hey guys this is my first grow. got 6 Durban Poison ladies under a t5 8 bulb. Just got the plants yesterday, and i already have a few questions, if you could help it would be great. The plants seem a bit droopy to me, not sticking straight up like they're reaching for the sky. Also, when i got the cuttings one had a semi messed up leaf, and it hasn't gotten any better. So a few questions.... When can i cut the plants? I know i'm going to need to top them over and over again since they are biiiggg sativas, so i can start once there are 4 levels of growth? Can i simply cut off the leaf that doesn't look healthy? or should i only cut off part of it? Also, whats with the droopiness? I'm giving them RO'd Water and they are in a nice environment (humididty dome, 76 degree room.) Will they start to straighten up? Any words of advice would also be greatly appreciated, as this is my first grow so i could use all the tips and thoughts from experienced growers that i could possibly get. Anyways, it would help me a lot if you would take the time to check out my plants and let me know what you think, here are the pics (grow room included) : thanks!
also... i keep them watered so that if i squeeze the cubes just a litttle bit of water comes out the bottom, is this about the right consistency? also again lol... the tray they are in sits on a tray with a layer of perlite. However, the holes in the tray the plants actually sit in are kind of small (about the width of a drywall screw), is this big enough or do i need to cut bigger holes? Should there be any perlite in the tray they sit in? ok thats all haha thanks
You can put a layer of perlite down right beneath them to keep the emerging root tips from getting air pruned. All in all I think your setup looks just right. Wait for them to root and set up a couple new leaf sets before you top them. Somewhere around the 4th or 5th node. The holes in the upper tray are just for drainage. Not for the roots to grow through. If they do you'll wind up having to prune the roots to get them out of the tray. Putting perlite in the top tray is the way to go for you. You have the right moisture with the cubes. They shouldn't be soaking (like dripping if you pick them up) but a little water should drip out if you give them a squeeze.
very interesting, thanks snow crash. So what is the layer of perlite in the bottom one for? Im going to be putitng perlite right under these babies since you suggested it, but still wondering what use the perlite below this tray would be used for ?
I was thinking i'd take a 2 x 4 and screw it into the wall just below where the ducting enters the closet, so that the duction would be resting on the 2x4. Then i was gonna use industrial velcro to do two things. First, i have to completely shut off the part above the 2 x 4, including making sure that no light escapes where the ducting rests, which might be tricky but i'll macgyver something. the second thing i was going to use the velcro for was going to be to make a maksehift door out of the extra visqueen i have, but i just have to make sure its going to be lightproof... hopefully i can make it happen any other suggestions? cant move the vegging room anywhere else... has to be in the closet.
Eventually the roots will emerge from the bottom of the cubes. The perlite gives a space for the roots to grow without much light. You might have to knock some perlite off the roots later on before transplant but it will help set up a good "hanging" root system.