brown splotches and purple stems

[Randm999]

First time grower and first time poster. I know I've seen this symptom in the various posts befor, but I can't seem to locate it.
Indoor grow, under two 400 watt mh. 24/7.
soil: Organicare Pure Earth. in 5 gal containers.
White Widow aproximately 7 weeks into veg.
Temps are low, as the grow room is an outdoor shed, lows are aprox 45 deg highs around 70.
Ph unknown as I havent got my meter yet ( Its on order)
Fed twice with Humbolt nutriants 5-9-4 at 1/2 streangth. and twice with Alaska fish
transplanted from 2 gal aprox two weeks ago.

The Large fan leaves on the bottom are the predominant site of the problem. New growth looks ok. The stems of the leaves that show the problem have a definate purple tinge to them. The younger stems look ok.

I have 7 PPP that look fine, and 5 white widow with only one showing advanced signs. Several other of the white widow also starting to show identicle symptoms.

Any help would be appreciated, see photos.

[Ayyxbleezy]

most likely it is nute burn or a ph problem :rasta:

[myalbania]

my one baby has the same think but alot smaller( just a small circle size)

[Faddenator]

You are underfeeding.

Purple stems = cold temps and phosphorus deficiency
Crispy lower leaves = N-P-K deficiency.

keep feeding her 1/2 strength but every other watering, not twice in 7 weeks!

You should also really try and do something about those temperature swings. A 25F degree drop is huge, especially since growth virtually stops below 50F. I find a small (6") fan-forced heater is a godsend. I have a sunbeam model that keeps the room at a constant 76 degrees.

Good luck!

[palerider7777]

the npk problem can be due to ph being out to far causing nute lock out.

[Faddenator]

the npk problem can be due to ph being out to far causing nute lock out.

True, definitely get your ph checked out. I'm still going with underfeeding though... two 1/2 strength feedings in 7 weeks seems very low to me.

[Rusty Trichome]

Growing a sativa dominate strain (PPP) with an indica...at the same time? Can get tricky keeping track of different nutrient levels and schedules. The PPP will likely be double the height of the WW in flower, and the WW will be a quicker finisher.

Find (Google) the Humbolt feeding schedule and stick to it till you get familiar with the strains and the nutrients. :thumbsup:

Mixing nutrients from two different manufacturers is not recommended. There's no "indusrty standard" of added metals, micronutes and fillers, and on occation...they can clash. (over-nute, or lock-out nutrient uptake altogether)

[WashougalWonder]

The red stems may also be an indicator of the plant being female, and at young age I would look at that over not enough nutes. That is what I see in the pictures, a young female. Transplant and see if the issues resolve.

I would try to keep the temps no lower than 50 degrees, as was mentioned, purples come from cold too. That is why my avatar is so purple, it got too cold.

[Randm999]

Thanks everyone, The cold is probebly the major factor here, as I am growing in an unheated shed. Power usage makes it impossible to install a real heater in the unit, I was hoping that the heat from the lamps would prove sufficiant. I'm going to try a small fan/heater that I have directed at the plants to up the temps. I was under the assumption that cold (lows around 45 deg) would do nothing more than slow the growth rate. My ph test kit should arive in a day or two, then I could get a more accurate handle on the situation.

Thanks again for the input

[Faddenator]

Thanks everyone, The cold is probebly the major factor here, as I am growing in an unheated shed. Power usage makes it impossible to install a real heater in the unit, I was hoping that the heat from the lamps would prove sufficiant. I'm going to try a small fan/heater that I have directed at the plants to up the temps. I was under the assumption that cold (lows around 45 deg) would do nothing more than slow the growth rate. My ph test kit should arive in a day or two, then I could get a more accurate handle on the situation.

Thanks again for the input

The cold will only slow growth rate... but slowing down growth every night has got to put a lot of stress on your plant. Sounds like you have a similar fan forced heater that I have... make sure you put it on the floor facing ACROSS your plants, not AT them.

I also still think you need to feed more often.

[palerider7777]

if it's that cold in there then i would get a heating blanket and put under them.keeping the roots warm is more important than the plant it's self.anything below 60 and it can effect the plants growth.like said above it can cause stress on the plant and thats not good depending on strain.

the reason why cold slows growth rate is because it slows uptake of nutes and it's break down of the nutes to uptake as food.

[caregiver99]

my guess is that when your Ph tester shows up you will find the ph is too low. If this is the case, then you are experiencing a Mg deficiency (which takes weeks to actually show up) mixed with minor deficiencies like the Phosphorous mentioned above. If you leaves start to curl up and dry, then I'd put money on it. Several things can exacerbate a Mg def like having growing medium that is too wet, and cold temps. Cold temps and a low ph is sure to bring on a Mg def.

