The Joy Of Growing - SweetSue Goes Perpetual

[Graytail]

Re: Too much water isn't always a good thing.

From the looks of it, your Auto Destroyer and African Buzz might be showing signs of over-watering. The leaves will curl downward yet still be firm. It usually happens with small plants in big pots though I notice slight signs of it after soaking my plants in the veg cabinet.

P.S. I also just wanted to stop by and say, "Hi! I hope you're having a splendiful day."

I tend to agree. As I watched your plants over the weeks, Sue, I've noticed that they never spike up to the light. They're nice and healthy and green, but they never have that manic look, like my Tikal currently has. Your method keeps the plants green and healthy but I think the soil lacks something.

In my last update, my BH crosses looked limp and I forgot to mention that they were thirsty. Today they look much different. We once talked about nailing the wet/dry cycle just right, and when you do you get the spiky look. Here's a before/after for the Bh crosses.

BHxDestroyer before

After

BHxNexus before

After

'Grats on the Carnival!

 

[SweetSue]

think I goofed

cut off all the huge fan leaves

Defoliation isn't something to be done frivolously Bear. Those leaves serve an important function for the plant, so to remove them you should give careful consideration to the choice of which you remove. The plant will regrow them quickly because it needed them to begin with.

Doc has documentation that defoliation reduces the Brix reading of a plant. That was enough to make me stop thinking about it, but, as BAR pointed out, it's a personal preference.

 

[Epicxr]

Hi sue just checking in and all seems good here

 

[SweetSue]

Thanks for posting those Graytail. Every time I get to see the before and afters it helps to cement the concept in my brain. I'm going to do my best to get the wet/dry cycle down this time. The little ones in the tent are on SWICK trays, but I decided to let them go dry. Later today I'll probably pull them from the tent altogether. This cycle I want to hold off on the SWICK until they hit flowering fast and furious. Otherwise I'll never quite get it right, will I? Basics first Susan. Learn the basics first.

 

[36Gr0w]

Vegged with constantly perfectly moist soil. No wet/dry cycle needed.

Your plants should be reacting to the light as well.

 

[Graytail]

That's good to see, 36Gr0w, thanks!

So it's not necessarily wet/dry ...

 

[Major PITA]

That's good to see, 36Gr0w, thanks!

So it's not necessarily wet/dry ...

...but it is not too wet/too dry.

 

[SweetSue]

Vegged with constantly perfectly moist soil. No wet/dry cycle needed.

Your plants should be reacting to the light as well.

Is this from seed in the pot 36? Yeah, these plants frustrate me. The Cheese Candy is thriving over there in her corner in her SWICKed LOS no-till. If I hadn't screwed her light up early on I think she might have rivaled my Bomb. The thing is, the HB plants respond better with the root development that occurs with mastery of the wet/dry cycle. I believe it's because the soil base is so fundamental that you need that root ball to benefit from the drenches and foliars, whereas the LOS no-till just keeps plugging away and growing stronger.

I need to get the Kit under control and get a decent harvest so I can compare the two soils based on end results. Obviously I'm already getting spectacular product from the LOS and it couldn't be any easier to grow in. I can't evaluate the Kit until I use it properly and get something decent to harvest. Carnival is my baby for that goal.

 

[SweetSue]

...but it is not too wet/too dry.

It's sitting on a working SWICK. The basic principle of the SWICK is the ability of the plant itself to determine the hydration needs. I saw the same thing in my first grow.

 

[Doc Bud]

It's sitting on a working SWICK.

Which means it isn't drying out, which means you'll have more leaf to root than you should.

Will it still grow? Of course. Will it be the best it can be? No.

There are many methods of cultivation. There's a reason for that as different plants require varying methods of cultivation.

Our beloved plant can grow in a bucket of water, a bucket of perlite, in sterile mediums with salts and in living soil. Different methods of cultivation apply to each medium.

 

[Major PITA]

It's sitting on a working SWICK. The basic principle of the SWICK is the ability of the plant itself to determine the hydration needs. I saw the same thing in my first grow.

I didn't mean to suggest your grow is too wet/dry, only that it can happen - easily.

 

[SweetSue]

O

Which means it isn't drying out, which means you'll have more leaf to root than you should.

Will it still grow? Of course. Will it be the best it can be? No.

There are many methods of cultivation. There's a reason for that as different plants require varying methods of cultivation.

Our beloved plant can grow in a bucket of water, a bucket of perlite, in sterile mediums with salts and in living soil. Different methods of cultivation apply to each medium.

Excellent point Doc, but if you've followed 36 and his grows you'd know that the man grows cannabis that puts many others to shame. I don't think his plants would have a hard time at all standing proudly next to yours.

 

[36Gr0w]

That plant was a clone in a 3 gallon, then transplanted into a 15 to finish veg and flower. I don't seem to have problems with my roots. I grow these plants the same way I grow my enormous tomato plants.

