Milky way F1 Auto (First grow)

new leaf growth slowly stops in flower. this is normal. removing leaves can actually delay this and is generally not a net-positive and should be avoided. Never remove a leaf without a good reason to do so. Removing leaves does not allow a plant to focus on anything else. removing leaves will just cause a feedback loop to grow more leaves, if not deep into flower phase when vegetative growth (leaf growth and stem elongation = 'vege' growth) stops. I don't think this is a toxicity. You have some deficiency symptoms and the plant is generally on pale side as opposed to lush (darker). The node spacing at the top may hint at too much light, albeit not an extreme excess, which eventually can cause extended droop in the plant. Other things to cross-reference to support or rule this out: Did they start by getting droopy at end of day and progressively get worse? Are fan leaves originating from a very short length of stem near top? chlorosis will start at teh top too, but you also have something else causing interveinal chorosis (nute related most likely) elsewhere on the plant which makes it more difficult to assess. read up on Daily Light Integral. If providing more than 35-40 dli, reduce it. even if giving "40" try a 10% reduction and see if they get perkier. Extended periods of too much light provided can take a week or more to recover. If this is soil, you want to ph-balance lower to get it near 6.5-6.8. 7.1 would not cause these problems, though. Citric acid is fine. Drift is more a cause of lack of buffering / amendments in soil than which acid or base you use to balance it out. "Active transplort" that roots engage in can also cause a shift in pH. vertical growth will cease about 30 days after the plant goes into flower. For an autoflower, you'd have to make an educated guess as to when this occurred. When you see preflowers, it probably went into bloom phase 5-10 days prior to seeing them -- depends on when your eagle eyes notice it. if you insist on defoliation, be very careful not to remove too much at that point... it won't grow back. Leaves are more than solar panels, which alone is enough reason not to remove them. They store components for biological processes. They intake co2, which is most likely your limiting factor as far as yield is concerned. So, removing leaves is a hug negative that is highly unlikely to be overcome by whatever perceived benefit the "mob" says you gain by removing them. just because so many don't understand the basics of watering... 1) fully saturate 2) allow appropriate dryback for your medium and repeat. If superficially irrigating or providing some volume of water of your choosing that does not fully saturate, this could be contributing to droop and even nutrient imbalances in rootzone. if this is soilless, you must also get 10% runoff, religiously. this avoids buildup in substrate and ensures any imbalance caused by 'active transport' is mitigated and rest to your expected fertilizer formula - or thereabouts... it won't be the exact formula that results. the key is that it doesn't build up or reduce... consistently providing similar ratio and concentration of nutrients around roots is the goal in soiless/hydro.

It sounds like your plant could indeed be experiencing signs of nutrient lockout, especially given the runoff pH of 7.1, which is quite high for most nutrient uptake, particularly in soilless or coco setups where optimal pH is 5.8–6.2. Here are some key considerations: --- Possible Nutrient Lockout Causes 1. pH Too High (7.1) At this level, nutrients like phosphorus, iron, and manganese become less available. Can lead to slowed growth, pale leaves, and general stalling. 2. Citric Acid as pH Down Citric acid can work short-term, but it's not stable in the medium over time and may cause pH to rebound. It can also encourage microbial growth that alters the root zone environment. 3. Recent Defoliation Stress (Day 40) Heavy defoliation close to flowering can cause temporary growth slowdown. If the plant was already stressed, it could compound the issue. 4. No Vertical Growth or Leaf Production (Day 41) If growth has completely halted, that’s often a red flag for either: Nutrient lockout Root zone issues (e.g., pH, salt buildup, overwatering) --- Recommended Next Steps 1. Flush with Properly pH’d Water Use water pH’d to 5.8–6.0. Ideally, use a stable pH down like phosphoric acid instead of citric acid. Run enough water through the medium to get 20–30% runoff and test the new runoff pH. 2. Check EC/PPM of Runoff If EC is high, you may have salt buildup which contributes to lockout. A mild flush can help reduce this. 3. Resume Feeding at Correct pH Once the pH is corrected, resume your normal feed, but start light. Make sure nutrient solution is also around 5.8–6.0. 4. Watch for Recovery Signs New growth (even small leaf tips or vertical stretch) within 2–5 days is a good sign. If no signs after a week, reassess root health and potential root-bound condition

The initial addition of say, citric acid, will drop the pH – generating citrate ions in the process these will then be absorbed by microbes and plants, increasing the pH again rapidly. Good but not ideal. Had a peek at diary and I will do my best to give you a idea of what I think is going on based on what I see. I'm not always correct so take what you will with a pinch of salt. Your ph was last week up at 7.7, now it sits.7.0 which is fine ok, ph can tell alot of what the medium is composed of. Closer you are to ph of 7 the higher saturation level of the big 3 cations. What are the big 3 cations? Potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg2+), and calcium (Ca2+). At ph 7.0 100% base saturation. Do not add anymore Ca Mg or K. Your massive spike to 7.7 tells me you just keep filling the soil with more and more cations, you do not need. Either that a response from the citric acid. As a cannabis plant grows the medium naturally acidifiys as reactions happen, over time ph will slide down once it gets to around 6.2 I'll reapply more cal mag boosting back to 6.8 or thereabouts. Soon as you go over ph of 7 micronutrient uptake will begin to be effected , lime greening occurs alongside with whatever nutrients were already beginning to run low, this can present as multiple symptoms, if the plumbing is messed up nothing moves. I dont see any dmg to the leaf tips from osmosis so your mediums salt content (ec) is still in a decent range, this is more a excess causing a disruption of the ratio. The three primary plant nutrient cations, potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg2+), and calcium (Ca2+), can exhibit antagonistic effects on each other, meaning that an excess of one can negatively impact the uptake or availability of the others. This competition arises because they share similar transport pathways and binding sites within the plant. Plant is drooping, means water is not moving like it should, your running 81f and 45% not optimal for vpd but perfect for encouraging gas exchange, Potassium is a key player in maintaining proper turgor pressure, which is vital for various plant processes, including growth, water regulation, and stress tolerance. Possible the drooping is from a antagonistic effect of calcium and magnesium disrupting pottasium from uptaking at all. Potassium, calcium, and magnesium are all positively charged ions (cations), and they share similar transport pathways in plant cells. High concentrations of Ca and Mg can compete with K for binding sites on these transport proteins, reducing the overall uptake of K. Hope that helps with your understanding of the problems you see. 🙂 best of luck with your wee plants. 6.2 -6.8 ph 0.3-1.8 ec If you control both of these, and you understand the water cycle, then you know 100% what you see is symptomatic of a deficiency or toxicity of nutrients. Either through actual deficiency or a breakdown in the SPAC waterworks. The Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC) refers to the continuous pathway through which water moves from soil to plants and eventually to the atmosphere. It's a crucial concept in understanding plant physiology, hydrology, and agriculture. Gluck