Renaissance Man's First Official Grow: Blueberry OG, Gorilla Zkittles & Cream Caramel In Soil

[Renaissance Man]

This title is so misleading. How can I go about changing the title? Anyways, here is where we are today:

Gorilla Zkittles is 16 days old but a very light green. I'm thinking nitrogen deficiency. I am using MegaCrop and my ratio is .79 grams to 1.5l of water. I'll watch closely.

Blueberry OG is a week behind at 9 days but seems to be growing slowly.

Caramel Cream seems to be doing the best. It is in a different soil. You can clearly see the difference in leaf structure of the three.

Lights are at 75%, 20" above.

Blueberry OG on the left, Caramel Cream in the middle and Gorilla Zkittles on the right

 

[Renaissance Man]

I figure I'm due for an update and need to be a little more proactive on journal entries.

So my lights are exactly at 22" above and set at 80%.

The last water was 4 days ago but still feels like it needs a day or two more. I have upped my Megacrop to 1.59g / 1.5l (thank God for the calculator on their website)

The GZ seems to have a light green color. My understanding is that I need to up the MC in order to get that MC green. It is on day 24.

The BB is about a week behind and seems to look good with color. Same water and feed schedule.

And lastly the CC is in a different soil and not drying out as quickly. I believe this is leading to a Mg deficiency. I'm going to wait longer before a water/feed and see how it recovers.

The CC is also on day 16

 

[Renaissance Man]

Doing more research, I am led to believe that my BB is overwatered. Every 4 days or so, it tends to droop or leaves point down. The bottom leaves are slightly yellow and the tops look like Nitrogen deficiency. This is exactly what @Emilya states in her "proper way to water a plant" in which case, I overwatered.

I was confused because the container doesn't feel "light as a feather" and the plant perks up after a watering, but maybe I need to stress it out a little more after day 4 to let the soil dry out more. Here it is today after 1 day of watering. This is day 26 of growth

 

[Emilya Green]

After continued overwatering, the lower roots will try to protect themselves by putting a coating around them. This drastically restricts the ability of the lower roots to uptake water, but they continue on as best they can, until you get to the next stage, root rot, when they have totally given up.

This means that the only really active roots that are keeping the plant going are at the very top... the top set of spreader roots that can exist to 3 or 4 inches down. When you water, these roots become happy and for a day or two they feast on what they can gather. As they use the water, the water table drops and eventually falls to below where these top spreader roots exist. This is when the droop sets in, you still feel lots of water weight, and they continue to try to drain the water that is left.

Even though it hurts to do it, go a couple or even 3 days extra to allow that bottom water to get used. I have plants right now that just went 10 days between waterings. You are drowning your plants by being too kind. Instead of what you are doing, while you are waiting a week or more for the plants to use up all that stale old water in the bottom of your containers, every 4 days, very carefully spread 1 cup of water around the top surface, concentrating on the outer edges of the container. Put no more than 1 cup in there. This will keep the upper roots active, while not adding to the level of the water table below. After you cycle the container all the way dry to the bottom a couple of times, things will speed up... but for now, consider your plants in ICU.

 

[Renaissance Man]

Thank you @Emilya That was exactly what I needed to hear. I've just been chicken because I don't want to open up the tent in the morning and see a wilted plant beyond saving. But I think I knew deep down, that wouldn't happen that quickly. I was thinking that I needed to water the top portion just enough, but wasn't sure how much water it would take.

I think I still have time to make a strong root ball. That's my main focus. I guess I'm at the stage of To Know the Plant is to Be the Plant stage.

What do you think about the Caramel Cream plant? Do you think it is the same problem? I tend to think that it is a nutrient deficiency, possibly Mg? If that's the case, should I start to introduce the DIY Cal/Mag? 1tbl/gal?

I also ordered a scale that goes to .001. I have only been estimating what 1.59g = .373tsp. I think that will help dial in my nutrients better..

Thank you for your explanation and appreciate your help making others better!

