Hey guys, This is my 5th 'season' growing an indoor plant. I love indoor growing and the challenge it provides, along with the meticulous level of control you can have over your plants. I currently have 3 plants growing in an organic soil/perlite mix on day 12 of growing. They are under four 23 watt CFL bulbs outputting a total of 6400 lumens. The lights are roughly 4 inches away; I fear moving them closer as the reflector sends back a lot of heat. I began watering with distilled water only, but the plants seem to prefer the micronutrients provided by the tap water (well water, filtered, non chlorinated). Second to last feeding was with 1/2 strength nutes of a 15-1-1 fish powder, and today's watering was with straight tap water. I've been feeding every 4-5 days as to ensure the soil is thoroughly dry and the roots are actively expanding and developing. As the plant continues to grow I expect to have to water more often as the roots will begin to use more, until transplanting. The cotyledons are yellowing, but I have assumed that is due to the maturing of the plant as the other leaves appear to be unaffected. I'll provide pics and be updating regularly. Please feel free to leave any questions, comments, or criticisms as learning never ends. Thanks for reading!
Here are some pictures guys. Cheers. 20160517_123526 by IcePacked posted May 18, 2016 at 3:03 PM 20160517_123550 by IcePacked posted May 18, 2016 at 3:03 PM 20160517_123621 by IcePacked posted May 18, 2016 at 3:03 PM 20160517_123630 by IcePacked posted May 18, 2016 at 3:03 PM 20160517_123634 by IcePacked posted May 18, 2016 at 3:03 PM 20160517_123637 by IcePacked posted May 18, 2016 at 3:03 PM
Day 16. Transplanted into 1 gallon containers with organic soil, blood meal, endo myco fungi, and sand last night after a feeding with 1/2 strength nutes yesterday morning. Plant 1 was beginning to develop early stages of nitrogen deficiency so feeding was at a good time. Root balls were all developed very nicely and I believe I transplanted within the perfect window. After letting the plants settle for an hour i gave the plants a little extra food to help jump start things and encourage root/leaf growth. As the plants grow I plan on increasing the nutes to full strength (2 tbs/gal). If they can manage it, I may add extra, but only if they can accept it. Not trying to force too much out of them. Currently two weeks into veg. I plan on continuing at least another two weeks in veg until flowering begins. I added an extra light in an effort to maximize exposure, bringing my total to nearly 8000 lumens. I hope this is enough coming from CFLs. Anyway, pictures are below. EDIT: In the large picture, the two smaller cups are two other seeds germinating in soil after breaking slightly in a paper towel.
Hey guys, day 17 now and after looking at other grows I'm thinking maybe mine is going a little slowly. I feel like a 3rd or 4th set of leaves developing nearly 3 weeks in is slow. Could increasing the nutes from 1/2 strength every other watering to full strength every other watering help?
mine took right off after week 2 but leading up to said 2 weeks was just slow torture to watch lol Sent from my SM-G850W using Tapatalk
subbed up as well bro...thanks for showing some love over at my thread!!!! Sent from my SM-G850W using Tapatalk
Yeah dude I'm hoping the transplant is enough to give them the push they need. Just trying to get a decent size before flower, really trying to maximize spacial efficiency.
Two out of the three are showing signs of nitrogen deficiency. I suppose it could also be transplant shock but I have a feeling it isn't. I've noticed a nitrogen deficiency will crawl its way up the plant rather than hitting each leaf tip at the same time. I'm not sure what could have brought this on though. Maybe they simply aren't getting enough nitrogen? The two that have it the worst are also the ones with the least alive cotyledons. Could the water leaves dying have something to do with heightened nutritional needs?I want to feed them more but I am afraid they are not dry enough. The top 1.5 inches is dry for all the pots but below that and in the old soil there is still moisture. I would really hate to stress out the plants with overwatering but I'd hate to deprive of nutrients. I really don't want to wait too long though. Decisions... Decisions... But on the flip side two of my beans sprouted! Now a father of five T-T happy day!
Well, total misdiagnosis of nitrogen deficiency, although I was correct about transplant shock not being the issue. Leaves are drooping and yellow, even after a nitrogen-rich feeding.....? It's gotta be overwatering. To combat this, while the girls are out in the sun today I poked holes to the bottom of the pot from the surface with a chopstick. This will hopefully allow airflow to any compacted/oxygen-deprived soil and roots. I also poked some holes through the drainage holes just in case there was some compaction. I've also been moving the plants out in the sun for the last few days. It gives the plants a chance to capture some true sunlight, a natural breeze, and it gives me a chance to turn off my CFLs and cool down the grow room (not that heat is an issue, but A/C is expensive!). I've read putting them out isn't an issue as long as being outside follows the plants' light schedule-- which it does. I figured that 4-7 hours a day in the natural sun and heat can't hurt the plants as well. I've also began to LST two of the three plants so far along with one of the two seedlings. They have been responding really well and I am trying this method on the two larger ones while topping the 3rd large plant. I am going to wait a little longer for the girls to settle into their new home before I do that though. More updates in the upcoming days.
Day 23. I've realized how little time has passed and how fast these guys have grown. 3 Plants died from what I believe to be my improper LST technique. It's sad but hopefully the two plants left can make up for the three lost. I have plenty of room in my box--so size isn't an issue --but I believe my real limitation is lighting because I use CFLs. I currently have four 6500k 1600 lumen bulbs, one 5500k 1500 lumen bulb, and one 2700k 1000 lumen bulb for a total of 6 bulbs, outputting just under 9000 lumens. This is about a thousand short of replicating actual sunlight, but I am satisfied. I FIMMED the larger plant yesterday with a pair clippers and it is responding well. No signs of negative stress just yet, just some major growth to the surrounding leaves. It is still a little overwatered so I'm trying to let the plant get some air to the roots as wel. Constant airflow will be my friend lol. Also, for some reason, the leaves on both plants are sticking straight up. I've seen leaves point but never to this degree. I am sure it's not underwatering but it's very confusing lol. I've read that it isn't a bad thing, so I'm just keeping an eye on it. I'll keep the updates to every couple days or when the plant noticeably changes. Peace!
Just under a month in, and things are going interestingly. A few days ago, I decided to leave the plants outside to cool them off as the leaves were pointing up, which indicated heat stress. After leaving the two outside overnight, I returned to find my plants dug up and uprooted. I scavenged the area and managed to find both plants still attached to their root ball with minor root damage. After a couple days and some good light, both are recovering well. The larger plant is still showing some kind of problem, with the older leaves yellowing. It could be over/underwatering or a nitrogen toxicity, but I feel the former is the answer. It could also be stress on the plant. I honestly am not completely sure, any help is greatly appreciated!