and with no issue until now. I'm currently feeding her the "heavy feeding" recommended by General Organics with their go box. I use all the supplements they recommend for this part of her growth cycle. I use tap water that is treated with half a multi vitamin tablet per gallon to help neutralize the chloramine in the water. I also adjust the pH of my water to between 6.0 - 6.5 pH.

Now the part I need help with..... my leaves closest to the main stalk are yellowing which I suspect is the plant pulling nitrogen from them. I tried to show what it looks like in one photo. You see the yellowing occur in the center of the plant. This issue doesn't conecern me as much right now.

The issue that does concern me though is what is happening to my fan leaves that are closer to my main colas. I have about 5 or 6 fan leaves suffering from various severity of the same problem. I included two pictures to try to show what I'm up against. If I could get some help diagnosing this problem, I'd really be greatful. She is my first plant and I'm trying to baby her with every ounce of TLC I can give her.

If better pictures are needed, I can try again. Thank you to all in the GWE community who have taken the time to read this and maybe offer a little help.

[GenghisGreen]

Haven't had any haven't hits so I thought I'd add some more photos. Any help would appreciated.

[Aloner]

Sorry, no suggestions. Your plant looks real good overall. Hopefully someone helpful will be along soon -- good luck!

[GenghisGreen]

Thanks!

[GanjaGed]

I'm not sure what causes it, but I sometimes get that exact same looking thing, but only in veg. For me I pull the leaves and it seems to go away in a week or so.

But again, that's during veg, so take it with a grain of salt. I think it's a deficiency in one of the micro-nutes

[GanjaGed]

MAke sure to check the PH of the run-off also. What goes in isn't always what comes out. If the run-off is whacked, I'd flush until it was coming out the same or really close to what went in. Probably back off the nutes a bit and decide what to do from there, if anything.

You're in full flower now, unless the plant is obviously dying, the worst thing you can do is over-react/compensate.

[GenghisGreen]

So I'm obviously still a nube and acquiring materials as I go. I always pH the nutrient water mixture prior to adding nutes and I also pH the water I mix with the nutes. I do so using pH Up/Down. Maybe I should get a soil pH/moisture meter? What would I use to measure the run off? The run if is dark and would distort the pH reading. If I use pH up/down.

[GanjaGed]

Like Sammy said below.

Keep in mind I've never used the nutes you are and have no idea what micro-colonies or such you might have or what they do to runoff ph.

[Sammy]

Catch your runoff in a small cup as soon as it first comes out I'll give you an idea what's going on in the root Zone several good articles on here and how to adjust if it's off plants look great good luck.

[GenghisGreen]

I'm assuming I should use a meter to test the pH run off?

[Sammy]

Absolutely pH is probably one of the most important aspects behind what you're trying to do invest in a decent pH pen it will pay off in the long run.

[GenghisGreen]

So to give you guys an update, I decided to flush the plant until I got a good amount of run-off using dechlorinated, pH balanced water with a light dosage of the General Organics nutes and supplements I use. This is the point in the plant's life cycle where it becomes more sensitive to issues so I'm not surprised to be running into something.

I have ordered a pH meter and will start comparing water fed:run off to ensure that I'm getting 10-20% run-off so as not to let salts build up. Also after looking at the GWE troubleshooting section, it may be a manganese deficiency though I need to look further as the sub section only had one photo and I'm going off of the description mainly.

[GenghisGreen]

But I certainly am curious now as to what my run off is measuring at. I never thought of that since I always pHed my water going in to 6.0-6.5.

[Sheesh]

Hi GenghisGreen, You said: "I always pH the nutrient water mixture prior to adding nutes and I also pH the water I mix with the nutes." Maybe I'm misunderstanding that statement but add all nutes and supplements, let it sit for a while, then check and adjust PH. If you PH your water, then add you nutes, your PH will go down quite a bit with most liquid nutrients and supplements. Also, try some Cal-Mag. My soil grows used to have some yellowing early in flower until I started adding Cal-Mag, especially in flower. Late in flower it's normal to have yellowing as the plant starts consuming the nutrients in the leaves. Also, most nutrient schedules keep some N in the mix in early flower. Plant is still growing and needs some Nitrogen although P and K is required more as flowering progresses.

