Why is my plant so small?

[OlderGrower]

Well another possibility is that you got a runt. I had a friend in grade school who had nothing but tall brothers and sisters and when he graduated from HS he was a whopping 5'2". He was always a bit of a runt his whole life. While it is kind of fun to play doctor and try to figure out what went wrong, sometimes it is best to let it go and move on. Enjoy the healthy pants you have.
Or it could be like another friend I had in grade school.. average height all the way through HS, graduated at 6' went in to the Marines came home 6 years later and I did not recognize him at 1st. He was 6'6" and huge. A late bloomer.

 

[SirBubblesthe]

I was wondering that, but wanted to make sure. I was also worried because she's such a different color compared to the others; gotta make sure I eliminate all possibilities! I can understand being the small/tall one in the family. I'm the shortest out of all my extended family, and my brother is the tallest.
Genetics are weird.

 

[Emilya Green]

I stick my finger an inch down into the soil, and if the soil is not moist, I water the plant. This is usually every 5 days or so. There is nutrient burn on the lower leaves, so I flushed the plant with water until about a cup dripped out of the bottom, and I mixed in a little fresh, dry soil afterwards. This is why it looks very wet. I usually water the runty plant with about a quarter cup of water, the larger plants with a half cup.

Sir, don't mean to offend in any way... but that is all wrong. That is absolutely the wrong way to water a weed and you should note that just by looking at your plant, several of us started asking you about your watering. There is a reason for that.

Sticking your finger in the ground is for tomatoes, outside, in the ground. It does not work on weeds in containers because what really matters in a deep rooting weed, is what is going on at the lower roots. Your finger can not tell you that... not even close.

So, here is what is happening. After your flush, there is a LOT of water suspended in that soil. Look at the side of your container and imagine that 3/4 of the vertical height of your soil in that cup is water. That is how much water is in there when you water to run off.

Now, over 5 days, your plant is able to use some of that water and the water table inside of that container starts to drop. In 5 days, it manages to drop below where you stick your finger in, and it feels dry to you. So, you come along and add some more water, rising that water table back up near the top.

Now, this might make your finger feel all warm and tingly, but let's consider what is going on with the lower roots. Since the water table never drops down to the bottom of the container, these roots remain under water 24/7. This is a problem because roots need to get oxygen for at least a portion of the time through voids in the soil and without getting that, the roots start to shut down, trying to protect themselves until the flood goes away. These are your main feeder roots down there, and for them to shut down even partially, immediately causes a deficiency, because the plant's increasing needs for nutrients can not be met with these main food pipelines not at maximum capacity.

What you are seeing at the top is the plant knowing that it still needs to feed the new growth that is getting the light, is still able to supply it, because nitrogen is a mobile nutrient and the plant is able to move it around as needed. It is simply cannibalizing those leaves, to feed the upper leaves. Don't pull these off before you solve this problem, because the plant will have no choice but to start the very same process with the next leaves up... just resign yourself to having made a mistake and know that those yellowing leaves are most likely gonners at this point.

The correct way to water is to water completely, trying to get as much water soaked into the soil as you can, to the point of run off. Then, you need to let it dry out... all the way to the bottom. Whether you use the lift method or a moisture meter to see where it is, you need to let the water table fall all the way to the bottom and let those roots dry out. Once it is totally dry, water again to saturation. You can track how long it takes the plant each time to use all the water in the container and get a very good idea of the health of your roots. A healthy plant will grow a root system all throughout that container that eventually will be able to suck up all that water in 24 hours. When you see that happen, it is time to up-pot to the next sized container and again work this system to grow a rootball in the new container.

You can fix this pretty fast if you fix your mistakes now and get your roots back to a healthy state, but of course the first step in this process is understanding what is happening. I hope this helps.

 

[SirBubblesthe]

I will definitely take your advice to mind. Not to criticize, but the majority of growers I have talked to have used and recommend the finger method. As long as you're letting the roots dry out after flushing the excess nutrients and not pouring water on top of water, I don't see why its "all wrong".

 

[SirBubblesthe]

I've used the same watering method for the larger plants and they've been growing like, well, weeds.

 

[Emilya Green]

I've used the same watering method for the larger plants and they've been growing like, well, weeds.

good luck with it then... continue on. I can only tell you what I think that I see. peace. --Emmie

 

[SirBubblesthe]

Thanks for the input!!

 

[Razya]

hey rıfleman ,here they are ,(as ı notıced a few more rıps on both plants ı gave ıt a flush now and put ıt to sleep .
geuss ıll just waıte for ıt to dry out before ı gıve them nutes agaın??

 

[Rifleman]

I'm not a soil grower so I can't help with a feeding schedule. I'll post these charts but don't go all hypochondriac with your plants. They are really easy to grow and yours look well. Other than what i said on your other thread my only advice would be to listen to Emilya, she has some knowledge on the subject. When I've grown anything in soil and pot, I've used the lift method. It works well.

 

[SirBubblesthe]

@Rayza, I second what Rifleman said. Your plants look pretty fine to me. I wouldn't change anything unless any drastic changes occur or the small cracks get worse.

 

[Razya]

thank u ,lets hope we all get somethıng to smoke out of our own cuts