Yankeetoker's 2nd Grow Attempt - 2016 - All Advice Welcome!

[yankeetoker]

Strains: 2× Habiba (reg) and 2X White Widow (fem)

Pots: 1 gallon Smart Pot transplanter

Seedlings sprouted between 1/1 and 1/11

Soil: Coast of Maine lobster compost/Peat moss/ perlite with amendments

Lights: 125 watt cfl

Temps: low to mid 70s

RH: low 40s

Watering: once a week soil drench and twice a week spray/mist to keep topsoil moist

 

[yankeetoker]

Re: Yankeetoker's 2nd grow attempt (2016)

 

[yankeetoker]

Re: Yankeetoker's 2nd grow attempt (2016)

Attempted a grow a few months back and ended up with a very slow growing plant and another that "hermied". Any advice this go around would be greatly appreciated.

 

[yankeetoker]

My seedlings look a little pale, nothing added to the soil except what I added when I mixed it in September. Any ideas?

 

[Radogast]

Subscribed.

Finally, someone growing in soil I can understand.


I have grown with 2 scoops Coast of Maine Lobster compost, 2 scoops peat moss,and 3 scoops perlite. This would be a regular growing medium. There is a lot of nutrition on the Lobster compost. I currently have a plant that went to 30" tall and 12 " wide with this mix and PH adjusted tap water. After I put the girl into flower, I started with nutrients.

For seedlings under 5" tall and 5" wide the mix I described above would be too 'hot.' The seedling mix I use is 1/2 scoop CoM Lobsta Cahmpost, 2 scoops peat moss, 2 scoops perlite. This seedling mix is good for 45 days until I transplant with just water.

- - -

My first advice would be NOT to fertlize or do compost teas before March.

If you can remember the rations of compost/peat/perlite.ammendments please post them.

 

[Radogast]

Attempted a grow a few months back and ended up with a very slow growing plant and another that "hermied". Any advice this go around would be greatly appreciated.

I'll take a look at your first grow log

My seedlings look a little pale, nothing added to the soil except what I added when I mixed it in September. Any ideas?

The first idea would be over watering.

The second idea would be your water PH is too high.

Do you have aquarium water test kit to measure PH? They are worth spending the $5-10 anywhere tropical fish are sold.

 

[yankeetoker]

Thanks for subscribing! Shortly after I posted those pics, I moved my lights down and burned the crap out of my seedlings (to the point they were bleached). I almost threw them out, but instead raised the lights and put them on a swick container (I now know I was under watering) and they are recovering nicely. Nice and green with new growth (gave them coconut - aloe watering with a "shot" of fish fert. last Saturday.

Have let the swick reservoir dry out and will give an enzyme tea on Saturday. Thoughts? Will post soil ratios when I get a chance.

 

[Radogast]

I suggest you add a signature so that people can follow your posts to this grow journal.

If you don't know how - hit reply to this post and copy the line below [URL .... to ... [/URL

Yankeetoker's 2nd Grow Attempt - 2016 - All Advice Welcome!

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select the label "edit Signature" in the boxes on the left hand column

paste the line you copied in your signaure and save

 

[Radogast]

Thanks for subscribing! Shortly after I posted those pics, I moved my lights down and burned the crap out of my seedlings (to the point they were bleached). I almost threw them out, but instead raised the lights and put them on a swick container (I now know I was under watering) and they are recovering nicely. Nice and green with new growth (gave them coconut - aloe watering with a "shot" of fish fert. last Saturday.

Have let the swick reservoir dry out and will give an enzyme tea on Saturday. Thoughts? Will post soil ratios when I get a chance.

How close did you have to get to bleach out the seedling girls?
At this size and for the next month, I keep my CFLs (4x4' tubes) at 4-6" above the plants. These girls like light


The SWICK should help raise your humidity. Be sure and let the soil dry out between waterings.
I see from your hermie post that you can grow nice plants, so I could shut up. You got this

- - -

I have played around with SWICKs for about 3 grows(9 months?)
Sweetsue and her SWICK thread are only a few clicks away if you have a SWICK question I can't answer.

