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Help me- what happened?

Hinky

Hinky

I am in a total and complete state of shock. My Malawi Birds Eye is dead, and it literally happened overnight.

This plant was a touch over a year old, and was remarkably hardy in regards to hydroponics and nutrient schedules- this was the first plant I grew in a bubbler, and it did great and was amazingly prolific as well. Until today. For a reason I do not know, this plant literally died overnight. I use solely General Hydroponics nutrients, both the basics as well as pretty much all of the supplements. I mix 5 gallons at a time, and add liquid as the bucket drops, and I empty the bucket entirely every month, rinse the roots in neutral water, and start over anew. I have tried adding carbon dioxide tablets (as used in aquariums), I have followed this same routine since I started this plant.
This routine has not changed one bit- the only change made was that 2 weeks ago I used baking soda to adjust the pH level. Is this how I killed this grand old lady? Since there are absolutely NO other variables, I'm assuming so?
I hate myself right now.

Before-
98.jpg

After twelve hours-
105.jpg
 
I'm not sure what has happened, but can tell you that the Malawi Birdseye is remarkably hardy.

My plant is 3 years old, treated terribly & has looked like yours several times. Start of this season it went back to stump, no leaves, flowers or fruit for several weeks - i was certain it was dead - then started shoots again. It has pods again now.

Hmmm my malawi pods are much smaller though, not as elongated :think: - still, maybe a cutting back will spur new growth.
 
Ben-
Like I said, I'm certain that the use of baking soda to adjust pH was to blame. Like I said this change occured literally overnight, so I am sure I'm to blame.
I'm off to work in the morning anyways, so I figure before I leave I'll empty the bucket, refill with new nutrients, and cut her back and see what happens in a few weeks.
 
it did THAT overnight?....wow...I didn't think anything would kill a plant that quick...its almost like it got harsh chemical instead of baking soda...
 
If you put baking soda in two weeks ago, it shouldn't suddenly kill the plant overnight. You should have seen some problems all along. The leaves look like they were hit by frost or extreme heat or dryness. Any chance the water level dropped somehow?
 
Pam-
My grow lab is 72 degrees 12 hours, 68 degrees 12 hours. The thermostat changes with the light switch- this is all indoors. Nutrient level was unchanged.
 
Hinky said:
Pam-
My grow lab is 72 degrees 12 hours, 68 degrees 12 hours. The thermostat changes with the light switch- this is all indoors. Nutrient level was unchanged.
Click to expand...

Then you'll have to ask someone who knows more about hydro. That was my best guess.
 
so the peppers ripened from green to red in 12 hours too? I see green peppers on the top photo but only red ones on the bottom photo...
 
Why were you adding baking soda? Isn't that a base? How acidic were your nutes? I don't think i've ever used pH UP since i bought the kit last year, just pH down.
 
Closet-
Yes, it's a base. My nutrient solution was slightly acidic.

Guess I'll start using pH UP and DOWN instead of lemons and baking soda.

AJ-
The 'before' pic was from a couple weeks ago- no, the sudden change did not affect the peppers that were fruiting.
 
oh....OK...I thought the cows or something got them and I took your photos to mean from to in 12 hours...my mistake..
 
Saw this on wikianswerss: Q- Does baking soda help plants grow?

A- It COULD, if the soil is too acidic. The problem is that too much baking soda could also cause a buildup of mineral salts.
 
Check the roots and see if they are brown/black. Pythium and other root pathogens will kill a chile very quickly.

Use Ph up and down. Hydro nutrients are buffered and the vinegar/calcium carbonate has a very small, short-term effect.
 
Hinky said:
Closet-
Yes, it's a base. My nutrient solution was slightly acidic.

Guess I'll start using pH UP and DOWN instead of lemons and baking soda.
Click to expand...

Do you have a pH meter & an EC meter? The nutrients should be slightly acidic in hydro by the way, do you know exactly what pH it was at before you tried to adjust it?

Also, the rate at which plants use nutrients vs water affects whether the pH & EC goes up or down
Here's a chart, sorry for huge pic:

nutrientusagevsph.jpg
 
Thanks for the info, Tx- and yeah, Willard, I'm going to order some Up & Down for when I return home and start over. I seriously doubt that it's going to pull out of it, but we'll see in a couple weeks. My thoughts are much like all your posts- I think that the baking soda wasn't a problem at first, but became a problem when the concentration of both the baking soda and nutrients grew. So yeah, the salt/ppm thing.

Last night before I left home I rinsed the roots out with 3 changes of straight water. The root ball is very healthy looking, totally unchanged. What was odd was the nutrient looked MUDDY, rather than the normal dark brown tint, and even after rinsing and actually agitating the roots in the water, the water didn't come clear until the third bucket. It was weird, like silty muddy water.

While it sucks I had to sacrifice what was a great, hardy and prolific plant, at least now I know what not to do- and just in time to get started for SPRING!!!
 
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