Finally, my first grow!

[green_grow]

sounds like you bought one of those cheap 10.00 probe-type meters . they are garbage. i know because i bought one and so did countless other noobs. there should be a sticky or sumthin' in regards to those things . absolute trash.

you might find that these plants dont need TOO much fussing. just keep an eye on them and let them grow themselves.

happy gardening !

 

[twistedtree]

That meter was SO lame, green grow! Shame on me for buying it. I shouldn't have cheaped out! It was a probe meter, too! I think I am gonna wait a while to do anything; I was just getting supplies incase. I'm going to wait another dry/wet cycle like Mr. GJ suggested. I'm hoping that I don't need to fuss with them too much, too.

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hiya tt
I recommend not playing with the pH in any big way without measurements. pH test strip paper will be better than your Lowe's soil meter. Check in the Equipment forum, there's usually a thread on economical meters.

Sure, distilled water would be a good option for now until they get large.

I've read some folks use lemon juice - I use EarthJuice pH up and down.

It's true that if everything goes well, you don't need the meters - but when things don't go well, they're very helpful to correct things. It took me a few grows to get comfortable with the plants / ferts and know what to expect some of the time

 

[wietzaadje]

Did you put holes in the bottom of the cups ?
If you overwatered it's sitting at the bottom of the cups and roots will rot...
good luck with your grow !

 

[twistedtree]

High wietzaadje , I actually went overboard with the holes! One thing I do know is excellent drainage is a must. Each cup has about 20-30 holes in the bottom.

Mr GJ, how's it going? I think I'm going to once again take your advice. You've got way more experience than me, and you obviously know what you're doing. I know what you're saying about it taking a couple of grows to get an understanding. I'm not even halfway finished with mine, and I've already learned so much. I have a list of so many "Next time, I'll do this..." That's good though. And with time, that list should get smaller and smaller. Oh yeah, with the test strips, I was wondering, would any type of pH test strips work? In the pool section at Wally world they have a few pH test strip kits. Also, I would do it the way you suggested by mixing up some soil in a cup of water and testing it, correct?

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hiya tt
Thanks for the thanks...

Yes, pool testing paper is ok - the important thing is you need to be able to gauge where your pH is - pay attention to the shading on the test strip - the ones I've seen I could guesstimate to 0.25 pH unit.

I wouldn't bother measuring your soil from the small cups - just measure the fert solution you give. When you give feedings, after you mix it up, test the feed solution with the test strip and adjust with pH Up or Down to get in the 6-6.5 range. Also with ferts it's a good idea to start out at 1/4 recommended strength and work up from there. Better to underfert a bit than overfert and burn them. The soil you use should easily provide enough food for 2-3 weeks after transplant.

Don't worry, you will get some nice smoke - IMO any harvest is good - I look back at my first grows with a large smile - harvest wasn't as large or pretty as what I get now, but it was sweet nonetheless.

One last piece of unsolicited advice - keep the feeding / additives simple. I confused myself silly at first with additives. Really they only need good fert levels to make good bud - a good veg fert and a good bloom fert is usually all that's needed initially. Once you max out your yield using those - you're comfortable and know your ferts and what to expect - then additives can do justice to your bud.

Mmmm - this bean bag chair is very comfy - gonna put my feet up for a spell...

 

[Anima]

heya twisted...seems like Mr GreenJeans has got you covered mostly (good job btw) :friends:
I am too cheap (read: poor) to get a test meter so I just got a ph test kit from my local pet store (used to check ph in fish tanks)(ok I admit that i didn't even buy it I found it in my garage)...it came with indicator solution ph up, and down, and a little vial to run tests in. The up and down are safe to use with your plants.
Besides I feel more "scientific" with vials and droppers.
oh and try not to go by any schedule for watering, just pick up the container and see if it feels heavy, if it is then hold off on the watering. I start seeds in a paper towel and after they pop I put them in 16 oz cups like you have those in and after the initial soaking after planting I don't water for like 5 days. but after they get bigger (3 or 4 sets of leaves) I have to water every 1 or 2 days, your roots will grow much faster through soil that is not soggy.
Cheers

 

[twistedtree]

Heya Anima say, your name wouldn't have any reference to FFX, would it? Yeah, Mr GJ has definitely been taking care of me! Man, I didn't even think about a pH test kit for a fish tank! Well, I went and bought some test strips that are used in pools, but it should work, yeah? I was planning on watering tomorrow, but I think I'll wait a few more days. Can't wait till I start seeing the traditional five/seven fingered leaves! They'll be two weeks old on Friday, I think. Does it seem like they're growing really slow, or is it just me? Also, one of my C99's is starting to get weird brownish-reddish coloring on the edges of the first set of leaves. pH problem as well? I checked out MyNameStitch's sick plant thread, and that's all I could come up with. I'll post pic's in a minute; after I test my soil and water. Shit! I just remembered I forgot to buy some distilled water.

