AMS Zinc def-New nodes don't open

[manout]

Hello to everybody , it is my first post in here. Straight into the topic, I am growing from seed an a.m.s. strain, organically in soil. It was vegetated under 250w mh for 4 weeks 17/7. Now it's 2,5 weeks in flowering under 400w hps.

I have high ph due to the higher than normal amount of compost used in the mix, never measured my soil ph actually, I only adjust my watering with vinegar at ph 7.

Since transplanting and inducing 12/12 flowering, the plant showed fast zinc deficiency (with upper leaves yellowing inside towards outside), maybe Iron too, which is normal for them to occur together due to high ph.

I foliar fed at second week with a mild dose of chemical fertilizer, GH flora nova bloom, and the yellowing started to dissapear, almost completely now! But unfortunately, new nodes refuse to open, especially the top shoot, and the leaves stay tight closed. The overall growth is  good, within the numbers given in tha ams grow video by greenhouse ( height 54 cm) but the side branches are thin and elongated with no bud development, except one branch which is as thick as the main stem.

Temps 33 Celsius day, 24 C night, 45-60% humidity.

I am really concern about the new nodes and i wonder If they stay closed forever with no bud development finally. Maybe the foliar shocked the plant? Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

[SukonmiSkunk]

when you water at ph7.0 how much run off comes out.. and what does that measure?

id say.. its PH .. if your soil is too high.. and youre watering with 7.0 .. then its still too high, it needs to be around 6.0 -6.5 or there abouts

[manout]

Thank you for your reply.When I water I do not actually have a run off,  compost holds a lot of water so I have to water above normal to have a runoff, which could cause mold. But measuring the run off ph isn't a safe method, especially with my color ph tester.You are right, it's the soil ph. I have just seen that finally the top shoots have started to open slowly. I will try to water with 6.5 and I will update whatever happens, in order to provide useful information.

[manout]

4th week of flowering and problems continue,I watered once with molasses, but in every watering leaves curl up like crazy without having any heat issue. Flowering hasn't even started at every top-shoot of every branch, including the main top shoot. BUT the lower buds under the tops have some development, especially on two branches.. What should I do? The plant looks like it's going to have zero yield from the top shoots of every stem which were those who affected most from zinc defficiency two weeks ago, and it seems that leaves heavily bounced tight together at every top shoot blocks the buds' development. I was thinking of pruning every top shoot for the plant to give energy to the lower-healthy buds but that would kill a plant in 4th week of flowering,wouldn't it? Also fertilizing does not seem a solution because of the already heavily copmosted mix. Very difficult situation...Thanks for your help

[SukonmiSkunk]

soulds like you need to repot it in some better PH adjusted soil...

you can add dolomite lime to your compost to help bring the PH down then repot the plant in some new soil

im not as sure with soil as i am with hydroponics.. but you might be able to add dolomite lime to the water and water that through to drop the ph..

some one with more knowledge on soil might be able to give a better answer...