Not behaving like a weed?

[Possim]

I'm a new grower, but have used for relaxation from time to time over the years. Got some seeds (don't know what type) and germinated 3 in mid November, then put in Jiffy Peat Pellets. I moved them outdoors early December (just south of Sydney in Australia), east facing, morning sun, and cover them at night. Potted in good mix (pallets and all) mid December when they only had their first leaves, and since then have been disappointed with the growth rate (the other weeds which grow in my garden are definitely much more prolific!).

in the past couple of weeks the original leaves on the strongest have turned white and shrivelled, and now the second set of leaves seem to be doing the same. Soil Ph is in the low 6's and moisture content reads medium to low.

Any thoughts on how I can get these bursting into growth?

 

[Chrondocious]

First off, cannabis is not a weed, like they say. It's technically an annual. They look a bit bleached from the sun. Also maybe N deficient. The soil looks to be very wet. I'd let it dry a few days. Check frequently though, as they can dry fairly quick on a hot day. Find a less intense location as far as sun goes for a few days, and let the pots dry out almost completely. Make sure there's drainage. I wouldn't add anything at this point. They're trying to get going.

 

[Possim]

Thanks for your response and advice. I'll move it to a location in the same area which doesn't get direct sun, and stop watering. Drainage is good so that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Regrowth]

Hey @Possim. Welcome to the community.

Overwatering can cause issues with nutrient uptake and I think that's what's causing the nitrogen deficiency.
Let your container dry out before watering again and careful not to over do it.

There's a few threads you can check out with watering advice that may help.

The Proper Way To Water A Potted Plant

The Proper Way to Water a Potted Plant Also covered: the importance of pH and why we successively up-pot How to Water Over the last several years I have put a lot of study into this, and I feel that I can now define the proper way to water a potted plant. Keep in mind that this discussion...

www.420magazine.com

The Proper Way To Water A Seedling In A Large Final Container

In the beginning, you may even want to start your seed directly in the final container, simply by putting it one inch deep, pointy end down. It is surprising to some how often this works, even though mother nature does it all the time. If you go this route, lightly mist the area around the...

www.420magazine.com

If the jiffy things you used are the ones you soak with a mesh around them.
Did you rip the mesh before planting?
It's optional, but given two plants side by side the one without a mesh performs better.

Why are you covering them at night?
You don't want them to bloom yet. Moving them into the shade could be a similar risk.

What do you have for nutrients? It's likely that your soil mix won't be enough to keep them happy until the end.

I'm just getting the ball rolling.
I'm sure you'll get more thorough advice from someone who hasn't smoked yet today lol.

 

[Absorber]

I'm a new grower, but have used for relaxation from time to time over the years. Got some seeds (don't know what type) and germinated 3 in mid November, then put in Jiffy Peat Pellets. I moved them outdoors early December (just south of Sydney in Australia), east facing, morning sun, and cover them at night. Potted in good mix (pallets and all) mid December when they only had their first leaves, and since then have been disappointed with the growth rate (the other weeds which grow in my garden are definitely much more prolific!).

in the past couple of weeks the original leaves on the strongest have turned white and shrivelled, and now the second set of leaves seem to be doing the same. Soil Ph is in the low 6's and moisture content reads medium to low.

Any thoughts on how I can get these bursting into growth?

Hey mate ,go to bunnings and buy a bag of season potting mix and then go online and do a search for MegaCrop and buy a bag of that (it lasts for ages and buy a PPM (parts per million) tester to accurately mix the MegaCrop.
The potting mix will have enough nutrients in it for the first month to 2 months once plant is over 1ft tall start adding some MegaCrop mixed with water to 600- 800 ppm .
Im not sure why you cover plant at night im in Victoria and I don't cover mine.
If it was me I'd re-pot in the seasol. Also buy a bag of pearlite same size bag and mix half of the bag with the seasol
Any questions feel free to ask and welcome aboard.

 

[Possim]

Thanks Regrowth - the first thread you posted is a gold mine, and I've saved for future reference.

I've now moved the plants out of direct sunlight, and have checked the roots. Some were sneaking out through the mesh, but not many, so I've carefully removed it and replanted. The soil I planted them out in is an Aussie product (pic follows) which claims to be for seeds and cuttings, and also that it contains enough nutrients for 6 months feeding (whatever that means), so it shouldn't have run out of tucker yet?

I'm only covering them at night because the seedling tray I have the 3 individual pots sitting in has a lid, and I thought Id use it? Also, as they're outside, the lid offers protection from snails, slugs etc, and saves me standing shotgun all night in case the little fellas are threatened.

