Thread: Nute Problems? pics.

H=DWC with air stones and ultrasonic fogger
T= HydroTon
D=Auto drip system- drips about 1 per second
E= EVERYONE needs to answer lol!


E-indoor
E-DWC/hybrid
E-HydroTon
E-Water source - well water pH'd before adding to res.
E-Source water pH - 7.0 from tap, adjusted to 6.5ish before adding
HRT-?? Dont have the ability to test PPM from tap is around 150 before nutes
E-Age of plant - 16 days
E-Type of fertilizer - TechnaFlora products
E-Rate of application - add nutes to 1 gal backup res which is slowly dripped into system when needed
E-Lighting source and distance from plant - was 10" away, now about 1.4 feet
E-Air temperature - Day was 78-83, now constant 75. Night temps around 70.
HD-Reservoir temp - was in the 80s, now around 75 ( I know this is hight, i am working on a chiller)
E-Air % Relative humidity - 35 - 40%
E-Lighting schedule - 18/6
E-Type of ventilation your room has - Sealed light fans, 2 intake, 1 main exit, and circulation fan.
TR-Did you pre-soak your media in pH corrected solution? Well, no. I did soak in pH water, but not for as long i should have


Below are a few pics I took to day. I noticed the brown spots on friday, and immediately thought nute burn, so i dumped the water and refilled with normal pH water no nutes.

This is a 10 gal res, 11 plants. Not all the plans are having the problem. Some are doing just fine while others arnt.

I have been using the TechnaFlora suit of ferts and nutes. Followed their instructions, but not going full strength. They say to add all this to 1 gal of water, but im not sure if the 1 gal is enough for all 11 plans, or if i should have been adding the nutes according to my 10 gal res.

So i guess my main question is nute burn or deficiency? Since changing the water, i have begun feeding them via a spray bottle individually, using a very diluted nute solution.

Images 1 and 2 show the problem plants, pic 3 is healthy. Again, same water source for all.

Okay, after a few hours of reading (so much info out there) I stopped the water drip to the plants. Almost all of them have nice root systems coming out of the cups, so i figured they didnt need more water from the tops.

I was able to drop the res temp to around 70ish.

I am going to suspend all new nutes for a few days.

PPM is 230-240. I was thinking about adding some MagiCal so supplement my tap water, but not sure if thats a good idea yet.

pH is 6.0 to 6.5

Okay everyone...

Its been a few days with virtually no nutes and the plants that are sick, seem to be getting sicker.. Some of the other plants are doing just fine, and a couple have a little yellow on them.

I upgraded my air pump and air stone today thinking it may be an oxygen problem... I doubt that, but it was cheap and worth a try.

I am starting to think it might be a nitrogen deficiency. But all the deficiencies look the same to me (untrained eye, still new to this).

I did get some hydrogen peroxide today, and was thinking about adding it to the water. I think i read somewhere that 8ml per gallon of water? Is this correct? Can I add it to the spray bottle and spray the roots directly? Will this harm the plants?

Attached are some updated pics. I know a couple are kinda blurry but there are a couple real clean pics to see exactly what the problem is.

I could really use some advice!!

Thanks in advance.

Okay, so i've done a few things since last post.

I kinda figured this might be a case of calcium deficiency. (Hope im right ) So I added 10tsp of MagiCal to my res. (per instructions on the bottle) And started a weak solution of Nutes. I've also, for the past 2 nights, sprayed an even weaker Nitrogen solution directly on the leaves right before lights out.

The large plants seem to have stopped yellowing and are growing very nicely. I did notice a little browning on the roots (but this is only at the water line, and i think it has to do with the color of the nutes, which is a dark brown) They seem very healthy otherwise.

I trimmed the a couple of the worst leaves off one of the plants.

Im going to hold off on the H2O2 until i get a response. I read that the 3% solution you get from the store might be a bad idea? I'm also curious, but now kinda think its a bad idea, if spraying a diluted solution on the roots is a good idea. Input? If not, then how much should i add for a 10 gal res?

with an ACCURATE way of measuring ph I would check as many times as you have to daily (i've done it up to three times a day with sick plants) and keep the ph between 5.6-6.2 I'd certainly stop with the maybes and vague numbers.....find out exactly what is going in and out from your plant both in ph and in ppms.

