Noobie grower, growing organic --is this a disease?

Troubleshooting
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Hello all,
I’m completely new to this and looking for some guidance, and I found this awesome site so thought it would be a good place to reach out!
Some of the leaves on my girl are looking a little wonky. Do you have any insight as to what I can do to correct the problem? I can’t tell if it’s disease or deficiency. Here are some details about my grow:

Indica dominant Critical Purple, autoflower
2x4x4 tent
Solarsystem 550 light
Currently in wk-3, day-4 since sprout. Planted directly in 5 gallon smart pot
Organic soil using this mixture: 1/3 of my own homemade compost, 1/3 of Dr. Earth’s planting mix, the remaining 1/3 contains equal amounts perlite and vermiculite.

Dr.Earth’s ingredients are as follows: Forest humus, fir bark, peat moss, earthworm castings, kelp meal, fish bone meal, alfalfa meal, mined potassium sulphate, soybean meal, fish meal, seaweed extract, aloe vera, yucca extract, oyster shell & dolomite limes (pH adjusters), ecto & endo mycorrhizae and beneficial soil microbes.

When I prepared my smart pot I filled the pot only half way with the soil mixture then I added a little bit of bat guano before topping off all the way with the remaining soil mix. Planted the seed in that.

What do you think is wrong with her? I’m concerned about the rust spots on her leaves. Also the small leaf at the base is a bit shriveled. Should I be worried? What should I do for her?

I water her with filtered Zerowater that is 7.0 pH. Tested with TDS meter and measures 0.00ppm

The light is at 18" and cycles 20/4. I have one lower vent flap open and I’m using two mini clip fans that are positioned on diagonal corners, blowing between light and canopy for airflow. I also have a carbon filter running, she’s started to give off her beautiful scent! I’m trying to grow as close to mother nature as possible, and it’s my very first time --I have absolutely no experience with this dynamic plant. So, thank you for sharing your knowledge! Let me know if you need more info, and thank you, again, for any help you can give!!! ![image|375x500] (upload://iRPv8gKiGbPAAdxsyEZNAecMj93.jpeg)

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I’m not a soil grower but I believe a ph of 7 is a little high for soil. Are you testing the ph of your runoff water when you water? Sometimes your medium can have a ph much different than the water you put into it.
The spots look (to me) like it is the beginning of a calcium deficiency or possibly could have gotten some nute water splashed on that leaf. Also you will want to get that humidity up around 60 during veg so the leaves can transpire properly

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In my opinion, it’s fine. The lower leaves are very close to the soil so they are getting some water/“stuff” on them

Being all organic, you should not have to worry about PH so much, the soil micro organisms should take care of that. Your soil is loaded so at that age and size, you should not have any deficiencies.

I would trim the smallest leaf you are worried about and move your light a little higher to get some stretch. In the end you will remove those bigger leaves that have spots on them, but the plant needs them right now.

Once its starts to take off you won’t even remember this incident.

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I haven’t fed her any nutrients, just water. Maybe I’m not watering her enough? I haven’t experienced any run off. I use a soil tester also and the reading has been at a 7.0, moisture level at 4 (which falls in the “moist” category on the tester). I have also sprayed filtered water on the foliage. Should I water her more?

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Thank you SOOOOO much! What a relief!! You are a triple A :star_struck:

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First welcome to the community I think you’re doing great plant looks nice healthy.AAA an WATT got you covered. Good luck

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overwatering is the biggest mistake a grower makes with plants(any kind). Underwatering is the second most common. The plant will tell you if it needs water. If in doubt bury your finger in the soil as far as possible and feel the moisture. Also checking the weight of the pot is a good method.

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I learn something new every day :metal:

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I learned that yesterday… JK. When I first starting buying for this years grow I bought a $400 PH/PPM meter thinking I needed to PH. Used it once to evaluate our drinking water and have not pulled it out since.

