Volksball's First Grow: White Widow Feminized Grow Journal 2018

[volksball]

I made some filters for my openings. I found some blue filter material at the local hardware store and doubled it up. Helps keep the light out while letting the plants get more ventilation. Fairly cheap and works great.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[shrederiz]

But what does that do to your humidity? I know you want to be lower in flower, but doesn't that reduce it to basically the house's RH?

It quite drops the humidity so I always use a humidifier to stay on 60% for the entire grow..

 

[volksball]

Hey guys,

Question about watering at this stage:

I've been feeding the girls 3 gallons every 72 hours. They're in 7 gallon pots.

It's been sometime since I've watered anymore than that as they've never shown me a need for more. They still are not begging for it and watering has not been an issue at all so far.

I can't lift the pot because of the scrog net, so I've always known when the pots need water, as the tent starts to get into mid 40's RH, telling me that they're not quite dry, but we're close to the house's RH. It's seems to have worked so far.

My question is, because they're stretching so far and growing so much, should I be upping the amount of water? 2.5gal each? Or should maintain a dryer environment in flower?

Thx.

Day 85/9F

 

[volksball]

It quite drops the humidity so I always use a humidifier to stay on 60% for the entire grow..

Gotcha. Gotta do what you gotta do!

 

[Emilya Green]

I try to see how much they will take with each watering... their needs do increase as the buds get bigger. The roots aren't growing as fast as they did in veg, but they are still growing. Trust your devices... if your gut says they are using more water and doing it quicker, they probably are.

 

[volksball]

I try to see how much they will take with each watering... their needs do increase as the buds get bigger. The roots aren't growing as fast as they did in veg, but they are still growing. Trust your devices... if your gut says they are using more water and doing it quicker, they probably are.

Thanks

 

[volksball]

I try to see how much they will take with each watering... their needs do increase as the buds get bigger. The roots aren't growing as fast as they did in veg, but they are still growing. Trust your devices... if your gut says they are using more water and doing it quicker, they probably are.

So this was odd...

As mentioned, I feed the girls 2 gal, every three days. I wanted to feed another half gallon to each and before I noticed, they started to run off quite a bit. Because I fed the one plant the full 2.5 gal, I did the other two as well, for consistencys sake. The runoff was in the neighborhood of 20%. The pots were running off before they got the extra feed.

I know that soil breaks down and holds less water, but from no run off to significant in between two feedings? Could it be the light intensity reduction? And how bad is it for such a heavy watering during flower?

 

[Emilya Green]

I am guessing that the roots have formed a void in the soil that allowed for a fast flow through, channelling I think is what they call it. Just water slower next time and see if you can help the soil to settle. Soil isn't going to break down that quickly. As far as heavy watering, that is what flowering is all about. In veg we develop the roots... in flower we use those roots.

 

[volksball]

I am guessing that the roots have formed a void in the soil that allowed for a fast flow through, channelling I think is what they call it. Just water slower next time and see if you can help the soil to settle. Soil isn't going to break down that quickly. As far as heavy watering, that is what flowering is all about. In veg we develop the roots... in flower we use those roots.

Oh ok. Good. So then, would you reccomend that I water to runoff during flower? And should I add soil/peat to the pots to have some flow down and full any voids?

 

[Emilya Green]

Watering to runoff is the only way to properly water as far as I am concerned. I see no justification to try to guess for myself how much the plants need or be in the situation you now find yourself in not knowing how much the plants need or are using each time. You can add more soil if you see that the level has dropped and your voids were that dramatic, but usually the cure to fast runoff is to water much more slowly. I watered yesterday... it took 10 hours to complete the process, 2 cups at a time, and I am only in 3 gallon containers.

 

[volksball]

Watering to runoff is the only way to properly water as far as I am concerned. I see no justification to try to guess for myself how much the plants need or be in the situation you now find yourself in not knowing how much the plants need or are using each time. You can add more soil if you see that the level has dropped and your voids were that dramatic, but usually the cure to fast runoff is to water much more slowly. I watered yesterday... it took 10 hours to complete the process, 2 cups at a time, and I am only in 3 gallon containers.