 

[Emilya Green]

Thank you @Emilya That was exactly what I needed to hear. I've just been chicken because I don't want to open up the tent in the morning and see a wilted plant beyond saving. But I think I knew deep down, that wouldn't happen that quickly. I was thinking that I needed to water the top portion just enough, but wasn't sure how much water it would take.

I think I still have time to make a strong root ball. That's my main focus. I guess I'm at the stage of To Know the Plant is to Be the Plant stage.

What do you think about the Caramel Cream plant? Do you think it is the same problem? I tend to think that it is a nutrient deficiency, possibly Mg? If that's the case, should I start to introduce the DIY Cal/Mag? 1tbl/gal?

I also ordered a scale that goes to .001. I have only been estimating what 1.59g = .373tsp. I think that will help dial in my nutrients better..

Thank you for your explanation and appreciate your help making others better!

looks to be the same problem to me

 

[Krissi Carbone]

This title is so misleading. How can I go about changing the title? Anyways, here is where we are today:

Gorilla Zkittles is 16 days old but a very light green. I'm thinking nitrogen deficiency. I am using MegaCrop and my ratio is .79 grams to 1.5l of water. I'll watch closely.

Blueberry OG is a week behind at 9 days but seems to be growing slowly.

Caramel Cream seems to be doing the best. It is in a different soil. You can clearly see the difference in leaf structure of the three.

Lights are at 75%, 20" above.

Blueberry OG on the left, Caramel Cream in the middle and Gorilla Zkittles on the right

Send a private message to support, teddy Edwards or Renee Robert's. They can change your title. Frustrating start. Give us pics as your going if you can cause after 6 days it's hard for us to help as we don't see any progressional photos or dialogue until there is an issue. It would be easier for us to help and you to ask that way. When you say there is an issue, try to give us a close up of the issue, like you started doing in the end....Also use the FAQ forum for quick answers to questions you may have. Post a pic and say what issue you think your having in the title.

I'm happy to help I know many others are too.

 

[Renaissance Man]

Day 28 of growth
3 days since last feed/water

I took the plants out to see them under a different light in my garage. It appears that the green is starting to look healthy in both the BB and GZ. The CC still is my wild card. It is in a different soil that is not as aerated as the FFOF/HappyFrog and retains more water. Because of this, I believe, is why my leaves are turning yellow on the edges.

I am having a difficult time trying to figure out where the water table is on the 1g pots. I lightly misted the top soil of the GZ today with a total of probably less than a quarter of a cup. I have been fairly consistent about watering every 4 days, but I am going to try and extend that to 5 or 6 with a light watering on the top soil for the next two watering cycles.

The CC, I may actually skip a watering cycle. It seems that wet.

I have also started weighing the 1g pots, to see if I can get a more general idea of where I need to be when it comes to watering. It seems to be losing approx. 70-100g of weight daily. Not sure what that means yet, but stay tuned.

Anyways, here is where I am today. (my picture taking will get better, sorry)

Gorilla Zkittles:

Blueberry OG

and Caramel Cream (or Cream Caramel, idk)

 

[Krissi Carbone]

Day 28 of growth
3 days since last feed/water

I took the plants out to see them under a different light in my garage. It appears that the green is starting to look healthy in both the BB and GZ. The CC still is my wild card. It is in a different soil that is not as aerated as the FFOF/HappyFrog and retains more water. Because of this, I believe, is why my leaves are turning yellow on the edges.

I am having a difficult time trying to figure out where the water table is on the 1g pots. I lightly misted the top soil of the GZ today with a total of probably less than a quarter of a cup. I have been fairly consistent about watering every 4 days, but I am going to try and extend that to 5 or 6 with a light watering on the top soil for the next two watering cycles.

The CC, I may actually skip a watering cycle. It seems that wet.

I have also started weighing the 1g pots, to see if I can get a more general idea of where I need to be when it comes to watering. It seems to be losing approx. 70-100g of weight daily. Not sure what that means yet, but stay tuned.

