Washington State New Grower with Basic Questions-Please help

[YoJoLo]

I am a first time grower. A really, really green newbie.

A friend of mine who uses cannabis medicinally gave me two plants last week. I'm having some problems so any help you could give me would be appreciated. Here's all the info I have on what she gave me:

1) The plants are about 18" tall, are very spindly, and are growing in red keg cups with holes in the bottom. You can see the plug it was originally grown in was planted into potting soil with perlite. I'm not sure if that's how they came from the medical pot store.
2) I have not used any fertilizer since I acquired them a week ago.
3) I just tested the pH of my well water and it is between 6.5-7.0
4) I've been doing 16/8 and on sunny days, they are put outside. I bring them in at dusk and continue with a grow light until they've had 16 hours.
5) I've been using a 65 watt grow light and when I place my hand on the top of the plants I am feeling a little warmth.

This is the problem. Today I noticed that the tips on a few of the leaves are turning brown and a good portion of the edges yellowing. I've been watering once a day and I know I've overwatered so I will be buying a moisture probe tomorrow.

My questions are:

1) Are they ready for transplant? If so what size container?
2) I bought some Fox Farm Grow Big Concentrate (6-4-4) at the hydroponic store. The owner said to use half strength (1 teaspoon) in a gallon of water.
3) I've since read that I should only water when the last inch of soil at the bottom of the pot is only slightly moist. Is this correct?
4) Even though the plant is pretty spindly, can I take a cutting from each one to clone or do you think I should wait until they are more healthy?

Lot of questions. Please help

 

[brightlight]

Hello YJL. If plants are headed for outdoor grow, then use as big a container as you safely (security) can. The bigger the container, the bigger the plant. If from a dispensary, then probably clones. Clones are mature plants and can start flowering and re-veg if period of bad weather (low light). So keep up your 16/8 until days get longer before leaving outside completely.

Ok to fertilize. May help fill in the plant. No need to let plant get that dry before watering. Your pH is fine. High 5's to 7 range will work. They will fill in with your care and as they continue to grow.

 

[ColoradoKid]

YoJoLo, to . We are glad that you are here. Growing is fun. We want to spread the good news about cannabis and hemp to the world. Being new can be intimidating sometimes. To help you on your way to becoming an expert we have for your viewing pleasure New Member Start Links. Which contains a wealth of information. Some of which may be of interest to you. Also the go to place to look for help or to ask questions is Frequently Asked Questions. Look around and have fun.

 

[rillos]

please any questions or concerns post them and always try to post pics to show what it is you are talking about.

 

[yuyo]

1. yes
1. (b) how big do you want them to be in said contaner and will they be in it for the remainder of their life?
i would say 3 gallon or 11'' dia at minimum if they are to live there long
i am betting you will see a boost in growth as the roots must surely be a bit cramped and beg for room

2. sounds good

3. letting the container dry is good for the roots as they need air as well as moisture, there is a bit of leeway here as if you are not exact it will not hurt , in time you will get a feel for it, the heft of the container is a good clue. get used to the weight at full watering and then when dry

4. i would have to say not seeing the patient that i would wait for it to be healthy and vibrant before cloning

2 cents...need more light for inside if they do not get at least ten hours if sun
check into lst (low stress training) and finally if at all possible pics do help a ton

hope all is well
good luck and take care

 

[Lady Cannafan]

YoJoLo

I am moving this thread to the FAQ's for maximum member exposure for your questions.

 

[YoJoLo]

Thank you for all the input.

Transplanted my babies to a 3 gallon container the other day. Since transplanting they've got beautiful green growth on them They're growing like weeds, ha, ha!

One problem though that I've seen even before transplanting them. Some of the lower leaves are yellowing. The plants are about 19 inches tall and overall look healthy except the yellowing leaves are scaring me. If you look at my top post, they hadn't been fertilized until I transplanted them a few days ago. Are yellowing lower leaves normal? We did use Miracle Grow potting soil which has slow release Nitrogen and the nitrogen level listed on the bag was a LOT lower than a bunch of potting soils I checked out at Home Depot. I think the Miracle Grow bag listed the Nitrogen at 0.21% and as slow release and the ones I looked at at Home Depot were in the area of 1.1-1.5% so a lot higher than Miracle Grow. One of the organic potting soils with worm castings had the nitrogen listed at 2% and that's 10x higher than Miracle Grow!

