I’m a first time grower. I have three plants started from King Louie seeds I found in a nug.(16 of em’) The container has a mix of home made compost ( just coffee grounds,vegs, and mesquite tree leaves) filling about 25% in the bottom of the container. The rest is Dr. Earth’s “Pot O’ Gold” potting soil. My water is very high pH (8+) so I stomp it down with organic apple cider vinegar to about 6. When I use this on the plants, the run-off in the tray will measure about 7.8+. I’ve noticed little brown spots on the mid-level leaves , and read it was inconsistent pH preventing nutes up-take.
The other issue is the lower fan leaves yellowing and falling off. I add a tiny dash of Verde 16-1-2 on occasion but fear adding too much. (maybe a drop per gallon) It seems to help but I’m unsure how often and how much to add.
Lastly, I’m in the high desert. Daytime temps can peak at 110-112 during June-August. I have the plants in the area between the house and garage so they get full sun from about 9am to 1-
pm. I have the containers insulated to keep them cooler.
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Well, a couple of things. I would reduce the amount of sunshine with a shade screen of some kind so it doesn’t see the full intensity of the sun. Some plants are very nutrient hungry and your plants may be telling you they want more nutrients. As to the high ph runoff I wonder if decomposing plant material in your pots are driving up the ph. Maybe do a flush with ph 6.0 and see what it looks like after. You will in all likelihood have to fertilize afterwards. Just my 2 cents.
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@Ceeix57 it sounds like you are giving the plants too much “stuff”. Ideal soil pH should be around 6.5 for optimal nutrient up-take…
you could purchase “Pro-Tekt” on Amazon… it si Silica based to help your plants deal with stresses of high or low temps. The plants uptake it with a watering and it stays in the plants cells to help “Pro-Tekt” them… Best of luck!
Myfriendis410 “As to the high ph runoff I wonder if decomposing plant material in your pots are driving up the ph.” is pretty much the case. I’ve flushed a couple of times with slightly acid water (5.5 appx.) and still have a high pH in the runoff.
I feel like my choices are either repot with new soil, which I feel is risky as the summer heats up. Or, try amending the soil somehow. Right now I’m watering with 6-7pH water and adding a spoonful of slurry, made from lemon run through a food processor, to the run-off tray. I’m hoping it will help balance the water without shocking the plant.
Adding the Verde 16 -1-2 seems to be helping. All the top growth looks nice and green. It also seem as though some of the paler leaves are greening up. Should I trim off the yellow leaves, or will they revive?