- - -

If these are old pictures, I want new ones. I like marijuana pictures

 

[yankeetoker]

How close did you have to get to bleach out the seedling girls?
At this size and for the next month, I keep my CFLs (4x4' tubes) at 4-6" above the plants. These girls like light


The SWICK should help raise your humidity. Be sure and let the soil dry out between waterings.
I see from your hermie post that you can grow nice plants, so I could shut up. You got this

- - -

I have played around with SWICKs for about 3 grows(9 months?)
Sweetsue and her SWICK thread are only a few clicks away if you have a SWICK question I can't answer.

- - -

If these are old pictures, I want new ones. I like marijuana pictures

In my grow box lights are fixed, so I move the plants to them, etc. I had them up on boxes that are about 4 inches taller and it was too much (I think underwatering and low humidity were the real problem).

Here are some pics from tonight...

 

[yankeetoker]

Soil mix used for this grow

 

[Radogast]

A good mix for once the plants are established. The fertilizer might make it a bit 'hot' for seedlings. In this case it looks like they might slow down a little, but they will survive.


I will encourage you again to test your water PH. A water PH of 7 or more can stop your plants from growing.
An aquarium water test kit is $5-10 almost anywhere tropical fish are sold. (Hydro PH pens are more trouble and expense.)

 

[yankeetoker]

A good mix for once the plants are established. The fertilizer might make it a bit 'hot' for seedlings. In this case it looks like they might slow down a little, but they will survive.


I will encourage you again to test your water PH. A water PH of 7 or more can stop your plants from growing.
An aquarium water test kit is $5-10 almost anywhere tropical fish are sold. (Hydro PH pens are more trouble and expense.)

Just ordered a pH pen...had some pH strip and pH showed around 7-8. Also ordered some pH up and down.

 

[Radogast]

Just ordered a pH pen...had some pH strip and pH showed around 7-8. Also ordered some pH up and down.

You will need the PH down. Probably around 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) per gallon



These are 3 week old clones placed into soil

These are the same clones 2 months later after watering with 6.5 - 7.0 PH

This is what they should have looked like

You will need PH down for these seedlings to thrive

 

[yankeetoker]

You will need the PH down. Probably around 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) per gallon



These are 3 week old clones placed into soil

These are the same clones 2 months later after watering with 6.5 - 7.0 PH

This is what they should have looked like

You will need PH down for these seedlings to thrive

Thank you so much...I had really been ignoring pH as I was making sure I did everything else "right". Will have my ph control kit by Monday. Without a pH pen, how can I really get the pH to the desired range (my pH strips only show whole numbers?

Checked some of my water today and it was exactly 7...

 

[Radogast]

Set out one gallon of water in an uncovered container. (You should always let your tap water sit out at least overnight.)

When you need to water, stir in 1/4 tsp lemon juice, then water.

 

[yankeetoker]

Thanks for the tip on the lemon juice.
I have several one gallon containers that I use for water. I let them sit out for 24 hours then aerate them for an hour or so before using them.

 

[yankeetoker]

Here are some photos from 2/5...I don't know why I'm having such a hard time. I addressed RH by adding a humidifier to keep RH in low to mid 40s. My temps are comfortably in the mid 70s.

I started monitoring the pH of water going in and have been lowering the pH down to around 6.5. I tested the runoff from my pots yesterday after watering using pH strips and it read 8.0. Should I lower the pH of my water even more?

 

[Radogast]

Here are some photos from 2/5...I don't know why I'm having such a hard time. I addressed RH by adding a humidifier to keep RH in low to mid 40s. My temps are comfortably in the mid 70s.

I started monitoring the pH of water going in and have been lowering the pH down to around 6.5. I tested the runoff from my pots yesterday after watering using pH strips and it read 8.0. Should I lower the pH of my water even more?

Your lights are good. Your temps are good.

I think the 'perfect' PH for soil is probably 6.3 - 6.4. If your PH pen is accurate, you might want to nudge it down.


Thought #1

High PH hit those girls hard. So it could take a bit for them to rebound. They are growing now, above and below ground.


Thought #2

Babies take a little extra pampering. Let's make sure you have the diaper changing right.

You mentioned watering more than once.

How often are you watering?

How do you decide when to water?

 

[Radogast]

You know. It's pretty quiet here.

You might try checking out some of the grow journals from signatures you see on the other threads.

Another new grower , Smokeater, is getting a lot of advice over at My First Time Growing I suggest you subscribe and start reading and chatting over there