A Dirt farmer needs a little advice

[straightdope]

ok, this is kinda long. but at the end hopefully it'll make sense.

prior to moving to Ak. i grew mainly in rockwool. didn't have to many problems. generally was pretty succesful .

once we moved up here to Ak. i had some problems. & after 2 horrible attemps (grows) . i decided to switch to dirt ...

well let me tell ya, so far the results have been amazing ! to a POINT.. then the unthinkable happens. they all die ! :eek:

so 1st , i'll tell U'll how i am growing, what i am using & what doing. & maybe , just maybe, together we can get my ACT together : p

currently all my grows are from Seed , No cloning yet.
ok, i use Black Gold Organic mix. i Veg under 75wt sprl flos. 1 per plant & 3extra bulbs in the cabinet form a nice bright glow ...

i start out with a grow cube, usually until a tap root shows. then put them into a pot thats 9in tall x 6in round. after about 4 to 5 wks, they are usually ready to flower. & i put them into the flowering room. ONCE they show sex , i cut the males & retransplant the females into a 1gal pot. for finishing up..
(reasons for the small pots are 1) vegging area is a mini green house. 2) live in an apt. dirts not cheap. & nowhere to dump the wasted males dirt when done vegging)

the Vegging stages are Fantastic. never any issues & or problems. except maybe the occasional lamp burn cause i forgot to raise the bulb.

after about 3wks, in the Flowering stage. usually right about the mid of the 2nd bloosming stage begins. the Fan leaves start dying off . & within a 10 to 14 day span every fan leave is gone !!!!!!!!!!!! :rock:

1st attempt to fix this issue, i have been adding extra N in the water . but the other day. i noticed that i am losing leaves again ! so i got to thinking..

Am i transplanting To LATE ? i aint used to dirt. so yeah i guess i am a little slow on this. (my thinking now is , skip the smaller pots & just goto a 4plant grow with 1gal pots. or transplant 10 to 14 days prior to flowering :ponder: thus giving the younglings a chance to start using the N in the new dirt... help ??

Now i don't want ppl telling me i need to switch mediums . i know that i am just missing a step here. & am asking for a point in the correct direction. :lite:

thanks
SD

[newf]

ok, this is kinda long. but at the end hopefully it'll make sense.

prior to moving to Ak. i grew mainly in rockwool. didn't have to many problems. generally was pretty succesful .

once we moved up here to Ak. i had some problems. & after 2 horrible attemps (grows) . i decided to switch to dirt ...

well let me tell ya, so far the results have been amazing ! to a POINT.. then the unthinkable happens. they all die ! :eek:

so 1st , i'll tell U'll how i am growing, what i am using & what doing. & maybe , just maybe, together we can get my ACT together : p

currently all my grows are from Seed , No cloning yet.
ok, i use Black Gold Organic mix. i Veg under 75wt sprl flos. 1 per plant & 3extra bulbs in the cabinet form a nice bright glow ...

i start out with a grow cube, usually until a tap root shows. then put them into a pot thats 9in tall x 6in round. after about 4 to 5 wks, they are usually ready to flower. & i put them into the flowering room. ONCE they show sex , i cut the males & retransplant the females into a 1gal pot. for finishing up..
(reasons for the small pots are 1) vegging area is a mini green house. 2) live in an apt. dirts not cheap. & nowhere to dump the wasted males dirt when done vegging)

the Vegging stages are Fantastic. never any issues & or problems. except maybe the occasional lamp burn cause i forgot to raise the bulb.

after about 3wks, in the Flowering stage. usually right about the mid of the 2nd bloosming stage begins. the Fan leaves start dying off . & within a 10 to 14 day span every fan leave is gone !!!!!!!!!!!! :rock:

1st attempt to fix this issue, i have been adding extra N in the water . but the other day. i noticed that i am losing leaves again ! so i got to thinking..

Am i transplanting To LATE ? i aint used to dirt. so yeah i guess i am a little slow on this. (my thinking now is , skip the smaller pots & just goto a 4plant grow with 1gal pots. or transplant 10 to 14 days prior to flowering :ponder: thus giving the younglings a chance to start using the N in the new dirt... help ??

Now i don't want ppl telling me i need to switch mediums . i know that i am just missing a step here. & am asking for a point in the correct direction. :lite:

thanks
SD


imo,,, get yoself some real lights dude....:icon_smil

[straightdope]

imo,,, get yoself some real lights dude....:icon_smil

i have 550HPS for flowerin

[Fishman]

My first thought is that you just need to fert. I know you've already done that. Maybe too hot when you switch from 75w floro to 550w hps. Could be a case of shock because of such a big change. If I were you I would grow all the time with the hps.

