Congratulations on the harvest!
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Thank you both. I felt bad about cutting her downđ. But I did it, I just wanted it to be quick. Overall it was a good starter project.
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@raustin @garrigan62 or anyone, what us going on here? It was a beautiful green then in 2 days time it started this lightening. I had been giving the cal mag every watering. And they get ff nutes every other watering. I ph my water to 6.5. I am going to do a run off but I have to go get some distilled water, which is what I have been using to water.
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I am beginning to think its nute deficency. From looking at the chart because the leaves on the bottom started first and are yellower than the ones on top. So maybe its hungry. Problem about testing PPM cause I have lost my meter. On the hunt now.
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Heâs, you have a nitrogen deficiency, she needs more nutes. If your Ph is good and youâre feeding full strength, then your PPM should be good. Have you done a flush recently? You need to find out your PPM.
No, I hadnât done a flush on that one. I thought if run off is out of whack I could do a flush. I usually use distilled water. But with more plants its getting pricey. Is 99ppm bad for tap water? Thats the only reason I wasnât using my tap water. And I found my ppm meter, yeah!!! @raustin
How to use Cal-Mag Plus with marijuana plants
ďł December 8, 2017 ďhappy-pot-farmer-420 ďŽ5618 Views ďŹcoco coir, nutrients, watering
Botanicareâs Cal-Mag Plus is a calcium, magnesium, and iron nutrient supplement used for marijuana plants. It is typically used to correct calcium and magnesium deficiencies in marijuana plants. In this tutorial weâll walk you through how to use Cal-Mag Plus with marijuana plants, including dosage, frequency, usage with coco coir, ingredients, and alternatives.
Cal-Mag Plus directions and dosage
The recommended dosage for Cal-Mag Plus is 3 to 5 mL per gallon of water. 5mL equals one teaspoon. So if you were using a 5 gallon bucket to fill up, you would use between 15 and 25 mL of Cal-Mag supplement. This would be the correct dosage of Cal Mag to use in soil if you have an existing magnesium or calcium nutrient deficiency in your plants.
While the directions of 3-5 mL are recommended Cal mag dosage on the label, if youâre using it as a preventative measure (rather than correcting an existing problem) then you can go with a weaker ratio such as 1 mL per gallon in soil and coco grows.
If using a soiless medium such as coco coir, itâs a good idea to load up on the Cal-Mag prior to transplanting your established clone or seed. Start with 5 mL/gallon for the first few waterings, then scale back to 1-1.5 mL/gallon thereafter. Watch your vegetating plantsâ leaves closely to check for early signs of a calcium or magnesium deficiency. Really get in there and inspect them, itâs the best way to catch any nutrient or pest issues. The quicker you catch them, the easier it is to recover.
Using the standard strength dilution of 5 mL of Cal-Mag per gallon will achieve approximately:
N 53
Ca 84
Mg 31
Fe 2.6
Cal-Mag Plus feeding schedule and frequency
The frequency you should use Cal Mag plus may change depending upon your growing medium, the amount of Mg and Ca in your primary nutrient line, and the specific needs of the marijuana strain you are growing.
For marijuana grows in coco coir using tap water, initially during the first few weeks of veg you can use the recommended feeding schedule recommendation 5 mL per gallon. Then you could try using around 1 mL per gallon or 1.5 mL per gallon of Cal-Mag Plus every time you water your plants thereafter as a preventative measure. Some coco growers prefer to skip every other time if the plants are looking good.
Your tap water has varying degrees of minerals. Therefore the amount of Calcium and Magnesium supplement youâll need may vary. After a while you can get dialed in for a particular strain. Taking detailed notes will help you establish your own Cal-Mag feeding schedule thatâs best for the strains you are growing.
If youâre using Cal-Mag in hydro systems with RO water, youâll need to use the full dosage of 5 mL of Cal-Mag per gallon and do it time you water since the reverse osmosis process will leave your water devoid of Ca and Mg.
The correct dosage for Cal Mag in soil is 5 mL per gallon each time you water per the Botanicare label instructions.
You can usually find the cheapest prices on Cal-Mag on Amazon.
When to use Cal Mag Plus in coco coir
One factor to help determine the best Cal-Mag Plus frequency and dosage is how much calcium and magnesium is already in your main nutrient source. If you run the Canna Coco line of nutrients, for example, Canna A and Bâs formula already provides some level magnesium and calcium as part of their nutrient mix. Canna indicates that their Canna A and B nutrients should contain sufficient Ca and Mg when used with tap water, but many growers in coco have deficiencies despite this. If you are using Cal-Mag with RO water in coco then you should plan to use more than if youâre using tap water.
Not using Cal-Mag in coco grows is a risk as you may experience some magnesium or calcium deficiency symptoms after a few weeks. These can be quickly corrected â if caught early â by using the recommended bottle dosage of 3 mL per gallon of water for the next few waterings, and then a week or two after the new growth stopped showing symptoms I would use 1.5 mL per gallon thereafter.
Repeated runs are a helpful way to really get to know how to use Cal-Mag Plus with the marijuana strain youâre growing. To prevent the need for emergency correction for a calcium or magnesium deficiency down the line, get in the habit of using a little bit of CalMag throughout the grow.
