Red's Thread ~ All things Cannabis

[Rootsruler]

Using RO to fully saturate. It was a week between last watering took forever to dry back.

I feel like this problem is in the roots as well, but I can't see them. I hope they are not getting chewed on by gnats.

Plants that size in airpots shouldn't take that long to dryback. They stunted and aren't feeding as vigorously as they should. You mentioned you pulled your light intensity back. That's good. I would give it a few days and see if the problem persists or if the dryback and lower intensity help them recover. I have a feeling the mendo soil doesn't drain all that well. The amendments listed don't indicate a nutrient deficiency. I doubt its bugs unless the soil wasn't sterilized. Are you experiencing a lot of fliers in the air and traps? I know you used MB for gnat prevention. That's the only thing I can think of that you've done differently. Why just with the mendo soil? Not sure. Some sort of reaction with the MB?

Gnat infestation, for me, indicates the soil is staying too wet too long allowing gnats to get a foothold and eggs to hatch.

As you know I use Azamax as a general insecticide when things get out of hand.

 

[GrowHobo]

Using RO to fully saturate. It was a week between last watering took forever to dry back.

I feel like this problem is in the roots as well, but I can't see them. I hope they are not getting chewed on by gnats.

I thought plain RO was a no no. I can’t remember the specifics. I feel like I vaguely remember @Aqua Man mentioning this. I could be totally mistaken though. Have you tried a slurry test to get the soil ph?

 

[Aqua Man]

I thought plain RO was a no no. I can’t remember the specifics. I feel like I vaguely remember @Aqua Man mentioning this. I could be totally mistaken though. Have you tried a slurry test to get the soil ph?

its a benefit in his case imo. You just dont want to use pure RO if you dont have a source of nutrients

 

[smoke]

You just dont want to use pure RO if you dont have a source of nutrients

Is just calmag enough of a source?

 

[Aqua Man]

Is just calmag enough of a source?

Yeah as long as there are other nutrients in the media

 

[Rootsruler]

Yeah as long as there are other nutrients in the media

So tap that has been dechlorinated but with calcium and magnesium in it would be good?

 

[Aqua Man]

So tap that has been dechlorinated but with calcium and magnesium in it would be good?

I really don’t get the dechlorinated part. Im not sure why ppl think tap needs to be dechlorinated. They also seem to think bubbling it dechlorinates it but that hasn’t been the case for many years now… chloramine just can’t be removed that way.

Any water is fine as long as you have proper nutrients available like already in the media. You would not want to use RO for say a cloner without adding something to it

 

[moe.red]

I feel like the dryback is taking too long and don’t understand that. Should I have gone smaller pot at this stage? Some growers sow seeds in the final pot they flower in?

I wonder what is going on with the roots. Are they drowning?

The plants in lush look great. It’s something with this soil.

 

[Observer]

I really don’t get the dechlorinated part. Im not sure why ppl think tap needs to be dechlorinated. They also seem to think bubbling it dechlorinates it but that hasn’t been the case for many years now… chloramine just can’t be removed that way.

Any water is fine as long as you have proper nutrients available like already in the media. You would not want to use RO for say a cloner without adding something to it

Plants even use/need a little chlorine

Obviously too much of anything can lead to a toxicity

But yea

 

[Observer]

I really don’t get the dechlorinated part. Im not sure why ppl think tap needs to be dechlorinated. They also seem to think bubbling it dechlorinates it but that hasn’t been the case for many years now… chloramine just can’t be removed that way.

Any water is fine as long as you have proper nutrients available like already in the media. You would not want to use RO for say a cloner without adding something to it

I've read somewhere chlorine will eventually evaporate away?

I don't know.

 

[Aqua Man]

I feel like the dryback is taking too long and don’t understand that. Should I have gone smaller pot at this stage? Some growers sow seeds in the final pot they flower in?

I wonder what is going on with the roots. Are they drowning?

The plants in lush look great. It’s something with this soil.

Combination of plant size, media, pot size and environment.

Especially young plants can take a week even in smaller pots. If i was going soil not peat but soil id stay on the smaller side with multiple up pots indoors

 

[IamN2pot]

The plants in lush look great. It’s something with this soil.

Nailed it!!!

