bud problems

[dioceanna]

Hi there,

Trying to grow in soil, indoors. Can get excellent veggie, beautiful budd, then bang the leaves curl, turn yellow, dry up and die. So sad. This has happened twice. Happens about 4 weeks into bud. Any suggestions?

 

[GreenBandit]

have u been foliar feeding ur plants? apparently if u continue to feed them through the soil u get a build up nutrients in the soil which increases the overall acidity hence locking out the plants ability to uptake essential nutrients...

after the first 6 weeks its best to feed ur plants through the foliage, also remember to whipe down the foliage with pure water evry week or so to avoid stomata blockages on the leaves

...i'm no expert however, this is just a possibility, the problem could be as simple as a over-fertilising, u have any pics??

 

[Hick]

hmmmmmmm, bandit. I'm not so sure about that "acidity" statement. Salts can become built up in your soil over time, but I recommend a good flush or transplanting just prior to flowering.
Foliar feeding when buds are present is definately a no-no. Risking bud rot and some residue will be remaining to foul up your flavor. There's no way to "wipe it off" the buds. The only times that I foliar feed anything, is when I encounter a problem (then only untill I can correct the problem) and clones. I'll mist tough rooting strains with a weak hi-P solution occasionally....NOT dissing ya' buddy. I can see you've been reading up on things.

dioceanna....really could use a bit more information in order to make a guesse at the problem. Medium, lights, ferts (what, when, how much), ph. At 4 weeks into flower, it isn't highly unusual for some older fan leaves to start being used up and falling off. Pictures are a great help too.

 

[cincy boy]

this used to happen to me at the end of my grows but thats just because I was flushing the soil

 

[dioceanna]

Thanks for any info. Soil grow. big hps lights x 2. GH fertilizer. Everything grows great until 4 weeks into bud. I try pictures but they are too big and I have to learn to shrink. Will work on this. So frustrating to get so close.... My water pH runs about 6.0-6.2. A fellow grower suggested water pH at 5.7-5.8. Hasn't helped. So disappointed. Talk to you soon. Drying early,
Di

 

[Grim Reefer]

Go here, this should help:

http://www.onlinepot.org/grow/nutrients.htm

Sounds like a micro nutrient disorders to me. Keep in mind that when they are in flowering stage they will need 2 to 3 times the amount of micro nutrient, than when in the veg stage. About 4 weeks sound about right for that type of disorder in the flowering stage. Green sand will correct them type of issues. If you use green sand at the beginning, you will never have such issues, just a word of thought.

Grim

Also the PH level for soil is around 6.8 to 7.1, the PH level you stated for is for Hydro not soil.

 

[Hick]

My first thoughts, you're ph is already a bit low for soil "IMHO". I prefer 6.4-6.8

 

[Grim Reefer]

DIO: How is the drainage on the containers of the plants. Still water sitting at the bottom of the pot will cause root rot. Does soil smell bad?? Also, to do any real damage to a plant due to PH issues, the PH would have to be below 4.0 or above 8.0 for a long period of time. I stated 6.8 to 7.1, due to fact that soil is naturally at 7.0, I have been corrected. Another thought that came to mind and that is excess salt build up, humm. When is the last time you leach your soil???

 

[Hick]

G'Reefer...good link, good info. Yep, I thought of salts buildup, too. What size containers?.How many weeks since a transplant or a good flushing?.. Drainage is another good point.
I'm not familiar with GH nutes, is that General Hydroponics?..

I stated 6.8 to 7.1, due to fact that soil is naturally at 7.0, I have been corrected.

I ran a ph at 6.8-7.0 consistantly for quite a few grows without a problem, but have noticed an overall improvement lowering it a couple tenths of a point.

 

[dioceanna]

Yes, GH is General Hydroponics. Sorry to be so stupid but what is leaching? We are using large 4 gallon buckets to grow in. We don't leave any sitting water. They suck up what we feed. No smell. We never have transplanted.

 

[Grim Reefer]

Is there holes in the bottom of the buckets for drainage?

 

[Grim Reefer]

Leaching is: flushing the soil with a salt remover solution (Clear-X) or just plain water. Once a month is about good. It can get kinda messy. I found it best to use a shop vac to remove excess water from drip trays.

 

[dioceanna]

Yes, there are holes in the bottom going into large tray. All water soaked up with in 5 min of watering. We have never leached. We fert one day then water the next. We really made sure we weren't over watering this time as we thought that was the problem last time. Yikes, this can get a tad frustrating. so close. Still trying to work on pictures as they are showing too large to download.
xox

 

[GreenBandit]

ur camera should have a function where u can adjust the quality of ur pic...find it a bring it put it to the lowest possible...usually around 100-160kb each pic

 

[Hick]

Don't you have any photo editing software?..Most of them have easy tools for sizing/compessing pics. I use MS office picture editor. Soooo easy even I don't have problems. But there are hundreds of programs out there.
Lotsa' freeware on the net too.

I think you may have struck on the problem. My guesse is either salts buildup, which is locking up your nutes, or possibly extreemly rootbound, or both. Your watering schedule could use some adjustments too, IMO. I feel it's better to saturate the entire medium well, then don't water again for several/few days. Untill the medium becomes dry at least 3 inches deep, then totally saturate again. MJ prefers drought to wet feet.
My suggestion for the next trip into flower, I'd repot into fresh soil/bigger pots, shortly before putting them into 12's. I have repotted during flower, but don't consider it wise, any shock at this point really reduces final yeild.
That, or at very least, a thourough flushing (3-5 times the amount of water as the container size. i.e.-4 gallon pots=12-15 gallon of water) That should cleanup any buildup in the medium AND wash the roots. Let it dry really well, then resume a feeding schedule.
I'm sure grimm will have an idea r two, too.