Losing one of my plants

[denajohn]

Help!!!! I have 3 different strains growing in a closet. My plan was that these 3 would be Mother plants. All 3 were planted on the same day, same soil, water, light, etc. The White Walker and the Baikal Express seem to be doing okay but my Sweet Critical seems to be dying. This all happened very suddenly. Within a few days. I have attached photos of each of them. I'm not sure what information to provide for opinions of my problem. I have 3 more of the Sweet Critical growing in my basement and all 3 seem to be doing okay. I really hate to lose this plant. Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Preachforcure]

It looks like it could be, one heat stress (unlikely due to other plants not being stressed) or two root problems...

 

[denajohn]

Hi Preachforcure, Thanks for your reply. I have a pretty accurate digital thermometer in with the plants. It keeps a record of the maximum high and low temperatures in its' memory. The maximum temperature has never exceeded 76.8 F. And like you say, the other 2 plants seem okay. I looked at the pictures on the link you provided and I, again, agree with you that root problems may be the answer. All 3 plants are now 6 weeks old but I think the only way to save this plant is to re-pot it. Wish me luck and thanks again for your advice and assistance.

 

[Major PITA]

When in doubt, I try to get a look at the roots. They can often tell you something.
Are those 5 gal buckets?

 

[denajohn]

Hi Major PITA, Yes, they are 5 gallon buckets. My plan for these 3 plants was to keep them in a veg state "forever" and pull clones off of them. I figured that if they were going to live in buckets for a long time, 5 gallons would give them sufficient room to spread out. I JUST finished re-potting the problematic Sweet Critical. The root structure surprised me. They hadn't spread out at all. They all went straight to the very bottom of the bucket. Unfortunately, I ended up breaking the very ends off ( 1 inch or so) of the tips of a few of the roots. I re-potted her in a 2 gallon bucket with fresh potting soil and placed her on a table with her healthy sisters. Hopefully the company will provide her with some comfort during her period of recuperation.

 

[Preachforcure]

denajohn, good luck on the re-potting of the girl...I have always planted in soil/soil type mediums... I got away from buckets and plastic pots some time ago and now use smart pots (google and youtube it) and they are awesome and I have never looked back and have never had root problems again...they root prune the plants roots which makes the plant develop massive root systems which means bigger healthier plants, which means bigger healthier buds... I also manifold/mainline my marijuana plants so each plant has 8 fat coalas

 

[denajohn]

Hi Preachforcure, I have never heard of Smart Pots so I started reading about them. I just germinated 5 White Widow seeds and by the time they are ready, they will move into Smart Pots. As soon as I hit "Post Quick Reply", I will be ordering 10 each of the 5 gallon size. I also prefer planting in soil (don't know why, just like dirt I guess) and I believe the Smart Pots are my solution. Right now, I have 7 plants going and I'm a little leery about re-potting them unless I can figure out how to get the entire bucket of dirt out in one piece without damaging the root system (like I did with my sick plant). I'm thinking that the only way is to cut the bucket in half with my Dremel. Not sure what "manifold/mainline" means but I will definitely research it. Anyway, Thanks again for your advice. I REALLY appreciate it.

 

[Major PITA]

The best way to transplant is to let the root ball develop so it holds the soil together. Let the soil dry out so it isn't heavy and contracts slightly. Then just knock it loose.

Those 5 gal buckets have drain holes, right? Smart Pots are fine, but I wouldn't move them again until they are ready. The plant roots always seek the bottom of the pot before growing out and back up the sides. That's why growth seems so slow when growers start seedlings in large pots. There is a lot for the plant to do below ground.

 

[denajohn]

Thanks Major PITA, Now I know why you were declared "Member of the Month". Sounds like excellent advice and I will definitely heed it. I feel kind of dumb as I should have realized what you said about root growth. Years ago, I plugged my entire front yard with Zoysia grass. After a couple of months, I went back to the store and bitched to the owner about it not growing. He told me to be patient because first the plug roots start growing down, then they will start spreading sideways. He was right. I guess I just forgot. Thanks again for reminding me. And yes, I drilled 6 holes, each about the size of a pencil, around the sides of the buckets at the very bottom.

 

[Preachforcure]

Mainlining or manifolding or fluxing is a method started way back by an individual called nugbuckets i think... it basically prunes the plant in such a way that all the nutrients going to each bud is equal because all the roots are mainlined into each bud at the third node. and its simple to do. here's how it works
1. when the plant has 5-6 nodes top plant at third node and prune all leaves except those on the 3rd node (2 colas)
2. when the third node branches get 3 nodes top and prune all the other leaves off branch except 3rd node (4 colas)
3. when those four branches get 3 nodes top and prune all other leaves except those on 3rd node (8 colas)
4. let it veg for at least another week or so and use supper cropping if you need to to keep to keep plants even..you also want to use bondage methods during the pruning stages to pull the limbs down to keep plant short while widening its base...
5. flip the switch to 12/12 and watch 8 colas get super fat and make more bud than 3 average plants...I also use the round tomato stakes cut down my ring is 18" from top of pot and buds are supported by the ring to keep them from falling over from the weight...I cut the stake in such a way as to use the center ring because it's 12" and that works well for me because each of my plants are grown in a square foot space...I have 6 sq ft in my grow closet and 6 plants growing with no overlapping...and I probably get more bud from those 6 plants than most do with 18...