Top Leafs Canoeing? Help!

I am growing a Daychanger from FreeWorld Genetics. It is about 8-9 weeks past sprouting and still in VEG mode. Plant has been taking nutes really well and the very TOP leafs started curling.

Here is the details:
Strain: Daychanger from FreeWorld Genetics
Grow tent: 4x4x7 Vivosun
Exhaust: AC Infinity 6" with carbon filter
Light: 2 Electric Sky ES300’s
DLI: Currently around 48 as measured with an Apogee meter, 18/6 light schedule
Soil: FFOF in 5 gallon fabric pots
Humidity is usually in the low 50’s

Nutes: Been feeding primarily with Mendocino Farms fertilizer (20-9-20) then I’ll add a little Fox Farms Big Bloom or Grow Big to up the PPM a bit. Nutes have been in the 6.1 pH range and EC of 2.1 most recently. The EC was a little low on December 25th, so the feeding that day was an EC of 3.4.

Runoff details
December 21st: pH 6.0, EC 4.15
December 25th: pH 5.8, EC 1.61 (No nutes given this time due to high EC on the 21st, just water with pH 5.9 and ppm of 1100 with 5 cc CalMag, 10 cc MicroBrew, 1 cc pH Down)
December 28th: Runoff not tested (Nutes include 3 grams fertilizer, 4cc CalMag, 30cc Big Bloom, 15cc Grow Big for a pH of 6.4, EC 3.4)
December 31st: pH 6.1, EC 2.63 (noted very top leaves curling, Nutes were 2.5g fertilizer, 3cc CalMag, 10cc Root Drench, 2cc pH Down, for a mix of pH 6.1, EC 2.1).

Temps are about 70 with lights out to 74 with lights on.
3 fans move air about the tent for really good circulation.
Seems like I have gotten good responses from plants using a bit of MicroBrew/Root Drench/Big Bloom to add some microbes to the soil each week. Used Sledgehammer for a flush on Dec 11. My thinking is that I want to promote microbes in the soil and also be good about flushing to avoid pH crashing and salt buildup.
I have 3 other plants from other sources that look really good in this tent. This is the only plant with the curled leaves.

The curled leafs are limited to the very top of the plant. Lower leafs look good. I am using the Nebula Haze Manifolding technique and the last trimming was done over a week ago. These plants SHOULD be going into flower this week as they are getting to about the right size. I don’t want to go into flower with some issues lingering though!

What do you think is going on? Very curled edge and serrated appearance on the edges of the curled leaves.

Too much light! Are you closing the tent door as much as possible when taking the light reading? You may want to run 40 DLI, for a while.

1 Like

Yes, I do zip the door closed with just a little window to see the meter. They are growing so well, probably over 1/2 inch every day, really getting fun now until the curling happened!

I’ll try dropping it to 40 right now.

On my latest grow, I have been dialing down the light a little more than in the past. It seems to do better than trying to push it so hard. I had the light set for about 39 DLI at 18 hours at late veg, and without changing the dimmer, after the flip to 12 hours it was 26 DLI. And I will slowly ramp it to about 37, before dropping it down some during the last two weeks.
This chart kinda confused me at first but it is becoming somewhat clearer now.
image

Sometimes it’s almost a mystery.
Your conditions are being monitored as close as can be, I’m only on my second indoor grow and all I can say is things change daily.
I’ve got 4 gorilla punch plants from 420 fast buds, all are great plants, but each one has subtle difference’s.
This one needs a little more water, that one doesn’t like to be as close to the lights.
My point being I’m sure the same holds true for nutrients and everything else.

3 Likes

Raise your light up a little . Give it a few days and watch the new growth. Good luck✌️

2 Likes

I have had signs of light stress come on quickly. Just a combination of a little vertical growth with a slight change in temperature and humidity, can do it.

2 Likes

Yes, the individual differences keep it challenging. I have 2 tents going, 4 plants each tent, and each one reads quite different in the runoff after being treated identically. I will change up the nute mix for each plant if the runoff readings get too far apart.

I am really liking these lights (ES 300’s in one tent and an HLG Scorpion Far Red in the other) along with the Apogee light meter. I forget the model number, 500? It’s a little yellow meter that mounts to a tripod, holds 99 days in memory so you can review your DLI progress. The HLG has the GrowFlux controller which is very slick as you just change light schedules and dimming from the phone app.

