Back Garden Tropical Grow

[RedFarang]

DAY 24 - Preparing to plant out

Since last time I did not have any drama. The remaining plant appear to be vigorous. It now is about 6 inches and has three internodes. One guide (howtogrowmarihuana.com) suggest planting it out when «three or four internodes». However, the small temporary pot I am using is transparent, and I can still not see the roots. I am worried damaging the roots when transferring it. Perhaps it is a better idea waiting until I can see the roots through the transparent plastic?

I have bought a new plastic pot about 15 inches in diameter, and new soil, which is more porous than the local soil I used for the seedling. I have also bought fertilizer of the brand «Australia», which is recommended for healthy flower growth. I am not able to read the declaration, but according to my wife, it states it contains nutrients for all-round garden use (vegetables, fruit-trees, and flowers).

0.1 kg for one plant, it says.

Here is my grand master plan:

1. I will plant out the seedling when I see roots through the transparent, temporary pot.
2. Dig a hole in the garden soil that will fit the pot
3. Add a bottom layer with gravel for good drainage in the new pot
4. Mix in a small amount of fertilizer (half of recommended) into the new soil
5. Add the new soil, containing the fertilizer on top of the small rocks
6. Carefully removing the plant from temporary pot and position it in the center of the new pot.

So why am I planning on digging a hole in the soil, putting the pot there, rather than planting it directly into the soil adding the porous soil around it? It is simply because I need to be able to remove the plant, placing it inside the house for shorter periods, when I am out. It also makes for an extra security measure in case of uninvited guests…

I did not do thorough research on the fertilizer, and did not ask around much. This is simply because I want to keep a low profile. If you think the fertilizer is a bad idea, I still have rich access to cow manure, if that is a better option.

A few days ago, walking close to the seedling, I could smell a strong, but short lasting whiff of that marihuana smell we all know. It came quite unexpectedly, but then I remembered reading something about this in one of the online guides. Wishful thinking, or an actual odor? I do not know, but I have not smelled it before or after.

Now, I am excited to hear back about my grand master plan. I am sure there are mistakes in it, but happily admit to being an ignorant amateur! ;-)

 

[Weaselcracker]

Before I read any further- transplant it in a pot that isn't transparent- or slip the transparent one inside another, opaque, container. Roots hate light!

 

[RedFarang]

It is done. I originally had added black electrical tape around it, but then removed it because I figured it would let me see the roots appearing... Now I know it was a bad idea.

The black electrical tape is now back on the small pot, which is positioned inside an opaque larger pot, as per the picture.

Thank you WC!!!

 

[Weaselcracker]

Once upon a time my Thai was good enough I'd be able to flounder my way through at least half of whatever it says on the front of the fertilizer bag- and understand about 5- 10% of it. Lol. Not anymore though- and the real info will be on the back if it's there at all. Look for some numbers. The Thai words/spelling below is just the Thai pronunciation of the English names- so 'nitrogen' is still 'nitrogen'- sort of etc. Judging by the awesome picture on the front- it contains bat guano.
Nitrogen - (N)- ไนโตรเจน
Phosphorus-(P)- ฟอสเฟต
Potassium - (K)- โปแตสเซียม

I think your master plan is pretty good. I would probably do it the same way. Planting directly in the soil is better- but I understand the need to move it when necessary. Keep in mind though that the roots will grow through the bottom of the pot eventually, seeking fresh soil and food, and then moving it will cause some damage though it won't be critical - but depending on how often you're moving it and how actively the roots are growing through, it should be ok.
I'm not sure about the pot size. It may be ok- but I'd be inclined to go bigger- like probably basically the largest pot you could actually imagine carrying within reason. (Picture yourself in flight from the 'uninvited guests' with a 60 pound pot of soil and an 8' tall plant growing out of it. No - let's hope that never happens I'm sure you are too old for that nonsense, as am I. But the plant will prefer a larger pot. Being almost certainly a sativa, it's likely to grow large and tall and for a long time- if it's a girl.)

Yes young plants can be quite strong smelling.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Growing inside a clear pot is a handy trick if you have a dark one to slip it in to
The plant looks very yellow. Though sativas are usually a lighter shade of green than you'll see in the typical photos of cannabis. Still- if it's the color in real life that it appears to be in the photo, maybe it needs a teeny tiny bit of nitrogen, (Or maybe there's another issue like overwatering (unlikely, right?) preventing it getting the N). This does seem unlikely because it's young and doesn't need much food, and also you said you put cow manure in already- but something to keep in mind if it keeps getting paler or looks somehow underfed. Maybe just the lighting/photo.

