Trying to finish off an ailing plant.

[UrbanHillbilly]

This post is a little embarrassing. I have one plant that completed 10 weeks after flipping to a 12 hr light cycle on Jan 15. The last couple of weeks the plant has struggled with the leaves getting too light and dropping a little. I'm not sure whether it's a nutrient deficiency. overwatering, or what. The thing is, the trichomes aren't looking like they're ready. I'm anxious to finish up this plant so I can swap a few others into this tent. I also feel like regardless of what's going on, it's likely too late to make any meaningful corrections this late in the game. Thoughts?

 

[Mr Jay]

Hard to say, dude.
Could be overwater. Water demand really drops off in the last few weeks.

I'm anxious to finish up this plant so I can swap a few others into this tent

Remember, those plants are working for you. Sometimes they have to follow your schedule. Don't jam up your whole show just because you have one bad actor.

This post is a little embarrassing

Not at all. It didn't make it this far by luck. Looks like some wicked smoke, I would hit that in a minute. You had to be doing something right.

Thoughts?

My water here has very high pH . Sometimes, near the end of the cycle , I think I can get away with fertilizing less.
,,, and then I remember that my plants don't like to drink this water.

When you hit into the rough, most important thing to do is get back on the fairway.
If you hit the ditch , first thing you got to do is get back in the middle of the road.
Anytime I have turbulence, the first thing I do is check the parameters.
Day temps, light cycle, night time temperatures, lift the pot, scan for pests.
Has anything changed recently? ( helpers, water supply, work schedule)
Did you spray them with anything?
Run the checklist, start with the basics.

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

My water here has very high pH . Sometimes, near the end of the cycle , I think I can get away with fertilizing less.
,,, and then I remember that my plants don't like to drink this water.

Speaking of water, are you using tap water from a utility? I fill gallon jugs from a machine at Walmart to hopefully avoid most of the problem chemicals like chlorine.

 

[Bodean]

Speaking of water, are you using tap water from a utility? I fill gallon jugs from a machine at Walmart to hopefully avoid most of the problem chemicals like chlorine.

I use city water, it's chlorinated but from what I read it's not hurting your soil microbes, because they bounce back quickly after a watering. I have since purchased a filter you can put on a hose to remove chlorine and other particulates though. You can get them on Amazon

 

[rkymtnman]

could be Root issues? what is your medium?
some chlorinated tap water might actually help if you got some root funk going on

 

[Mr Jay]

hopefully avoid most of the problem chemicals like chlorine.

Chloramine is a little tougher to deal with. Chlorine is absolutely temporary. Typically they are only adding enough to keep the pipes from deteriorating. They calculate it to be nearly gone by the time it exits your tap. Most of it has off gassed by the time it hits the bottom of the pail. It's not killing your lawn, right?

Unless all of your neighbors are dying, your water supply is probably safe for plants.
You can request a detailed breakdown of your water, from the local supplier.
Most of the stuff you see on that list is beneficial for plants. Calcium and Magnesium usually being the most abundant constituents.

 

[Rozgreenburn]

We live in the sticks and so we have well water which has minerals etc. which run a bit alkaline. I grow organic and I don't PH anything except for seeds and clones. I keep a few 32-gallon trash cans under my eaves, because rainwater works best while holding a neutral PH.
When I see my plants eating their leaves, I mix 2 Tablespoons of Iron Sulfate into a gallon of water. When I water I'll add 1-2 ounces into a gallon of my watering plan. It's cheap and easy, just like me!!!

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

Chloramine is a little tougher to deal with. Chlorine is absolutely temporary. Typically they are only adding enough to keep the pipes from deteriorating. They calculate it to be nearly gone by the time it exits your tap. Most of it has off gassed by the time it hits the bottom of the pail. It's not killing your lawn, right?

Unless all of your neighbors are dying, your water supply is probably safe for plants.
You can request a detailed breakdown of your water, from the local supplier.
Most of the stuff you see on that list is beneficial for plants. Calcium and Magnesium usually being the most abundant constituents.

I went through the local water report. I double checked that it said chlorine and not cloramine. The other thing of concern I neglected to mention earlier is that it does have fluoride. Wouldn't that be a concern?

 

[pepperpicante]

Up potting is usually a fix all. Considering everything though you could just let it dry out and chop now or in a week. What cultivar is this?

