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Diary PCBuds mini-grow
- Thread starter PCBuds
- Start date
PCBuds
Well-known member
Looking good!
Thanks
She's looking really happy and healthy.
The lady bug is doing its thing.
adds a splash of color to liven up the scenery. lol
PCBuds
Well-known member
I was looking at my plant and noticed the sawtooth edges of all the leaves were curled down.
My RH is still quite low even with the wet rag hanging.
I think that the plant is just adapting to it's environment?
I think the leaves are doing what they can to reduce the airflow over the leaf surface to increase the boundary layer of stagnant air.
I found this information about plant transpiration...
Environmental Parameters
It includes environmental factors like relative humidity, light, temperature etc., which can affect the driving force of the water loss.
Relative humidity: It is the amount of water vapour contained in the atmosphere. Reduction in relative humidity decreases the moisture content in the atmosphere and allow transpiration to occur more significantly. Therefore, a drier atmosphere promotes the water movement out of the plant due to the high driving force.
Temperature: The environmental temperature affects the magnitude of the driving force of water moving out of a plant. With the increasing temperature, the water holding capacity of that air also increases. Therefore, dry or warmer air will increase the driving force for water loss, whereas cooler air will decrease the driving force for transpiration.
Soil water: Soil also provides the source of water to carry out the transpiration process. If a plant contains a sufficient amount of soil moisture, it will transpire at higher rates through the continuous water supply from the soil via root hairs.
Light: Stomata tends to open in the presence of light, which allows the entry of available carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. In the absence of light, most plants have a closed stoma. Therefore, light is needed in the transpiration process to trigger the stomata for facilitating the gaseous exchange between plant and environment.
Wind: It can affect transpiration rate by eliminating or reducing the boundary layer surrounding the leaf surface. Wind increases the transpiration or water loss from the leaf surface to the atmosphere. As it reduces the boundary layer, the movement of water to condense with the atmosphere becomes shorter.
I also found this information...
I think that it's entirely possible that my plant can increase its trichome production in an effort to seal it's leaf surface and flowers to reduce transpiration?
My dry growing conditions may very well be promoting major trichome production?
Xerophytes and epiphytes often have a thick covering of trichomes or of stomata that are sunken below the leaf’s surface. Trichomes are specialized hair-like epidermal cells that secrete oils and substances. These adaptations impede air flow across the stomatal pore and reduce transpiration. Multiple epidermal layers are also commonly found in these types of plants.
So, other than my sawtooth edges curling under, my plant looks completely healthy and happy, regardless of the vapor pressure crap.
lol
My RH is still quite low even with the wet rag hanging.
I think that the plant is just adapting to it's environment?
I think the leaves are doing what they can to reduce the airflow over the leaf surface to increase the boundary layer of stagnant air.
I found this information about plant transpiration...
Environmental Parameters
It includes environmental factors like relative humidity, light, temperature etc., which can affect the driving force of the water loss.
Relative humidity: It is the amount of water vapour contained in the atmosphere. Reduction in relative humidity decreases the moisture content in the atmosphere and allow transpiration to occur more significantly. Therefore, a drier atmosphere promotes the water movement out of the plant due to the high driving force.
Temperature: The environmental temperature affects the magnitude of the driving force of water moving out of a plant. With the increasing temperature, the water holding capacity of that air also increases. Therefore, dry or warmer air will increase the driving force for water loss, whereas cooler air will decrease the driving force for transpiration.
Soil water: Soil also provides the source of water to carry out the transpiration process. If a plant contains a sufficient amount of soil moisture, it will transpire at higher rates through the continuous water supply from the soil via root hairs.
Light: Stomata tends to open in the presence of light, which allows the entry of available carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. In the absence of light, most plants have a closed stoma. Therefore, light is needed in the transpiration process to trigger the stomata for facilitating the gaseous exchange between plant and environment.
Wind: It can affect transpiration rate by eliminating or reducing the boundary layer surrounding the leaf surface. Wind increases the transpiration or water loss from the leaf surface to the atmosphere. As it reduces the boundary layer, the movement of water to condense with the atmosphere becomes shorter.
