sun Plant sunburn or nitrogen deficiency help

R

rstiv4200

Hey guys so I posted a few weeks about my reaper plant starting to turn purple(it looks much more purple in person). The plant is getting darker and darker I just want to make sure this isn't a nutrient problem nitrogen maybe? I am new to growing this is my first year (the only thing I feed it is epsom salt and fish emulsion every other week rotating). Also if it is sunburn I want to make sure it isn't too close to my T5HO light it doesn't feel too hot or dried out or anything. It could be me just worrying  :lol: and it is fine who knows lol any help would be great. Here are some pics of my setup (all my plants on the ground are being acclimated to the T5 light for anyone wondering).
 
IMG_0048_zpsm1u8ynpg.jpg

 
IMG_0047_zps62cgfdmp.jpg

 
IMG_0050_zpswqsvjldc.jpg
 
Epsom salt should not be fed as part of a feeding regimen. In fact, I'd go so far as to state that unless you actually NEED it, you should cease using it, immediately.
.
The fish emulsion is a good nutrient. It's unlikely that you are overdosing it - but what strength are you feeding at?
 
Good to know thanks I actually only fed it Epsom salt one time so far so I will cut that out unless needed. 
 
As for the fish emulsion here is what I am using below I use 1 tablespoon per gallon of water and feed it ever other week 

Neptune's Harvest Fish & Seaweed Blend Fertilizer 2-3-1 
 
 
 
solid7 said:
Epsom salt should not be fed as part of a feeding regimen. In fact, I'd go so far as to state that unless you actually NEED it, you should cease using it, immediately.
.
The fish emulsion is a good nutrient. It's unlikely that you are overdosing it - but what strength are you feeding at?
Click to expand...
 
 
rstiv4200 said:
Good to know thanks I actually only fed it Epsom salt one time so far so I will cut that out unless needed. 
 
As for the fish emulsion here is what I am using below I use 1 tablespoon per gallon of water and feed it ever other week 
Neptune's Harvest Fish & Seaweed Blend Fertilizer 2-3-1
Click to expand...
What did you plant it in? How often do you water? What are your lights? And the big question... Have you ever PH tested your grow media?
.
I'm asking that last question because it honestly sounds like you either need some phosphorus, or you have a PH that may be locking it out. Phosphorus deficiency is really rare, but if leaves keep going purple, that's a telltale sign.
 
Here is some more info on it.
 
It is planted in Promix Ultimate Organic mix. I use a 4ft 8 tube T5HO light setup and water it ever few days as needed. As for the PH no i have never tested it I can give that a shot and see where should my PH be at around 5.8-6.5 sound correct?
 
 
solid7 said:
What did you plant it in? How often do you water? What are your lights? And the big question... Have you ever PH tested your grow media?
.
I'm asking that last question because it honestly sounds like you either need some phosphorus, or you have a PH that may be locking it out. Phosphorus deficiency is really rare, but if leaves keep going purple, that's a telltale sign.
Click to expand...
 
 
rstiv4200 said:
Here is some more info on it.
 
It is planted in Promix Ultimate Organic mix. I use a 4ft 8 tube T5HO light setup and water it ever few days as needed. As for the PH no i have never tested it I can give that a shot and see where should my PH be at around 5.8-6.5 sound correct?
Click to expand...
Yes, that is a good PH range. Can you take a better pic of the leaf, in better lighting?
 
Stupid question probably but how would you test the PH of the actual soil? Yes I will get a pic of it when I get home to post it under normal lights to get a better shot of it.
solid7 said:
Yes, that is a good PH range. Can you take a better pic of the leaf, in better lighting?
Click to expand...
 
 
rstiv4200 said:
Stupid question probably but how would you test the PH of the actual soil? Yes I will get a pic of it when I get home to post it under normal lights to get a better shot of it.
Click to expand...
Make a 50/50 slurry mix of your potting mix and distilled water, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then take a PH reading. You'll need a minimum of 2 oz (2 Tbsp) EACH of mix and water to get a good reading.
 
