Great journal on a great outdoor grow! Glad the product was so killer, though I ain't surprised based on the photos.
I share the same mind regarding air for the roots. I read lots of very positive accounts of 'air pruning' and the benefits to a stronger root structure when there is good aeration for the roots. For my current grow I started the sprouted seeds into approx 4 liter/1 gallon pots and then a single transplant into the final pots. For all pots I drilled holes for aeration and fashioned simple liners made out of landscape fabric, they breathed and held the soil in the drilled pots. When I transplanted there were many many white points of roots tips, everywhere, whereas in the previous grow the roots wrapped around with lots of circling, this time I saw none of that, zero, just lots and lots of roots tips. The tall cylinder seemed to work really well, an inspired choice for how vigorous the JP1 turned out to be. I wish I could use deeper containers for my grows but growing on a balcony I am height constrained, I even buried the stems about 5 inches when I transplanted which helped keep the height down too. However it makes sense that when the roots have freedom and space to fill that the yield would be superb.
I was unable to obtain airpots here in NZ, but I felt that holes drilled in pots with a crudely stapled together liner made of breathable landscape fabric worked very well. The resulting root growth seemed especially vigorous when I was able to check during transplanting. You have obviously got a good working routine that gives great results that you can continue to innovate and improve on.I've seen info on those the air-pruning pots and they seem to be a brilliant idea. Never tried them.
Sensi Jamaican Pearl is only available in feminized. It is a great strain for climates that get cold in the fall.
As I noted in the opening posts, I had several goals in using the aeration cylinder: air to the roots, min 10 gal container as final home, and water retention deep in a large pot because I was absent from the Jamaican Pearl grow for a whole month and used Blumats as well to supply water while I was away. I also wanted to avoid damage to roots when transplanting seedlings, hence a large hole in the bottom of the first pot the cylinder was in.
Below some photos of my 2019 semi-guerilla grow in California just starting out. A method that works for me.
The top shelf of the panty maintains an ideal germination temperature of 75-77 F (24-25 C), and inside the plastic apple box (Fuji apples came in it) the temperature stays at 80F when the lid is closed. Soaked seeds 24 hours and put the seeds in a moist paper towel. After the seeds pop and show a taproot (doesn't need to be long, just poking out) I gingerly place that seed taproot pointing down into a 1-2 cm slice in the rooter. I use the rooters upside down with a slice in the pointy tip (I also poke a tiny hole vertically just to give an easy path). This year I had a lot of unresponsive seeds, so I kept adding seeds to the mix and am just now seeing more response. Now I have a Critical Mass (The Plant freebie from Santyerbasi), a G-13 Haze (Barney's Farm) and now this morning there was a Jack F1 (Spliff) newly showing cotyledons.
After the cotyledons appear, I put the rooter in the aeration cylinder and pack it in seedling soil. First I locate a lid from an old glass jar and place the mesh cylinder into the lid. Fill in about an inch of seedling soil for new room to grow beneath the rooter (am using Foxfarm Light Warrior) and then set the rooter with root showing on the bottom side onto the soil. Then more Light Warrior around the sides, leaving room to top up as the seedling grows to give the stem some support. When it comes time to transplant into a larger ceramic pot for seedling growth, I will carefully set the lid+mesh onto a half-filled 2 Liter pot and slide the lid out of the way without losing much soil out the bottom. When the plant has nicely occupied the 2L pot, can go into larger. Finally will transfer to a 15 gal fabric pot.
Currently am using a 25 watt LED ("100 W equivalent") to grow the seedlings early morning and evenings, during the day they are in sunlight.
Re the scuffing of seeds prior to soaking; I only do a light gentle abrasive scuff, fine sandpaper would be fine, I use fine nail file.