I use to root my plants in solo cups. Once the roots entirely enveloped the mass I would go ahead and put them in big pots.

[SFC]

Are you using a little superthrive when you transplant Kenny? If not, you should be. I have tried it without,and it makes a noticeable difference. Also I think your containers are way to small bro. Your roots probably get fried easily.

Hauling extra medium would be a problem it sounds liek for you, so here is your solution, Coco. You can get bales that are compressed into pretty small packages. Get enough to fill at least 5 gallon containers. I prefer the walmart 32 litre trash bins (paint them black).

Coco sounds like a real good solution for you. What is your water PH,and PPM right out of your tap. This could be playing a huge factor. Get a reverse osmosis rig if it is out of whack. I am reaping the benefits myself of RO. :thumbsup:
You could also give DWC a whirl, I am loving it:thumbsup:

[trillions of atoms]

what is yer ph?

if its fan leaves not meristem stunting its not light intensity problems



what ferts? enough drainage>? ventilation? what watering shcedule with what mix of medium? only a bagged soil or a mix?? what is the leaves looking like EXACTLY? got pics/???


we need more info bro!:pics: :icon_smil

[straightdope]

Fishman, i agree , i want to eventually use HPS for all stages. but until we get a house its not an option. & heat isnt an issue. the flowering is done in a spare bdrm closet. with 2 vertical fans . 1 fan is about 2&1/2 to 3ft away & on the timer with the lamps. the 2nd is about 10 ft away & runs on low 24/7. room is about 85f . because of the LOW humidity up here i run a humidifyer during the night when the lights are off. & it helps tremendously .

SFC,, LOL I knew U would mention the coco .. yes when i do the transplant i use clean 6.0 water with a 1/2 teaspoon of super thrive green (per 1gal water)...

from TAP is PPM 183, PH is a 9.

Trill. for vegging i use water from my fish tanks. from Tank PH is 9.5 PPM is just under a 1000. From there i usually add some Alaska grow . its a 10/0/0 formula & some PH Down. PPM now about 1400 & PH 6.0

for Flowering i was using the fish tank water Along with some Alaska bloom which is a 0/5/5 .. but last week i got some metanaturals & liquid karma. & i switched to them this week.. ( VENTILATION is a 12x15bdrm.) Drainage , the pots i use are 1gal pots , the kind U see @ the store where they keep the flowers . i drill a 1/2 inch hole on the bottom. the pots sit on top of a rank ABOVE a drip pan. they are slightly tilted ,, inside the pots i have a layer of rocks that seperates the dirt from the bottom so theres no standing water.

watering schedule is every 2nd to 3rd day , i use the 2knuckle check. stick my finger into the dirt 2 knuckles deep & if its wet i wait a day.

PH of the dirt is about 6.8 .. the probe i have here is a cheapy, & it kinda bounces , so can't get a perfect reading..

i flush the plants every 2nd week, & when flushing i use 6.0 water with 1/2 teaspoon of Super thrive

[straightdope]

opps a double poster ,, lets see if i can fix this .. lol

& i don't have a digi camera so unfortunatily i can't show pics

[SFC]

That starting ph of 9 out of tap really has me concerned. You would have to add a ton of ph down to get that down.

Plus 1 gallon is never going to give you enough root space to amount to squat. More roots equal more bud. That is excepted as fact.

I know you said you didn't want to hear about different mediums Kenny, but soil is yesterdays medium man, I am trying to help you brother.:thumbsup:

[newf]

That starting ph of 9 out of tap really has me concerned. You would have to add a ton of ph down to get that down.

Plus 1 gallon is never going to give you enough root space to amount to squat. More roots equal more bud. That is excepted as fact.

I know you said you didn't want to hear about different mediums Kenny, but soil is yesterdays medium man, I am trying to help you brother.:thumbsup:

yes,,, maybe a ro system would help man,, dolimite lime will help too,,, but thats a really high ph my friend,, good luck...

[straightdope]

i appreciate the suggestion on the coco , but at this time i have about 3yrds of dirt in tubs awaiting use.. so until that runs out i am stuck.. & an RO is out of the Q. until we own a home..

i'll just have to keep twicking things until i figure them out..
thanks

[trillions of atoms]

^^thinking the same thing sfc, an r/o system is needed if you can afford it but now i read you cant* use bottled water distilled or get a pur filter and filter a few times...that will help some....ude bottled water-will be healthier for you too! 9 is HIGH. lime should be added at no more an oz per gallon of medium....less if theres any inside the bagged medium your using.


id drop the ph down in that soil three points or even more- so you get a full uptake, as the ph will be rising naturally back to the desired 6.5 and beyond.

just to have to adjust it agin....this happens if you dont have much buffer in the soil and none in the nutes.