Wet/dry obviously works. It's not for me or how I grow. I chose to build a high quality soil full of life to feed my plant. I see no reason to retard this by drying my soil out. I'm not counting on adding more/new life to my soil with regular feedings. I'm counting on my micro life to be in there flourishing.

 

[PeeJay]

My observation is that MOST SWICK plants look flabby and overwatered. There are a few exceptions. I reckon that a lot of how a plant does in SWICK has to do with the soil tilth and capillary action . Then there are genotype/phenotype variations.

 

[SweetSue]

That plant was a clone in a 3 gallon, then transplanted into a 15 to finish veg and flower. I don't seem to have problems with my roots. I grow these plants the same way I grow my enormous tomato plants.

Wet/dry obviously works. It's not for me or how I grow. I chose to build a high quality soil full of life to feed my plant. I see no reason to retard this by drying my soil out. I'm not counting on adding more/new life to my soil with regular feedings. I'm counting on my micro life to be in there flourishing.

Thank you. That's precisely what's going on in the no-till and I couldn't have expressed it better if I'd tried.

 

[Duggan]

Swick ,....smick!

 

[Pigeons420]

There's mixed opinions about defol. Some consider it a good practice as it helps with light penetration and airflow while others shone upon it because it momentarily stunts growth. I'm for it.

I'm for it, too.

Defoliation isn't something to be done frivolously Bear. Those leaves serve an important function for the plant, so to remove them you should give careful consideration to the choice of which you remove. The plant will regrow them quickly because it needed them to begin with.

Doc has documentation that defoliation reduces the Brix reading of a plant. That was enough to make me stop thinking about it, but, as BAR pointed out, it's a personal preference.

For the sake of indifference, defol is something I prefer not to partake in. I believe strongly that the leaves play a significant role through out the plants life. Using it for food, shade and defense.

That's one of the many beautiful thing about this magazine is we can all coincide peacefully and professionally and agree to disagree.

Much love!

 

[Major PITA]

My observation is that MOST SWICK plants look flabby and overwatered. There are a few exceptions. I reckon that a lot of how a plant does in SWICK has to do with the soil tilth and capillary action . Then there are genotype/phenotype variations.

I was thinking about this before I saw your post. Since I've never SWICKed, I have nothing to go by, so here's my question:

I understand the plant can draw as much water as it wants/needs, assuming that much water is present in the grow medium, being transferred from the SWICK. But what happens if the grow medium is such that it holds more water than the plant needs? The plant always takes what it wants but the roots could still be left in overly moist soil. Isn't the success of a SWICK dependent on the capillary action and water holding capacity of the grow medium? It seems like extremely well drained soil would work best, while denser, heavier soils could still drown a plant.
I'm thinking out loud and wondering...

 

[SweetSue]

My observation is that MOST SWICK plants look flabby and overwatered. There are a few exceptions. I reckon that a lot of how a plant does in SWICK has to do with the soil tilth and capillary action . Then there are genotype/phenotype variations.

Flabby and overwatered. I'll grant you mine have shown those tendencies. The plants 36 grows in obviously better soil and under better lights don't and never have to my recollection. So I can see different soils, different genotype/phenotypes, but here's where I keep coming back to. I've harvested three plants off the SWICK system. The peace of mind I gained in not having to be concerned at all about my plant's water needs is profound IMHO. The harvests have ALL been high potency, smooth, clean smoke, incredibly effective medication for every member of my family that I grow for.

I am not a lightweight smoker. The potency of what this soil and these SWICKS have offered me, with virtually no effort on my part beyond building a solid soil base, has been of an elite level. I think we're splitting hairs. Being flabby didn't leave me with meds I would in any way consider substandard. So, I'm learning the wet/dry cycle to master the Kit, because I believe that the product the Kit grows may be of a quality that I want to include in my inventory. It certainly comes very highly recommended by growers I have great respect for. I have to try it for myself. But while I'm learning to "cultivate" to reach that desired goal it's not lost on me that my LOS no-till sitting quietly in the corner on its SWICK doing it's community thing with some occasional teas or drenches has been churning out some serious weed from the beginning.

Makes you think, doesn't it?

 

[SweetSue]

I was thinking about this before I saw your post. Since I've never SWICKed, I have nothing to go by, so here's my question:

I understand the plant can draw as much water as it wants/needs, assuming that much water is present in the grow medium, being transferred from the SWICK. But what happens if the grow medium is such that it holds more water than the plant needs? The plant always takes what it wants but the roots could still be left in overly moist soil. Isn't the success of a SWICK dependent on the capillary action and water holding capacity of the grow medium? It seems like extremely well drained soil would work best, while denser, heavier soils could still drown a plant.
I'm thinking out loud and wondering...

This particular system was designed for LOS with up to an additional 25% ratio increase in aeration components. It will work with other soils, but with a caution to watch carefully. A well-designed LOS is very well-draining soil to begin with. My personal soil mix has pumice, perlite and rice hulls, so lots of potential for capillary action.