Anyways, here is where I am today. (my picture taking will get better, sorry)

Gorilla Zkittles:

Blueberry OG

and Caramel Cream (or Cream Caramel, idk)

Hi! You're looking better for sure. I think the Caramel Creme is a little nutrient deficient. Nitrogen or even some Cal-Mag may help. My only concern is that because of the soil issue you mentioned, it could be the beginning of a nutrient lock-out and she won't be able to absorb what you give her because of the condition of your soil. How about moving her?

My general rule of thumb is no more than a shot glass so that is about. 25c but that I do up to 2 weeks. I can see the deficiencies in Skittlez, too but can also see she is doing better than she was.

At this age, you should be moving up from the seedling stage feed a little as they will be growing and needing more umph...

 

[Renaissance Man]

I was thinking similar thoughts, however, what do you mean by moving her? Transplanting her in different soil? I could do that.

Maybe what I'll do tomorrow is transplant her into different soil and water with MC and CalMag. If I try to flush her out in this soil, I think she'll drown.

I'll be at the 4g/gal ratio for the next feeding and will be more dialed in once the new scale comes.

Appreciate the feedback, @Krissi1982!

 

[Krissi Carbone]

I was thinking similar thoughts, however, what do you mean by moving her? Transplanting her in different soil? I could do that.

Maybe what I'll do tomorrow is transplant her into different soil and water with MC and CalMag. If I try to flush her out in this soil, I think she'll drown.

I'll be at the 4g/gal ratio for the next feeding and will be more dialed in once the new scale comes.

Appreciate the feedback, @Krissi1982!

Yes take her out and rehome her. Def don't flush!!

I think she will do just fine with a transplant. Just be gentle with her frail roots and body...


Let us know how it goes

 

[Renaissance Man]

I decided to change the soil to the CC and replace it with the soil that is in the other plants. The first thing I had to do was to find a similar sized pot. Found one in the backyard but had to drill some holes in the bottom first.

Never actually doing this before, I gently flipped the plant upside down and moved away most of the soil. The roots are looking good and healthy. I filled up the pot about halfway and then put the plant in and filled the rest with the soil.

Then I mixed in some nutes and a bit of CalMag and watered her.

She looks good in her new house, however, I suspect there may be a little bit of shock until she realizes the new soil may be better for her to live in. We'll see...

 

[Krissi Carbone]

I decided to change the soil to the CC and replace it with the soil that is in the other plants. The first thing I had to do was to find a similar sized pot. Found one in the backyard but had to drill some holes in the bottom first.

Never actually doing this before, I gently flipped the plant upside down and moved away most of the soil. The roots are looking good and healthy. I filled up the pot about halfway and then put the plant in and filled the rest with the soil.

Then I mixed in some nutes and a bit of CalMag and watered her.

She looks good in her new house, however, I suspect there may be a little bit of shock until she realizes the new soil may be better for her to live in. We'll see...

Yaay! Is that plastic or ceramic? I guess not the latter cause you drilled into it...silly me....she looks good RM!

 

[Renaissance Man]

Yaay! Is that plastic or ceramic?

It's ceramic. That's all I had. Will that have an impact on anything?

 

[Krissi Carbone]

It's ceramic. That's all I had. Will that have an impact on anything?

Haha I went back and changed my comment too late...eh...not for this stage..just better to have the ability to give a little when the roots spread out..she won't be in there too long. Just be careful with the quality of the ceramic, colors have a tendency to bleed....something to look out for, I wouldn't be too concerned with the color of the pot...doesn't look like there was much added to it....

 

[Renaissance Man]

Day 30 and water/feed day

So my new scale came in today, so I was able to get a more precise measure of my nutrients. The feeding calculator showed 1.79g / 1.5L of water. I did not add any CalMag as I am still unclear of what deficiencies look like. The GZ still looks yellow on the bottom but new growth looks ok. The pot was pretty light after 5 days so it's safe to say it's been well drained. I also weighed all the pots before watering today to help me gauge better at this stage.

The CC looks good so far after the transplant and seems to be chugging along. No new signs yellowing and current signs seem to remain stable.

The BB has slightly yellow bottom leaves but all new growth looks healthy. We'll see what whether to up or down the nutrients after this.

 

[013]

Hey Renaissance, it’s been a while but driving thru again.

