barbz
Member
I want to describe this first experience with indoor growing. We got a space all set up. Box o' Nutes; many fascinating odors. Seeds; White Widow and some sativa hybrid I can't name right now and cannot go look because it's nighttime in the bloom room.
Suffice it to say that an indica dominant hybrid will grow horribly different from a sativa dominant. That thing is a monster, climbing all over the place while the Widow sits sedately, keeping to herself and not bothering the neighbors.
We are using 5 gal. smartpots and ground coco media. Some of the things I've encountered:
1. Sativa floppy syndrome. The damn thing just kept falling over when I put the starter plug in the big pot. The Widow politely stood up straight. I love her longtime! I crafted a crutch out of a bent paperclip to prop up the Flopster. Worked well. It finally decided to stand up, so I could discard the crutch.
2. Pans under the pots were too close a fit. There is about 2" of drain space between the pot bottom and the pan. This wasn't a problem until last week; Week 4 of bloom. As the plants grew, of course I gave them more water. Then suddenly, problem. The Widow's pan was overflowing and, not only that, stank of sulfur. That not good! My buddy hoisted the plant so I could slide the pan out from under and dump it. We did this three times. Realizing stinkwater could be detrimental, I started flushing the pot and dumping the pan until the stink was gone. Then the sativa started overflowing.
Dumped that pan too, even though it was not stinkwater. Flushed it well, dumped the pan again. Watered once more with smaller amount, and then skipped a watering sesh so that the plant would suck up the clean water out of the pan, which it did. Now both plants are back on track with clean pans and no overflow.
I suspect that the overflow was basically due to the root development this far in, coupled with a bad drainage plan. The whole idea of smartpots is to prevent rootbound plants, as the rootlets creep through the pot fabric, hit the air and die off. Unfortunately, when you have a tight-fitting pan underneath, moisture and roots combine in that drainage space to cultivate sulfurous stinkwater and rot. I've given this some thought and it's the logical explanation. Our ghetto grrlz are doing well now, and well into a healthy bloom cycle. We are two or three weeks from end of cycle. I have dug my microscope out of the garage and, as soon as the lights come on, Imma peek at our trichomes.
3. Like everyone else, I have stressed out over yellowing leaves. I must rely on the fact that I have adhered to the feeding sched on the letter. I don't improvise or try to improve anything. Fan leaves will yellow. Doggone it, I knew that back in the 60s and I guess I forgot it. Much as my brain would like to create drama over a few yellow fan leaves, I refuse to indulge it. We've done it right. By the book. Yellow fan leaves happen, get over it. Brains love drama. Screw you, brain.
4. Cracked a couple of seeds the other day. Buddha Tahoe is the one to watch. The other one is just some Jack something hybrid. I'm new to this, only know BT cuz it won an award. Okay, so the seeds hatched and went into the veg room. (yeah, we ghetto. Veg room is a piece of Panda draped behind a filing cabinet.) Oh boy! I am eager to see the Buddha Tahoe baby. Okay, you know those hilarious Youtube videos of wildlife with its head stuck in jars and stuff? Funny stuff, right?
Buddha got her head stuck in the seed case. Two days in, her companion is spreading leaves and dumbass is stuck in a Hunny jar. You know what I mean. Anyways, when bird eggs have this problem, you mustn't help them hatch. It allows weak and inferior genetics into the population. Seedlings aren't eggs, of course, so after Day 2, I gently flicked the seed husk and it came off. Buddha is now happily meditating under the veg light.
Unless we get an infestation of Flobberworms or something, I think we're closing in on harvest. The drainage problem was unique to our lame approach to a cheap solution, so don't do that thing.
I'm not in a position to lecture others on doing it right, but you can observe and solve problems if you know even a little bit about botany. That's about what I know these days; I took that class in 1973.
It would seem that the last few weeks are the hardest. My buddy is scared because I said I was sharpening my secateurs! However, I have learned patience from angling. I am a helluva fish-killer. I hope to be a helluva farmer now, too.
Suffice it to say that an indica dominant hybrid will grow horribly different from a sativa dominant. That thing is a monster, climbing all over the place while the Widow sits sedately, keeping to herself and not bothering the neighbors.
We are using 5 gal. smartpots and ground coco media. Some of the things I've encountered:
1. Sativa floppy syndrome. The damn thing just kept falling over when I put the starter plug in the big pot. The Widow politely stood up straight. I love her longtime! I crafted a crutch out of a bent paperclip to prop up the Flopster. Worked well. It finally decided to stand up, so I could discard the crutch.
2. Pans under the pots were too close a fit. There is about 2" of drain space between the pot bottom and the pan. This wasn't a problem until last week; Week 4 of bloom. As the plants grew, of course I gave them more water. Then suddenly, problem. The Widow's pan was overflowing and, not only that, stank of sulfur. That not good! My buddy hoisted the plant so I could slide the pan out from under and dump it. We did this three times. Realizing stinkwater could be detrimental, I started flushing the pot and dumping the pan until the stink was gone. Then the sativa started overflowing.
Dumped that pan too, even though it was not stinkwater. Flushed it well, dumped the pan again. Watered once more with smaller amount, and then skipped a watering sesh so that the plant would suck up the clean water out of the pan, which it did. Now both plants are back on track with clean pans and no overflow.
I suspect that the overflow was basically due to the root development this far in, coupled with a bad drainage plan. The whole idea of smartpots is to prevent rootbound plants, as the rootlets creep through the pot fabric, hit the air and die off. Unfortunately, when you have a tight-fitting pan underneath, moisture and roots combine in that drainage space to cultivate sulfurous stinkwater and rot. I've given this some thought and it's the logical explanation. Our ghetto grrlz are doing well now, and well into a healthy bloom cycle. We are two or three weeks from end of cycle. I have dug my microscope out of the garage and, as soon as the lights come on, Imma peek at our trichomes.
3. Like everyone else, I have stressed out over yellowing leaves. I must rely on the fact that I have adhered to the feeding sched on the letter. I don't improvise or try to improve anything. Fan leaves will yellow. Doggone it, I knew that back in the 60s and I guess I forgot it. Much as my brain would like to create drama over a few yellow fan leaves, I refuse to indulge it. We've done it right. By the book. Yellow fan leaves happen, get over it. Brains love drama. Screw you, brain.
4. Cracked a couple of seeds the other day. Buddha Tahoe is the one to watch. The other one is just some Jack something hybrid. I'm new to this, only know BT cuz it won an award. Okay, so the seeds hatched and went into the veg room. (yeah, we ghetto. Veg room is a piece of Panda draped behind a filing cabinet.) Oh boy! I am eager to see the Buddha Tahoe baby. Okay, you know those hilarious Youtube videos of wildlife with its head stuck in jars and stuff? Funny stuff, right?
Buddha got her head stuck in the seed case. Two days in, her companion is spreading leaves and dumbass is stuck in a Hunny jar. You know what I mean. Anyways, when bird eggs have this problem, you mustn't help them hatch. It allows weak and inferior genetics into the population. Seedlings aren't eggs, of course, so after Day 2, I gently flicked the seed husk and it came off. Buddha is now happily meditating under the veg light.
Unless we get an infestation of Flobberworms or something, I think we're closing in on harvest. The drainage problem was unique to our lame approach to a cheap solution, so don't do that thing.
I'm not in a position to lecture others on doing it right, but you can observe and solve problems if you know even a little bit about botany. That's about what I know these days; I took that class in 1973.
It would seem that the last few weeks are the hardest. My buddy is scared because I said I was sharpening my secateurs! However, I have learned patience from angling. I am a helluva fish-killer. I hope to be a helluva farmer now, too.
