Seems to be a bad Phosphorus deficiency mid-flower.

[Rusty Trichome]

Gotta make sure the lower root zones get some moisture, but yes...you do need to avoid stagnant water down there.

Also, I place my drainage rocks in the tray, not inside the pot. Provides a little extra rootspace, and I can finger a drain hole to feel the moisture in my larger pots. Has worked great for the past year.

[FatSean]

I haven't done the pH in/out test with plain soil in a pot yet. I think I will do that soon.

Just fed my 'test' plant. It's in a 10qt paint bucket for the first two weeks of flower, then gets transplanted into a proper 12" 3-gallon pot. This plant has been in the bucket 5 days. I fed it a quart of RO+1/4 tsp CalMagPlus pHed to 7.0 (clumsy with the pH adjust) and then a quart of RO+1/4 tsp CalMagPlus+ 1/4 tsp TigerBloom+ 1/4 tsp BigBloom that was pHed to 6.9. Got 6oz+ of runoff at pH 6.2. That seems bad.

I'm kicking myself for cheaping out on the pH pen and not getting one with better accuracy.

This is with never-used soil with the lime and perlite added. Now, the soil bag sat in my garage for a few weeks, and who knows how long outside at the garden center. The perlite has some nutirents added to it (MiracleGrow is all I can find) Dunno if that matters.

Thanks for your help!

[phatsesh101]

checkin in be back

[Rusty Trichome]

I ph my water to 6.8 to 6.9 ish, then add my nutes and additives. Brings me down to a 6.4ish which is fine. No need to make it overcomplicated.
I guess you could add the nutes and stuff then ph it and adjust accordingly. Either way, as long as the ph is within range.

[phatsesh101]

looks like rusty got u on the right track

hey rusty u should see my physically retarded girlfriend now

[Rusty Trichome]

Phatsesh: Have ya got a link?

[FatSean]

I ph my water to 6.8 to 6.9 ish, then add my nutes and additives. Brings me down to a 6.4ish which is fine. No need to make it overcomplicated.
I guess you could add the nutes and stuff then ph it and adjust accordingly. Either way, as long as the ph is within range.

Huh. Maybe your mineral-laden tap water is buffering the pH better than my RO+CalMagPlus. My RO+CalMagPlus is about 6.8 and when I add TB and BB...it plumets to 5.0! So, I gotta adjust.

Next plant to go to flower will try your way of Saline Tap + pH Down as the starter. :thumbsup:

[Rusty Trichome]

Have you tried adding the nutes and additives, then adjusting ph to 6.8?
How old are your nutes? (going 'sour'?)
Doubtful my water is adding too much to the buffering, as I still get occational low ph runoff myself, and the ph in a 5 gallon bucket of ph'd water doesn't really sway over time, (a few days to a week) which it should if significant buffering was ongoing. I had thought of that a couple of years ago when I first moved here.

:wtf: Saline water? Bad idea.

[FatSean]

I do add all the nutes, then adjust pH. I've begun adjusting to 6.8 instead of 6.5
The nutes were ordered a few months ago...shouldn't be old.

Oh, typo on my part. Didn't mean 'saline' meant straight tap + pH down Yeah...salt would be bad hehe

So far so good with the new techniques! No issues yet on my latest plant...but it has been one week in flower. We'll see by week 4.

[Rusty Trichome]

Good luck with her, and keep us informed. :thumbsup: