They all look very happy and completely unaware of the training and weather to come!
Stunger's Organic Balcony: Growing Daughters Of Mulanje: Watering Via Root Aeration Chambers
- Thread starter Stunger
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- #42
Thanks Shed! I'll probably start training them tomorrow as they're starting to take off.
DV8
Well-Known Member
Couple questions if I may....
Do you train the first node branches up or is it wait and see?
If I remember rightly you were quadlining last grow.
And how do you plan to drought given the new watering regime?
As with all your grows Im highly intrigued about how this one goes for you given the changes.
Do you train the first node branches up or is it wait and see?
If I remember rightly you were quadlining last grow.
And how do you plan to drought given the new watering regime?
As with all your grows Im highly intrigued about how this one goes for you given the changes.
- Thread starter
- #44
Hi Deeve, on my current grow I have pruned off the 1st node pair and trained out the 2nd, 3rd and 4th nodes, so they are hexlines, when I have trained quadlines I have usually done so using the 2nd and 3rd node. But I think the plant will do it's best with whatever it has to work with regardless.
I don't imagine that my inclusion of 'root aeration chambers' will make any difference with droughting. Unlike the SIPS approach my pots have no water reservoir, just an 'air chamber' that I send water to via the downpipes. I view droughting, as the use of water deprivation stress upon the plant, or as @Emeraldo has observed even very low humidity appears to perform similar stress to the plant where more trichomes are produced.
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- #45
Update - 4 weeks in their final pots
Greetings 420 enthusiasts! It is now 4 weeks since the seedlings were transplanted to their final pots. As noted earlier, I have left on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th node pairs which a few days ago I commenced training them out horizontally. These are effectively hexlines which means there is quite few horizontals to cater for, but I intend to prune off all weaker growth to avoid the canopies becoming overly dense. Also too, these 6 plants have been grown from regular seeds, so I am assuming that once the males are chopped I will be left with probably only 3 (give or take), as any reduction in numbers will be super helpful for room on the balcony considering that all going well, these plants will be over 7 months old when they're eventually harvested and I don't have room for 6 mature plants.
Their progress has been steady, and at least now they're past their seedling stage.
The Balcony lineup
We had some very strong winds over 100kph last week which whipped the young plants around and caused some minor damage but it should be nothing to worry about. Winds of over 100kph are expected again this afternoon, so I took the pics in the morning in case it is tricky to do so if rain is beating against the glass in the afternoon.
2 x Mulanje HP
The Mulanje HP in the larger 50L/13G pot (below), I mistakenly topped it above the 5th node as it had grown more than the other plants and I didn't notice it had already grown an extra node. So I rubbed off the 5th node shoots and pinched off some FIM shoots that had grown from the topped stem. I have used the 2nd,3rd,4th node pairs instead of the 3rd,4th,5th because these plants will need to be very height limited to avoid unwanted eyes looking at them, I don't need any extra height.
2 x Mulanje ME
2 x Mulanje Sherbert
Thanks for dropping in. I hope your gardens are going great! 
Greetings 420 enthusiasts! It is now 4 weeks since the seedlings were transplanted to their final pots. As noted earlier, I have left on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th node pairs which a few days ago I commenced training them out horizontally. These are effectively hexlines which means there is quite few horizontals to cater for, but I intend to prune off all weaker growth to avoid the canopies becoming overly dense. Also too, these 6 plants have been grown from regular seeds, so I am assuming that once the males are chopped I will be left with probably only 3 (give or take), as any reduction in numbers will be super helpful for room on the balcony considering that all going well, these plants will be over 7 months old when they're eventually harvested and I don't have room for 6 mature plants.
Their progress has been steady, and at least now they're past their seedling stage.
The Balcony lineup
We had some very strong winds over 100kph last week which whipped the young plants around and caused some minor damage but it should be nothing to worry about. Winds of over 100kph are expected again this afternoon, so I took the pics in the morning in case it is tricky to do so if rain is beating against the glass in the afternoon.
2 x Mulanje HP
The Mulanje HP in the larger 50L/13G pot (below), I mistakenly topped it above the 5th node as it had grown more than the other plants and I didn't notice it had already grown an extra node. So I rubbed off the 5th node shoots and pinched off some FIM shoots that had grown from the topped stem. I have used the 2nd,3rd,4th node pairs instead of the 3rd,4th,5th because these plants will need to be very height limited to avoid unwanted eyes looking at them, I don't need any extra height.
2 x Mulanje ME
2 x Mulanje Sherbert
Good morning and return greeting fellow 420 enthusiast (I swear to the Goddess of Canna I big smile errrry time you type it!)
It’s super windy here too. I love your shade of green and the structure of your plants and I’m super excited to watch your grow from the beginning! In fact I haven’t been this excited since [*Edited byAdmin Me: due to lewd, crude and inappropriate language*]
It’s super windy here too. I love your shade of green and the structure of your plants and I’m super excited to watch your grow from the beginning! In fact I haven’t been this excited since [*Edited by
Wind aside, all is well on the balcony of beautiful buds!
4 weeks in the pots, and already they survived 100kph winds ( maybe twice...)
You're breaking them in right, Stunger!
You're breaking them in right, Stunger!
You do such a good job with the training so early on. Way to keep them low. They are showing off all their new grow sites and look ready to take off now. Great start. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the 'root aeration chambers' as we go and after the grow. 
That wind is going to make for thick branches and especially deep and wide roots. They all look great.
Cheers
Cheers
Looking good Amigo.Update - 4 weeks in their final pots
Greetings 420 enthusiasts! It is now 4 weeks since the seedlings were transplanted to their final pots. As noted earlier, I have left on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th node pairs which a few days ago I commenced training them out horizontally. These are effectively hexlines which means there is quite few horizontals to cater for, but I intend to prune off all weaker growth to avoid the canopies becoming overly dense. Also too, these 6 plants have been grown from regular seeds, so I am assuming that once the males are chopped I will be left with probably only 3 (give or take), as any reduction in numbers will be super helpful for room on the balcony considering that all going well, these plants will be over 7 months old when they're eventually harvested and I don't have room for 6 mature plants.
Their progress has been steady, and at least now they're past their seedling stage.
The Balcony lineup
We had some very strong winds over 100kph last week which whipped the young plants around and caused some minor damage but it should be nothing to worry about. Winds of over 100kph are expected again this afternoon, so I took the pics in the morning in case it is tricky to do so if rain is beating against the glass in the afternoon.
2 x Mulanje HP
The Mulanje HP in the larger 50L/13G pot (below), I mistakenly topped it above the 5th node as it had grown more than the other plants and I didn't notice it had already grown an extra node. So I rubbed off the 5th node shoots and pinched off some FIM shoots that had grown from the topped stem. I have used the 2nd,3rd,4th node pairs instead of the 3rd,4th,5th because these plants will need to be very height limited to avoid unwanted eyes looking at them, I don't need any extra height.
2 x Mulanje ME
2 x Mulanje Sherbert
Thanks for dropping in. I hope your gardens are going great!
Hope you are doing well.
Take care.
Stay safe
Bill284
- Thread starter
- #52
Good morning or rather evening now Tra, and we're all 420 enthusiasts here haha!
The colour of all the plants is a very nice green at this early stage. From this point I just have to keep up with the training because they are growing so quickly now.
Thanks Shed, it is so nice to have a 'garden' underway again.
Cheers Carcass, there are a lot of broken bits on the leaves, but it shouldn't eventuate into an issue and being living things they will adjust and get hardier (hopefully).
Thanks stinker, my neighbour has severely cut back and lowered the height of the trees on their side, so now I have to really ensure I stay on top on their training to avoid any peekaboo (you know what girls are like).You do such a good job with the training so early on. Way to keep them low. They are showing off all their new grow sites and look ready to take off now. Great start. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the 'root aeration chambers' as we go and after the grow.
I'm curious too how the root aeration chambers will go, altho I can't see why they won't work well while allowing a great way to get water into the middle of the pot without trying to get it past a sun baked hydrophobic top layer, altho mulch does help with that.
Thanks Lerugged, it is great to be underway again. Altho it would be nice to grow something big that isn't compressed into 2 feet.
Cheers Bill! Speaking of 'compressed' and height limitations, your massive Jack Herer springs to mind, I'd also love to have a bash at a big one. All the best too!Looking good Amigo.
Hope you are doing well.
Take care.
Emeraldo
Well-Known Member
Seems like a worthy experiment, Stunger!
It will certainly bring air into closer contact with the interior soil, allowing it to dry out much sooner than it normally would. I suppose roots can absorb oxygen directly from air, hopefully not falling off the limb I am out on here...
I did have a couple of questions. What are your thoughts on watering? Is this an experiment in dehydration or one in hydration? Why plug the hole?
So first dry them out (not underwatering?), then later on in life they can look forward to being droughted heh?
Haha.
Cheers, am enjoying the Stunger show more and more now that my grow is fairly well ending. What does SIPS mean ?please excuse my uh stupid question, but I couldn't locate a definition.
- Thread starter
- #54
Hi Emeraldo, SIPS I believe stands for Subterranean Irrigation Planters. @Azimuth has a very cool thread on it --> here. SIPS planters have a water reservoir, which as mine doesn't, it excludes it from being in the SIPS category.
The thought of putting plugs on the downpipes was just to stop any potential drying out in the coming hot summer weather, especially if unable to water for a few days.
In regard to watering, I think they will be great. I am really enthused on the idea of watering directly to the centre of the pot where the soil should be damp and not hydrophobic, and the soil above can wick up some moisture.
