No Smell

[digger]

Hello all, I could use a little help trying to get the smell back in my plants. This season I committed to running all dry salts in coco under all LED. I use an alternating combination of vegbloom, yara calcium nitrate, potassium sulfate, masterblend 4-18-38, magnesium sulfate, MKP, shine, potassium silicate and the only liquid is calimagic. I experiment with various profiles and then run it through hydrobuddy and it works its magic. Overall, my plants look pretty good, actually best looking crop in a while. But I've noticed lately there's hardly any aroma in flower or in my veg plants, and what I really dont understand is the frost is pouring on and the stems are even sticky, but theres hardly any smell. No, I dont have Covid19, I can smell and taste other shit, just not my plants. I'm new to LED lighting and making my own nutrient combinations. Is it true too intense of LED lighting can affect the smell? Even if the leaf temps arent high, currently around 74F average. Below are the last 10 feeds, they usually get 600ml 1x a day, hand watered about the same time. Temps average 77F/55RH, day 26 flower.

I'll go from todays upcoming feed and work backwards:

178N-80P-350K-168Ca-75Mg-102S-5Fe-4Si (Didnt feed yet, will have pH and eC after)
No solution
175N-75P-250K-175Ca-80Mg-120S-5Fe-2Si (This was actually the target numbers, I missed writing down the actual, but it was similar) (6.33pH - 2.1eC)
epsom salt watering trying to get some aroma (6.2pH - 0.9 eC)
plain water
no solution
190N-70P-300K-200Ca-65Mg-82S (6.31pH - 2.5eC)
103N-49P-156K-158Ca-55Mg-60S (6.3pH - 2.0 eC)
210N-65P-260K-300Ca-60Mg-30S (6.33pH - 3.55 eC)
152.5N- 64P-275K-172Ca-61Mg-99S (6.41pH - 2.9 eC)
135N-65P-300K-150Ca-50Mg-124S (6.43pH - 2.2 eC)
Didnt take notes but they were fed
103N-60P-300K-126Ca-30Mg-141S (6.4pH - 2.3 eC)
31.5N-62P-249K-270Ca-4Mg-210S (6.1pH - 1.1 eC) This one is lower because I thought I was noticing a N toxicity starting to show, but I should have left it, because shortly after the started to yellow some.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. My thoughts are the magnesium and sulfur have been low and inconsistent.

 

[Boo]

all joking aside, you sound like you have made your grow waaaay too complicated...I'd go nuts trying to keep numbers like that in my head while trying to grow...

 

[bubblefunk]

all joking aside, you sound like you have made your grow waaaay too complicated...I'd go nuts trying to keep numbers like that in my head while trying to grow...

This.

Before I got through the first paragraph I had to stop and scratch my aching head lol mad props for the skill required to do this, but like Boo said it's way to complicated for me. I always follow K.I.S.S and it's never failed me in over 20 years.

I'm not sure about LED causing lack of smell, and with your low leaf temps it just doesn't add up. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, but like I said, I've got nothing but respect! Best of luck!!!

 

[Variety]

Digger what day are you on? Let’s see some pics, if the plants are happy I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[UniGrower]

It's certainly N.O.T. because of the LED lighting cause I am on week # 5 on my Black Lime Reserve / Pre98Bubba Ku$h & snipped a end budlet & Oh my the smell is wonderful & gooey & only half way there makes me think will have to turn up the scrubber another notch & I am really impressed with this strain so maybe just the genetics that don't stink that much … All using is simple Jack Peters ferts & a douse of Cal-Mag and all looks good ..

 

[guerilla1277]

A couple folks said they were having good results with some added sulpomag or langbeinite to improve aroma.

 

[digger]

No pics, it didnt happen

Thanks for the replies. Here are some current pictures. They look decent with a few hiccups, but the smell isnt hitting like it should. Those numbers are the same numbers you'll get if you took a look at your ingredients did the math on your bottles or dry blends like vegbloom. I dont use all of the things I listed with each feeding. Most of the time it's the calcium nitrate, potassium sulfate and calimagic or a powdered calmag and then I alternate with all the other shit. I have a lot of numbers because I'm trying to get better, much much better. But yes, I agree the grow has gotten kinda complicated, lmao!!