Plan to typically back this off towards the last few weeks of flowering though, because you donât want to risk having extra nutrients negatively affecting the taste of your weed. The last week of flowering always flush for at least seven days with clean pHâd water. This water for flushing should contain no Cal-Mag or other nutrients (just Cannaboost or similar flowering enhancers that allows buds to live up to the max potential).
If you notice signs of a calcium or magnesium deficiency on your plants, it is very important to address them as quickly as possible. This is why it is so vital to monitor your plants daily, even if you use an automated watering system.
The best way to resolve nutrient issues with cannabis is to catch them early. But itâs even better to prevent likely issues outright, that which is why you should use a light dose of Cal-Mag plus throughout your coco grows. Itâs ok to do some waterings throughout the plant cycle without this calcium and magnesium supplement, but you may find better results using it at a minimum of 50-75% of the time just to be safe.
If youâre trying to determine how to use Cal-Mag for hydro with ROâd water remember that youâll need more than if you use tap water.
Check for pH issues if you have nutrient deficiencies
If you suspect your marijuana plants have either a calcium or a magnesium deficiency, before you just run to apply a nutrient solution such as Cal-Mag to resolve what you think is the problem, it pays to make sure that your pH is in good shape.
Improper pH can lead to a number of symptoms in weed plants. If the pH in your water falls outside of the levels where marijuana can properly absorb nutrients those nutrients will be locked out.
The best pH range for hydroponic marijuana grows is between 5.5 â 6.5. For coco coir I usually try to keep it from 5.7 to 6.0. I like to put a range in there because some nutrients are better absorbed at different levels.
Check your pH meter to ensure there is a problem. Calibrate it regularly to ensure accurate readings. Store it correctly, keeping the bulb moist. Drying out your pH meter is a problem many novice growers experience. The device will stop reading accurately if you allow this to happen, so make sure you store it according to the meterâs instructions to ensure a long lifespan for it.
The best way to determine the best pH for marijuana growing in coco coir is to observe the pH of the runoff after you water, as this will be indicative of whatâs happening with in the plantsâ rooting system. With coco you want to water so about 15-20% of the nutrient solution passes through the plant container. Watering to runoff helps flush excess nutrient salts from the coco medium.
Collect this runoff and test the pH. If the runoff is over 6.2, you know that you need to try to back it down a bit by running the pH of your next few watering lower â around 5.6 or 5.7. Similarly if your run off pH is too low, you will want to go higher with the pH the next few times you water to bring it back up. Maybe around 6.2 or so for a few waterings. donât forget to check PPMs of the runoff as well to check for other potential warning signs.
Cal-Mag Ingredients: what is Cal Mag Plus made of?
Cal mag is a calcium and magnesium booster that is made up of a number of ingredients. It has an NPK value of 2-0-0.
The ingredients in Cal-Mag Plus are:
calcium
magnesium
iron
boron
zinc
manganese
molybdenum
copper
cobalt
iodine
beneficial vitamins
twenty essential amino acids
other botanical plant extracts
The best alternatives to Cal mag: Cal-Mag Plus vs. Calimagic
There are several alternatives to Cal-Mag on the market. The most commonly used Cal-Mag alternative is CALiMAGic, made by General Hydroponics. The Cal-Mag Plus vs. Calimagic debate has opinions on both sides. Both have reviews from experienced marijuana growers stating they do a great job, so a lot of it comes down to personal opinion.
CALiMAGic is used for the same purposes as Cal-Mag to correct magnesium and calcium deficiencies, and often costs slightly less. Due to this difference in price, the Cal-Mag vs. Calimagic proponents often say one is a better value (Calimagic) or that one is a better manufacturer (Cal-Mag Plus). Opinions be what they may, youâll likely find that either does a very suitable job.
In general a small or medium sized grow will not use a lot of either Cal-Mag or CALiMAGic if they know how to use Cal-Mag Plus correctly, so the extra dollar or two isnât much of a consideration in the long run if you decide to use either of these calcium magnesium supplements for your marijuana garden.
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A PPM of 99 isnât bad at all, you can use your tap water to water your plants. My tap water is 240 and I use it to water and feed my plants.
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@raustin 662ppm 6.5 ph going inâŚ
Run off 581ppm 6.7 ph. What does that tell you? I used distilled cause I had already purchased it b4 I read your message. And I checked one other one and her in was 666 and 6.5 and her out was 721 and ph of 6.9. Is that one ok other than the ph being a lil high?
Your numbers arenât bad at all, yes the one Ph is a little high and you should get it down to 6.8. Also I think your PPMs are a little low for plants this size and is probably why youâve got deficiencies, so bump it up to 900.
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More nutes, just add a little bit to the dosage. What are your dosages now?
@raustin 1 Tblsp. Big Bloom 1 tsp. Tiger Bloom 1 tsp. Grow Big. So which ones should I up or all of them? And should I be giving ev1 more nutes or is this just a one time uppage for the plant I guess I was starving.
Are you in flower yet?
No not with that one.
I just have the auto in flower.
Ok, if youâre not in flower, then add 1 tablespoon of Big Bloom, and 1 tablespoon of Grow Big, and no Tiger Bloom.
Ok thats just for the one sickly one and do I do this everytime? Or is this just like a booster? @raustin And how often in a week do you feed? I believe you said water feed water feedâŚ
As needed of course. But mine was feeding roughly once a week.
Once a week should be good. Feed this every feed, not just for a booster. Letâs see what your PPM is after this feed.