successfully confused myself, could use a little help

hey guys as you can see im new to this site as far as being a member but have been checking it out for a while. having some problems with my outdoor grow , here are the details (doing the best i can with what i know)

1) Type and wattage of lights. (MH, HPS, CFL's, tube fluorescents, LED's)
.2) Distance from tops?
.3) Reflector type? (cool tube set-up, bat wing, enclosed reflector, bare bulb...)
.4) Is there a consistent fresh air supply?
.5) Do you have an exhaust fan and a circulation fan?
.6) What are the bulb wattages, kelvin ratings, and schedule?
1-6 N/A
Your medium:
.7) Specific brand and type of soil, (coco, peat based soilless...) and anything you've added to it. (vermiculite, perlite, worm castings...)
2 parts peat moss/1 part perlite/1part vermiculite, also added hydrated lime
8) Size of container. 8" pots, decent size since i started late
.9) Did you use peat pucks (or similar) to root clones or germinate seedlings?
germinated in a paper towel then transferred to peat pucks
Your nutrients and water: was using shultz 10-15-10 through veg along with mollasses and superthrive, just started flowering a week ago so i switched to jacks orchid bloom booster 3-9-6 along with mollasses and superthrive, never used more than 1/2 strength, ussually less
10) Source of water? (tap, bottled or filtered) What's it's ph before adjusting?water is from the tap but always set out in the sun for 24 hours before watering,ph is ussually around 6.8,
11) Method of checking water ph. (ph pen, test strips, aquarium test kit...)ph pen
12) Method of adjusting water ph. (phosphoric acid, white vinegar, hydrated lime, PH Up...) havent had to make any, it tends to stay consistent after adding nutes
13) Specific brand and N-P-K ratio for each bottle. List dosages (quantity per gallon) and current feeding schedule. have been feeding with shultz in veg (7 drops per quart) now using jacks orchid bloom 1/2 cap 3/4 of a tsp
14) How often are you watering between feedings, and how much per watering? since my medium contains no nutes ive been using a light dose in every watering, somthing that now makes me think this could be the problem
15) Any additives or tea's? (Superthrive, CalMag, molasses, Mother's Earth...)molasses and superthrive
16) Are your ph levels stable, or do they fluctuate? tester that i use for soil doesnt work
17) What is your ingoing water's ph? ...your runoff ph? going in at 6.5-7
18) Do you foliar feed? If so, with what, how often, and at what time do you spray? have fed with the jacks yesterday at 1/8th strength and molasses and superthrive

Your growroom:
19) Indoors or outdoors? out
20) What size of closet, room or hut?
21) What are the temps and humidity levels while lights are on? ...With lights off? temps outside get up to 100 but the area they are in is slightly shaded and much cooler, humidity is around 60 percent
22) Have you seen signs of insects in the growroom?

Your strain:
23) What strain are you growing? (Indica dominate or Sativa dom?) indica dom
24) From seeds or clones?seeds
25) Is this an autoflower strain?
no

my old growth is turning brown/yellow and dying off, some leaves have the claw look to them and others have the tips pointing upwards (both on same plant as well) i have read, read, and read some more and ive reached a point to where im so confused i dont know where to start. ive also been using food safe pesticide all around my grow area and even on the pots with a light spraying on the plants themselves, i got lucky on this grow so far as i have 4 females and started with 5 plants, the other is a hermie (yes its been killed) any help is appreciated, if possible i will post some pictures up here. also, there is one branch on the bottom of one of my girls that has a dying leaf and i know it wont produce much if anything but im already a week and a half or so into flowering, should i leave it or clip it? ive always heard that you shouldnt prune after flowering starts. once again, i appreciate any help i can get , this is my first time growing and has been a great experience , just worried that my girls are gonna reach the point of no return. thanks guys, have a good one

also, when i mixed my medium i also put in some polymer crystals to help retain water since i work out of town somtimes , only the bottom layer (about 2") of the soil , i also have a small layer of stones specifically made for gardening at the bottom of the pot to help with drainage. when i pulled the male i didnt really think about looking under it to see the root mass and see if i could find anything in my medium that would lead me to the source of my problems. when i got to the bottom of the pot those crystals were 1-2" in size and all together enough to fill up a yogurt cup if not more. evidently i made a mistake when figuring the amount of soil i had but i remember that i tried to use a little less than the reccomended amount. could this cause problems? seems like it would suffocate the roots when they grow down towards and into it. the leaves are curling at the sides like a canoe and the old leaves are still browning and dying, top looks healthy im just worried that its gonna keep moving up, im only a week or so into flowering. if there is anymore info i need to put up here please let me know, im still working on the pictures. thanks again

hey guys not trying to be one of those please help me or the world is coming to an end kind of people its just that is been about a week since i posted and the plants arent getting any better, mostly leaves curling, but in no specific direction, some from the sides down, some are pointing up at the tip,and others pointing down at the tip. i am really confused and if someone could just point me in the right direction i would appreciate it very much.one of my girls got snapped about halfway down the other day due to my outdoor enclosure breaking after a storm but i used a stick and a straptie to hold her up, she seems to be doing better, how long before i take the straptie off? anyways, hope someone can help, thanks again