Epsom salts (not the supermarket kind but the kind meant for agriculture) can cure in a few days when used as a foliar spray. I don't recommend this because it can cause more probs than it's worth... correct the ph by transplanting into a mix containing fine dolomite lime. Dolomite lime contains Mg and Ca and will keep your ph up while supplying the plant with Mg over the longterm. The nice thing about Dolomite is that is will not raise your ph past 7 and it does not leach out of soil for months. You can also water with Epsom salts (1 tsp per gallon) until the symptoms disappear, assuming you have corrected the ph problem.

If this is the case you will start seeing more yellowing on those leaves, increased brown spots, leaves curling up, more purple stems, and this will all travel up the plant. Mg def can take longer than other deficiencies to correct. You can get a cheap drip-test to measure ph of the runoff water.

Cal-Mag can also help if you have corrected the ph.

[Rusty Trichome]

Fix the obvious stuff first. (temperatures, feeding schedules)

Adding shit without knowing why is folly. Avoid magnesium sulfate, (overdose will cause lock-out) avoid adding shit to change ph till you know your ph, avoid any additive till you know they need it. (CalMag, for instance) Throwing everything at it in the hopes of a positive result, is a good way to damage your ladies.

Give 'em what they need, not what someone else thinks might help. Proper temps and a rigid feeding schedule are a couple of good places to start. ;)

[caregiver99]

Rusty,

Read the post before replying to it.

"If this is the case, then..."

Magnesium sulphate can harm plants in excess (as can anything else beneficial for plants), but can quickly correct a Mg def in a pinch if not overdone... as can Cal Mag. You are making yourself look bad bro... try being more constructive with your offerings... and read carefully.

[Rusty Trichome]

I read the post fine, and I stand by my comments. And believe me...I'm usually vary careful and delibrate about the advise I give. You should try it some time. :thumbsup:

[McLuvin]

How hard is the water in your area? It sounds like root lock or too much iron or magnesium in your water.
I would try some PH'd distilled or R/O water to flush then try a different nuti.

Just my opinion.

[theuser420]

first time doing all this i started bloom feb 6 and now i see my leaves are dying out little by little is it time to harvest yet i posted up a pic

[McLuvin]

It doesn't look like she is ready, Just pinch off the yellow leafs. This is normal as the plant goes into flower. It is also a good idea to "prune" your plants leaves to give optimum light to the buds.

[Randm999]

Found out my well water was ph 7.0. got some ph down and adjusted for proper ph.
Since posting this thread I have transfered my babies to flower, 12/12 under (4) 400 watt hps lamps, as well as corrected the temp variables. I now have a constant 72 deg.
When I put them into flower they were 14 to 16 inches. Three weeks have gone by and they literally exploded!!! several are over 26 inches and starting to flower. In fact I am concerend about them getting too Big now! Next time I will put them into flower at 12 inches max. They look healthy and happy. So I guess the ph was the problem. As well as resuming full strength nutes.( Humbolt Nutriants Oneness, Liquid Karma, Alaska Fish 5-1-1 and Pureblend)
Still a little of the brown spots on lowest fan leaves, but not enough to get excited about. All the other growth looks great.

As a side note: I took clones off of the Flowering plants just to see what happens, I don't have high hopes for them but being curious, I had to try. I also took clones befor flower so no great loss if I loose them. Just an experiment. I took them two days ago so its too early to report anything yet.

Happy growing, and thasnks for all the advise.

[Rusty Trichome]

Found out my well water was ph 7.0. got some ph down and adjusted for proper ph.
7.0 isn't bad before adding nutrients. For simple watering though, a tad lower is fine.

When I put them into flower they were 14 to 16 inches. Three weeks have gone by and they literally exploded!!! several are over 26 inches and starting to flower. In fact I am concerend about them getting too Big now! Next time I will put them into flower at 12 inches max. They'll slow vertical growth and start filling-in, but should still gain a few more inches in overall height.


Still a little of the brown spots on lowest fan leaves, but not enough to get excited about. All the other growth looks great.
There's a strong possibility that the spots are either from undernuting or splashing nutrient solution on the leaves, or leaftip irritation from another leaf. If newer growth is doing fine, I wouldn't worry about it.


As a side note: I took clones off of the Flowering plants just to see what happens, I don't have high hopes for them but being curious, I had to try.
Shoots from ladies already flowering can be quite tricky. Mortality rate skyrockets. Best to take them prior to flowering. About a week or two prior to the switch, to give the donor a chance to recover.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

[Randm999]

Oh I did take clones weeks befor turning them over to flower, I just wanted to see if I could take them from a flowering plant, and what the results, if any, would be. Stictly out of Curiousity and in case something should happen down the road, then I know whether it can be done.
By the way, the clones look ok so far.