Wilted branches/droopy leaves.Help!!!

[mikel988]

I water all plants the same but 2 of them are having problems. one is real bad,the branches are drooping like they are too heavy but they arent and the leaves are curled under a little but its more like they are wilted they dont have burnt tips or discolor,just lighter green.the weather here keeps changing from around 85 then 105 a day or so later.can anyone help me save these plants? they are in the forth week of flowering,in buckets in dirt and get around 5 hours of solid sun.they are in miracle grow soil and i give them miracle grow in the water once or twice a week,i don't know what happen,the others are doing great.

[Rusty Trichome]

they are in the forth week of flowering,in buckets in dirt and get around 5 hours of solid sun.they are in miracle grow soil and i give them miracle grow in the water once or twice a week,i don't know what happen,the others are doing great.

Which Miracle Grow formula are you using for flowering? Regardless, directions are on the bottle, and the application rates are for a 10 day to 2 week period. (try following their schedule...not yours) Figure-out your feeding schedule, and give fresh, properly ph'd water inbetween if necessary.

The leaf 'claw' is either from watering with acidic water, or the buffers in the soil are fading. Either way, you'll want to find out what your ingoing ph is, and adjust it to between 6.3 and 6.8 ph. Aim for the high side on watering days. A ph Pen or a freshwater aquarium ph test kit are an important tool in the gardeners arsenal. A ph pen is more accurate, but a pain in the ass to keep working a calibrated. The fish tank kit is easy, will give you a good ballpark figure, and is a good way to learn about your ph. But you can't ph liquids that aren't clear.

Are you keeping the containers out of the direct sun? Hot roots can kill the ladies.

Why only 5 hours a day? Where's your sun the rest of the time?

[mikel988]

it might be closer to 6 hrs,my property has a lot of trees.the plants did get root damage a while back from the heat but they all recovered.now i have issues with just 2,this only recently started showing the symptoms again after a heat wave but the others are fine,i flushed one with pure water and didnt water the other to see any affects.in a day there is no change.the one is pretty bad,the leaves feel dry and papery and was flushed with no change.the other one has wilty looking leaves but strong branches.this is very confusing being that they are all treated the same and there is no problem with them.i was switching between the mg blossom and regular mg.i water in the mornings when its cool and use regular tap water that i will try to find a tester to check it.it seems maybe the 2 bad ones need something extra,they are the same plants as the others but lighter green and not growing as fast,i think the have been less healthy since the first heat damage to them.i don't know if the soil itself gets damaged from the heat and first root problem and needs extra nutrients.if you have any suggestions for this it would be greatly appreciated,if i lose 2 i won't have enough for the year and its prescribed for my back condition. thanks for your reply rusty.

[bigtopsfinn]

Got any pics of the whole plant including container?

Remember that different strains and even the same strain from seeds may have different needs.

[mikel988]

I'll see if i can post one...thanks

[mikel988]

here are a few pics,you can see the difference but they are watered the same and are all the same strain.

[bigtopsfinn]

Those look like some monster plants for that container size. Are they 5 gals? I'd check to see if they are rootbound.

Rusty had good advice, Milwaukee makes a $20 ph pen and test strips/drops are like $5.

Also how long have they been in those containers and that same soil?

[mikel988]

they have been in the buckets for 6 to 8 weeks with the same miracle grow soil that is supposed to last up to 6 months,they did grow faster and bigger than i thought.i dont see any roots coming out of the drain holes,is there another way to check? the buckets are 2 and half or 3 gallon buckets.should i try a 5 gallon bucket or put them in the ground?why are the other 2 so healthy in the same buckets? i will get the tester also.thanks a bunch.

[bigtopsfinn]

Even though the nutrients might last for 3 months, the lime which buffers the ph of the soil probably ran out already (usually takes 6-8 weeks, coincidentally :))

Wait until just before your next watering and pot up to a 5 gal or put in the ground, whichever suits you better. I'd rather use the pot in case they need to be moved at some point.

I would also stay away from the time released nutrient soil, some regular potting soil (not topsoil) with 25% perlite mixed in will do fine.

[mikel988]

thank you sir,i will give it a try.i'm still confused on why its only 2 plants affected and the others are doing great as you can see in the pics..i'm willing to try anything though.thanks again.

[bigtopsfinn]

No two plants will grow the same, some may be similar and some totally different. It's possible to make generalizations about how to care for plants, but in the end it's really up to the plants themselves, and their specific environments which determine the best course of action. Can't tell the plants what to do, they tell you what to do ;)