The water too often thing is really hard for new gardeners…. I’m pretty new myself and crap I still have trouble with it.….

lift the pot or weighing the containers is good practice just be sure to keep an identical same size container filled with same soil mix but kept totally dry as your reference point.

another idea is to have 2 empty same sized containers one with totally dry soil and the other gets watered same as your other plants…. when you are questioning water habits dig deep into the empty wet container with a spoon… the dry soil on top will be lighter in color than wet soil down below and when you get near the bottom it becomes more obvious about your watering practice

tiny seedlings need tiny water…. on a small plant the roots can’t use up the water fast enough so we add water to an already wet soil…. the real problem is that roots can’t breathe in continuously wet soil

another low budget trick on watering habits…. buy long wooden shish-kabob sticks - insert a few deep into your soil and let it stay for at least 6 hours then retract the stick…. the color of the skewer stick will be darker from contact with moist soil and it will feel damp too

another thing is starting with small containers and doing the upcan transplant, this is for photoperiods but most here start in solo cups and dont transplant until it meets requirements in Emilya‘s how to water thread

case in point right now I have the most pitiful looking super silver haze that was up-canned too fast from solo cup to1 gallon and overwatered. She’s prolly 10 - 12 weeks old and has 8 weak assed nodes while the other plant started at the same time is a veritable monster

lastly, don’t get frustrated gotta break eggs to make an omelet…. keep studying here and we are only 1 post away

 

[Renaissance Man]

Day 32 of grow
2 days since water/feed

It appears that all are looking fairly ok. Starting with the GZ, she has some yellowing at the bottom but I am not too concerned with it now as all new growth is looking good. I am getting close to topping her, just trying to decide between which nodes?

BB is technically a week behind GZ but she is probably the strongest and appears to be getting bushy. Her bottom node has really strong growth which leads me to believe this will be a bushier plant than the others.

CC, like BB is a week behind GZ also but because of the initial soil, I think it somewhat stunted her growth. Her main stem is still pretty thin and fragile unlike the two others. The yellow edges seem to have stopped getting worse, so I'm hoping the transplant in the new soil is helping. It seems to be.

 

[Renaissance Man]

Hey Renaissance, it’s been a while but driving thru again.

The water too often thing is really hard for new gardeners…. I’m pretty new myself and crap I still have trouble with it.….

lift the pot or weighing the containers is good practice just be sure to keep an identical same size container filled with same soil mix but kept totally dry as your reference point.

another idea is to have 2 empty same sized containers one with totally dry soil and the other gets watered same as your other plants…. when you are questioning water habits dig deep into the empty wet container with a spoon… the dry soil on top will be lighter in color than wet soil down below and when you get near the bottom it becomes more obvious about your watering practice

tiny seedlings need tiny water…. on a small plant the roots can’t use up the water fast enough so we add water to an already wet soil…. the real problem is that roots can’t breathe in continuously wet soil

another low budget trick on watering habits…. buy long wooden shish-kabob sticks - insert a few deep into your soil and let it stay for at least 6 hours then retract the stick…. the color of the skewer stick will be darker from contact with moist soil and it will feel damp too

another thing is starting with small containers and doing the upcan transplant, this is for photoperiods but most here start in solo cups and dont transplant until it meets requirements in Emilya‘s how to water thread

case in point right now I have the most pitiful looking super silver haze that was up-canned too fast from solo cup to1 gallon and overwatered. She’s prolly 10 - 12 weeks old and has 8 weak assed nodes while the other plant started at the same time is a veritable monster

lastly, don’t get frustrated gotta break eggs to make an omelet…. keep studying here and we are only 1 post away

Good stuff, kind sir. I appreciate the words of wisdom and the confidence building. I am getting to understand the plants a little better and really starting to make them "work" for their water. What a masochist I am... as a gardener, that is.

 

[013]

You are doing fantastic, seriously all comments meant as positive reinforcement not blame storming….

One thing I know…. if it’s green and supposed to be a weed plant then yup I can kill it quickly!!!

I tweaked my 420 settings & never see tags but if I can help - please shoot me a quick pm