 

[RedFarang]

Weaselcracker,

I had not noticed, but you are right - as usual. Taking a test shot, including a sample of a fresh leaf from a climbing plant, the yellow value for that is 76 %, whereas my cannabis yellow value is 86 %. (CMYK). I would not say my plant is yellow, but the green hue definitely has more yellow in it.

I water morning and late afternoon. A couple of spoons - perhaps three - two times a day. I am no expert but have a hard time understanding how this could be too much in the scorching sun. I also test the soil before watering, and the top layer is dry every time. Looking through the transparent pot, there is usually no evidence of condensation. If it is, I will wait with watering.

From your advice and my understanding I therefore tried to add a little more cow manure. I found a nice chunk, cut it up and sprinkled a thin layer on top.

 

[RedFarang]

Your Thai is still better than mine. Although I stay in the country I carry out all research, business, friend- and family-contact in English or in my native language. I should have been able to speak Thai fluently by now, but that is not the case. Shame on me...

That part about me in flight with a 60 pound pot is very funny - but - funnier on paper than in reality, I am sure! In fact, I was never caught with any illegal substances, and I intend to keep it that way.

If I am able to get a reasonable yield (a few smokes) with the current pot, I think I will stick with it, and - assuming it is a female - try to clone it making new ones rather than go for a huge plant, this first time.

Concerning clones, I do not think I will be able to get my hands on rooting gel, but is it absolutely necessary?

Once again, thank you ever so much for your kind help, WC. I will make sure to update the journal, and hope to see you around next time as well.

 

[Weaselcracker]

I'm sure you won't have to be doing any running with your plant RF. One plant is generally not attracting attention. Sometimes people plant companion flowers with the ganja to disguise the look of it. The plant growing large isn't always a choice! Grown outdoors they pretty well do what they want to do. Sativas grow tall and lanky looking and may take a long time to finish flowering. There are a couple other people in here growing Thai strains. I'm very curious to see how it grows in the 'wild' and when it is finished budding. I don't know if it will flower by the seasonal light changes in the fall, or just flower any old time it chooses, after it's mature enough. I have bought freshly harvested herb in Thailand in January. Hopefully yours doesn't take that long! If it does I think it will be quite tall...

​

Check out 'cloning with Aloe' in a search in this forum- there's a thread or two in here somewhere. A lot of people clone in rock wool- which you won't be able to find there. However, some people have success doing it in soil. Also coco coir, which you should be able to find there, is a possibility. Make sure it's well aged, and rinse it out very well. Here's a link which mentions how I am doing it in coco.Test of the Air Bubble Theory - Cloning experiment I'm also using rockwool but I think the rockwool could be skipped as long as the plant stem stayed the right moisture

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I really don't think it is possible that you're overwatering- it was just rambling on my part. As long as the cow manure is very well seasoned it shouldn't hurt to have a little bit on top like that. See any numbers on the fertilizer bag or is the writing on the front all there is? If so I wonder if it's just bat guano- that's certainly plentiful in the country.

 

[RedFarang]

WC,

January!? Wow, that will be a long break from Mary Jane. But, I hear you - it is difficult to determine when it will be flowering. That's okay. Nurturing it, watching it grow is also very interesting in itself and a longer break from smoking never hurt anyone.

I did not find any N, P, K symbols on the fertilizer package. However, I will ask my wife to translate for me again - this time word by word. She does not smoke but is relatively accepting about my cannabis-interest, so I try not pushing it. Diplomacy and patience is always a good idea making non-smokers understand the Ganja-thing...

Interesting point you are making about concealing the plant. I only have one, but want to be discrete about my grow. No neighbors on the right hand side, but one person staying close to the left. I have added double layers of outdoor covering-fabric on both sides of the property and the back garden is plentiful of other plants: Mango, banana, papaya, and various nondescript bushes. I plan on making the hole to the right side in the picture. It will be well hidden but, you have to give some to get some. The concrete wall and the house obscures direct sunlight during the day, but it will have about six hours of it, and then another six hours of indirect sunlight.

