sc001 said:
. I use a vegtable and heb mix soil i bought from bunnings
. i feel up water spray with filtered pura tab water
. How do i check the PPM or its source?
im actually a beginner so trying to learn as much as i can from mistakes. i have a feeling maybe i was watering too much. i was giving it 5-6 sprays about 5-6 times a day keeping the soil moist, as the air can get very dry due to the reverse cycle air con, the top soil can dry out in few hours
i have collected the leaves since they were all dying and getting wors so at least the leaves dont go to waste,dont know if it was right or wrong thing to do just seemed logical. here is the photo of the pot.
The ppm/tds is parts per million/total dissolved solids in your water - check amazon.com for the ppm pen below - it's the most reliable for the cheapest one - plus you might pick up tds solution to keep the pen calibrated/ it's made by hm digital.
Depending on what your soil ph is you can raise it with lime - Calcium Hydroxide or lower it with apple cider vinegar so you might want to invest in just some little cheap ph strips even the paper ones will do. Ppm/tds ph & soil aeration are very important if you want excellent growth. You want your ph to be between 5.5 - 6.5 for best growth in soil. ppm of the water before you water your soil should be no higher than say - 300 ppm/tds. because the soil will add ppm total dissolved solids substantially to the watering. Cannabis plants takes high ppm nearing the end of their growth cycle most organic- landrace strains only need about 1000 ppm before they start to burn the leaves and slow growth. The more hybrid they get most of the time the more ppms they can take up to around 3000 ppm or more - also it depends on the size and age of the plants your growing. :thumb_up: Sorry i don't want to make this into a science project for you. If it ends up being your water just start boiling it and let it cool to room temp before you water.
It looks like the roots are probably not getting enough aeration you might need a little perlite or vermiculite in your soil mixture (coco coir works very good too)/ or you can get one of those breathable smart pots and use straight soil.
What you can do is get a pen or something long and skinny and stick it about 6-10 inches in the soil and pull it out to see if the lower roots are getting any moisture. You want to let the soil almost dry out but make sure you stick something in the soil to check for moisture - when it's dry or has barely any moisture you know when to water again.
You can spray the actual plant to make sure the leaves don't dry out so much but not the soil just make sure the lower roots that are taking up the water and nutrients have moisture.
Another thing you can do is to make a more aerated soil mixture with coco coir or perlite/vermiculite etc. and take a cutting off the plant near the bottom, stick it in a homeade hydro bubbler or rockwool cubes/coco coir works excellent for this as well - root gel will help but is not necessary unless the cutting is like woody and make more and more plants that you can keep taking cuttings from to get more practice.
Calea seems like the perfect indoor hydroponic specimen requiring very little fertilization and care it waters your plants and aerates it non-stop - you might also want to look into Advanced nutrients new - ph perfect - grow-micro-bloom 1Liter nutrients there about $35 free shipping from hydrosource.com that way you don't have to worry about ph and only tds but once you get the feedings figured out you won't even have to worry about ph nor tds measuring.
My conclusion to the problem is that your soil is over fertilizing the calea or your overwatering.
Hydro may be more expensive in the forefront but once you get the hang of it as easy as cooking scrambled eggs :lol:
Ime Deep water culture is the easiest hydro system and cheapest to build
[YOUTUBE]
Calea Zacatechichi is an easy to grow entheogen from Oaxaca Mexico which is reported to enhance dreams.
Calea Zacatechichi is actually classified as a weed in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. It is possibly the easiest ethnobotanical to cultivate. Starting from a four inch clone, growers have found it can reach almost a foot in one week. One professional grower considers this plant to be “as bullet proof as they come.”
Preferred Soil
Almost any soil will do, from clay to sand. Calea actually seems to prefer poorly conditioned soils better than straight potting soil. At least a 50/50 mix of potting soil and potting mix should be used. Straight potting mix or even soil directly dug from a backyard will maintain a rooted cutting very well. Too rich of a mixture will show signs similar to over fertilizing and may cause more water retention than necessary.
The soil can become quite dry before a Calea plant shows any signs of wilt. As an experiment, one grower left an oversized calea in an undersized pot on top of a hot car hood in 90 degree weather and direct sun. While the car’s hood was too hot to touch, the Calea plant never wilted. However, extremely long draught conditions could indeed cause leaf wilt, beginning with the lower leaves. Some growers do report Calea deaths from frequent periods of over watering.
Light Conditions
Calea tolerates practically all light conditions from full shade to full sun. A plant exposed to full sun after being acclimated to full shade will hardly show signs of stress. If visible, it will occur in the growth tips, which turn a slight red/purple along the very edge of the leaf. The more sun it receives, the faster and bushier the growth will be.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Caring for Scented Geraniums
Using and Growing Herbs in the Organic Garden
Canna Species - A Grower´s Guide
Nutrients and Fertilizing
Calea is not a fan of lots of fertilizer. Growing in the wild, it is a weed that will grow in places that other vegetation cannot. Even rich potting soils that come with a slight amount of fertilizer contain as much as the plant needs for some time. Properly fertilized Calea with appropriate light will have leaves that are as wide as they are long with larger features, such as a wavy outline. Browning of the lower leaves is not an issue. This is just indicative of nutrients moving from lower leaves to new growth. Even well-fertilized Caleas show these signs.
Pests and Problems
Calea has surprisingly little attraction for pests. One professional grower who has been cultivating Calea in the southern United States for many years has never found an infestation, claiming, “Not even the grasshoppers will touch that plant around here.” Another grower did find evidence of an aphid outbreak. However, this was more due to the ants which farm aphids on any nearby plant species available.
A young or recently transplanted clone may develop some undercurl to the leaves from the tip back to the node. This will correct itself if left alone, often in as little as one day.
Propagating Calea
Calea is easy to root in water. In fact, growers report 100 percent survivability with tap water. Roots form in as little as one week. Rooting hormones are unnecessary, and transplant shock is minimal to absent when potting cuttings into soil. Seeds have a minimal germination rate and should be fresh for best results. A variety of approaches to germination have been tried with no particular method being more successful than another. However, methods that employ a lot of moisture (wet paper towels, humidity dome) seem to have slightly less success overall.
Even for those interested in plants who have no experience will find Calea Zacatechichi an easy to grow entheogen and an unusual houseplant.