I also found this information...
I think that it's entirely possible that my plant can increase its trichome production in an effort to seal it's leaf surface and flowers to reduce transpiration?
My dry growing conditions may very well be promoting major trichome production?
Xerophytes and epiphytes often have a thick covering of trichomes or of stomata that are sunken below the leaf’s surface. Trichomes are specialized hair-like epidermal cells that secrete oils and substances. These adaptations impede air flow across the stomatal pore and reduce transpiration. Multiple epidermal layers are also commonly found in these types of plants.
So, other than my sawtooth edges curling under, my plant looks completely healthy and happy, regardless of the vapor pressure crap.
lol
PCBuds
Well-known member
After making a few posts on aliceklar 's thread, I was curious about the solubility of Calcium Carbonate in water.
So I put a Rolaids in a Mason jar with some RO water and sealed the lid.
It appears to be dissolving just fine.
I'm pretty sure that I can make my own Calmag with Rolaids and Epsom Salts for about a dollar, instead of $30 for the fancy brand name stuff.
This is the label on my Calmag.
It shows all the nutrients but doesn't show what it's derived from like the website does.
The CalMag has micro and macro nutrients, but I don't need them, because they are in my Maxibloom and Maxigro.
The Magnesium source is Magnesium Nitrate which I guess is why the label is 1-0-0.
Epsom salts are Magnesium Sulfate which I guess would add Sulfur to the mix instead of Nitrogen.
It may not be the best choice to add Sulfur instead of Nitrogen, but lots of people use Epsom salts as a Magnesium source, and I don't recall anyone mentioning an excess of Sulfur in their soil/substrate/plant.
On a related note, they used to give straight Calcium Carbonate to people as a Calcium supplement but people were getting bone spurs from too much calcium.
They realized that the human body needs Magnesium in conjunction with the Calcium for it to be properly utilized by the body.
The Rolaids now have Magnesium Stearate added to the Calcium Carbonate. (as well as Peppermint for a nice fresh taste. lol)
I'm thinking that the same thing is going on in my plant and that the Calcium and Magnesium work hand in hand to grow a healthy plant, and need to be in the right ratios to be utilized properly.
So I put a Rolaids in a Mason jar with some RO water and sealed the lid.
It appears to be dissolving just fine.
I'm pretty sure that I can make my own Calmag with Rolaids and Epsom Salts for about a dollar, instead of $30 for the fancy brand name stuff.
This is the label on my Calmag.
It shows all the nutrients but doesn't show what it's derived from like the website does.
The CalMag has micro and macro nutrients, but I don't need them, because they are in my Maxibloom and Maxigro.
The Magnesium source is Magnesium Nitrate which I guess is why the label is 1-0-0.
Epsom salts are Magnesium Sulfate which I guess would add Sulfur to the mix instead of Nitrogen.
It may not be the best choice to add Sulfur instead of Nitrogen, but lots of people use Epsom salts as a Magnesium source, and I don't recall anyone mentioning an excess of Sulfur in their soil/substrate/plant.
On a related note, they used to give straight Calcium Carbonate to people as a Calcium supplement but people were getting bone spurs from too much calcium.
They realized that the human body needs Magnesium in conjunction with the Calcium for it to be properly utilized by the body.
The Rolaids now have Magnesium Stearate added to the Calcium Carbonate. (as well as Peppermint for a nice fresh taste. lol)
I'm thinking that the same thing is going on in my plant and that the Calcium and Magnesium work hand in hand to grow a healthy plant, and need to be in the right ratios to be utilized properly.
PCBuds
Well-known member
And it is necessary for plant health. It helps them fight disease.
My grandfather used to bury match heads in the soil around his trees to help keep them happy.
There is quite a bit of Sulfur in my nutes.
My nutes really affect the PH of my water. It goes from PH 7.2 down to less than 5.
I don't know how much of that is due to the sulfur though?
EDIT: It was the RO water that went down to less than 5. (the PH meter gives erroneous readings for straight RO or distilled water.)
I just recently discovered that 50% RO water and 50% degassed tap water mixed with my full strength nutes leaves me with a PH of exactly 5.8, so I don't need any PH up or down.
