Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

You've been awesome!! I set up the curtain and the lights to be movable, so I'll try raising them up. At this point, got nothing to lose!

Thank you so much for your feedback and wisdom!! Will try to let you all know how it goes over the next few weeks.

This is a bit scattered but I hope it helps.

If the necrotic leaf tips of the cilantro are on the older leaves then that is a classic potassium deficiency. Cilantro is high in potassium so I would expect it to show the symptoms earlier than some of your other plants.

At the moment you have a mix of cool weather and warm weather crops which may be a bit challenging to grow together as the weather warms up. The cilantro and the lettuce are more cool weather while the beans tomatoes and peppers enjoy more heat.

Heat from the lighting could be the issue, I'm not sure in this case. Usually when you have a single point light source like the sun it wouldn't look like this. You'd get a burn or lightening on the surfaces that are angled toward the light. Your setup has light at different angles and reflected by the mylar as well so that's why I'm not certain.

The lighter new growth is a classic iron deficiency symptom and that still gets my vote. Too much light can also cause plants to have lighter leaves but I don't think that's what is going on here, I could be wrong though.

Another possible explanation for the mottling has to do with cooler water dripping on the plants from condensation within the tent. Putting a small fan in the tent to move the air around can take care of this by preventing the condensation. I used to see this sort of thing in a small greenhouse where water would condense on the ceiling at night and then drip down on the plants. You wouldn't see the condensation on the ceiling during the day, only at night.

FWIW iron and potassium are probably the most common deficiencies in AP which makes me think some of the issues are with these, even though you are already adding them.

Thanks for the input, scotty435! I agree, there is a lot going on here. Potassium was definitely a problem based on testing (and I've been adding this over the last few weeks), and adding it seems to have helped some of the plants. Iron was very likely also deficient because I was adding without really calculating the resultant concentration - at best it might have been 0.2 ppm, and I have seen recommendations from 0.5 to as high as 4 ppm. I'll be probably shooting to keep the iron around 1ppm for the next few weeks, and see how the plants respond. I need to buy a test for it...

Condensation DOES occur, at night, and I notice it in the morning. I have thought about opening the curtains at night since the lights are off then. Some of the plants have their yellowest leaves nearest the lighting. After reviewing heat stress pics, I think that might be contributing as well, as several of the pictures match quite well with what I've seen.

I'd call this a hot mess, but at least everything is still alive and growing. I have a new (and first) batch of seedlings in the DWC now, so we'll see how they do. I think right now the biggest threat to my system is ME - now that I've started making adjustments, I need to sit back and see how things react before making more changes. A previous recommendation for foliar spray is definitely under consideration - or rather, just waiting for me to buy another sprayer (which I managed to FORGET the last time I went to the store). At least then I can see some relatively instantaneous responses, if any are to be had.

Thanks!!

Google guttation & root pressure.That could explain the lettuce 20200124_190116.jpg & cilantro tip burn.(I think it's lettuce)


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