My main aim in utilising these Root Aeration Chambers was for watering and creating a humid air chamber at the deep root level. I didn't do this with droughting in mind, but I don't see any issue around them with employing some droughting stress. Cheers.
The thought of putting plugs on the downpipes was just to stop any potential drying out in the coming hot summer weather, especially if unable to water for a few days.
In regard to watering, I think they will be great. I am really enthused on the idea of watering directly to the centre of the pot where the soil should be damp and not hydrophobic, and the soil above can wick up some moisture.
My main aim in utilising these Root Aeration Chambers was for watering and creating a humid air chamber at the deep root level. I didn't do this with droughting in mind, but I don't see any issue around them with employing some droughting stress. Cheers.
Emeraldo
Well-Known Member
I was just worried the setup might create too much heat on a hot summer day. But if this is in a 50L pot, maybe the aeration can will not offset too much soil. It's a new way to grow, and I wish you success!
Also, in starting two seeds for each strain, what will you do if you don't have females for any particular strain?
The odds are with you there, most likely, but it can turn out like it did for me this year, got a male when I wanted female, and since the plants preflowered late, it was, well, too late to start a new one. I was thinking next year I might even bring the mature young plants into 13 hours of darkness for 14 days (during veg but after they've reached maturity), just to ID plant gender, then allow to re-veg. Or maybe light dep will help there. Working with regular seeds is work!
Also, in starting two seeds for each strain, what will you do if you don't have females for any particular strain?
The odds are with you there, most likely, but it can turn out like it did for me this year, got a male when I wanted female, and since the plants preflowered late, it was, well, too late to start a new one. I was thinking next year I might even bring the mature young plants into 13 hours of darkness for 14 days (during veg but after they've reached maturity), just to ID plant gender, then allow to re-veg. Or maybe light dep will help there. Working with regular seeds is work!
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- #56
The addition of the root aeration chamber to each pot was done so without removing any soil, doing so just raised the soil level higher in the pots. So whether 50L or 30L, the only change is the addition of an air chamber in the middle. I very easily could be far too confident, but from what I can see I feel it should work fine (famous last words of course).
Ideally I will get 1 female for each strain but if I don't, then I'll just focus on the females I get. To be honest, even 3 plants is a lot on the balcony when they are over 7 months old at harvest. It would be better with only 2 plants, but of course the greedy weed pig I am, I would take as many females as I can get over being sensible with less.
Emeraldo
Well-Known Member
Maybe this new fandangled setup will create a drier (less humid) environment above ground. Your main water source will be deep in the soil. Will you feed nutrients via the tube?
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- #58
I have a thick mulch layer of pea straw and lucerne which really helps slow down moisture loss from the surface. So far in the last month I have only watered via the downpipes, altho there has been rainfall too. I think I still want to have a mulch layer to keep the top of the soil a little moist at least, there's worms under there. I expect most moistness will be deep in the soil along with those air chambers, I think it will be a good thing, but either way we'll see soon enough. But to be honest, I am under more height restrictions this grow, and it isn't really like I can make bigger plants even if I want to. More and more it sounds like I am describing someone who is quite greedy.
The thought of the initial entry of water being deep in the soil, really really appeals to me. On a past grow when I inspected the roots upon harvesting, I was very surprised at the 'dead' areas in the soil where there were virtually no roots, the soil in those areas seemed wasted. It appeared to me that my surface watering (and rainfall) was landing on a top layer of sun baked hydrophobic soil (I wasn't utilising a mulch layer then), the surface waterings were not soaking down thru the soil evenly, but instead, the water was running down thru in defined 'rivers' and it seemed that roots were accordingly only growing in those parts. So I feel that deep soil watering could be a great thing. If I want to go back I can always pour some soil in the downpipes to revert back!
Re nutrient feeding; I don't tend to feed regular nutes with waterings, I see my soil as supplying most things. But when watering I add worm leachate (usually every watering). And the only other additives to the water that are included now and then, are Humic and Fulvic acids, Kelp extract and Fish Hydrolysate. I imagine I will continue the same except I'll be watering via the downpipes. Most likely nutes will be given via a top dress at some point.
I get roots growing right up in my mulch layer. I keep it moist with regulat spritzings.
Noooo!!!!
That is the recommended way with these systems. I did an experiment where I fed my KNF ferts through the reservoir and even my fish fertilizer didn't work. However that setup was a bit different in that I had my soil 'suspended' above the rez with hydroton so there were no soil microbes to help with delivery (my guess). I'm going to try it again with my new design which is much more similar to yours.
Emeraldo
Well-Known Member
With the reserve water tank and moisture deep in the soil, you certainly won't have the plants wilting whilst away on the weekend! That did happen with you at least once, as I recall. But with 50 L of soil, there's usually quite a bit of reserve in there anyway.
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