 

[Aqua Man]

With that pot size and soil im gonna say easy a week and longer to get good dry back. Which may leave the soil moisture uneven so you probably will want to scratch the surface up before each watering

 

[smoke]

Nailed it!!!

My fist thought

 

[IamN2pot]

If it were my grow, I'd rinse the 3 hurting ones with 3x their pot size of straight RO and seriously consider repotting them into GOOD (lush) soil. But that's just me. @CannaGranny may want to help here.

 

[GoodShit97]

The plants in lush look great. It’s something with this soil.

I havent had any luck with any soil that contains coco.
All my worst grows were in coco based soils and so far my best grow was promix which is all peat and perlite so im now strictly peat based soils only here.

As you know, plant diagnosis is not my area by any means, so im gonna follow along and learn something maybe.

 

[CannaGranny]

No way you have had gnats long enough for them to be at an eat your roots off stage.
Will be three to five days before you see any improvement from top dressing.
Weird thing is it looks like two possible things to me. A lockout, or your roots are drowning.
Any strange smells?
Allowing any drying time before trying to push more?

 

[CannaGranny]

I havent had any luck with any soil that contains coco.
All my worst grows were in coco based soils and so far my best grow was promix which is all peat and perlite so im now strictly peat based soils only here.

As you know, plant diagnosis is not my area by any means, so im gonna follow along and learn something maybe.

I have had more hell with soil containing coco than any other medium. The watering becomes a nightmare. Top dries, bottom stays wet. Rotted roots, plants starving for oxygen on and on. I no longer even consider it.

 

[Anthem275]

I have had more hell with soil containing coco than any other medium. The watering becomes a nightmare. Top dries, bottom stays wet. Rotted roots, plants starving for oxygen on and on. I no longer even consider it.

I have been trying to increase growth rates on some plants I am not intended to use other than as Moms. I am running Fox Farms Coco Loco and it is working well. I did take a look at the Royal Gold Mendo Mix and it looked similar to what I am using.
@Moe Red if you want I have a connection to the sales rep if you want me to get legit info on the stuff.

 

[Shaded]

Soil growers I could use a hand here.

View attachment 11487
View attachment 11488

There are 2 kinds of soil here. This one is the problem royal gold mendo mix.

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I saw this going downhill and attempted a light top dress with this

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On only the plant in the front left. Made it worse.

I added mosquito bits just prior to this for gnats that seems like they came from the mendo mix.

Currently low ppfd in recovery mode. But I’m not sure what to do here.

I do not like coco. #teampeat

But it looks like a watering/dryback issue to me as well

 

[moe.red]

No way you have had gnats long enough for them to be at an eat your roots off stage.
Will be three to five days before you see any improvement from top dressing.
Weird thing is it looks like two possible things to me. A lockout, or your roots are drowning.
Any strange smells?
Allowing any drying time before trying to push more?

No smells.

The bottom of these pots is totally full of holes. No real way to swamp the roots and hold it there unless it is a property of the media.

I have been letting them dry back fully in between. It's weird, I was expecting 3 - 5 days of dryback, but it is 7 - 8 days actually.

If anyone thinks there is an environmental component to this, I have full control and running this where I normally would for plants at this stage, but easy to adjust.

If this were hydro I would suspect root rot.

I have not added any ferts at all except the small single pot top dress I mentioned.

No change this morning.

 

[moe.red]

This is an example of what a new grower faces. These were the recommendation by the hydro store.

Going forward - lesson learned no coco in soil. Pick one or the other.

On another note. I think the gnats might be controlled at this point. We will see but traps are staying about the same.

Thanks to all for the feedback.

 

[smoke]

No smells.

The bottom of these pots is totally full of holes. No real way to swamp the roots and hold it there unless it is a property of the media.

I have been letting them dry back fully in between. It's weird, I was expecting 3 - 5 days of dryback, but it is 7 - 8 days actually.

If anyone thinks there is an environmental component to this, I have full control and running this where I normally would for plants at this stage, but easy to adjust.

If this were hydro I would suspect root rot.

I have not added any ferts at all except the small single pot top dress I mentioned.

No change this morning.

CG's also mentioned lockout.

 

[moe.red]

CG's also mentioned lockout.

