Hempy Headquarters

[MagicJim]

After reading through this thread I realized that. Priority number 1 as soon as lights turn on. Not sure what to do with this one. It's a clone of a clone. If the strain is good I would like to keep it around. Would it be in poor practice to keep this as a mother? Or would the amount of times it's been cloned not make a difference?

Many of us clone the clones of moms which were once seed children. I've read that vigor and overall health may decline but I've not seen it in some Blue Dream clones I've been running for a while. There are stories here of strains being kept for 20+ years. It's not something I'd worry about.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Let's see.... lots of words about perlite and other various mediums 'round here.

I'm in a very hot/humid world and perlite alone has worked well for me.

You've mentioned a thing that is very important for all of us to remember. We don't all live in locations that have exactly the same set of environmental/climate conditions. That's obvious.

And it means that what works great for you might work poorly for me - and not at all for someone else. Take the process of rooting a cutting, for example. I never had to learn how easy it is, because I grew up watching Mom (who can kill a plant almost as fast as a fluoride spray, lol) simply cut a piece off of any random plant that she wanted to grow and drop it into a glass of water, then set it on the kitchen window sill and ignore the thing (aside from an occasional water change for the slow ones) until it had roots. I know that the best way to get a cutting to root is to "encourage" it to seek water. So no humidity domes for me. No standing there with a spray bottle, constantly misting the thing. No constantly wet soil. IOW, "ROOT - not rot." I like to let a fresh cutting wilt pretty good before I even stick it in medium (which, these days, is simply the cup of soil/perlite that it'll spend its first two or more weeks growing in) - that way, I get to see the thing almost immediately stand back up when the stem-end absorbs a little moisture. I water my rooting clones... when they wilt again. Then they stand at attention - again. I place them... wherever is handy. I shy away from windowsills with cannabis cuttings. But anywhere that has some light. My bathroom cabinet has a two-bulb fixture above it, and I can easily fit three 18-ounce Solo cups on top of the cabinet. Or on the floor (if it's not Winter) of the grow area, receiving however much light makes it through/past the other plants. I once put one on the coffee table in my living room as an experiment - and it rooted. Simple, yes?

But if a person lives in the dessert and their average relative humidity is 6%, it is conceivable that the cutting may lose moisture faster than it can absorb more. If they're in, IDK, Alaska then they might need a "cloning mat" (or a heating pad) to provide gentle warmth from below. Et cetera.

If you need another grinder, I can help you with that.

NEED? These days, I mostly buy coffee based on price. But I still occasionally try to purchase good, rich, organically-grown beans once in a while.

I was just looking at the grinder yesterday thinking "this needs a new home."

I found myself thinking the same thing as I was looking in the mirror . But I'll be staying here as long as I can, as long as family needs me to be here.

I would be likely to use a coffee grinder from time to time, so your offer is much appreciated. There is no reason to be in any hurry, though. My fancy coffee contraption has been in a box in the attic for quite a while. But I do still favor my 30-year old percolator over a drip, so the ability to grind a little coarser is nice.

Thank you.

TS, you make it real challenging to find the post worthy of the reps.

LOL. A person could end up taking that comment the wrong way .

Please accept these heartfelt hugs instead.

Rest assured, dear lady, that a mere kind word from you is more than adequate recompense for any benefit that I may have given.

80 lbs of dolomite lime gave Jim all the exercise he needed this morning

I once worked in a hardware store and I hated unloading bags of lime from the truck. Some of the "concrete" type products were heavier - but there always seemed to be at least one leaky bag of lime, and they must take special care to put that one on top of the stack so that they all have lime powder on them. Which meant I always had it all over me after unloading. And I was invariably sweaty, which didn't exactly help...

Anyone know why this seedling is taller than the rest and has broader leaves? I'm thinking it's a male, but can you know for sure at this stage?

If both seedlings' phenotypes were identical (which seems to be less and less the norm these days :icon_roll ) - but I suspect they aren't, as the leaf shape is not exactly the same - then... Well, it does seem to be true that, statistically, over a LARGE population, that males can have an initial growth spurt. Which makes sense, because they supply the pollen that fertilizes the herd. But this is like saying that, statistically you are likely to get heads 50% of the time when you flip a coin - even if you've just flipped the coin 99 times and it came up heads every time, your actual odds of getting heads when you flip it one more time are still 50:50.