I'm at day 26, I'll take better pictures this weekend. Currently trying to decide if I should defoliate again.

 

[digger]

Some of that smell would depend on the variety one is growing , no?

So from cuts it's Wedding Cake, SSDD, Babu, Triangle Kush and from seed Celtic Stone and Strawberry Creme F9. They all had aroma in the beginning, I think I let the Mg and S get too low. I'm currently doing a flush with calimagic and epsom salt and the numbers look good. Will get back to feeding either tonight or maybe tomorrow. If they droop too much from the flush I'll leave them be tonight.

It's certainly N.O.T. because of the LED lighting cause I am on week # 5 on my Black Lime Reserve / Pre98Bubba Ku$h & snipped a end budlet & Oh my the smell is wonderful & gooey & only half way there makes me think will have to turn up the scrubber another notch & I am really impressed with this strain so maybe just the genetics that don't stink that much … All using is simple Jack Peters ferts & a douse of Cal-Mag and all looks good ..

Didnt think it was the light either, but I'm new to LED and wanted to run that theory past to see if that might be it. Whats has me tripping is the plants are sticky, even the stems.

A couple folks said they were having good results with some added sulpomag or langbeinite to improve aroma.

Thanks Guerilla! I think bumping my sulfur and magnesium will help too!

 

[Variety]

Ya I don’t know digger they are upset about something withthe coppering on some leaves. I’m not good at diagnosing and treating deficiency’s. I know my nute program will grow just about every strain so when I run into problems it’s usually a environmental condition or a disease or pest.

And by the way do not defoliate again.

 

[digger]

Ya I don’t know digger they are upset about something withthe coppering on some leaves. I’m not good at diagnosing and treating deficiency’s. I know my nute program will grow just about every strain so when I run into problems it’s usually a environmental condition or a disease or pest.

And by the way do not defoliate again.

I think it's a micro nute deficiency. It isnt getting worse since I've made sure to use a product with micronutes in it with each feed like the masterblend or vegbloom. I dont have separate micro's yet. I'm trying to get my program up and running, LOL! And thanks on the defoliate guidance. I did it early, around day 12 and I pick a few leaves here and there that are blocking bud sites. Next batch that goes into flower, I'll stick to the day 21 and 42 rule I'll seen others do.

 

[Dawn Patrol]

I think you're expecting too much from day 26 as far as smell goes to be honest. Maybe I'm noseblind after 9 months straight without a break, but I rarely notice the plants aroma until day 50 and after.

Raw salts are more complicated but as you know they can be amazingly versatile through all phases of the grow.

The first thing that strikes me is you're all over the place with your ratios. I think you really need to pick something and stay pretty close to those numbers with slight changes as you move through flower.

I've been flowering with great success under the blazing sun at:

150N 108P 225K 100Ca 25Mg 98S 2.4Fe .3Zn 1B 2Mn .2Cu .1Mo 16.3 Si EC=1.7

Put your inputs into hydrobuddy with this profile and see what you come up with, it should be pretty close.

Since I run a perpetual harvest, I can't really change this ratio as the plants move through flower. If I was running a crop like you are, I would run my veg mix (205 36 190 250 40 98 (micros same as above) EC=1.9-2.0) through week two of flower and then change to the flower ratio slowly raising K and dropping Ca through the end of the grow. And honestly I think my P# is still too high.

But mainly I think you need to stabilize your ratio and get a fix on what that does and change up on subsequent grows. That's what I figured out last year after I burned the hell out of a lot of plants - and not the kind of burning we grow them for either.....

 

[Cartman]

Thanks Guerilla! I think bumping my sulfur and magnesium will help too!

You might be onto something there bro... so this is what we were talking about the other day eh?
Hard to believe it's every plant because I see a good mix of strains.. No nothing to do with LED lights or your new panels.. I run one and my plants stink pretty good. Is your sniffer broken..?
Allergies maybe... hehe. I know u know how to grow, sampled it and very nice brother... your really early into flowering, I do see some deficiencies off to the left of the last photo.. not easy dialing in so many diff strains.. Ask the wife to sniff em.. lol

have u tried pinching them a little, smell your fingers.. don't sweat it to much, u have plenty of time to make em happier.. O.D.