I don't know exactly what's in my tap water, but it doesn't matter too much.
If it's safe for me to to drink, I'm sure it's OK for my plant.
PCBuds
Well-known member
My plant is 10 inches tall today and looking good.
I turn up my side lights up to maximum tomorrow, so I turned them up to half today to give the plant a day of adjustment.
I remembered that I watered that big plant that I grew at the stalk instead of pouring the solution down the tube, so I am doing that again with this plant.
I figure that the nutes and proper PH can wash down from the top to keep everything balanced and available to the upper roots, so it doesn't have to pull nutes up from the bottom of the planter.
I turn up my side lights up to maximum tomorrow, so I turned them up to half today to give the plant a day of adjustment.
I remembered that I watered that big plant that I grew at the stalk instead of pouring the solution down the tube, so I am doing that again with this plant.
I figure that the nutes and proper PH can wash down from the top to keep everything balanced and available to the upper roots, so it doesn't have to pull nutes up from the bottom of the planter.
PCBuds
Well-known member
I decided to drain the planter and check the PH and PPM of the "runoff".
The water was in the planter for two days, and I usually don't drain it, but I wanted to get an idea of what's going on in the planter.
This is what I got from the runoff...
And this is what my fresh solution looks like...
The new solution is the same as what I put in the planter two days ago.
The PH has drifted up again so I think it's good to feeding in a low PH so it can float through the PH range.
I still wonder whether I should aiming for a hydroponic PH of 5.8 or a soil PH of 6.5?
I figure if I'm somewhere in between, then I should be OK.
The PPM is actually higher in the runoff than in the new solution, probably because I reused my soil and didn't flush it after my last plant, or because the plant absorbed more water than nutes, as well as evaporation directly out of the planter.
I'm not too concerned about the numbers because I've grown plants before and didn't even check the numbers because I didn't have reliable meters.
I remember just using tap water and the same nutes and amounts and had no idea what the numbers were.
I think that with my huge 34 liter planter the PH and PPM have a way of balancing things out with the help of my plant just adjusting to the environment.
The water was in the planter for two days, and I usually don't drain it, but I wanted to get an idea of what's going on in the planter.
This is what I got from the runoff...
And this is what my fresh solution looks like...
The new solution is the same as what I put in the planter two days ago.
The PH has drifted up again so I think it's good to feeding in a low PH so it can float through the PH range.
I still wonder whether I should aiming for a hydroponic PH of 5.8 or a soil PH of 6.5?
I figure if I'm somewhere in between, then I should be OK.
The PPM is actually higher in the runoff than in the new solution, probably because I reused my soil and didn't flush it after my last plant, or because the plant absorbed more water than nutes, as well as evaporation directly out of the planter.
I'm not too concerned about the numbers because I've grown plants before and didn't even check the numbers because I didn't have reliable meters.
I remember just using tap water and the same nutes and amounts and had no idea what the numbers were.
I think that with my huge 34 liter planter the PH and PPM have a way of balancing things out with the help of my plant just adjusting to the environment.
PCBuds
Well-known member
With the lights turned up to full blast, the temperature rose and the RH took a big dump, even with the wet rag hanging.
She still reasonably OK though.
She's kinda wilted and ruffled looking, but she's dealing with a lot of change today.
She's got a bit of heat stoke and sun stroke that she has to get used to.
I'm not worried.
I've done this before and the plant did fine.
It ended up as a huge plant.
She's got everything she needs.
Maybe just a bit too much of everything though, but she'll adjust and get used to it.
She's not a baby anymore, and it's a weed.
Weeds are hard to kill. lol
She still reasonably OK though.
She's kinda wilted and ruffled looking, but she's dealing with a lot of change today.
She's got a bit of heat stoke and sun stroke that she has to get used to.
I'm not worried.
I've done this before and the plant did fine.
It ended up as a huge plant.
She's got everything she needs.
Maybe just a bit too much of everything though, but she'll adjust and get used to it.
She's not a baby anymore, and it's a weed.
Weeds are hard to kill. lol