Will be following closely to see if our plant regains that deep green color.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Maybe some light porous fabric that lets light through, but is opaque from a distance?
Looks nice. I miss Thailand...
Have a great day RF!

 

[greenlungs420]

Subbed!!!

 

[RedFarang]

Phosphorous deficiency?

The very tip of the lower leafs - almost invisible so far - is turning light brown and crispy. Could this be phosphorous deficiency?

With the yellowing, and now this, I am tempted to plant the seedling into a larger pot with that new, fertilized soil I mentioned earlier. That would be prior to my original plan, meaning I have to be extremely careful dealing with fragile roots...

Right now the plant is growing in «on site-soil», which is more clay-like. I should probably have chosen the commercial soil from the very start.

The general yellowing appear to have stopped - or at least not gotten any worse, but I do not like this latest development with the tip of the leafs turning dark and crispy.

What to do?

 

[Weaselcracker]

It's maybe possible it got little too much manure, or the manure is a bit fresh still? Clay soil isn't very good either. Transplanting is probably a good idea- but perhaps not into ferilized soil yet. They really shouldn't need much when they're that young. And I don't want to steer you wrong with anything. I would say- transplant it into some better soil, but some with as little nutrients in it as possible, and go from there. Is this possible?

 

[RedFarang]

With your latest advice, Weaselcraker, I will go ahead and transplant. I just feel uneasy with that on site-soil, yellowing and now the leaf-tips beginning to darken, although this latest development hardly can be seen.

Yes, the commercial soil I bought has no added nutrients or fertilizer, it comes as is.

I will go ahead and transplant right now. I know the roots are fragile, but luckily I got a steady hand and a lot of patience.

Will post some pictures later today.

I am excited! Is this how a surgeon feels before going to the operating room? LOL!

 

[Weaselcracker]

Cool. They are tough plants and happy to be transplanted- as long as it's to a good home. I'm glad you have some decent soil. Perhaps don't put it in a big pot yet- it will do better in a small/medium size one (like one gallon) and this will give you options to repot into one with a bit of nutrient in it after. Roots generally form better this way too, and watering works better (you can't overwater them easily)

 

[RedFarang]

Transplanted

After advice from my friend Weaselcracker, I went ahead and transplanted my plant today. I was in for a surprise. The plant with the root-system came out nicely, but the lowest part of the small pot consisted of nothing but wet mud, and there was no evidence of roots within that lower area.

In short, the tiny holes I made in the relatively thick plastic can, were not big enough. I guess it was over-watered after all.

I positioned the plant carefully in the center of the new, large pot (sorry, I read your last post too late WC), and patted soil gently around it. I did not water it yet.

In terms of drainage, there will be no issue with that, here. The pot itself has large, built in holes for draining and is positioned into a hole into the ground, the very top of the pot one inch above ground level. At the base of the hole is a five inch layer of gravel, and I do know the soil surround the pot is well drained in itself.

After transplant, our plant looked a little tired, but not dying. Any excess water within the root system should be gone by the morning.

We have cats, so I made a temporary cage for the plant, which will be improved and tweaked as we move forward.

I can't wait to see how things will unfold tomorrow...

 

[Weaselcracker]

I think it will thrive now after it makes it through the next few days. Yeah it looks deprived on nitrogen from being in the clay soil which was poor drainage -not being able to build a root system to take in the food that was there. Just keep that soil moist as evenly as possible. Once it gets bigger it can cope with things more easily. It's all in the roots!

 

[Sorenna]

I agree with Weaselcracker. I think she will thrive now. Be forewarned those leaves will probably start to look really rough as the plant starts to recover. Pay attention to the new growth, not the older growth. The new growth should come in greener and with more vigor.

I love that cage you made.

 

[RedFarang]

I agree with Weaselcracker. I think she will thrive now. Be forewarned those leaves will probably start to look really rough as the plant starts to recover. Pay attention to the new growth, not the older growth. The new growth should come in greener and with more vigor.

I love that cage you made.

Thank you very much for useful info, Sorenna. I will keep an eye on the new growth.

As I already informed Weaselcracker: I happily admit to being an ignorant amateur. That said, I learn new things every day, although some lessons are learned the hard way.

I was quite happy with the walls of that cage, but struggled with the roofing. Regardless, it serves its purpose keeping our kittens out.

 

[RedFarang]

. Just keep that soil moist as evenly as possible.

Even the area which now obviously stretches beyond the current root-system?