 

[2broke2smoke]

when using raw salts water quality is important. I have different formulas for different water. my well water is quite hard and hydrobuddy has me using almost no mag sulfate and no iron at all, but my ro formulation has me using just short of 270 grams mag sulfate and 21 grams iron for a 5 gallon stock solution. Are you using the water quality function in hydrobuddy?:D


2b2s

 

[CBGB]

I think they are just early in flower if they are sticky to the touch they will be stinky to the nose. At least with that killer line up you have. So I'd just keep on working with your system dialing those numbers. Some people keep it simple and other approach it like a scientist. Im a keep it simple person I have a buddy whos a scientest. We both grow great herb lots of ways to skin a cat. But i would definitely get that sulfur ppm up.

 

[digger]

I think you're expecting too much from day 26 as far as smell goes to be honest. Maybe I'm noseblind after 9 months straight without a break, but I rarely notice the plants aroma until day 50 and after.

Raw salts are more complicated but as you know they can be amazingly versatile through all phases of the grow.

The first thing that strikes me is you're all over the place with your ratios. I think you really need to pick something and stay pretty close to those numbers with slight changes as you move through flower.

I've been flowering with great success under the blazing sun at:

150N 108P 225K 100Ca 25Mg 98S 2.4Fe .3Zn 1B 2Mn .2Cu .1Mo 16.3 Si EC=1.7

Put your inputs into hydrobuddy with this profile and see what you come up with, it should be pretty close.

Since I run a perpetual harvest, I can't really change this ratio as the plants move through flower. If I was running a crop like you are, I would run my veg mix (205 36 190 250 40 98 (micros same as above) EC=1.9-2.0) through week two of flower and then change to the flower ratio slowly raising K and dropping Ca through the end of the grow. And honestly I think my P# is still too high.

But mainly I think you need to stabilize your ratio and get a fix on what that does and change up on subsequent grows. That's what I figured out last year after I burned the hell out of a lot of plants - and not the kind of burning we grow them for either.....

Thanks! I'm confused because the cuts stank when I got them, now not so much, but I may be becoming nose blind. My numbers are all over the place because I'm still learning how to correct deficiencies and not over fertilize. First I got rid of purple streaks and petioles, then they came back, so I had to find out what was causing it. Then the leaves started to curl like too much N, and I cut that back, but then they stretched some more and the tops yellowed some, so I was chasing that. The numbers will fall in line once I get a better understanding of whats going on. I do need a STEM though, the Fe I use might be 10 years old. LOL

Thanks Guerilla! I think bumping my sulfur and magnesium will help too!

You might be onto something there bro... so this is what we were talking about the other day eh?
Hard to believe it's every plant because I see a good mix of strains.. No nothing to do with LED lights or your new panels.. I run one and my plants stink pretty good. Is your sniffer broken..?
Allergies maybe... hehe. I know u know how to grow, sampled it and very nice brother... your really early into flowering, I do see some deficiencies off to the left of the last photo.. not easy dialing in so many diff strains.. Ask the wife to sniff em.. lol

have u tried pinching them a little, smell your fingers.. don't sweat it to much, u have plenty of time to make em happier.. O.D.

Yeah, I've pinched a couple of small buds off and the smell isnt prevalent. Everything smelled better in veg. Yes, I have a few days left to make them happy, about 26-30 more before its time to cut all nutes and let them coast into senescence.

when using raw salts water quality is important. I have different formulas for different water. my well water is quite hard and hydrobuddy has me using almost no mag sulfate and no iron at all, but my ro formulation has me using just short of 270 grams mag sulfate and 21 grams iron for a 5 gallon stock solution. Are you using the water quality function in hydrobuddy?:D
2b2s

Thanks for the tip 2b2s! No I'm not because I use RO water, I'll check it out shortly and see what changes get made. I'm going to have a water test done after I finish this plumbing project, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks before the next group goes into flower.

I think they are just early in flower if they are sticky to the touch they will be stinky to the nose. At least with that killer line up you have. So I'd just keep on working with your system dialing those numbers. Some people keep it simple and other approach it like a scientist. Im a keep it simple person I have a buddy whos a scientest. We both grow great herb lots of ways to skin a cat. But i would definitely get that sulfur ppm up.

