Finally, my first grow!

[Anima]

Hi twistedtree!
I wrote you out a nice little diddy last night but I forgot to hit send heh
anyways I was sad to see that the Apollo 11 F2s didn't work out for ya. Planning on trying your luck again with those anytime soon?
I am planning to pop a few Apollo 11 F2 beans from joeyweed in the near future, it would be nice to do a comparison.
Oh, and your cindys are looking great!
Good luck!

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hiya tt
Heh heh - yeah, long thread that one - I run 'em from summer to summer, new thread coming up in a few weeks. So far this past year my best runs have been Amnesia99, Casey Jones, and my beloved Freak Bros C13.

I've only heard good things about Joey Weed's gear. And now Anima has mentioned growing out the Apollo11 seeds. Between the 2 of you I'll have a great time watching classic strains grow out Thx men!

100% germ on 2 year old seeds - solid seeds. Have you thought of using any males you find to make f3s?

 

[twistedtree]

Hey Anima! Thanks for checkin' in. I'm definitely gonna try out the rest of my A11. I think I have 4 seeds left. It's sad that I lost 6 of them due to negligence and bugs, I shudder at the thought of one of those possibly being the Genius pheno, but in retrospect, I'm glad that I learned something early on.

Mr GJ, I sure have thought about pollen-chucking! I need to find a good thread on it though, as I want to isolate a branch or two only. I would hate to have an entire crop seeded!

Update on the plants: Man, those roots sure grow fast! I took them out to give 'em some water and I noticed roots were coming through the drain holes. Should I give them more time, or is it time to transplant? I was going to pick up some 16 oz cups because I don't think they're quite ready for the big pots. Any tips for transplanting? Or things to avoid doing?

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hiya tt
It's your call on the transplant - some folks transplant when roots get to the bottom of the pot, some folks wait until the plant looks rootbound, some folks do it on a schedule. IMO if you have roots to the bottom of the container, the plant will benefit from up-potting.

The only tip is to is to leave the rootball as undisturbed as possible. If there's not enough roots to hold the dirt together and the soil falls apart, don't worry, just plant it in a bigger pot and it will be smiling in a few days.

Have fun!

 

[twistedtree]

Well, I did the transplant. Hopefully they'll survive. The roots actually held the soil together pretty well. I was kinda surprised at how much the roots had expanded, actually. Anyway, yeah, the roots were pretty much everywhere. They've only been in the soil for a week. Wow.

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Good job. You have vigorous plants, a very good thing. Keep checking them out to decide when to transplant next. I gotta feeling these will yield very well for you.

 

[twistedtree]

Boy, I sure hope your feeling is right, Mr GJ. All this time I was watching them to see how much they've grown. Not much goin' on up top, but when I saw those roots, I was pretty happy. And they look pretty happy in their new temporary home :smile:




And look at C99#1, weird twisty pattern emerging, I think. Or do they always do that?



I also added another light so they can enjoy some more "sunbathing".

 

[twistedtree]

Say, anybody know when I should start seeing the traditional leaves? Just wondering cuz I wanna transplant into bigger pots and put them outside so they can start flowering no later than the first or second week of August, like around the 10th or so. Just hoping they'll be big enough. Can't afford to grow completely indoors yet. Soon, though.

 

[Core]

next set will be with more fingers on a leave

 

[est1977]

Good Job welcome to the wonderful world of growing your own

 

[twistedtree]

That's good news to me, Core! I can't wait to see them. Then I'll be like "Wow, It's really a pot plant!" Anyway, I've got a few questions for anyone who has an answer. The following pictures are of the same plant, Mikush #2.










Can anybody tell me why this tiny plant is already showing yellowing of leaves? Can anybody see that? Or is it just me being over-worried? Also, the leaves seem awfully droopy. The other Mikush is experiencing the same thing. On a brighter note, my C99's are doing fantastic. Nice green color, no drooping on the leaves. Any suggestions for my Mikush's? I'd really like these to live through harvest, assumming these are females, that is.

 

[twistedtree]

Oh yeah, thanks for the welcome, est1977! I'm excited to be growing finally. It's great to know what goes into the buds I'll be smoking later this year! No more dealer's for me! And definitely no more schwag!

