From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Central NY

And then what's your ph swing pre and post nutrient mixing?..are u adjusting to?...i remember u saying once what your mix rate was w the plant marvel, and thought it was high. The plant looks stunted to me,,,like too hot(strong), too wet , or a ph swing stunted them...easy to do when soil zinc is high. Just guessing here man ...there sandy soil you think you could just flush the root ball at this stage and get it to grow out of it...I'll keep watching...I never count you out.

5/24/2026 8:53:38 AM

Topsfield, MA

I just took a PH reading with the stuff I was giving them, PH with just the water is 7.1. Once I mix some fish and seaweed, humic, fulvic, a little bit of terragrow biological, I get a PH of 5.1. My PPM is 650 but that includes around 250 PPM of just regular water so with the stuff I added its about 400 PPM

[Last edit: 05/24/26 10:15:54 AM]

5/24/2026 10:15:34 AM

Central NY

Do you adjust the ph?...swinging low with already high levels of zinc is just gonna make it worse IF that's the problem...strength of mix is fine. I wonder if you had a bigger hole of "new " soil ...if that could get a plant a stronger start so you didn't have such young roots hitting the high zinc...again...just guessing..could just be over watering.

5/24/2026 10:31:01 AM

Topsfield, MA

I do not. I never have actually and have never had a problem except for the last two years now. I really feel like you may be onto something with that high zinc. That may very well be a large contributing factor but I don't know how it would've gotten so high from year to year.. When I took my test last year where my other plants were, it was a whopping 8.9 zinc reading so that is really interesting to me.

[Last edit: 05/24/26 10:40:24 AM]

5/24/2026 10:40:02 AM

Grittyville, WA

My tomato patch tested at 50ppm of zinc and nothing turned light yellow, granted it might be causing issues. It's a worthy theory.

A sandy soil high in organics might be susceptible to many things, but I'm going to double down on adding ammonium sulfate for now.

Odd theory here, but is there any scenario where humic/fulvic actually exacerbate a deficiency? I think fulvic is what is lowering your ph of your water. Might try less, so that the ph when you are watering is about the optimal 6.5. At a ph of 5 ish it could alter the nutrient availability and the soil biology. But your soil has some lime in it, so you'd really have to water a lot and frequently to acidify the soil as it should be counteracted by the lime?

5/24/2026 11:12:47 AM

Topsfield, MA

That is a very interesting theory. I have not heard of anything like that before but I suppose it is possible as I have been using a little bit of humic, fulvic. It does seem like that is lowering my PH down 2 because I don't think anything else would lower it like the fish and seaweed and biologicals. I have checked my soil moisture because I thought maybe it was too wet and the moisture was literally perfect. Every time I feel like I am getting close to a theory I hit a wall but I feel like the zinc may have something to do with this. A tissue test will be interesting. I will get it out on Tuesday after Memorial Day

5/24/2026 1:28:57 PM

Australia [email protected]

Wouldn't worry about the zinc looks like you need to get some nitrogen into them and some boron so they can use some of that calcium you. Got there a quick. Couple of foliar sprays and you'll see a difference

5/24/2026 11:08:59 PM

Central NY

Henry amended the nitrogen...should be plenty for a little plant... no?...soil temp 77-80?... are the cables too hot? It's something stupid... I guarantee it.

5/25/2026 6:08:54 AM