Cool! Thanks! I hope to turn things around in the next week or two. Just concentrate on getting them as close to 100% as I can.

 

[Dawn Patrol]

Thanks! I'm confused because the cuts stank when I got them, now not so much, but I may be becoming nose blind. My numbers are all over the place because I'm still learning how to correct deficiencies and not over fertilize. First I got rid of purple streaks and petioles, then they came back, so I had to find out what was causing it. Then the leaves started to curl like too much N, and I cut that back, but then they stretched some more and the tops yellowed some, so I was chasing that. The numbers will fall in line once I get a better understanding of whats going on. I do need a STEM though, the Fe I use might be 10 years old. LOL

Sometimes I find that cuts coming from a hydro grow into my soiless mix will not be happy with anything for almost an entire cycle and then they will eventually get used to the new medium and feed and be OK. I played this game last year chasing deficiencies and trying to "steer the boat" too much. Not every strain was happy with how I fed it this year, but 95% of them were, and with all the different strains I ran, I'd say that's not bad. Maybe try to keep new cuts in veg for a couple months before you try to flower them out?

Yeah, I've pinched a couple of small buds off and the smell isnt prevalent. Everything smelled better in veg. Yes, I have a few days left to make them happy, about 26-30 more before its time to cut all nutes and let them coast into senescence.

This year I've been feeding right up to harvest. The plants seem healthier at harvest, flowers are beautiful and I can't tell any difference in the end product. It's not like at the end they are bright green, there are still fading leaves just not as much as when I was flushing. I know there are those that say they can taste it if they don't flush, but I can't and nobody else has complained about it either.

As Slownickel pointed out, there is no other crop in the world that uses a Cal/Mag supplement or gets "flushed" before harvest.



Thanks for the tip 2b2s! No I'm not because I use RO water, I'll check it out shortly and see what changes get made. I'm going to have a water test done after I finish this plumbing project, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks before the next group goes into flower.

If you have good RO water, there's no need to test it. Tap or well water, testing is a must. Out of the well my water is 70 ppm (very clean) but has significant Sodium, Chloride and Sulfur content. By comparison my tap water from the city is almost 300 ppm and my pool is 800-1200 ppm.

As 2B2S pointed out, there is a source water tab in Hydrobuddy where you can input your water test results and it will offset in the final calculation. If you're going to continue using RO ignore this, but I thought for others trying to learn here it was pertinent to clarify this a bit.

 

[Cartman]

Don't over think it to much digger... long as they look healthy and are growing fine, let em grow..

Hopefully they will come back around. strange it's all of them, still think your nose is broke... lol

 

[digger]

If you have good RO water, there's no need to test it. Tap or well water, testing is a must. Out of the well my water is 70 ppm (very clean) but has significant Sodium, Chloride and Sulfur content. By comparison my tap water from the city is almost 300 ppm and my pool is 800-1200 ppm.

As 2B2S pointed out, there is a source water tab in Hydrobuddy where you can input your water test results and it will offset in the final calculation. If you're going to continue using RO ignore this, but I thought for others trying to learn here it was pertinent to clarify this a bit.

Thanks for all the tips DP! I'm considering taking cuts from the plants in veg and flower the moms. I was unclear when I answered 2b2s, I use RO water now, but I'm trying to get away from that. There's a lot of waste water and I dont always have a use for it. I can only fill up the washing machine so many times. I have to replace the main shut off valve to the house and when I fix that I'm going to add 3 big blue filters, 2 sediment and a carbon block, and then get the tap water tested. My RO is at 20 ppm but I havent changed the filters in a few years. I'll get it back down to zero after I finish the other things. Once I get the tap numbers, I'll put those in hydrobuddy

 

[digger]

Slownickel has a point, however, no other crop gets smoked and processed like herb and no other crop I believe can generate as much $$ per square foot either. And I dont smoke cigarettes so tobacco doesnt count. LOL! But something makes a difference in the end product, to each his own, but for now I'll not necessarily flush byt giving excess water, but cut nutrients at different intervals until I find a good cut off point.

 

[NocturnalG]

Bat guano and wormcastings gives the best flavors . Maybe it is tea time.