[GenghisGreen]

Hey Sheesh. Thanks for the response.

You are correct, I pH my water first. I use General Organics Go Box which instructs that adjusting pH is unnecessary. But... I now am curious as to what the actual pH is once the nutes are added. As a quick start newb, I had only obtained General Hydroponics pH Up/Down to test my water and adjust pH. This method wouldn't work to check pH in nuted water since the dark color would throw off the test. I have a meter on the way do I can start actually reading what my nute mix pH is going in and what the pH of the run off is. I do use a calcium/magnesium supplement that comes with the General Organics Go Box. I was using the heavy feed schedule until problems arose. Now the past two days I've been flushing with water mixed with the light feeding schedule.

Truly can't wait to get the digital meter so I have more clarity on my pH levels.

[D.A.A.S.69]

That new meter will save you lots of headaches, PH is just about the most important part of growing good pot. Good Luck with your meter and your plants GenghisGreen

[GenghisGreen]

Thanks DAAS. I'm really thankful to have you all around for a little guidance. It seems today that the turning of the leaves has stopped for now. I'm watching her very closely. I will probably do another flush tomorrow mixed in with a light feed of her normal nutes.

[GenghisGreen]

Just to update you all, seems the flushing stopped the spread of whatever was going on with the fan leaves. The yellowing has now turned to a rust color but has no spread any further throughout the fan leaves or on new ones.

I got my pH meter in and will be using it to test the pH of the next nutrient batch I'm making. I'm also started using 100% abscorbic acid to neutralize the chloramine in the tap water as opposed to using a multi vitamin (I had concerns that the other minerals and substances in the multi vitamin may have been causing a nutrient lock out).

I haven't watered her a few days after the heavy flush and she also got caught in the rain one day I couldn't get home to put her under shade. But she's looking great. The colas are getting longer each day and thickening up as well. Trichome development is steady and decent. Wish I could stimulate it further. I'll leave a shot of the bud development.......

[D.A.A.S.69]

Good Job ,looking good, keep it up. And you will be smoking good bud before too long.

[GenghisGreen]

Hey guys wanted to update you. So the plant overall is doing well. Bud and trichome production increase daily and Imstarting to see pistils darken and the trichs are not so clear any more.

The leaves continue to worry me. I'm unsure if the yellowing at the bottom is nitrogen deficiency or something else. But the issue is strictly at the lower leaves. Now, the yellowing between the blades has begun again. The spots that were originally yellow then turned to a rust color and dried. It stopped after a three day flush, then went a few days without water, then I began a new nutrient batch. Now it seems the yellowing between the blades has returned just less severe. The only difference between this batch and the last in nutrients is that I doubled the cal-mag supplement to 2 tsp and I also doubled the squid protein supplement to 4 tsp.

I have not had the chance to play with my pH meter to test run off since I haven't gotten around to picking up deionized water. But I'm getting plenty of run off and it's always replaced with nutrient water mixed with water. I take the dosage for the week, pour them into a gallon, and then dive that gallon up six ways throughout the week. I top off the daily batch with water. I'm assuming this is how you feed to spread the weekly nutrient batch out? And yes I have to water it daily. After heavy flushing, the plant looked in distress the few days I let it dry. It sucks a lot of water, is out in the summer sun with direct sunlight 8+ hours a day, and is in a 2.5 gal pot so I do have to water it daily. I have a long while and it's never once shown signs of over watering.

Ill include some new, clearer pictures. Also some shots of the bud development so you can see the good and the bad.

[GenghisGreen]

Sorry if some of those photos repeat. The newer ones are closer to the end. I'm too stoned to pick them out.

By the way, I took a bud off the top some days ago that stuck out too high. I hung it to dry 3 days and smoked it last night. Lack of curing was evident, but the head high was much better than what I source through my only connect. I loved it. I owe it to this site and guidance from people like y'all.

[GanjaGed]

Looking good!

You said it wasn't spreading, I think you're fine. If anything I'd pluck the leaves just to not have to look at them anymore. Or cut the leaf in half removing the spot. That will also make it easier to see if it is spreading or returns.

Also lower leaves will yellow as you get farther into the flower stage.