Oh wow. Ok. Point taken. I'll adjust that. Thanks for the tips!

 

[InTheShed]

Thanks for that, Emilya! It's great to hear the directly opposing argument to properly make an evaluation.

I haven't seen any evidence of salt buildup in the growing medium, especially if you are watering to runoff every time. To make a categorical statement like, "The problem is accumulated salt in the medium." It assumes that every grow has that problem. I disagree. There is no build-up of anything if you water to runoff.

because they're stretching so far and growing so much, should I be upping the amount of water? 2.5gal each? Or should maintain a dryer environment in flower?

In veg you let the plant dry further than you do in flower to encourage roots to grow in search of water. In flower you want the plant to have a constant source of water to help grow the flowers. I water a day earlier in flower than in veg.

how bad is it for such a heavy watering during flower?

Watering to runoff is the only way to properly water as far as I am concerned.

I always water to runoff as well. Just faster than Emilya does or I'd have to quit my job .

 

[volksball]

I haven't seen any evidence of salt buildup in the growing medium, especially if you are watering to runoff every time. To make a categorical statement like, "The problem is accumulated salt in the medium." It assumes that every grow has that problem. I disagree. There is no build-up of anything if you water to runoff.

In veg you let the plant dry further than you do in flower to encourage roots to grow in search of water. In flower you want the plant to have a constant source of water to help grow the flowers. I water a day earlier in flower than in veg.


I always water to runoff as well. Just faster than Emilya does or I'd have to quit my job .

Thanks for the good info! I suppose I'll water to runoff everytime now, however, how do you collect the runoff under a scrog?? I was sopping it up with towels. Seems inefficient. It was a bit of a mess.

 

[InTheShed]

I think people raise the pots and use a drip tray angled towards the opening of the tent.

 

[volksball]

I think people raise the pots and use a drip tray angled towards the opening of the tent.

Dammit. Might be late for that move. The towel method sucks. Ha.

 

[Emilya Green]

turkey baster and a bucket works for me

 

[volksball]

turkey baster and a bucket works for me

BRILLIANT IDEA

 

[InTheShed]

Or a wet/dry vac!

 

[Emilya Green]

I haven't seen any evidence of salt buildup in the growing medium, especially if you are watering to runoff every time. To make a categorical statement like, "The problem is accumulated salt in the medium." It assumes that every grow has that problem. I disagree. There is no build-up of anything if you water to runoff.

Love you InTheShed, and love this debate. Those on the no flush side of this debate don't see a "problem" with the grow because of accumulated salts, because out of sight/out of mind theory says that if we can't see salt sitting in the soil and cant see its detrimental effect, it really isn't bothering anything.
It is most definitely true that one can get by with never flushing at the end, and assuming no earlier lockouts, they will harvest just fine and never see any indication whatsoever of any sort of slow down or reduction in the harvest... but it is impossible to prove a negative.
Only logic can inform us that any salt accumulation must have an effect. Other than a side by side test, we have only our intellect and what we know about plants to inform us that since salt restricts water uptake, and since salt is a byproduct of synthetic nutes, a certain amount, however slight it might be, a certain amount of uptake will be restricted by not flushing out those accumulated salts at the end. I am not assuming that every grow has a "problem" but that any synthetic grow can benefit from this end of the run flush, and this is the reason that all synthetic nutrient lines recommend a flush at the end. I can't argue that it is mandatory to do this, but I will argue that it is better to do it than not to flush.
Same thing goes for always watering to 10+% runoff... someone who does this is in better shape than someone who doesn't. Is it to the same effect as that last complete thorough flush at the end right before budswell? Closer than not.

 

[volksball]

Or a wet/dry vac!

Now, this one I thought of. My thoughts immediately went to my parents basement storage where I'm almost 100% sure there's one that hasn't been used in almost 20 years. Gonna try to solve it in house, but if I happen to be by for a visit...