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NO.. get the PH up... distilled water from the market should have a PH of 7.0...
between 6.0 and 7.0 is a good target...
5.5 is to low..
I wish I could just come over and touch those pots...Now that the roots are dangling from the bottom.. it should alomost be mpossible to over water..
can you show me the roots NOW..?
thanks
: )
Those watering tubes...
keep them as far away form the stalks of your plants as possible...
: )
Sorry, GK, why do you think that the ph is too low?...Usually it is suggested to run a lower ph with rockwool.
I have to share something I just reread and it pertains, precisely to this query
I am starting a bunch of cuttings in 1x1r'wool so I have been refreshing my memory about the do's and don't's...If I may.
Iwas reading this, just before I came back online.
From Marijuana hydroponics...by Daniel Storm.
In the back, 1st and only appendice entitled:
Rockwool Growing Medium-by George Cervantes...
It goes on to give a history about Rockwool and how it is made, and why they started to use it...Plus the fact that it is sterile...
Then George goes on to explain that rwool can be used in recirculating and non-recirculating systems...Here is when I got surprised...In recirculating systems: Toxic build-up of salts happen because you have certain nutrients being used up and others not, as the nutrient solution recirculates...salts that the plant doesn't use builds to toxic levels.
In effect...I think this is the problem here!
(I knew about the different levels of nutrients being used, but not the fact that toxic levels would be trapped in the rockwool)
It then goes on to explain why the open ended drip does work!!! It is because 2-3 times a day you drip/drain off to waste; 10-25% extra fresh/new solution/leaching a bit, basically...enough excess fresh solution is applied to obtain a 10-25% leaching effect each day
If I were you...I would get rid of that medium, before it is too late. Get some hydroton. I am not trying to be an ASS, but I think your plants are showing signs of toxic salt build-up...The burnt patches around the leaves are a dead give away...and this means...your basically dead my friend.
On the PH query? The article then addresses the ph necessary to be successful using this product...
Don't shoot the messenger...pppplleeeaase
Rockwool does not have the buffering effect of soil...We all now that right?
The ph of rockwool is 7.8
An acidic fertilizer of about 5.5 is required (personally, I start with around 5.0 ph'd solution), to pre-soak rockwool, in order to maintain an actual ph of 6.5 or lower...Errors in ph will be magnified due to this characteristic of rockwool.
I agree totally with this assessment by George Cervantes through my own personal experience with rockwool...
I also, strongly recommend that you buy a pro ph up/down...although you very seldom need UP^...you will always use down as GK noted above.
I know we have been all over this problem, but after rereading this info tonight...I feel pretty strongly about the fact that what you have there sandman'...Is overwatered, overnuted, toxic build-up in the medium, too wet now to do much but pray...
you could perhaps carefully repot them all in a nice clean and dry soil...One without any ferts...water them with plain water lightly for a few days...
Hope I am wrong. We will see what GK thinks about my findings...lw
5.2 to 6.0 is a safe Ph range for soil less grow mix. Yes there are strains that prefer a higher Ph then the normal range of Hydro Ph but not many of them.
5.5 to 5.8 is the target number you are looking for in Ph.
Did you do a proper Ph balance with your grow cubes before you started?
(Soak them in Ph adjusted water of 5.2 for 24 hours before you used them)
Negative on the pre-soaking. That info was found shortly after starting. There was a contemplation of soaking the whole pot with plant and all in some low ph solution but for some reason was decided against.
At first there was a huge problem with ph fluctuation. It would go up to 8 or higher in a matter of hours. At first the problem was combated with some lemon juice. Then after getting tired of all that some GH ph Down was bought and used with extreme joy. Now the ph doesnt fluctuate very much at all, so I am lead to believe that the rockwool has balanced out.
After changing out the resevoir of death, which was really red and salty looking, the plants are looking better already after about 20 hours or so. The ph is currently about 6.5-6.8 steadily. For the last week leading up to and during this nightmare, the ph was at about 5.0-5.5.
I do believe the actual cause of this is that my foaf put WAY to much nutes into the resevoir. He was basicaly measuring his tspn by pouring the nutes into the cap of the bottle to the brim. After finding out that a tspn is 5ml, he measured out 5ml in a syringe and squirted into said cap to find that it is actually about 60% of a cap. Sooooo long story short he was adding approx 40% extra nutes. Live and learn, get loves.
Thanks for everyones replies and what not, you guys are the bestes. i will keep this thread updated with progress on the babies. They are looking better, but still have a ways to go. The big ass plant never even skipped a beat, and is swallowing his neighbor up, also notice how fat the big ones stem is! The two real saggy lanky plants on the end arent doing as much better as the rest, but they are gonna make it I can feel it in my loins. Wish my friend luck!
Peace and love.
Now i understand your post a little better latewood. You are saying that the toxic salt will stick into the rockwool and even though he changed the solution it will still be bad in the rockwool right?
How would he be able to remove the plants from the current cubes? It seems to me that the roots are all intertwined into the cubes? Any help there would be great! My friend is poor and still has a big ass bag of the grow cubes that ran him 39 bones and would prefer to use them. His mom taught him not to waste ;) So if they could somehow be transplanted into fresh cubes that would be awesome but I dont see how it would work...
Now we have some differing ph opinions...one says 6.8 and 2 say 5.5-5.8....Will 6.8 cause harm? Cause all this basically stated when he was lowering the ph to 5.5...Also all he has is the drop style ph checker and sometimes it can be hard to guess the color accurately. He needs one of those crazy gadgets for sure. Christmas is just around the corner! Oh wait no its not.
Well, one thing about your friend...he was using lemon juice or vinegar or something...right? Well after you keep adding and adding vinegar to fight an ever changing ph...
that is not good That could have been part of it.
On toxic salt build-up. Yes you got it, now. Now if you remove salts from solution and wash with ph'd water and superthrive. you will wash away the toxidity. The Bvitamins and Hormone will help your plant out with the stress...Maybe?
Can any of the old cubes be removed ??? Pre-soak rwool at low 5's ph (you may have to adjust this at least once after a few hours)
Leave the intertwined cubes, but gently, very gently try and remove all the other cubes...take you pre-soaked in ph'd water and superthrive only,
fill up a spare netpot with the cubes...and shake it real hard like you would to dry out a paintbrush...alot of water should shake out...now they are ready...damp not wet...
Now, backfill your original netpots with these clean ph'd ones.
If you can't remove enough of the cubes...let me know.
As I said earlier; your only recourse might be to replant them in a soilless medium and baby them or lose them and start over.
anybody else?
One more thing...Now that you are aware you need to flush toxic salts...you must watch and try to do nothing for a couple days. When you start applying treatment
after treatment...everything gets confused...
One thing for sure...
You have found a problem and cut back on your watering...Now, there is nothing better you can do than to keep washing them with ph'd water and superthrive (for the stress), or no superthrive. (If you can't afford it.) If/when they start to yellow then you apply 1/4-1/3 nute mix and build up to full nutes again, a week later.
WOW.. nice books!!!!!!
Ideally you should soak your rockwool for 24 hours in PH balanced water of 5.0.. i agree wth you lakewood
I did this in the early years...
But...... Now if I soak it for even 5 minutes I am proud of myself and my results have not changed.. regardless if I presoak rockwool or not..
as for the reservoir being 5.2...
If I had to choose a PH level to stay at all the time.. it would not be 5.2.. Now if I adjusted my ph level in my reservpoir and it was 5.2 I would not trip.. cause I know within a few days it would raise to 5.6-6.0....
If I found out that my reservoir had just been sitting around at 5.2 for weeks, and my plants were hurting I would raise it to 5.8-6.2
YOU HAVE DONE THE SMARTEST THING BY CHANGING YOUR WATER IN YOUR RESERVOIR!!!
: )
Latewood.. I agree with your findings.. rockwool can definitley have build up... and I would never have grown using a basket full of tiny rockwool cubes.. it would be great if somehow, sand man you cold incorporate hydroton clay rocks into your grow
Cool GK...I didn't mean to leave them at 5.2...I meant use a 5.2 solution and that will balance the ph of the rockwoll aroung 6.0...thanks for the reply...
So GK, You really just soak in proper ph for a little while, then you are OK?