BtW, I seriously doubt that the sex of a normal (IOW, not "feminized") cannabis plant are 100% determined at a very, very young age. I'd guess that they've just entered the period during which this takes place - and that environmental, lighting, and nutrient conditions over the next two or three weeks will lock in those seedlings' sex.

I got your back girl.

Thank you. Thank you both.

TS is the man!

Aww, you're going to cause my head to swell up, lol.

Tead can surely appreciate some laziness! You could call it KISS, but I'm more of a fan of lazy.

My brother calls it "Work smarter - not harder."

Many of us clone the clones of moms which were once seed children. I've read that vigor and overall health may decline

I feel this to be unlikely, at least in the short term time frame that most of us would be concerned with. It might be that the cannabis mother plant that your great-grandmother started and which has continued via clones is not quite as vigorous as the original mother was, lol. But even then, I'd be somewhat skeptical. Care (or lack thereof) might play a part more than anything.

There are species of plants in nature that only exist today because of cloning. I'm not talking about professionals deciding to save a species, either. I mean in the wild.

Pando (Latin for "I spread"), also known as the Trembling Giant, is a clonal colony of a single male quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) determined to be a single living organism by identical genetic markers and assumed to have one massive underground root system. The plant is estimated to weigh collectively 6,000,000 kilograms (6,600 short tons), making it the heaviest known organism. The root system of Pando, at an estimated 80,000 years old, is among the oldest known living organisms.

Pando is located 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Fish Lake on Utah's Route 25, in the Fremont River Ranger District of the Fishlake National Forest, at the western edge of the Colorado Plateau in south-central Utah, United States.

Older than modern human civilization by far.

Sadly:

Pando is currently thought to be dying. Though the exact reasons are not known, it is thought to be some combination of drought, insects and disease. The Western Aspen Alliance has been studying the tree in an effort to save it, and the U.S. Forest Service is currently experimenting with several 5-acre (2 ha) sections of it in an effort to find a means to save it.

It's not something I'd worry about.

 

[Tead]

Would it be in poor practice to keep this as a mother? Or would the amount of times it's been cloned not make a difference?

I've been running a cloned line of OGKs for many, many years. They do well in my world and I've been able to keep it's genetics going for over 10 years. I don't keep a 'mother'... I just keep clipping clones from the plants as they go. I can't even begin to imagine how many generations of them have hit my bowl.

You've mentioned a thing that is very important for all of us to remember. We don't all live in locations that have exactly the same set of environmental/climate conditions. That's obvious.

And it means that what works great for you might work poorly for me - and not at all for someone else. Take the process of rooting a cutting, for example. I never had to learn how easy it is, because I grew up watching Mom (who can kill a plant almost as fast as a fluoride spray, lol) simply cut a piece off of any random plant that she wanted to grow and drop it into a glass of water, then set it on the kitchen window sill and ignore the thing (aside from an occasional water change for the slow ones) until it had roots. I know that the best way to get a cutting to root is to "encourage" it to seek water. So no humidity domes for me. No standing there with a spray bottle, constantly misting the thing. No constantly wet soil. IOW, "ROOT - not rot." I like to let a fresh cutting wilt pretty good before I even stick it in medium (which, these days, is simply the cup of soil/perlite that it'll spend its first two or more weeks growing in) - that way, I get to see the thing almost immediately stand back up when the stem-end absorbs a little moisture. I water my rooting clones... when they wilt again. Then they stand at attention - again. I place them... wherever is handy. I shy away from windowsills with cannabis cuttings. But anywhere that has some light. My bathroom cabinet has a two-bulb fixture above it, and I can easily fit three 18-ounce Solo cups on top of the cabinet. Or on the floor (if it's not Winter) of the grow area, receiving however much light makes it through/past the other plants. I once put one on the coffee table in my living room as an experiment - and it rooted. Simple, yes?

