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need basic diagnosis help

dustydundee

dustydundee

New member
hello everyone, new to this forum, wanted to throw this out there for some advice. I'm kind of a sophomoric grower, I have about 5-6 harvests under my belt, i've had some real good success, but sometimes I struggle with the basics. need help understanding whats going on here. is this typical overwatering, perhaps some root problems? Plants were looking great then they went downhill real fast. I'm using the general hydroponics trio with calmag and ph'd down to low 6's. I struggle with giving too much water cause they do seem dry on the top almost daily. trying to understand if I have an overwatering problem or a nutrient problem or some other obvious issue...? my lights did get a little too close on the top, but all temps have been in the high 60s low 70s. I'm wondering if they are worth saving or if I should cull them now and just start a new batch....very rarely have I given up on a batch, but I've also learned sometimes its just best to cut your losses and start over..
 

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I wouldn’t give up just yet, they look very salvageable in my opinion!
I noticed you mention the topsoil dries out almost daily, are you lifting the pots and seeing if they need watering (by feel of the weight) or are you watering when it’s dry for the first knuckle?

If you go with the ladder, I’d say your girls are overwatered. My advice would be to try waiting every other day to water (when the pots feel light to lift, hard to gauge at first but you will get used to it in a couple weeks)
It takes longer for the bottom half to dry up than the first, and that’s where the roots will grow/spread in search for that water.
 
They seem mostly fine to me, I wouldn't even think of cutting them. The lighter green at the top could be a few different things, but most likely it's an immobile nutrient deficiency (Ca, S, Zn, Mn, Fe, B, Cu). Are you following the General Hydroponics feeding schedule (or perhaps this feeding schedule from the GrowWeedEasy website)? Either way, check if you're not giving it too little of the FloraMicro (which contains most of the micronutrients in the trio).

As for watering, besides just checking if the topsoil is dry, try to lift the pots as well. If they are still heavy, they probably can wait a while longer. Remember that at these temperatures they shouldn't be drinking too much, unless your RH is super low. Either way, it's better to let them get visibly thirsty than to overwater them. At least that way you'll know how light the pots get when they are past their watering time, which should give you an idea of when to water them before they reach that point.
 
good feedback guys. i have just been watering based on how the top surface feels and I think I may have overdone it. I haven't focused too much on lifting the pots, but those are both good suggestions. It kills me to see this, i've had such good success growing the past year or so, but I just fail at the basics sometimes. the plants looked stellar a few days ago and just went downhill super fast... I'm using pretty much what that formula says for the GH trio, maybe a little on the lighter side. I try to not overdo it on nutes. so question on lifting the pots, how do you manage doing that during flower? usually my plants are too big and cumbersome to lift easily...

so basically i grow indoors, around 70F, and use about 10 qt pots. should I be watering every other day, every 2 days....?
 
I hear you, it sucks when everything’s on track and it just goes downhill, sometimes overnight! Hard to keep motivated after but don’t worry, they’ll get better and back on track.

Personally I always just give it a lift, just 1 cm - 1/2 inch off the ground to feel the weight. Even in flower and with a scrog net, I just pick it up holding the sides and feel how much weight is there, it doesn’t have to be lifted high to get the weight.
I personally would recommend giving it 2 or so days without water, and then check the weight so you have an idea of low % of water should feel like, and again after you water it. It takes time but after a few weeks, I had it perfect.

it’s hard to say how often you should water every time, because everyone’s medium is made up slightly different on here, some use coco, some soil etc and drainage can vary heavily based on your ratios. That’s why most people will recommend getting used to the weight to know when to water. It never fails, hope this helps some!
 
It depends on a lot of things: temperature, relative humidity, medium, size of the plant, root development, etc. Try not to stick to any formula for how often you have to water, it really is much better to just check the topsoil and then how heavy (or light) the pot is. You don't even have to lift it per se, you'll feel how heavy it is before it even leaves the floor.
 
I'm thinking you guys are right and I have a drainage/root problem. The soil is pretty thick and does not drain well. Any options to fix that give the plants are already planted? Any recommendation for a decent potting soil that is readily available? I live out in the middle of nowhere, my only local option is a Lowes. I've had real good luck with store bought potting soils, just hit and miss sometimes.
 
dustydundee said:
I'm thinking you guys are right and I have a drainage/root problem. The soil is pretty thick and does not drain well. Any options to fix that give the plants are already planted? Any recommendation for a decent potting soil that is readily available? I live out in the middle of nowhere, my only local option is a Lowes. I've had real good luck with store bought potting soils, just hit and miss sometimes.
Click to expand...

using MG indoor potting mix. I know people bash MG, but I've had real good luck with it on several grows. this one is having issues draining, the soil is pretty compact, I think that may be the cause...
 
I believe that if you water it less often, the root system will eventually grow enough to loosen up the soil and it'll drain better. Keep track of its weight ;)

Edit: if the problem persists after you've eliminated most things, perhaps you should loosen up the dirt around the roots and re-pot it. Adding perlite to the mix is a good way to oxygenate the soil, but from the pictures it seems there already is some of it.
 
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so 10 days after my original post, they look a little better, but obviously not where they should be. I got some ocean forest soil and some perlite for my next grow and have started some seedlings, but i'm still trying to decide if this grow can be salvaged.

here is what they look like 10 days since i screwed up. i let the plants dry out for about 3 days. some took 4. since then, i gave them a feeding using the GH trio formula on this site, then dried for 3 days, then a plain water ph to 6, then about 3 more days of drying, and some of them just got another feeding. Basically i was stupid before and I was watering every day, and now it seems once every 3 days, trying to follow the advice ive been given by lifting the pots and seeing if they are light. What am I doing wrong, should I let them dry out completely until they shrivel up? usually on or around day 3 with no water, you can start to see it in the leaves droopimg. suggestions to save this grow? a few days ago, some of the plants really perked up like they had recovered, but they seem back into a funk of some kind.
 

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Still over watering and no holes for air circulation they roots are most likely suffocating. I have just as example, 3 an 5 gal plastic nursery pots with no less than 20 hole drilled into the sides for airflow. Those roots need air and those pots are not drying out your just chasing the issue.
 
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