I have not PHed anything. I am feeding RO water on top of what I have been told is going to make the PH what it wants.

Totally open to suggestions.

 

[Bandit420]

Making a note to myself: Mendo Mix is evil and loaded with bugs, stick with COM or Roots.
That's all I got.

EDIT: Coco or peat as a base is a push. Both are inert and have a neutral pH but peat holds water better than the coco. Good rule of thumb is coco for cool weather, peat for warm weather.
And make sure the coco based stuff is using very well rinsed coco. If it's salty, it's toxic. And it's looking to me like Mendo Mix does not rinse the salt from their coco giving you a toxic medium.

 

[IamN2pot]

Totally open to suggestions.

Transplant into fresh, good soil. If it were in a DWC and doing that, you'd be changing out it's growing enviroment, the water, ASAP! Same thing holds true for your soil. Until you have a tried and true mixture, it's like you're trying Jack's, by the book, in DWC. We know how well that worked. LOL!!!
The Lush is looking great. Repeat with the 3 sick ones, just sayin.... if it works, repeat!

 

[moe.red]

Transplant into fresh, good soil. If it were in a DWC and doing that, you'd be changing out it's growing enviroment, the water, ASAP! Same thing holds true for your soil. Until you have a tried and true mixture, it's like you're trying Jack's, by the book, in DWC. We know how well that worked. LOL!!!
The Lush is looking great. Repeat with the 3 sick ones, just sayin.... if it works, repeat!

I may do that. Gonna require a trip to the store...

 

[Anthem275]

Moe I have an idea of part of your problem. Can you lift the pots off the floor if they are in fact setting on the tent floor. That could explain your lack of dryback and plant problems. I use 3/4" pieced of wood 4 per pot

 

[moe.red]

Moe I have an idea of part of your problem. Can you lift the pots off the floor if they are in fact setting on the tent floor. That could explain your lack of dryback and plant problems. I use 3/4" pieced of wood 4 per pot

Just built this to get a pic.



So not on the floor. Probably 2” total of air space.

 

[Anthem275]

Just built this to get a pic.

View attachment 11588
View attachment 11589
So not on the floor. Probably 2” total of air space.

That should do it

 

[steamroller]

Just built this to get a pic.

View attachment 11588
View attachment 11589
So not on the floor. Probably 2” total of air space.

NICE~!

That should do it

Agreed.

 

[Bandit420]

Just built this to get a pic.

View attachment 11588
View attachment 11589
So not on the floor. Probably 2” total of air space.

You're running the screen too low and limiting it's performance ability. Next time raise it to ride on the second or third row of nipples
I also notice you have super weird airpots. Those nipples should have holes at the tips so you have like airpots with only 50% of the normal holes or something. Weird!

 

[moe.red]

You're running the screen too low and limiting it's performance ability. Next time raise it to ride on the second or third row of nipples
I also notice you have super weird airpots. Those nipples should have holes at the tips so you have like airpots with only 50% of the normal holes or something. Weird!

I could probably do that now if you think it is worth it.

 

[Bandit420]

Oh wait I see what you did there...You have the airpots inside out

 

[Shaded]

Oh wait I see what you did there...You have the airpots inside out

I was wondering where the outside air holes were...lol

 

[moe.red]

Oh wait I see what you did there...You have the airpots inside out

That's.... not... possible????

They look the same no matter how I build them.

These are not the same brand you are using. Could not find them in stock.

 

[Bandit420]

The closed nipples go on the inside to direct root travel into the outward facing holes to air prune them

 

[Bandit420]

That's.... not... possible????

They look the same no matter how I build them.

These are not the same brand you are using. Could not find them in stock.

So there's no holes in the sidewalls?

Might need to get out a drill and make holes so they work as they should

 

[moe.red]

Sorry got going too fast. Here are the real ones.

 

[Bandit420]

Sorry got going too fast. Here are the real ones.

View attachment 11595
View attachment 11596

Those are some seriously funky airpots with those lips over the holes. Those lips will redirect roots backwards and they may not airprune. I'd drill those lips out of there and open those holes up to be 2-3x that size.
They probably did that to make watering easier and less of a mess but that where the dunk technique of watering comes into play or using drip irrigation is also a good idea