First issue with my seedlings on living soil - are these fungus gnats?

[chamenon]

Hi again! I didn't want to start a new thread so I'm upping this one. I think I'm in trouble but I can't define what the trouble is to take steps to solve it, On the third photo, the missing piece of the leaf is my fault so it can be ignored (it touched the yellow sticky fly traps and got stuck there) but what started as two brown points, seem to spread to all lower leaves.

Can anyone try to identify what might be going on? I already discarded 2 seedlings (they looked like the weirdest seedlings I've ever seen, probably bad genetics) so I'm only down to two, I really want to save these ones to turn at least one of them to a mother plant.

Thanks in advance for all the guidence!

 

[dogster]

Plant is starving.

 

[chamenon]

Plant is starving.

Thank you dogster, I suspected that but since I am using Dirtcraft G-Force Living Soil, I emailed the person who mixes these soils and asked if this is a nutrient problem (since these are almost a month old from germination plants and seem to be growing super slow compared to my previous synthetic nutrient grows) and he said the mix has plenty of 90 day release nitrogen for plant growth and suitable from seedling to flowering for hemp/cannabis. I guess that's not correct.

What can I feed these plants without messing up the soil biology? Any suggestions? Maybe some of those down to earth mixes? or Real Grower's Recharge? Any suggestions?

 

[MariJan]

Thank you dogster, I suspected that but since I am using Dirtcraft G-Force Living Soil, I emailed the person who mixes these soils and asked if this is a nutrient problem (since these are almost a month old from germination plants and seem to be growing super slow compared to my previous synthetic nutrient grows) and he said the mix has plenty of 90 day release nitrogen for plant growth and suitable from seedling to flowering for hemp/cannabis. I guess that's not correct.

What can I feed these plants without messing up the soil biology? Any suggestions? Maybe some of those down to earth mixes? or Real Grower's Recharge? Any suggestions?

Compost teas or worm teas should not mess up soil or over feed

 

[chamenon]

Compost teas or worm teas should not mess up soil or over feed

Thank you Jan, I'm about to order this worm casting concentrate on amazon;

Would there be any other suggestions/preferred brands?

 

[MariJan]

Thank you Jan, I'm about to order this worm casting concentrate on amazon;

Would there be any other suggestions/preferred brands?

View attachment 342641

Thank you Jan, I'm about to order this worm casting concentrate on amazon;

Would there be any other suggestions/preferred brands?

View attachment 342641

Read ingredient if you can see it make sure it does not have a bunch of add ons mits eady to make yourself with worm castings. I use 1 cup castings per 1 gal water stir several times a day.

 

[MariJan]

Read ingredient if you can see it make sure it does not have a bunch of add ons mits eady to make yourself with worm castings. I use 1 cup castings per 1 gal water stir several times a day.

As long as you stir it or add an air stone like in a fish tank

 

[chamenon]

As long as you stir it or add an air stone like in a fish tank

Thank you, I'm in an apartment right now and I can't compost here but hopefully we're moving to a house with a backyard in a month or two and my intention is to JADAM with whatever I can grow in my backyard and compost as much as I can from my food scraps to not rely on external inputs.

For now, a friend of mine who I trust his expertise a lot suggested my problem could be the use of distilled water causing tonicity and locking the plants out of nutrients. I just purchased some drinking water and fed them as a quick intervention until worm castings get delivered. I also have some plant food Epsom salt, I'm thinking about adding small amounts of it (but I'm not sure so I'd appreciate any suggestions on that)

What's the logic behind mixing worm castings and how long should I wait and stir before feeding the plants with it? (I'm also planning to aerate my tap water to evaporate chlorine)

Thanks a lot again for your suggestions!

 

[MariJan]

Thank you, I'm in an apartment right now and I can't compost here but hopefully we're moving to a house with a backyard in a month or two and my intention is to JADAM with whatever I can grow in my backyard and compost as much as I can from my food scraps to not rely on external inputs.

For now, a friend of mine who I trust his expertise a lot suggested my problem could be the use of distilled water causing tonicity and locking the plants out of nutrients. I just purchased some drinking water and fed them as a quick intervention until worm castings get delivered. I also have some plant food Epsom salt, I'm thinking about adding small amounts of it (but I'm not sure so I'd appreciate any suggestions on that)

What's the logic behind mixing worm castings and how long should I wait and stir before feeding the plants with it? (I'm also planning to aerate my tap water to evaporate chlorine)

Thanks a lot again for your suggestions!