I’ll have to turn down the 2nd tent as I’m sure it is running about a 50 for DLI as well. It was lower but the plants keep getting taller!

I’ll be feeding them all today, give them a couple days to see how they respond to the DLI decrease, and if all looks good I’ll be changing to 12/12 to begin flower. Can’t wait for March…

3 Likes

That is supposed to be a very good light meter that you have! You must buy quality.
I use the phone app to read my lights. But I don’t trust it to give the correct DLI under the HLG lights. I use the phone app to read the light level on top of the canopy in Lux. Then use the calculators on HLG’s website to obtain the correct DLI the light that is being used. Here are a couple charts that I made. This will probably explain it better than I can.
Since I have been using this method, it seems to have eliminated light stress.


The meter is nice, VERY handy to really dial in the lights. I think you nailed it, too much light. It is only the very top leaves showing the curling, so I’m thinking I should see a happy plant in a couple days with the change in light intensity.

Man, these lights are powerful, I have the HLG at 50% with a DLI of 40 and I could still raise it up another 10-12" in the tent. I didn’t have a light meter this spring and the plants just burned up as they got tall. I was using air cooled HID’s this spring and I thought they were yellowing because they were hungry…it was a mess. The plants were too tall for the intense HID’s, no light meter, no pH-ing runoff, pretty much a disaster. That motivated me to get new LED lights, the light meter, and a nice Hanna pH/EC/PPM meter.

I feel like I’m starting to get it figured out and the current grow is my best effort so far and that is DEFINITELY due to the info I’ve read on this forum. This is about the 6th round of growing I’ve done and it’s starting to make sense in my brick brain.

1 Like

Hungry plants usually show symptoms starting at the bottom. Cooked plants at the top. Quick way to determine where to start looking. General rule of thumb.

3 Likes

My Android phone ap maxed out LUX 33,000 (Noon, summer, full sun).
Tent LED readings max similiarly, if maxing out. Mapping yesterday, Same results in tents.
My lights are not HLG, yet that seems to be the answer, for more better lighting.
LUX reading 60-80,000? What do you read outdoors on sunny day?
Thanks.

:point_up_2: why the SCROG net with this technique :love_you_gesture:

@DEEPDIVERDAVE, I have never checked my phone app in the outside sun. If memory services correctly in a 2x3 the 260 watt QB 288 boards will put out about 55k - 60k Lux. But the 330 watt Diablo with the QB 548 boards in a 2x3 will go to 70k - 80k easy. Again these numbers are from memory so don’t take them to the bank.
HLG has a PPF to PPFD calculator we’re you plug in the tent size. They have about 6 useful calculators that you may want to check out.
I guess my point is that if I was to use the phone app set on DLI. I would need to add a two point offset to the total when reading the Diablo. Kinda like some of you use an offset when checking leaf temperature for VPD.

2 Likes

The nets are in place in case the buds get heavy and need support.

1 Like

I’ve never had that happen with a manifold but here’s wishing you heavy buds Growmie :love_you_gesture:

1 Like

First time doing the manifold here. I just left the nets in place from the last grow. If I need them, they are there.

1 Like

@DEEPDIVERDAVE, I double checked my light readings, and wrote the results down this time. It is raining here today so it not possible to check to phone app in the sun. I took the light level readings in Lux at 15 inches from each light, and each is in identical 2x3 tents. One can calibrate my phone app, but I was afraid that this would make it worse. It seems to be close enough, for me. But I would recommend that anyone using this app with a light that has an efficiency greater than 2.5. Add a couple points to the DLI readings, just to be on the safe side.
The double Diablo 330 watt
At 15 inches and 100% is 96k, 75% is 83k, and 50% is 52k
The 260 Rspec FR
At 15 inches and 100% is 60k, 75% is 54k, and 50% is 40k

Thanks, My latest two purchases:


Time to end my fence sitting.
Limited funding and short time, so this appear to be my best option.
Test HLG lights against my junk.
Thanks for your assistance with the LUX readings.

Congrats on the new light, I really doubt that you are using junk now. But you will love the 350R.

1 Like