Alatar Grows The Hobbit's Leaf

You know, I think that's the strain that excites me the most. I've read some really intriguing smoke reports on it, though I usually could not discern which breeder's Durban had been sampled. There are a few breeders who offer it, though Dutch Passion currently has the only feminized version available. Ever since I ordered it, I've been kicking myself for only buying one bean. Fingers crossed.

Ha-ha! I knew that would make you happy, Han.

That's why I got the new light, so I could try my hand at growing some sativas. I'm sure it will prove to be entertaining.

I gather that Eldorado is one of the more manageable full blooded sativas. Ed grew one out in a 3 gallon pot and it did not go crazy on him and try to take over his entire flower space. In fact, the ease with which he dealt with his Eldorado has lulled me into a false sense of security, so I'll probably get clobbered by that plant.

Durban Poison is another pure sativa that is reported to be well behaved. I guess we'll find out.

But I haven't cracked any of the sativas yet, and I'm already in trouble. My Black Widow seedling is struggling a bit.





The widow seedling has got a decided posture problem. She's a bit more stretched out than the other seedling, and she is looking rather precarious. I'd bury some stem, but I did not leave myself much maneuvering room in that cup. I know what I'll do...

The Blue Cheese seedling is just chilling.



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Good times!

Thanks, Han. I appreciate the sentiment.

 

Welcome to the journal, Impact. You have arrived at a very delicate time. New life is springing forth and I am trying my best not to kill it off before it has a chance to establish a foothold. It's all very touch and go, and everything hangs in the balance. There's some drama for you.

Few growers have seedlings as exciting as mine.

 

I rose today at the crack of noon, gingerly because my ribs are still barking, and, after getting the coffee started, I turned my gaze upon my seedlings. I found, to my dismay, that the Black Widow seedling was now bent over at a 45 degree angle. The seedling was a victim of LSC (low stress collapsing) and would soon be face down in the dirt if nothing was done. The bend in the stem was above the lip of the solo cup, so any effort to raise the soil line (soiless line? coco line?) to a point above the bend in the stem must be preceded by a repotting or an extension collar of some sort being fitted to the container. I've seen that sort of thing done before, in photos, in the Absolute Beginners forum.

So I propped her up with a paper clip, one of my nicer ones. Pulling out all the stops. And I moved the light closer.





The temperature reads about 75 F under the lights. The relative humidity is 84%, if the cheap ass digital meter is to be believed, which it isn't. Outside, the temp is 63 F with a trustworthy RH reading of 40%. That same air, heated 12 degrees, should yield a lowe RH, not a jump of 44 percentage points. I do have some standing water in the seedling tray, but still, that sensor is worthless. I want my $5 back!





That's a thin layer of epoxy, not dust, covering that digital thermometer. The warranty has been voided, I suspect.

I suppose I'll have to do something about burying that stem. OK...



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The Black Widow seedling is now buried up to her armpits in coco and perlite. She's erect, but she is not looking like a world beater at all.




gsxr, I think the answer is they were too far away. I've since moved them closer. They are at about 10 to 12 inches now, five inches closer than they were.

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Hey, man, I owe you a post. I've been in your journal two or three times and I read it front to back about a week ago. Good to see you.

 

Hey, LIsmoker, good to see you! Yes, I am very excited about this line-up. It's going to be a fun grow.

A nice head is exactly what I am looking for from that strain. A hint of licorice wouldn't be too bad either.

You are right about that, of course. I've seen it happen time and time again. Well, I hope she pulls through, but at the moment things are looking very grim for my Black Widow seedling. I've had to prop her up again, hours after burying a good inch of stem. But where there is life, there is hope. We will know the outcome shortly, I think, one way or the other.

 

Thanks, buddy. I've got her shored up, propped up and receiving plenty of light, I do believe. We'll just have to see if she has it in her to make a go of it.

 

2010-10-11, Monday
Female Seeds Black Widow day 5 from seed
Big Buddha Blue Cheese day 5 from seed

Temps are around 78 to 82 F. Humidity is a low for seedlings, mid to upper 30s.

The Blue Cheese seedling continues to chill. She's toying with the idea of adding a second leafset.





The Black Widow seedling continues to struggle. She is not standing unassisted. Her only leafset is shriveled and has some discoloration.

These are vigorous plants. It's sometimes amazing to watch them turn it on and go after a period of struggle. But the fragility of seedlings always terrifies me.

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A heartening story, UBsmoker. I don't find it weird at all that 1 out of 7 should have problems. Each seed is different. It seems reasonable to me that one seedling might be weaker than the others, or have more of a problem with an environmental factor. I'm sure that some seedlings are doomed from the start. That's life.

My sick seedling stretched more than her companion. It may be that she needed more light than I gave her in the first 48 hours and that's the whole story. In any case, if I get a second leafset out of her, crispy or not, she will have surprised me. Fingers crossed.