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jake1023

hey guys not trying to be one of those please help me or the world is coming to an end kind of people its just that is been about a week since i posted and the plants arent getting any better, mostly leaves curling, but in no specific direction, some from the sides down, some are pointing up at the tip,and others pointing down at the tip. i am really confused and if someone could just point me in the right direction i would appreciate it very much.one of my girls got snapped about halfway down the other day due to my outdoor enclosure breaking after a storm but i used a stick and a straptie to hold her up, she seems to be doing better, how long before i take the straptie off?

A week or two will tell da tale.

anyways, hope someone can help, thanks again

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Best way to get an answer, is to ask a clear question.:)

I've read this over twice, and I'm still not clear on what you want.
Digging out your answers to the troubleshooting sticky is quite a chore as well.

Your post mentioned pictures.
When you do that, folks wait for the pictures to comment.
At least, I do.
Sorry, but we just can not offer solid advice here.

When it comes to grow advice, wrong is worse than none, yah?

Work with us and we'll try to assist.

Aloha,
Weezard

Lets see...
I'd transplant out of those crystals. They stay moist too long, and can easily suffocate the roots and cause root rot. Not too sure what it leeches into the soil, (for plant uptake) either. Not too sure smoking polymers is a great idea, but I don't know what they're made from.

How much lime did you add to the soil? (per gallon of medium)

I'd follow manufacturers directions with nutrients, but start on the low end of the dilution rate, and sneak-up on a maximum. Some companies give a 10 day to 2 week feeding schedule. Be aware it isn't always for weekly feeding...but you still gotta feed 'em.

Adding extra's to a sick plant can make it worse. IMHO, Superthrive is crap, and how much molasses have you been using?

Use care with redundancies.
Product A might have most of what you need, but since it doesn't have everything, you buy product B as an ammendment. Problem is...combining the two can double-up on micro's, heavy metals, and make the nutrient mix toxic. Tiz why I use and recommend the Fox Farms trio of liquid nutrients. Formulated to work together, and they (Fox Farms) also provide a handy online weekly feeding schedule for easy reference.

If the plant can't keep itself upright, keep it in bondage.

Shortcuts cause problems and rarely pay-off. Might want to follow a growlog or two, and see what the more successful gardeners are using and doing.

Are you keeping the pot's themselves out of the direct sun, or are you frying the roots? Keep the rootball protected.

Not sure if this covers everything, but if you have more questions and pictures, give a holler.

I stand corrected.
Some of us can offer excellent advice.:thumbsup:
I think the comprehension problem was a PEBKAC, on my end.
(:stoned: Problem exists between keyboard and chair.:stoned:)

You got lucky.
Rusty is one of the best.
You are in very good hands here.:cool:

Aloha,
Weezard
<Exit, stage left>

Thanks Weez, but I think you underestimate your abilities. (or, perhaps you didn't have your coffee yet) :jointsmile:

thanks alot rusty and weez i appreciate your insight, i have a tendency to ramble.

i used just a bit less than a full tbsp of lime per gallon of soil.

as for the roots i have them covered up well, i saw two massive shoots though one day buiding around the base of the main stem exposed a little so i covered all of them with a little more mix around the base just incase.

ive been using the mollasses every watering but i only use a half a tsp per gallon

as far as nutes i started out with shultz 10-15-10 but i started pre-flowering aug. 13 and i switched to the only thing i could get my hands on close enough to a blooming fert. its jacks classic orchid bloom 3-9-6 and they suggest 3/4 of a tsp per gallon ive been using half of that. im going to def. get the fox farms lineup you suggested as soon as i can get the funds, out of what i have, what should i use for now?

ive always heard that its not good to repot once flowering begins, should i just wait till the soil is nice and dry and then ease it out? i imagine i could cut the pot if i have to as its plastic but its pretty tuff stuff , either way whatever is safest for my girls.

i cant believe ive made it this far , and definately wasnt expecting 4 girls out of 5 plants.anyways im still working on the pics but mainly the only thing that worries me is the lower leaves constantly dying and working upwards slowly, along with some of the leaves pointing up and some pointing down, ive heard of praying for magnesium but ive never heard of them bowing for anything :) thanks again rusty and im really working on getting pics up here im just dealing with alot right now and im takin it slow, this heat is making my migranes worse, take it easy guys, im gonna get reading , greg greens book while informative didnt cover everything obviously , told u i had a tendency to ramble