But if a person lives in the dessert and their average relative humidity is 6%, it is conceivable that the cutting may lose moisture faster than it can absorb more. If they're in, IDK, Alaska then they might need a "cloning mat" (or a heating pad) to provide gentle warmth from below. Et cetera.

Well... I do live in a wacky world. I always try to toss out that general disclaimer... especially if I'm speaking about something humidity or temperature related. A person growing in Alaska at 6% RH is on the completely other end of the growing environment spectrum than I... but I would expect that Alaskan to toss out some disclaimer words as well.

I love your 'grandma' story.... mine did the same as did all her daughters and at least one of her grandchildren. The window sill is a touch too hot for the babies in my world. The direct sun would bump them up to over 100f in a quick heartbeat. I have NO place in my world that doesn't get over 90f on regular occasion. I don't AC my entire house all the time, so temps vary pretty wildly... but even when the AC is running, it's usually only hits upper 70's for 1/2 the day at best.
For example, I've been trying to find a spot to crack seeds. I even rigged up a container near the AC output... no joy. It's summer... I'll be able to do seeds soon enough... just gotta be patient. Hmmm.... and idea pops into mind.... I wonder if I could pop a seed in a cooler with an ice pack in it?

 

[Lady Antheia]

Pando (Latin for "I spread"), also known as the Trembling Giant, is a clonal colony of a single male quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) determined to be a single living organism by identical genetic markers and assumed to have one massive underground root system. The plant is estimated to weigh collectively 6,000,000 kilograms (6,600 short tons), making it the heaviest known organism. The root system of Pando, at an estimated 80,000 years old, is among the oldest known living organisms.


Pando is located 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Fish Lake on Utah's Route 25, in the Fremont River Ranger District of the Fishlake National Forest, at the western edge of the Colorado Plateau in south-central Utah, United States.

Love this!

 

[Morglie]

80 lbs of dolomite lime gave Jim all the exercise he needed this morning as I'm on a mission to curb any and hopefully all moss in my small yard. After I read the bag's details I wondered if I could avoid cal/mag altogether. I don't have any cal/mag and did not need it in my last soil grow as it's contained in my KIS Organics nutrient pack.

I saved a bit of the lime and may do some experimenting. There are a bunch of other chemicals in the lime also. Needs study.

I've heard DocB mention quite a few times that dolomite lime takes a long time to release calcium. Calcium carbonate (garden lime) or gypsum would probably be a better choice to try.

 

[Morglie]

After reading through this thread I realized that. Priority number 1 as soon as lights turn on. Not sure what to do with this one. It's a clone of a clone. If the strain is good I would like to keep it around. Would it be in poor practice to keep this as a mother? Or would the amount of times it's been cloned not make a difference?

As Jim mentioned there are 20+ year strains kept alive this way. Something I've noticed in my limited time growing, is that not all clones are as vigorous. It doesn't seem to affect the long term genetics (cuts made from them) that I've noticed, but those cuts grown out don't do as well as others. I personally like to take several if possible and I would clone the best of that bunch for the next generation.

 

[MagicJim]

I've heard DocB mention quite a few times that dolomite lime takes a long time to release calcium. Calcium carbonate (garden lime) or gypsum would probably be a better choice to try.

Thanks Morglie.

Here's a pic of the bag's label.

This has a considerable amount of CaCO3 and is in granular (pelletized) form which I'm certain will dissolve in water with a little stirring and some time. OTOH I also have a small amount of calcitric lime which has less magnesium. I'm just trying to be cheap here and use something I have on hand.

So I'd agree with Doc Bud that if dolomite lime is just added to soil mix release time is extended. Now with that said, my last soil grow with my mix didn't require any additional calcium or magnesium and you can see that dolomite is a component of my KIS organics amendment. I note also there is some generic lime and gypsum and calcium could be present in any of those meals used.

I'm a big fan of my KIS Nutrient Pack for my mix.

 

[Haste Makes Waste]

Good day, fellow hempy heads .

Here are some root/medium pics. The mix for this bucket was 1/2 hydroton 1/2 perlite.

Hydroton seemed to work fine, but makes buckets heavier. I doubt I'll even top my perlite with it any longer, it just sinks with each watering.

