Hi and welcome! This is my second ever attempt at growing, and my first attempt at LST. I chose 2 plants to experiment with LST out of the 5 that I planted. I'm an LST noob, so please feel free to comment or suggest ways I can improve or adjust my LST techniques for the best results. Thanks in advance for all those who comment and share your knowledge, I honestly appreciate it. Feel free to ask questions and share input. I look forward to learning new and old techniques for growing cannabis and meeting cool people through this forum! -Cheers!
If you are aiming to achieve a bushy plant - then it looks like it's on the right path. Length wise, it isn't growing that much. It is a good thing. Just wait for the branches to grow a bit more and give an update.
I was hoping for compact, bushy plants that didn't take up too much room when fully mature, as I'm working with limited space. It's all new and an experiment for me, so I'm expecting mistakes and disappointments along the way. Hopefully they will be minimal with the help of cool people like you! Thanks! -Cheers!
No problem. When they get bigger - just throw up some pics of them here. LST is pretty straight forward. You basically molding your plants like play dough. People try to make it seem all complicated for some reason. Also, you must make sure the nodes are exposed to light all the time - that way they can grow their branches more in length and won't be covered up by leaves. Remove any leaves that are in the way if you need to. But try not to stress the plants too much either.
Your plants don't look too healthy. Please confirm: What soil; Any amendments; light source and how close; watering schedule; feeding schedule if any.
I noticed that too. But I don't think it's much to worry about. I have had soil grows that had leaves go weird for the first few weeks. Then as time goes by, they start looking healthier. I think that the roots are just trying to make a good system for itself. Not sure. Haven't done soil grows in a long time. I am a DWC man now.
I am using a promix potting mix with about 1/3 MG perlite. For nutes I'm using green planet medi one at about 3/4 recommended dose. I water the plants about once every 1 1/2 weeks or when my moisture meter reads close to dry in the lower soil. I feed about once every 2 waterings. For lights I'm running led bulbs in a homemade reflector housing. I had them about 2-3 inches from the plants, but have recently raised them after some advice on my grow journal. I hope that is sufficient info! Feel free to check out my grow journal to see more pics of my setup, if you are interested. -Cheers! Canadian D.I.Y Budget Tent Grow!
I hope to get into different and more effective grow methods, but I'm just a noob at even soil grows and I'm trying to keep a sensible budget all the while lol I hope it all evens out and they get more healthy and robust. We will see. Thanks for the tips! -Cheers!
Look overfed mate. Lots of nodes buts small plant and cannoing leaves indicates hot soil. But the low humidity will also cause your plants to uptake more water and also more nutes. I would try and up your humidity and just give plain water for now. Also for plants that size the pot is way too big. When they are small, small puts work best and regular waterings. Change pits every 3 weeks circa. How old are them plants?
I agree with ted. The humidity is too low. Can you give me more info on that light? What is its total wattage? That could also be the issue.. Doesn't look like it's meant for growing, which will mean it will have a poor PAR value.
They are about a month old. I had them in solo cups, but I transplanted them about a week ago because some roots were beginning to protrude from the drainage holes. Perhaps I transplanted too early? This might be why they are slightly stunted. I will only feed with water this time as there is still new soil from the recent transplant. I am trying to keep them relatively short with tight nodes since I'm trying to utilize my space efficiently. Perhaps I could sacrifice some space to let them stretch and be happy. As for my humidity... its generally fairly low, 35%-45%. I mist the soil and tent walls daily to try to raise it, but my ventilation and fans make it tough to keep it where I would like it to be. I should invest in a humidifier, but I can't justify it the way my money is set up right now lol. Any other methods of raising humidity? Thanks for all the help! -Cheers!
Oh, I definitely know they're probably not for growing, I just got what was on hand locally and inexpensive. I purchased them before I even had my tent set up and everything sorted out, so I probably made some less than desirable choices from just lack of research and experience. My bad. There are 2 42w led and 4 15w led bulbs. 6500k and 5000k. According to the box, it should be 15200 lumens combined. I'm a lighting noob as well, so go easy lol.
I also topped one (green stick) two days ago. I am experimenting with all kinds of techniques to gain the experience. I know it looks like a circus freak show in my tent, but this is all a learning experiment for me lol
A few LST questions: First, how low do you want to keep your main top/new growth in relation to the lower nodes? I've heard you keep it lower than the lower nodes and they will become main tops as well? Second, on one of my LST plants, the first node of the plant is developing a strange green "gooey" looking substance around the base of the branch. Any ideas what this is? I haven't touched or disturbed it at all, it only looks gooey, visually. I thought maybe new growth hormone from the effects of LST? I have no idea. Just curious. -Cheers!
Not sure about your goo problem.. Sounds kinda strange and disgusting tbh. But you will need a better light source for your plant. It will not survive under a 27W philips LED light.. lol
Ok, I will invest in a better light to really make these plants happy. What do you recommend for a 4×4 space like mine? Something reasonably priced that will perform well and produce a decent yield? I've researched many lights, but I feel overwhelmed when it comes to the amount of choices out there. Could use some guidance Canadian D.I.Y Budget Tent Grow!
I've seen alot of knock offs on amazon that claim similar yields and such, but I ultimately assumed that you get what you pay for, and I should spend the extra cash to get one that will work. I will keep Viparspectra in mind for sure. Are there any other budget options? What should I look out for while browsing online for grow-specific LEDs?
LST Evolution! (Photo journal) Here's some of the photos from the beginning of my LST experiment, up until the present day. Questions and comments are more than welcome! Cheers!
LST update! I added a few more pins to spread out the leaves and give the smaller nodes more light on Orangie and Blue. What is the best direction to LST? I've reached the edge of the pot with Blue, should I continue straight in one direction? Or curl it around the edge of the pot? How does everyone shape their plants? Send me pics. I'd also like to welcome Pinky to the LST club! Lol Pinky is one of my plants that was viciously attacked by mites, then even more viciously attacked by insecticidal soap. At this point, I'm basically keeping it alive for my own learning purposes. I trimmed it down then gently positioned and pinned it. If it survives this, I'll be amazed at the resiliency of cannabis. This is all a fun experiment for me, so don't be too rough on my methods or techniques -Cheers!