How long before you see improvement after correcting a nitrogen deficiency?

[Spanky]

Hi,
I am not looking to diagnose a problem. I have a nitrogen deficiency in my soil grow. I added some nitrogen...10/1 water to urine.

Since my yellowing lower leaves won't become green again, how can I tell if my fix is working and how long will it take?

I read this can create a salt problem, so I plan to use clean water next. Then, I have a fish emulsion nitrogen addative that I plan to use next. But, I am concerned about going the wrong way and giving too much nitrogen.

How long before I see results of improved nitrogen and what will I actually see if it is working?

This isn't covered in the tutorials but it would be nice if the answers were provided for all the deficiencies.

Thanks for any thoughts!

P.S. Just so you know why I figure it is a nitrogen deficiency...no added nutes till now, yellow leaves start from bottom work upwards, yellow leaves fall off on their own or when touched lightly.

[NebulaHaze]

Is it possible to post a picture of the plant just to confirm you're treating it for the right problem? Is it possible your plant has outgrown its container? Is it droopy at all?

You watered your plants with urine? Could you at least get some basic plant fertilizer? Not an additive or emulsion, just something made as a base nutrient. Plant nutrients have the right ratio of all nutrients for healthy growth, where pee just doesn't, and neither will a N-heavy fish emulsion if you're not giving back all the other things your plant has used up in the soil (Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, etc).

If you want something organic and natural, this is an example of an organic base nutrient that doesn't cost a whole lot, and will get your plant through the vegetative stage. If you're already running out of nutrients in the soil, you also need to start thinking about what you're going to do for nutrients in the flowering stage, when the plant starts using a LOT of Phosphorus and Potassium. Generally growers would either transplant to fresh soil before the flowering stage (so all the nutrients are refreshed) or start giving a Low Nitrogen, High Phosphorus and Potassium nutrient (often labeled as "bloom" nutrients). More info about optimum nutrient ratios here if you're interested!

Anyways, if it actually is a Nitrogen problem, the pale leaves will likely get some color back once you give them more N. If the leaves were damaged or wilted, those ones won't come back. The overall pale lime green color of the plant should start darkening in a few days.

[Spanky]

Wow. There is so much to learn! I ordered the Botanicare Progrow and Bloom for soil. They should be here by next Tuesday. I can get the Jobes at Walmart now. Should I use that along with the Botanicare? Should I just spread the Jobes on the top of the soil and water it in?

I have been very cautious about over watering. I check the soil about two inches down and if in doubt, I wait another day. She is thirsty about every three days.

I am working on pics. Not droopy at all. Plant is in a five gallon air pot. Would it outgrow that in about two and a half months? It is Northern Lights. If the bottom leaves were as lush and healthy as the upper parts of the plant, I'd be thrilled.

I reread your article on why we need nutes. It said the two Botanicares are all I need for the whole grow. But was that assuming I started using the ProGrow from the beginning? If I delepeted everything that was in my soil, do I need to add anything else? I did spread some worm castings on top of the soil a few weeks ago. Should I put more on the soil now?

I am thinking maybe I should do an auto next time as I will have less time to mess things up!

Thank you for helping me.

[NebulaHaze]

If you're getting the Botanicare Pro Grow and Bloom, I wouldn't mix it with anything else that's not from Botanicare. That's actually a really great nutrient system that literally has everything your plant needs. If you want to add supplements, I'd recommend going with Botanicare supplements so they will be designed to go together without any unwanted interactions. But seriously the Pro Grow and Bloom will get you all the way to harvest with really great results.

Worm castings are great, you can't really go wrong with them because they're not very "hot"/strong. You can still use that with the Botanicare, but you don't even need to if you don't want

Make sure you're checking your pH if you really are serious about preventing nutrient deficiencies.

And remember, you want to switch to the flowering stage when your plant is about half the final desired size, because it may double in height after the switch to 12/12 (the "flowering stretch"). More info on the flowering stretch here if you're interested!

[Spanky]

I looked at your chart on how to mix the Botanicare grow and bloom, and I looked at their website. For the life of me, I can't figure out what I should be doing. They seem to assume you are in veg for only a short period...I have been in veg much longer due to all my problems! I just don't understand all the numbers on and above the chart.

Could you just ell me how many oz of product I should use to one gallon of water? For each product? Also, how often should I apply the nutes? Every watering, every other?