We have long days right now in Washington State so they are getting 16/8 with normal sunshine and a grow light to make it a full 16 hours. It's also been pretty hot the last few days (mid to low 80s). Do I need to mist them while they are outside during the hot days or will that cook them. Are we doing something wrong or is there something we should be doing that is causing the yellowing of the lower leaves?

 

[labexperiment]

Yellowing leaves could be a result of the small pots making the roots bound.

Misting during the heat of the day is not a good idea, yes it may cook them. Try misting in late evening preferably with a light breeze in the evening, or in the early morning. Buy some foliage feed organic nutrients to dilute into your misting bottle for extra resistance to pests ect..

OH and welcome to 420.

 

[brightlight]

If you're seeing nice green growth but the lower leaves are turning yellow, it may be needing additional nitrogen. Nitrogen is mobile within the plant and travels to support the new growth. When that happens, the lower leaves will turn yellow.

 

[YoJoLo]

Yes, labexperiment, the roots were pretty bound up in the red keg cups. Kind of surprised us.

Brightlight, you think I may need more nitrogen even though the Miracle Grow has slow release nitrogen? I just read some threads where people said don't use the Miracle Grow because it's too hot. I was taking that to mean too much Nitrogen. It worried me and that's what sent me looking at other potting soils. Then I saw how much more nitrogen was in other potting soils so I went ahead and used the Miracle Grow. Do you think the slow release isn't enough for my babies? I just transplanted them day before yesterday but it does seem like a lot of the lower growth is still turning yellow.

I got the plants from a friend and I think they're clones from a dispensary because they're kind of spindly. I wanted to take one cutting from each plant for some more clones but the bottom growth that could possible be used as clones have really thin stems. Can I get them to root with such tiny, little stems? I'm hoping to grow some hardier looking plants from clones? Any advice?

 

[brightlight]

You mentioned that your plants are 18" tall. At that age they can handle any nitrogen (and other stuff) in the soil, and probably more. Soil mfrs. include all kind of soil goodies nowadays, but I think the amounts are low. Sounds good to buyers, right? What I mean is that I wouldn't worry about your soil providing too much N or anything else.

Maybe look into adding some mycorrhizae (beneficial fungi) and something w/ a little humic acid (helps uptake).

Clones are usually from plants (generally from seed) that are deemed special. You are rescuing a couple of homeless plants that have lived through some stress. I think just grow them out and enjoy your first grow. Sounds like you are! Btw, do you know what strain they are?

 

[YoJoLo]

One is O.G Kush and the other is Blueberry Yum Kush. Can't complain since they were given to me.

 

[labexperiment]

I would suggest topping them to keep them small and help them to bush out a little, which would give you more spots to take clones from. I read that you have a 65 watt light, I would also recommend you pick yourself up a little better light for your 2 plants, I do not believe one 65 watt light is enough for 2 plants which would explain your spindly plants. I am a fan of t-5-HO florescent lights for vegging or keeping mothers.

 

[YoJoLo]

Thanks labexperiment. I've been looking at videos on YouTube with instructions on how to top because I don't want to hurt my plants and I want to do it right.

Yesterday we received a 125w Hydrofarm FLC0125D Fluorescent Grow Light System that has a 6400k bulb in it. I read that in veg plants need a blue light spectrum (6400k+) and when they're flowering a red light spectrum (2700k) so that you get healthy plants. Going to use the fluorescent bulb to get the full 16 hours of light on my two plants and also when I get brave enough to finally try cloning. They've got some healthy looking little offshoots towards the bottom that I'll try cloning from.

I appreciate your suggestions. Any help I can get to make sure these plants make it is really appreciated.

 

[labexperiment]

When it comes to cloning there is no need to be worried man, the mother will grow lots of new shoots to replace the ones you take. If the clones you take don't grow roots it is not the end of the world, you can always try again, and again, and again, I think you know where I am going with this. You seem to be intelligent and motivated to search for then ask questions on what you do not understand, with those 2 qualities I am sure you will be a successful grower in no time.

I would also urge you to start your own journal, it is a great way to document your experience, and is great to look back on to make improvements in your next grow. I will subscribe to your journal if you start one.