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I’m trying to do everything right and I’m reading constantly, but experience is the best teacher IMO. You never know something until you experience it, I think. Now I’m getting some experience and hope to keep improving. Thank you for the reply @Watt-Sun @AAA @kellydans

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start a grow journal in the beginner section. Good way to keep notes and you can tag in people when you have any issues.

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Sounds good! Right now I have a google calender that I’ve been documenting every little thing I do, and adding pictures to each entry. Then I found this site… LOL

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@WickedWild
I grow organically in a mostly soilless medium. Unless you’re growing in straight living soil and all that entails, organic growers do still need to keep their pH in range. For soil, you want it between 6.3-6.8, with 6.5 being the sweet spot. To check your medium (they are waaaay too young to water to run-off in 5 gallon pots), carefully take 2 tbsp of the soil a few inches down & near the roots. Mix that with 4 tbsp ro water. Shake up and let set for about 12-24 hours, shaking often. Test the liquid for pH and such. If your pH/ec is out of whack, we’ll fix that before trying the next thing.

How long did you cook your compost? Improperly cured compost can wreck havoc on your pH.

Also, your humidity is extremely low. It should only get that low in very late bloom, JUST before harvest. Try to keep it around 50-55 til mid bloom, then let it start to drop. Temps and humidity combine to get your Vapor Pressure Deficit, which is basically what your plant depends on the keep things flowing from root to leaf.

I think, once you test the pH/ec, you will also want to add some Calcium, Epsom, and other micronutes to your regime. For bloom, you will want to get some P and K supplements; your soil mix is not going to be enough to carry her through til harvest.

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Haha, mine became a chew toy for my pup. I grow in living soil so i really didnt care, what angered me he also decided to get my infrard thermometer, that one hurt

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You’re welcome best way to learn keep planting them seeds ask questions when needed. Good luck with your grow.

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Your baby look great, i wouldn’t sweat them spot, all new growth looks green and healthy, keep doin what your doin, if your compost is well rounded it should get you by for a while, you might have to supplement later in the grow like bkackthumbbetty said. Keep watering wothyghe zero water for now, microbe life dont like ph swings, good luck my friend

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@blackthumbbetty How do i adjust the humidity? Do I turn off fans, shut the vent flap, etc.? Just unsure how to properly do this. My compost has been cooking for two years. I’ve put a lot of love into it. It’s dark and rich and smells absolutely divine. When I handle it, it actually feels alive. May sound strange but I feel it’s well balanced? How do I tell? I’m going off of the knowledge of what I’ve added to it over time, but that is all. Thank you for explaining how to check soil pH. I will definitely do that and see what it reads. I also thought she is too young for run off, but it’s my first cannabis grow so I’m relying on you experienced folks for feedback. I do grow organic veggies and herbs in raised beds using Dr. Earth mix so have some growing knowledge there, just no experience whatsoever with mj :wink: I’m learning more and more about living soil techniques and really hoping for a successful grow using this method. I also started a worm farm to help boost my living soil, hope it works! - thank you so much for your insight/feedback! And the encouragement @Mrcrabs!

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That compost is done my friend, it can and may lasts fir 3 months , my compost has been composting for 2years also, a little goes a long way my plants atm have only been water feed, it will bee 3 months on the july 6, gooc luck my friend

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Yes and yes! You adjust fans, change your intake, add a humidifier or even a wet towel. If you can adjust the humidity in the room, itself, it’ll really help your tent’s humidity. Any way you can come up with that is safe for your plants and that works, do that. :grinning: Sometimes it’s as simple as adjusting your exhaust fan. Other times you have to do everything mentioned above. It just depends on your particular grow space.

Your worms will really help. I don’t know if he’s around, but @Budbrother loves his wormies.

Cannabis is a bit pickier than garden veggies, especially if you’re going for top shelf med grade weed, but as an experienced gardener, you’re well ahead of most first time weed growers.

Your girl looks good, just gotta get her dialed in. She’ll probably start throwing pistils in a week or two, so you definitely want to get ready for bloom.

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Not all compost is created equal.

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