 

[HBZ]

Ive watered with city water for lots of years..I now use well water and boy does it smell like shit and like to swing PH..However just like I always did with tap water ....It gets stored in 55 gallon drum with a air stone always bubbling..But I guess that's not my point..I have most certainly found that if you are growing organic strike PH out of your mind.. Anytime I've chased PH around I've added more and more problems..I even went to the point of trashing my PH meters so I wasn't tempted....My grows are way more on track because of it.Those things are for hydro ppl..and must be relied on 100% by them.. Personally I think you'll do better if you stop chasing your tail with that PH business..IF that's something your doing. Hate to assume..To me that plant looks like it got too drenched and just simply isn't done running its course...It's 100% natural for a plant to fade different colors as it approaches harvest. I have all sorts of different fades. WAY more yellow than that...Red. Purple ...black...To be honest the plant looks like it's had a good life and in the pic is just to damn wet..Keep the nitrogen lvls way way down or non existent towards harvest..Any nitrogen in a plant that far along is only going to decrease trichomes and slow the plant from finishing up....If it were my plant ide be cutting ALL nutes from her and keep the soil just barely moist..Scope her every three days until all the clears are gone and ambers are starting to appear..Here is one I just harvested. Yellow as it gets and very very minimal amber trichs

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

Up potting is usually a fix all. Considering everything though you could just let it dry out and chop now or in a week. What cultivar is this?

This is Blue Jello, a cross with Banana OG F3 and Vanilla Gelato.

 

[Mr Jay]

it does have fluoride. Wouldn't that be a concern?

Never been on my radar before. Now I'm two pipes deep, I have read half the internet, and I still don't have an answer.

 

[BH]

Ive watered with city water for lots of years..I now use well water and boy does it smell like shit and like to swing PH..However just like I always did with tap water ....It gets stored in 55 gallon drum with a air stone always bubbling..But I guess that's not my point..I have most certainly found that if you are growing organic strike PH out of your mind.. Anytime I've chased PH around I've added more and more problems..I even went to the point of trashing my PH meters so I wasn't tempted....My grows are way more on track because of it.Those things are for hydro ppl..and must be relied on 100% by them.. Personally I think you'll do better if you stop chasing your tail with that PH business..IF that's something your doing. Hate to assume..To me that plant looks like it got too drenched and just simply isn't done running its course...It's 100% natural for a plant to fade different colors as it approaches harvest. I have all sorts of different fades. WAY more yellow than that...Red. Purple ...black...To be honest the plant looks like it's had a good life and in the pic is just to damn wet..Keep the nitrogen lvls way way down or non existent towards harvest..Any nitrogen in a plant that far along is only going to decrease trichomes and slow the plant from finishing up....If it were my plant ide be cutting ALL nutes from her and keep the soil just barely moist..Scope her every three days until all the clears are gone and ambers are starting to appear..Here is one I just harvested. Yellow as it gets and very very minimal amber trichs

2x that

 

[Mr Jay]

I have one plant that completed 10 weeks after flipping to a 12 hr light cycle on Jan 15.

We are not not 9 weeks after DEC 15th

Just so I understand.
It is a plant that has been flowering for 10 weeks.
Not a 70-day-old plant.

 

[UrbanHillbilly]

We are not not 9 weeks after DEC 15th

Just so I understand.
It is a plant that has been flowering for 10 weeks.
Not a 70-day-old plant.

Yeah, I was a touch impaired when I wrote that. it completed 10 weeks of 12 hr light on 1/15. TBH I'm not certain when to say a plant starts its flower cycle. When it's flipped to 12? A week or two later? Orr just watch for the appearance of flowers? I used to just count from when I flipped the lights, which would not put this at 14 weeks in flower.

 

[Cradle of Mirth]

@UrbanHillbilly what are your temps like near the floor? Reminds me of my plants when the bags are getting too cold/not drying back properly..or total opposite, large dry pockets of soil hidden in there. Hard to say.

If you have chlorinated tap water, a little bit of humic acid added and letting it sit will get rid of it, i've done test strips to be sure. or just bubbling it for a day. if you're worried it could be a rootzone issue, sulfur helps if its bad fungus or something, and will increase the terps late in flower...sulfured mollases

Some plants just want to put out one last pump of calyx's, but if you want to finish it faster, drop your light cycle to 11 or 10 on and the rest off, and drop your temps at night but not less than 50f. I've heard of going back to 18 or 16 hrs of light the last few weeks of flower to finish things up faster and get extra yield, Grow From Your Heart Podcast/Irie Genetics talks about that

 

[LoboGrow]

Yeah, I was a touch impaired when I wrote that. it completed 10 weeks of 12 hr light on 1/15. TBH I'm not certain when to say a plant starts its flower cycle. When it's flipped to 12? A week or two later? Orr just watch for the appearance of flowers? I used to just count from when I flipped the lights, which would not put this at 14 weeks in flower.

I count photoperiod plants from the day are starting 12/12. For my autoflowers, I start counting the first day I see any pistils or signs of flowering...

 

[LoboGrow]

Speaking of water, are you using tap water from a utility? I fill gallon jugs from a machine at Walmart to hopefully avoid most of the problem chemicals like chlorine.

I also buy RO water from the little hut by the store. However, it's because my city water is really high in sodium and chloride, which is stuff that not easily dealt with or countered. The Ca and Mg are great, but you can't your cake and eat it too with city water lol....