Will resist the urge to spray/water them for couple of days and see if that, and the combo of moving them, removing the mesh, and leaving them uncovered overnight, has positive effects.

Thanks again

 

[Possim]

Hey mate ,go to bunnings and buy a bag of season potting mix and then go online and do a search for MegaCrop and buy a bag of that (it lasts for ages and buy a PPM (parts per million) tester to accurately mix the MegaCrop.
The potting mix will have enough nutrients in it for the first month to 2 months once plant is over 1ft tall start adding some MegaCrop mixed with water to 600- 800 ppm .
Im not sure why you cover plant at night im in Victoria and I don't cover mine.
If it was me I'd re-pot in the seasol. Also buy a bag of pearlite same size bag and mix half of the bag with the seasol
Any questions feel free to ask and welcome aboard.

Thanks Absorber.

I'll grab some of the Seasol next time I'm at Bunnings and use it next repot. They're currently in Osmocote "Seed and Cutting Specialty Potting Mix', which appears to have a similar recipe, but I'm happy to try whatever more experienced growers recommend. I have some perlite, so will also add that to the mix to improve drainage.

Was wondering what fertiliser to use once they need it, so thanks also for the Megacrop recommendation, and mix proportions - will do when it's time.

The cover will stay off them now I understand it's not necessary.

Thanks again amigo

 

[Regrowth]

I think we misunderstood the covering part to mean something else.
Nothing wrong with a transparent dome to keep them safe while they're vulnerable.
If you transplanted into dry soil they should bounce back a lot faster and hopefully in no time at all.
Megacrop is great in it's simplicity. If you have a scale and you're only concerned with growing in soil you can probably skip the PPM meter.

 

[Absorber]

Thanks Regrowth - the first thread you posted is a gold mine, and I've saved for future reference.

I've now moved the plants out of direct sunlight, and have checked the roots. Some were sneaking out through the mesh, but not many, so I've carefully removed it and replanted. The soil I planted them out in is an Aussie product (pic follows) which claims to be for seeds and cuttings, and also that it contains enough nutrients for 6 months feeding (whatever that means), so it shouldn't have run out of tucker yet?

I'm only covering them at night because the seedling tray I have the 3 individual pots sitting in has a lid, and I thought Id use it? Also, as they're outside, the lid offers protection from snails, slugs etc, and saves me standing shotgun all night in case the little fellas are threatened.

Will resist the urge to spray/water them for couple of days and see if that, and the combo of moving them, removing the mesh, and leaving them uncovered overnight, has positive effects.

Thanks again

That ozmocote should be good, if roots are still small i would put pot in partially shaded spot so the plant can settle in first without the stress of full sunlight .
You should see it start to improve then full sun is the go .
I missed the mesh still on the puck , glad you removed it .

 

[Absorber]

you can probably skip the PPM meter

It does have mixing directions on the bag but there's nothing like being confident that the mixture is correct with a ppm meter

 

[Regrowth]

It does have mixing directions on the bag but there's nothing like being confident that the mixture is correct with a ppm meter

makes a lot of sense for hydro so you can keep the res dialed *in.

 

[Absorber]

makes a lot of sense for hydro so you can keep the res dialed.

I only use MC on my soil grows although it can be used for hydro

 

[Possim]

I think we misunderstood the covering part to mean something else.
Nothing wrong with a transparent dome to keep them safe while they're vulnerable.
If you transplanted into dry soil they should bounce back a lot faster and hopefully in no time at all.
Megacrop is great in it's simplicity. If you have a scale and you're only concerned with growing in soil you can probably skip the PPM meter.

Thanks again - done!

 

[RedskinnedRhino]

When plants are in trouble, I use a foliar spray. It gets nutrients to the plant without having to introduce more additives+water to the soil. It won't relieve the issue that's in the soil, but it'll keep the plant alive and well while you correct the underlying problem.
Find a nice liquid fertilizer and dilute it to 25%of the normal use rate and give the baby a twice-daily spritz. For that plant I'd use something like 1 gallon of water - 4ml Fox Farm Grow Big, and 2ml cal/mag. A light spray focusing mainly on the undersides of the leaves morning and evening, in 3 or 4 days they'll be right as rain.

 

[Possim]

When plants are in trouble, I use a foliar spray. It gets nutrients to the plant without having to introduce more additives+water to the soil. It won't relieve the issue that's in the soil, but it'll keep the plant alive and well while you correct the underlying problem.
Find a nice liquid fertilizer and dilute it to 25%of the normal use rate and give the baby a twice-daily spritz. For that plant I'd use something like 1 gallon of water - 4ml Fox Farm Grow Big, and 2ml cal/mag. A light spray focusing mainly on the undersides of the leaves morning and evening, in 3 or 4 days they'll be right as rain.