I use tap water let it sit 12-24 hours then add the worm castings. I have it someplace I frequent so I will see it and give it s quick stir. They can soak 24-48 hours. 5 gal bucket lasts several days for me I just have seedlings. I just started giving them worm tea yesterday. I give a 4 ounce ladle. Don't want them too wet or too dry.

 

[MariJan]

Thank you, I'm in an apartment right now and I can't compost here but hopefully we're moving to a house with a backyard in a month or two and my intention is to JADAM with whatever I can grow in my backyard and compost as much as I can from my food scraps to not rely on external inputs.

For now, a friend of mine who I trust his expertise a lot suggested my problem could be the use of distilled water causing tonicity and locking the plants out of nutrients. I just purchased some drinking water and fed them as a quick intervention until worm castings get delivered. I also have some plant food Epsom salt, I'm thinking about adding small amounts of it (but I'm not sure so I'd appreciate any suggestions on that)

What's the logic behind mixing worm castings and how long should I wait and stir before feeding the plants with it? (I'm also planning to aerate my tap water to evaporate chlorine)

Thanks a lot again for your suggestions!

You cam also soak banana peels to make teas also goo source of potassium. I love making teas for my babies. I cut them in smaller pieces and soak in water. Stirring is important. Strain then water plants 24 hours is usually good.

 

[MariJan]

Stirring them

You cam also soak banana peels to make teas also goo source of potassium. I love making teas for my babies. I cut them in smaller pieces and soak in water. Stirring is important. Strain then water plants 24 hours is usually good.

stirring adds air keeping things alive good bacteria etc

 

[chamenon]

Stirring them

stirring adds air keeping things alive good bacteria etc

Thank you for these suggestions! We always have a lot of banana peels at home, going to trash. I should learn how to make simple teas with them.

 

[user 60570]

I use tap water let it sit 12-24 hours then add the worm castings. I have it someplace I frequent so I will see it and give it s quick stir. They can soak 24-48 hours. 5 gal bucket lasts several days for me I just have seedlings. I just started giving them worm tea yesterday. I give a 4 ounce ladle. Don't want them too wet or too dry.

excellent advice!

don’t forget to add a little cal mag once or twice a week or as needed

about 1 tablespoon of epsom salts per gallon water

 

[MariJan]

Thank you for these suggestions! We always have a lot of banana peels at home, going to trash. I should learn how to make simple teas with them.

3 ways to use banana peels they give magnesium, phosphorus, potassium.

1. Dehydrate in sun a few days in an oven on low 150 degrees F a few hours until crispy in a dehydrator. When the peels are crisp. Grind in coffee grinder or use a molcajete. I dont know the english word for it so I put a pic. Coffee grinder is less work and you can get it finer. The mixture will resemble coffee grounds. Sprinkle on as a top dressing or add in soil in fall for amending garden.

2. Need a quick boost chop up several banana peels. I use scissors add to a pan add boiling water cover with a lid and steep 30 min on low. Turn off and cool then strain and poor on plants. Your plants will love you.

3. place banana peels in a container fill with reverse osmosis water or filtered water. Leave for 2-3 weeks. Strain and apply to plants full strength for roots and for leaves I part solution to 3 parts water to spray on leaves. If you live in an area that is prone to PM. Avoid the leaves.
The pic is of a molcajete

 

[dogster]

You could just buy a quality synthetic fert and have some healthy plants.
Ions are ions to a plant they don't know or care about where they are sourced.

 

[user 60570]

You could just buy a quality synthetic fert and have some healthy plants.
Ions are ions to a plant they don't know or care about where they are sourced.

I say that to some growers and they think I’m nutz….organic or synthetic , isn’t nitrogen nitrogen however it is sliced?

 

[dogster]

I say that to some growers and they think I’m nutz….organic or synthetic , isn’t nitrogen nitrogen however it is sliced?

I see endless pics of wrecked plants in organic from a bottle and the justification is always about quality.
Organic from a well maintained compost pile usually works excellent but few people do that.
Healthy plants is where quality starts imo.

 

[user 60570]

I see endless pics of wrecked plants in organic from a bottle and the justification is always about quality.
Organic from a well maintained compost pile usually works excellent but few people do that.
Healthy plants is where quality starts imo.

that and good genetics

 

[dogster]

that and good genetics

1+1=2

 

[user 60570]

1+1=2

KISS