 

[FlowerNose]

I have coco and hydroton on hand. Must I purchase perlite? Can I just make do and set up a hempy bucket with what I have?

 

[Haste Makes Waste]

I have coco and hydroton on hand. Must I purchase perlite? Can I just make do and set up a hempy bucket with what I have?

I have no experience with coco, but I bet an all hydroton hempy would work. That root ball hanging on to both the hydroton and perlite without preference suggests to me it would.

A veteran grower would definitely benefit both of us here, though. I'm not really in a position to give advice .

If no one chimes in, create a mix and let it ride. Then, educate me! I keep seeing coco while out and about.

 

[Lonestar11]

I just made a bucket mixed about 50/50 with hydroton and perlite. Good to see it in action

 

[Haste Makes Waste]

I just made a bucket mixed about 50/50 with hydroton and perlite. Good to see it in action

Did you layer or mix it throughout?

In the pictured I layered hydroton to the hempy hole, perlite in the middle, and a hefty layer of hydroton on top.

 

[Lonestar11]

Perlite from bottom to hole, small later of hydroton for drain hole, then mixed all the way to top, and finished with 3" layer of perlite.

 

[SweetSue]

I don't think coco would be a good medium choice, but I don't have the experience to know for sure. Someone else will chime in.

 

[Lady Antheia]

I have coco and hydroton on hand. Must I purchase perlite? Can I just make do and set up a hempy bucket with what I have?

My first grow was all coco that I topped with gnatnix later to help with fungus gnats. It would probably depend greatly on your environment how well coco will work. Given my gnat issue, it became clear that my humidity is high and the coco wouldn't dry out fast enough. The other issue I ran into was the coco holding onto some nutes that would result in imbalances. I can't imagine coco working for hempy in my world, but yours might be very different. The only way to know is to give it a try.

 

[Gauge Steel]

As with all styles of growing each has its drawbacks and advantages. I am starting to see the advantages to hempy and see where it can be not such a good fit for me as well. I have three of the same strain growing two in hempy and one in DWC. The DWC is nearly 5x's larger at the same time period already.
No startling Data here, its what we all would expect to find. However i have a ton of space and the means to grow DWC so why wouldn't I?
Sure there is electrical cost to run my air pump and nute costs etc. But man watching these three growing side by side is agonizing. To see the potential of the one and the unfulfilled potential of the other two is like watching paint dry.
True i am feeding the DWC and the hempy the same nute's and this is the first time i am growing in the hempy style so i may be butchering theses seedlings, but thats just another factor in what and how a person should decide how to grow, experience.
I grow for for quantity and quality.
If i can speed up both with auto's and DWC i think maybe thats for Me! I am going to squat hold what I got for a while and see where this takes me, but this early in the game i think i can germ/propagate and grow a couple girls DWC before the two i got in the hempy go amber.

Coments? Suggestions?

 

[Haste Makes Waste]

Coments? Suggestions?

Was pondering the slow starts to my hempies yesterday, too. It is agonizing until roots hit that res below the hole. Was debating starting in smaller hempy buckets/solo cups to speed them up at first, then transplanting to final hempy home after the roots are more established.

My main problem with DWC was res temp, a fight I tapped out of.

Great topic, GS .

 

[Lady Antheia]

Was pondering the slow starts to my hempies yesterday, too. It is agonizing until roots hit that res below the hole. Was debating starting in smaller hempy buckets/solo cups to speed them up at first, then transplanting to final hempy home after the roots are more established.

My main problem with DWC was res temp, a fight I tapped out of.

Great topic, GS .

Yep, I notice the slow start too. Even the solos will be slower until the roots make their way to the res, at least in comparison to what I saw with my coco grow.

DWC or aero is something I would love to try. However, I've decided to wait on that experiment until I know I have better control over the temp in my environment. No reason to make myself crazy on purpose.

 

[FlowerNose]

Is the slow start a problem for the lifespan of an auto? I'm not into photos yet.

 

[Lady Antheia]

Is the slow start a problem for the lifespan of an auto? I'm not into photos yet.

Hmm, I don't have experience with autos yet, so I'm not sure. Hoping someone chimes in that is well versed in auto grows.