Thanks for sharing your wisdom Rhino - much appreciated.

 

[SmokingWings]

in the past couple of weeks the original leaves on the strongest have turned white and shrivelled, and now the second set of leaves seem to be doing the same.

When I see the lowest leaves completely turning yellow or light brown like in the photos the first thing that comes to mind is not enough nutrients. Especially since the top leaves are a pale yellow. These leaf conditions can be because the soil does not have enough nutrients or because the root system has not grown large or strong enough yet.

Since the soil looks wet and you mentioned the lack of long roots when you transplanted I am going with needing to get the root system up and growing really soon.

Soil Ph is in the low 6's and moisture content reads medium to low.

What is the pH of the water that is being used? That is the important thing. You are growing in a soil mix so you should be going for a 6.3 pH for the water itself, not the soil.

I moved them outdoors early December (just south of Sydney in Australia), east facing, morning sun,

These plants need 8 hours or more of direct sun for optimum growth. Many outdoor growers have mentioned going for their 8 plus hours of direct sun between 9 am and 6 pm. More than 8 hours is a bonus.

If you are going to continue to grow the plants outside in Australia you might be running out of time. Seems to me that many proto-period plants will be starting to flower in about 4 weeks or so. @Absorber might be able to help with the timeline.

This link below is from one of the sponsors and has an outline of what to plan for and expect when outdoor growing in the Australia & New Zealand continent/area.
https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-top-month-by-month-tips-for-growing-cannabis-in-australia-n1197

 

[Absorber]

If you are going to continue to grow the plants outside in Australia you might be running out of time. Seems to me that many proto-period plants will be starting to flower in about 4 weeks or so. @Absorber might be able to help with the timeline.

End of September is a good starting point i have started in January before and the photo period plants was about 4ft end of flower, seasons seem to be push further and are a bit out of wack . I reckon another 4-6 weeks flowering will start for me but mine gets all of the sun all day.

 

[Regrowth]

I got the impression you may be using one of those 3 in one meters (Lux / Moisture / Ph).
They aren't known for being accurate. It's better to go by weight if you can to know when it's time to water.

for pH, since you haven't built the soil yourself, it usually comes buffered -
in which case the pH will settle to the right region on it's own and not need adjusting.
one less thing to worry about and doesn't have you chasing inputs that don't matter.
no harm checking if you want to but those combo meters aren't going to be accurate.

 

[Possim]

When I see the lowest leaves completely turning yellow or light brown like in the photos the first thing that comes to mind is not enough nutrients. Especially since the top leaves are a pale yellow. These leaf conditions can be because the soil does not have enough nutrients or because the root system has not grown large or strong enough yet.

Since the soil looks wet and you mentioned the lack of long roots when you transplanted I am going with needing to get the root system up and growing really soon.


What is the pH of the water that is being used? That is the important thing. You are growing in a soil mix so you should be going for a 6.3 pH for the water itself, not the soil.


These plants need 8 hours or more of direct sun for optimum growth. Many outdoor growers have mentioned going for their 8 plus hours of direct sun between 9 am and 6 pm. More than 8 hours is a bonus.

If you are going to continue to grow the plants outside in Australia you might be running out of time. Seems to me that many proto-period plants will be starting to flower in about 4 weeks or so. @Absorber might be able to help with the timeline.

This link below is from one of the sponsors and has an outline of what to plan for and expect when outdoor growing in the Australia & New Zealand continent/area.
https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-top-month-by-month-tips-for-growing-cannabis-in-australia-n1197

Thanks for your response and comments SmokingWings. The pH of my tap water is 6.8 - how do I lower it if that's too high? I've bought some liquid fertiliser for tomatoes (Richgro Blac Marvel) which is 15% Nitrogen, and put 1ml in a 500ml spray bottle to begin spraying the leaves, so will see if that helps. Also ordered some MegaCrop for when the plants become more established.

As I said in my first post, this is my first time planting, so didn't know what the Australian timetable is for outdoors, so just germinated the seeds, planted, them, and crossed my fingers. Thanks for the link to the RQS calendar - I've save it for next time

 

[Roy Growin]

A dose of kelp/seaweed provides loads of stuff I can't even pronounce, seems to activate roots though
Nutrient uptake is increased somehow - I can't profess to know why but I've witnessed the results