 

[Core]

i do hope you have a ph meter coz i woz thinking maybe you dont have one??that would explain the yellowing already......and plants look droopy coz you gave"m 2 much water..I can see the wet soil.....thats a real

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Ditto ^^^ - I agree with Core. Easy to correct.

Sometimes it's hard not to fuss with the plants - in soil it's tempting to give them more than they need.

 

[twistedtree]

That's so weird, though. Well, I guess it isn't. Each plant is different. I try not to water them too much, but oops that's okay, though. I'll just skip the next watering. Now about my pH meter, I do have one, although it is quite ghetto. Gosh, I really am a noob! How funny. Anywho, my pH meter is a cheapo from Lowe's. I'll test it right now, as a matter of fact, and I'll let you guys know what the results are.

 

[twistedtree]

Okay, so my pH meter said the soil is right under 7. I'm not sure how accurate it is though, because it's such a piece of shit. The needle didn't move at all, plus it stays at 7 even when I stick it in anything. Well, assumming that the meter is correct, what should I do? Shouldn't the pH be at like 5.5 - 6.5? Well anyway, I think I'm going to take whatever advice I get, and invest in a way better meter.

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hiya tt
I recommend you get a better pH meter, one that is accurate to 0.1 pH. I check the pH of water I use before I give it to the plant every time unless I'm using plain distilled water. I find I get in trouble less if I know the pH and ideally also the EC / TDS of what I give the plants. I'm fond of Hanna Instruments testers, there are others that are popular too.

For watering, although I was very skeptical at first and tried all kinds of moisture meters, going by the weight of the pot in my hands works best for me. I feel them after watering, and don't water again until they feel noticeably lighter. If you find they're getting a bit too dry take a feel for the weight and you know not to go that low. It gets very easy with a little practice.

I like to water with 6.5 pH +/-. I check the soil too if I'm having problems, but I take a tablespoon of the soil, put in 1/2 cup distilled water, mix and let set for 15 minutes, and check the pH with the Hanna meter.

Hope this makes sense... -MGJ

 

[twistedtree]

You guys have been such a great help, it's unreal! I'll check out those Hanna meters. Unfortunately, I have to get them online, which means I have to wait for it ot get here. It's weird, all the plants are in the same soil, mixed up the same way, and they all get watered at the same time. I guess the Mikush is a bit sensitive? So in the meantime, is there anything I can do to fix the yellow leaves? Oh, and where we live we don't have city water, we're on a well system. Not sure if that's any better than tap water, though. Maybe I should just buy a gallon or two of distilled water for now? Oh, and thanks for the soil testing tip, Mr GJ. That would be a much easier way to test the pH. Oh yeah, I just thought of this, the yellowing didn't start until after I transplanted. Maybe that has something to do with it?

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Without a meter fixing the yellow leaves is a guess and a prayer IMO. First I'd let them get a bit dry. If after a good dry / wet cycle another leaf starts yellowing, I'd give a mild veg fert - like 1/4 strenght - and see what happens.

Well water could be great, or it could have a lot of dissolved solids. I'd also get an EC / TDS meter ( or a combo meter - pH and EC/TDS ) to check your well water. If it's under 140 ppm, pretty good, if it's 250 or higher you need to make a decision on what to do.

As for transplanting - could be the soil you used, but again hard to say. What kind of soil did you use? If the soil was a strongly ferted could be.

 

[twistedtree]

Hmmm, seems like a predicament to me! But I will find a way to progress. The soil I used is called Expert's Organic and I don't think it was strongly ferted. Does it seem like the pH is too high or low? I bought some lemon juice because I'd read on here that it can lower pH, and I'll probably get something to raise it tomorrow. Have you ever tried that, Mr GJ? I also checked out some Hanna meters. I'll have to wait till payday for that one, but maybe I'll try a soil test kit from plantitearth.com while I'm waiting. And since they're so small right now, I think I can get away with using distilled water until I get my meter, just so I don't screw up the pH anymore. Only 58 cents a gallon here. Whatcha think? Sound good?