And give them some nutes back. They definitely need some.....they certainly won't grow well in plain water.

I measured the pH twice today and it was a constant 5.9 The PPms this morning were 312 and after the MagiCal and some other nutes it was 419

Ok.....I think your issue MAY be just your ph leaping around here and there....the steadier the better in hydro. Also, change your resevoir often to keep correct ratio balances in your nutes. And since you are using well water....what is the ph of that all by itself? Ours is 130 but gives us ph issues so we use RO and CalMag. You'll just have to test yours and see.

More airstones is ALWAYS a good idea....never heard of an airstone doing HARM ..thats for sure.

If you can measure ppms and ph twice a day and let us know we can probably work out a good steady feeding schedule for them. Hydro works best when constantly monitored and adjusted according to your numbers.

Good luck.

I will be more vigilant watching and recording PPMs and pH. pH out of the tap is a pretty steady 7. PPM from tap is 170.

Normally I fill up a 5 gal bucket with tap water, cover it, and drop in an air stone. I have no idea if the air stone is needed for just the tap water.. But i had an extra and thought it might be better than just letting it sit. Then I fill up a 1 gal pitcher and add nutes according to instructions. I have been only using 1/4 to 1/2 strength every few days.

Thanks for the advice. I'll let ya know about the pH and PPM after monitoring them for a while. Until then i'll try and keep from burning them

I see crust on your hydroton. You are going to need to pour clean water at pH 5.8 over the pebbles adn discard it, then change out your res and re-fill with magical or calmag until your PPM reads 250, then add your grow nutes up to about 400-600 total. THEN adjust the pH to 5.8.

Your pH is too high and your medium is showing salt buildup from somewhere. Plus your tap water is slightly soft, and we are seeing Ca deficiency and/or possible lockout from high pH.

Whenever I have a sick plant my hydro guy tells me to cut my ppms in half......the plants must have SOME nutes available in order to get well but go light until they are looking happier.

Stinky may have an excellent point with the salty crust on your hydroton.....might be a wise idea to flush the system to prevent salt build up etc.....salt/fert buildup in your medium can cause almost every issue out there.

Lol I just re-read my post but it's too late to edit... discard the WATER not the hydroton. Sorry.

Also I just read you have a 10 gal rez.....sorry, missed that before. No wonder your plants have issues....that's less than a gallon of nutes apiece.

I wouldn't try to go with anything less than 20 gals for your size setup UNLESS I were willing to change to fresh nutes DAILY....in other words...change my rez to new nutes every single day. That's the ONLY way your plants are going to get enough to eat with a 10 gallon rez.

Good luck.

edit: Yes, I'm sure now......they need more food for sure.

^^^That is true! Smaller reservoirs MUST be changed more frequently and you will see buildup issues much sooner if there is an imbalance from only partial changes or none at all^^^

Exactly Stinskter!! Even with a 20 gallon and 11 plants I'd change it out every third or fourth day.....growing plants eat aLOT!!

wonderful information! I will start changing my res every day and remove a few of the smaller plants to make more room for the larger ones. I'll be sure to flush tonight and get the PPMS and PH right. The ones that werent too bad off seem to be doing better since adding more magical and getting the PH lower.

In heinsight I just wasnt adding enough nutes to begin with. I read so many posts about nute burn that I psyched myself out a little and didnt add enough for all of them.

Yes I think you did misjudge and let me point out one thing. BECAUSE you were so careful your plants are still alive and you will see them get better and better as they get healthier and healthier.

What you DIDN'T do is dump every single thing you can get your hands on into your hydro setup and fry up your plants. It's done ALL the time....trust me. Better to be safe than sorry.

Because of the info you have given me, i decided to only use the dwc for my mother plants. Once i have them, that is. And go with an ebb and flow system for the clones and flowering stage.. i think it might be a little too much to ask of that lil setup i have now to veg and flower as many plants as i want. I think it might do nicely for a few mother plants though.