PURPLE Stems?

[fresheadies]

Hey everyone,
Now I'm aware of red stems and nitrogen deficiencies but I Have a month old indoor that has become dark PURPLE between a section of two nodes down the stem. Is this some sort of extreme N deficiency, or is this a whole 'nother beast?!

fresheadies Reviewed by fresheadies on 04-28-2008. PURPLE Stems? Hey everyone, Now I'm aware of red stems and nitrogen deficiencies but I Have a month old indoor that has become dark PURPLE between a section of two nodes down the stem. Is this some sort of extreme N deficiency, or is this a whole 'nother beast?!:( Rating: 5

[fresheadies]

I'm somewhat new to this forum so I just got a hold of the troubleshooting form. Please don't discriminate against us youngin's! Any help would be appreciated- I'm known as having the worst luck amon family and friends alike, but I realize to grow sucessfully persistence and patience are key. I would appreciate some help from you knowledgeable teacher's out there:jointsmile:. So - Here is the form.


Soiless - ProMix Organic. Nothing else unfortunately. I'm aware of this glaring problem. I have other seedlings in a much better mix with vermiculite, perlite, castings, etc., but this problem plant is straight up soiliess ProMix.

Indoor Closet grow

*Nutes- I've been adding dried blood by 1/2 Tbs. every week. And a little lime initially to balance out Ph. That's it, nothing else.
*Container- 3"w(top) 6"l plastic party cups.
*Soil Ph appears to be within 6.5-7.0
*Tap Water Source
*Not sure of water Ph
*Age- 5 weeks with no nutes added yet

*Lighting- 24/0 cycle, 2x 24" Flourescent Tubes (for horticulture) at 75 watts output apiece. 1" away from plant.

*Air- Relative humidity unknown, been looking for a hygrometer. Temp is constant 72 degrees. I have a 4" desk fan introuducing air from closet.

If any other information is required, please ask. Help would be greatly appreciate d everyone. I know you have the knowledge! Spread the love.

[stinkyattic]

Promix shouldn't be hurting you at this point- it's only a problem if you let it sit wet in the same pot for more than a couple months without re-potting.

You gotta get going on a correct fertilizer right away. The purple could be a sign of a micronute deficiency. Sulfur, I believe. Quick like a bunny, go pick up some real grow fert with micros. And use it!

[fresheadies]

I was on my way to the local plant store anyway, great! I'll post what I buy and application , etc. later. Stinky to the rescue again...Thanks for the sage advice.

[fresheadies]

Alright, so here's the scoop. Went down to the local shop and bought some "RainGrow 4-2-3 Fertilizer: Derived from Natural Sources". The directions call for 3 Tblspn per gallon; I used 1.5 Tblspn and promptly Foliar Fed by spraying quite intensely so that she (I hope!) drooped significantly. The shop was closing when I got there (bad car accident tied me up) so I was unable to get a bottle of micronutes. I will be getting that tommorow ASAP. Any suggestions, Stinky or otherwise?

[stinkyattic]

Your fertilizer SHOULD have micros in it, and those will be listed in small print on the back. A hint on foliar feeding- mix your ferts weaker than normal, and add a drop of liquid dish soap. Mist lightly, allow to dry, and check back in half a day. Mist again, and monitor the plants to see how they respond. If there are brown patches, those won't heal, but if the leaves just have yellow or purplish discoloration, that should start to fade back to green in a couple days. Generally, you don't want to spary to runoff with most sprays. I do it with pyrethrin when I have to fight thrips, but otherwise, I try to use a fine, light mist and repeat it every 12 hours or so until I either see improvement or decide that it's not going to help, lol!

[fresheadies]

I sprayed twice yesterday between roughly 6 hour intervals and there is slight improvement this morning. There are no chemical burns from the fert or signs of scortching from the water evaporating quickly. The leaves are less droopy but the purple stems are still the same. While the purple has not gone away at all, it hasn't progressed any further down the stem. As for the micronutes- no luck on the fert I bought yesterday, it only contains the 4-2-3 listed on the front , so it's back to the grow shop for me today! Alright, I'm going to give another spray of ferts and then spray with micronutes when I get back.
While we're on the subject stinky, when do you begin to apply the ferts and by what factor? Age, development? Thanks again Stinky, you're knowledge is invaluable:thumbsup:

[stinkyattic]

I start feeding at the first transplant, when the plant has about 4 sets of adult leaves, when I put the plants in 3" pots (I start them in six-pax). Before that, they get no ferts at all, including from the soil.
While you're at teh grow shop, some useful items would be a small bottle of liquid pH indicator (it's super cheap, like $7), a solid 'grow' fert with micros (try Power Plant by Botanicare, or Pure Blend Pro if you like a more organic-leaning grow), and a micronutrient supplement for those occasions that you find yourself treating a deficiency (the GH Micro works well, as does AlgoFlash, and all the fertilizer companies have their own supplement- ask the shop staff to recommend one for you). Or ask the shop staff if your RainGrow will be better if you add a micronute supplement to it when you mix your ferts.
You'll also want a bloom fert for later.

[fresheadies]

Alrighty, the store didn't have much for foliar feeding, regardless, I purchased "Liquid Iron (Chelated (whatever that means)) Concentrate" by Bonide. Here are the stats:

Mg - 0.50%
B - 0.02%
Cu - 0.25%
Fe - 5.00%
Mn - 0.25%
Zn - 0.50%

It appeared to be a pretty well-rounded micro-nutrient so I went ahead and bought it. It calls for 2 oz. for 3 Gallon, but I broke it down for one Gallon, and then diluted the amount by 1/3. This all comes down to 1 1/3 tsp per gallon. I ended up foliar feeding the plant at this dose pretty heavily today around 5. I gave it a nice mist spray until the leaves drooped more than they already are. I eagerly await tomorrow morning to see if the purple begins to recede. Stinky and crew, do you have any thoughts or suggestions concerning the feed etc.?

[fresheadies]

On a side note, I've added Lime to the plant not recently, but after 3 weeks. About 2 times with about a Tablespoon each time in the party cup. I have a soil Ph tester (non-electric Rod type) which doesn't tell me shit, so would the Lime possibly be affecting the plant? I feel like that may be the culprit......