Hello, so my grow situation is this thus far; I have a plant growing in a small flower pot, and I can't give it to much attention, i.e transplant it, or nurture it. I know that the small container will stunt growth, so my question is this. Will a small stunted plant still go through the flowering cycle and bud? The bud after being dried and cured wouldn't be that much, but I would still be happy with any harvest. So will the plant complete its flowering stage despite being stunted and bud? Thanks!
Pot size = root mass Growth = root mass Ergo - Growth = Pot Size However - The media dictates root growth. Too much clay and the plant beats itself against the dirt to grow new roots. Phases of the Plant = Light + Nutrients More Light + more Nitrogen = more veg Less Light + more Phosphate = more fruit Ergo - Phase <> Pot Size However - the media dictates nutrient availability. Too much sand and the nutrients just wash past the roots. And then, of course, we can start to address the question of pH. Bottom line - you can grow a Sequoia in a teacup with the proper bio-chem
Ok, well the soil in this pot looks like it was meant for flowering, so it's nice soil. The kinda of soil that roots can stretch in, but take a firm hold inside as well. I water it a little everyday, its been a month and it's 7''-9'' tall, but that feels just about right compared to the flowering pot. I can't take anymore care of it then that, I would love to try and clone it or prune(?) it and nuture it and have a bountiful harvest, but that ain't happening, lol. So if I water it a little everyday, and it stays alive for a few more months it will produce buds? And could I force flowering after another month by bringing it inside into darkness and interupting its light cycle at the proper time for flowering?
Root mass will control the size of the plant. If you have a small pot you can pump the plant by feeding nutrients above and beyond what a given amount of soil can provide. However you are walking a thin line because that volume of soil may not be able to carry the amount of water needed to keep the plant healthy (plants blow through a lot of water during fruiting). Fruiting is controlled by hours of light - when the amount of light falls below 13 hrs a day, the plant knows its time to fruit. We can force fruiting putting a plant in a light restricted environment (like a closet) and feeding it light (like with a light bulb) for the necessary 12 hrs. Fruiting is enhanced by switching from a Nitrate to Phosphate type nutrient. This will take an additional 60 days for any joy to appear. Am I help'n ya mon?
Rule of thumb is 1 gallon per month of growing up to 5 gallons, unless planting outside. Beyond that, why can't you take care of it anymore, yet still able to water it daily?
In laymens terms...Yes you can flower a plant at anytime and age and size will not make a difference. The only difference in smaller plant VS larger is the yield they produce.... Your 9 inch plant will still be growing and getting taller while in the flowering stage. I would suggest you spend the time to transplant into a larger pot to assure the plant dose not become root bound. I have always used 1 gallon(minimum 2 gal)pot for every 12 inches of plant with no problem. Ideally the more healthy the plant before flowering the better. Don't know how old your plant is but, the reason it is not growing as you would like is because you are watering it to(every day)much. Plant roots like MOIST soil not WET and wet soil leads to root rot, which should be another good reason to transplant now and provide good drainage and the proper watering schedule..
Thanks for the feedback! Raoul: Yes, you're helping and thank you. I cannot give it any nutrients right now, unless you now any homemade recipes, i.e grounded up egg shells, coffee grounds, or anything that will "add" to the soil. I understand that the plant needs 3 important nutrients during its life. N-P-K Nitrous, Phosphorus, and Potassium Seedling stage Vegatative stage Flowering stage Tips on homemade nutrients would be useful. I understand the light cycles a little, 18/12 to stimulate vegatative growth, 12/12 to induce flowering simulating Autumn. But what I don't understand is when can I induce flowering? What I mean is, does the plant have to reach a certain point in growth, or does any interuption in light confuse it and cause flowering? Again thanks. Etchi: Thanks for the info, and the reason is because I'm busy through out the day but I'm able to give it water, I give it 1-2 cups of water a day, 1 cup poured directly around the plants base to reach the roots and the other cup to kinda wet the plants leaves to help with the heat and to pour around the edges of the pot to keep the soil from getting to dry. If I could make nutrients at the house, it would definantly get some food, lol. Colafarmer: Wait, you might have answered one of my earlier questions. So I can induce flowering at anytime, whatever age and size? Thanks for the info, I will look into finding a gallon bucket. Also, I don't really over water the soil, I think. I only use 1-2 cups a day and I don't pour it all directly on the plant base, just 1 cup to the stem base and the other cup to moist the plants foilage and I don't really always use all of the second cup. I was wary about drowing it in the beginning. I don't think the soil is wet, I would lean towards the moist side more, this heat compared to the amount of water I provide it balances the wetness of the soil. And I believe I have good drainage right now, I did experiment a little with that one about a week ago. Thanks again for all the help everyone! I have one more question, and since I don't have too much money this is what I want to know. What household items/household tricks can be used to enrich the soil and provide specific nutrients to plants? Thanks!
The best way to keep from over watering is a meter or sticking your finger into the soil. Stick your finger into the soil and feel if its muddy, moist, semi dry or dry. Semi Dry you can give it a little bit of water and dry a bit more. Plants dont really need to be watered everyday and you can cause root rot if you continue to give it too much water Everyone has a different view on when to induce flowering. Some say let the plant veg for 6 weeks, some say wait till the plant reaches x amount of height. If your plant looks like a charlie brown christmas tree then I would say let it veg more till it starts to fill out. If the plant looks like its quite filled out and is around 12" tall then flower it. Some people say wait till the plant has x amount of nodes before flowering I do bag seed and I will till the plant has hit around 30 days, 12" tall and has atleast 5 nodes and is filling out nicely. Look at the grow in my sig and see mine at 30 days when I switched to 12/12 and now going into the 2nd week of flowering. It looks like a jungle