And, should I flush before harvest...if I ever get there?

[Spanky]

And, should I then feed at half strength or is the plant ready for full doses?

[NebulaHaze]

If you're in the vegetative stage for longer than the schedule says, just repeat the last week of veg over and over until you're ready to transition to the flowering stage.

As far as how much to use, follow what it says on the back at half strength (almost all nutrient systems tend to be very "strong" for cannabis so it's better to start on the low side).

So if you've been in the vegetative stage for a while, look at what they recommend for the last week before the transition to the flowering stage. Cut that amount in half and that's the perfect amount to give to your plants.

You'll have to do something similar in the flowering stage if the strain ends up needing longer to finish flowering. You'd just repeat the last week before the flush over and over again until the buds are ready.

I recommend giving plain water every other watering when using nutrients in soil, just to help prevent any unwanted build-up.

As far as flushing, when your plant looks just about ready to harvest, you'll end up giving just plain water for the last few watering to help the plant use up any extra nutrients that are left.

[Spanky]

That's great. Thank you for the advice. I recently received a response from Botanicare. Below is the chart they provided. I am posting it in case it can help someone else. They were very helpful and I give them a ten for customer service. I think I will need a needles mil syringe for half strength of these amounts!

Pure Blend Pro Grow:

	Seedling/ clone	Veg week 1	Veg week 2	Veg week 3
Pure Blend Pro Grow per gallon	0.236698 oz or 7 ml	0.50721 oz or 15 ml	0.608652 oz or 18 ml	0.67628 oz or 20 ml

Pure Blend Pro Bloom Soil:

	Bloom Transition Week 1	Bloom Transition week 2	Flower week 3	Flower week 4	Flower week 5	Flower Week 6	Flower week 7	Ripening week 8	Flush
Pure Blend Pro Bloom per gallon	0.67628 oz or 20 ml	0.67628 oz or 20 ml	0.743908 or 22 ml	0.845351 oz or 25 ml	0.845351 oz or 25 ml	0.845351 oz or 25 ml	0.67628 oz or 20 ml	0.50721 oz or 15 ml	0

[NebulaHaze]

Thanks for sharing, that's great! When I've had to measure in ml I've had good luck using "blunt tip ml syringes" from Amazon.

[Spanky]

Thanks for the syringe tip. I get mine for free from Walmart. Just ask at the pharmacy.

[Spanky]

The forum is so helpful!! Maybe some day there could be a link to click at the top of the grow weed easy home page?
This is in my favorites but it might help others to find the forum more easily. Just a thought.

[NebulaHaze]

Hmmm, we didn't do that originally because the forum was in "beta" but maybe it's finally time

[Spanky]

Finally I am able to post pics of problem I was having. There seems to be different symptoms on the same plant...or is it just my inexperience? The first one is a bit blurry but I am trying to show how some leaves are affected on only one side.

The second shows how other leaves are affected all over.

The last shows how sad they become.

If someone can tell me what is going on, it would really help me with future grows! Is it more than one thing?

[Spanky]

So, I have been using the Botanicare every other watering and it seems to be helping. This pic was taken yesterday.

When can I switch over to flowering? This seed was planted in mid February and I would like to get thru a whole cycle before I mess up something else!

[NebulaHaze]

It looks like the new growth is green, though it looks a little overwatered. Does it dry within 2-3 days after watering? If not you might want to try giving less water at a time at first until it starts drinking faster. Once you've got new healthy green leaves for a few days you can change to flower whenever you're ready. The plant will about double in height on average after the switch to 12/12, so in general it's recommended to switch when it's about half the final desired height.

[Spanky]

Thanks for checking back! Recently I opened the door on a normal watering day and it was extremely droopy. I watered as usual and continued my every third day schedule. This had been working as the soil an inch down would feel dry by the third day. But then it happened again, on the third day it was very droopy again. So, I started watering every other day. I also started watering with a bit of run off on the clear water days to avoid buildup. I mop up the excess to avoid adding humidity to the grow area.

I will start reducing the amount and try adding a dry day back into the schedule.

I am curious, what did you see in the photo that indicates I am over watering? This will sure help me know what to look for in the future.

Also, I still don't know what caused the problems in the pictures I posted on 5/29. There seems to be more than one symptom and I would love to be able to diagnose it on my own if this happens again.

Thank you.