Howdy GC, It has been almost 3 weeks since my plants sprouted. We had a late spring this year and the weather was strangely cooler in early May, so I think my plants growth was a little stunted to start. Right now they are about 5-6" tall. I think they weren't getting enough light during the early part of the month due to constant rain and overcast. I also think the spot was a little weak in regards to light intensity. I moved them to a better location. They have '"stretched" a little bit. There are about 2-3 or so of a "thin" stem before the leaf sets started. The stem is still a little flimsy. Do you think the stretching will be a problem this early in the season or will be a problem later? They are now in an area that probably gets about 8 hours of direct sun a day, if not more now. They are in 1/2 gallon grow bags currently, but will be moved into their 2' x 2' x 2' (60 gallon) holes within the next week. They have a nice color to them and look very healthy. Will they be ok? Also, I noticed a slight "white" streak on one of the plant's leaves. It didn't look major, but I noticed it. What does slight white coloration on the leaves indicate? Spider mites? Mold? ??? I will keep an eye on it. Thanks again.
White dots/streaks happens most often when outdoor grown plants are moved suddenly from partial light to full sunlight. This the case when other considerations have been eliminated like bugs, over nute etc. Since they are so young I'll assume that there is no nutes being introduced. Plants grown outdoors that have to endure less than ideal weather like partly sunny days many days concurrently will stretch trying to reach to the sun. Like when an indoor grow light is too far away from the plant, they will stretch towards it. That is solved by moving the plant closer to the light or vice versa but only when grown inside. Gradually introduce shaded plants to the sun rather than placing them directly into the sunlight all of sudden. When the weather stablizes your plants will 'catch up' with themselves. Peace..FG
I was gone for a while, so I had a friend care for them while I was gone. The weather was complete shit for about 1 1/2 weeks. I figured they were not going to make it. It reached low forties at night sometime... but seventies during the day... They were 9 for 14 germinating directly in the soil. Not bad given their conditions. The leave sets are much tighter now. They stretched for a bit, but then the leaf sets started popping out quickly. I think they will be fine, but I figured I should check. Oh and the white streak was just a tiny color variation I noticed. Nothing major.
I did throw a little organic kelp meal (0-0.25-1.5) and some organic chicken shit (4-4-2) into a big bottle of pure water. I shook it vigorously and made a kelp/chicken shit water mix. Those are the first nutes they will get. I took it really light and easy on them. The chicken shit is OMRI listed and the bag said that it feeds slowly, so that will be good in order to not overwhelm the plants with nutes. I am doing this grow 100% organic.
Is it possible when I transplant my plants into their final destination, to put more soil around the stretched part of the plant? Will that hurt it? I would essentially be burying part of the extra "stretched" stem, which will move the leaf sets closer to the soil. Is that a bad idea? Thanks
Anyone? I would think that the moisture in the soil would cause the "stretched" part of the stem, if it were buried, to root much like a cutting. This could possibly enhance root production, activity, and stability. What do you guys think?