Damn, damn, damn, I should know better. Another lesson re-learned!
I have been struggling with a calcium deficiency for a week now, a bad one.
Checked the nutes, they were in range.
Checked the pH, always surfing 5.2-6.5
Looks like calcium is available at pH of 6.2 so I thought the pH was fine.
Made some adjustments here and there but nothing helped.
Low and behold my pH pen was reading 0.6pH high. So when I never let it get above 6.5 I was really only letting it get to 5.9, hence calcium never became available. I could kick myself as the last I calibrated it was 2 months ago. From now on I will put it in some cal solution at every weekly Res change. I didnt have any TDS standard so I bought that today. Also picked out a new continuous pH/TDS monitor. It will save me having to do all of those manual measurements every time I tweak the chemistry. For $73 it is worth not having to bend over so much.
Here is what she looked like yesterday:
Anyway, I fixed the pH last night and overnight she perked back up nice and is again reaching for the moon. I thought she was a gonner but … Underneath the canopy surface the leaves are nice and green. The flowers have not died, not growing much but still alive. My hand gets stinky, and a little sticky, with that good Sens smell when I move the branches around. The calyxes have just started forming. I sniped a small bud and stuck it in my pipe, I felt it, nowhere near ready yet, but I felt it enough to know that I am not wasting my time.
So, steady as she goes…
Starting my next hydro build now. Going to do 2 buckets in the next grow.