I've used a small soil pH test kit from a local garden supply, but you can find them readily online too - usually containing several multi colored capsules and a small container for the test.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the tip I will try out testing the PH after work, but from what you guys can tell the plant looks like there is in fact something wrong with it?
FiresOfNil said:
I've used a small soil pH test kit from a local garden supply, but you can find them readily online too - usually containing several multi colored capsules and a small container for the test.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
 
 
It doesn't really look like your light is that close, to me. And I don't really see the purple, but I know that pics don't always do justice.
.
I actually don't see much of a problem, but if you have a concern, it's not that difficult to confirm or rule out - so long as we can see what you're seeing. A good pic with better lighting will help that a lot.
 
Makes sense to me. I will update a pic with true lighting shortly. Thanks 
solid7 said:
It doesn't really look like your light is that close, to me. And I don't really see the purple, but I know that pics don't always do justice.
.
I actually don't see much of a problem, but if you have a concern, it's not that difficult to confirm or rule out - so long as we can see what you're seeing. A good pic with better lighting will help that a lot.
Click to expand...
 
 
Likewise in the picture the plant doesnt look ~too~ unhappy but best thing would be to test the medium, in my experience as long as peppers are in medium that is acidic enough they are near indomitable.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 
You should put your lights much closer,something you can easily adjust,like a hanging chain.
 
Or just put some milk crates in there and put it on top,you lose a lot of lumens when they are that far away,because they are still tiny.
 
As for the plant it looks to me like nutrient deficiency,you can see this by the new leaves being yellow.
 
 
 
I had them closer but I raised the light up because I thought it was causing that sun burn to the plant.
Gonzo said:
You should put your lights much closer,something you can easily adjust,like a hanging chain.
 
Or just put some milk crates in there and put it on top,you lose a lot of lumens when they are that far away,because they are still tiny.
 
As for the plant it looks to me like nutrient deficiency,you can see this by the new leaves being yellow.
 
 
Click to expand...
 
 
so here are some pics of the plant in natural sunlight in my kitchen hopefully this will hopefully help you guys identify the issue thanks!
IMG_0054_zpsdumw2dwk.jpg

IMG_0055_zpstjh0pzb8.jpg

IMG_0056_zps2vvcvmtp.jpg

 
 
 
 
Yeah, I'm out. I honestly don't know what that is. I can't really weigh in too much on indoor lighting issues, because even though I have grown indoors, I haven't had this problem.
.
Just a thought, though... I wonder if it's a spectrum issue. A T5 bulb really doesn't seem likely to burn leaves.
 
Yeah it is very odd because besides the color the plants seems to be healthy from what I can tell. 
 
What do you mean by the spectrum? The color of the bulb you mean just causing it to turn that color or something.
solid7 said:
Yeah, I'm out. I honestly don't know what that is. I can't really weigh in too much on indoor lighting issues, because even though I have grown indoors, I haven't had this problem.
.
Just a thought, though... I wonder if it's a spectrum issue. A T5 bulb really doesn't seem likely to burn leaves.
Click to expand...
 
 
Are "HO" lights the ones that put off a lot of heat too? Or am I thinking of something else? MH, maybe? (Sorry, I'm not at all knowledgeable about lighting. I still use a couple of old T12 fixtures from an office ceiling) Anyway, my guess (and it's just a guess) is that it does look like sunburn. My plants' leaves will get that purple color if they're right up against my T12s for too long. I've never seen it that severe though.

Not for nothin', but you're in Jersey, right? Can't you start hardening your plants off by now? I'm just north of you in CT, and my plants (still in 1 gallon pots) have been outside 24/7 for two weeks now. Just a thought :shrug:
 
The HO is for High Output so they do run a bit hotter but honestly not very hot even putting my hand right up against the bulbs isnt too hot. Yes you are right it is getting to that point but as you know we have some wacky weather here so I am waiting till after mothers day just to be safe of any unexpected frost. 
MikeUSMC said:
Are "HO" lights the ones that put off a lot of heat too? Or am I thinking of something else? MH, maybe? (Sorry, I'm not at all knowledgeable about lighting. I still use a couple of old T12 fixtures from an office ceiling) Anyway, my guess (and it's just a guess) is that it does look like sunburn. My plants' leaves will get that purple color if they're right up against my T12s for too long. I've never seen it that severe though.

Not for nothin', but you're in Jersey, right? Can't you start hardening your plants off by now? I'm just north of you in CT, and my plants (still in 1 gallon pots) have been outside 24/7 for two weeks now. Just a thought :shrug:
Click to expand...
 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top