 

[Anima]

heh, no I've had this handle longer than FFX has been out, and no it's not from a tool song, or xenosaga either...I took latin as a kid

anima-, anim- (Latin: animal life; breath; soul; mind).

Anima- is “a living being” from a Latin form meaning, “of air, having a spirit, living”, which in turn comes from another form meaning, “breath of air, air, soul, life”.

but yea you shouldn't need water right now...let that thing dry up a bit and then give it some water ph'd to about 6.5..DO NOT use any pool chemicals to adjust ph, they WILL kill your plants wholesale!

 

[twistedtree]

I forgot what I was gonna say... Oh yeah! There's no worry about me using pool chemicals for the plants. That would be a terrible tragedy:jawdrop: I did get my pH strips from the pool aisle, though. I went and checked on the plants, and now 4 out of 5 are yellowing. Hmmm, this is starting to suck! What a learning process this is, huh? Before I make a super noob mistake...let me ask, do you think they're hungry? I'm about to check the pH, I know I said I was going to do it an hour ago, but I had to satisfy my prego wife's Jack in the Box craving. Seriously this time, I'll be back in a half hour or so.

 

[twistedtree]

Also, I didn't know that about the word "Anima". Interesting.

 

[twistedtree]

Alright here's the results. I did two tests. I tested the soil (1 tablespoon soil per 1/2 cup distilled water) Each cup came up a lighter shade than the lowest on the chart, which was 6.2. This leads me to believe that the soil has a pH of somewhere in the neighborhood of 5.5 - 6.0ish. Then, my second test, was just plain old tap water(no soil). Holy crap, I think I found the root of my problem! My water has a pH of at least 8.0. This shit was blood red on the scale. I wish I would've just gotten these strips instead of that crappy soil meter So I think my plan of action is to let them dry out a bit, and then water with distilled water only...at least for now. What do you guys think? Think that will solve my yellowing leaf problem? I don't have access to any pH down, but I do have lemon juice. Does anybody know the ratio of lemon juice to water that I should give? Or should I just leave them the hell alone?

 

[Anima]

6.2 is just a tad low..not near lethal though..you don't want to go much lower though..
Leave them alone until they have dried out a bit then just water with some distilled water..and you should be golden.
You are probably just watering too much..

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Hiya tt and anima

Anima - thx for the kind words...

tt - definitely, if you water with pH8 water, the plants won't absorb N too well. Don't do anything too radical - best to check all water you give and make sure it's in 6.5 range. Give only 6.5 water for now - distilled or otherwise - and you will slowly see improvement. And like Anima said, water and then wait until the pots are light, the roots need air spaces in the soil to stretch out and do their thing.

My tap is excellent for hardness - I normally have a very low 25-50 ppm. But the pH varies from 7.5-8.5. When I started, the same happened to me until I started being consistent in checking pH.

I think everything will be ok with conservative watering with pH corrected water. Good detective work!

 

[twistedtree]

I guess that was pretty good detective work, huh? I'm really glad I figured out the problem. My first grow grows on... Their birthday is on Friday, I believe. They'll be two weeks old. Think maybe I can give 'em a 1/4 strength dose of Iguana Juice?

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Ahh - by any chance are you an Italian mother? Manga manga bambino! Don't be in too big a hurry to feed them - let them recover first. Remember you have the stuff you already put in the soil that they haven't had a chance to use yet...

 

[Core]

eya i see MrGJ is covering your back...can't go wrong there man...
and i'll chunck some once and a while to if i got the time :wink:

and anima is also right 6.2 is a thad low....you should aim for 6.3_6.5 ...and thats realy optimum

 

[twistedtree]

Hello, everybody Mr GJ, I was actually thinking the same thing after I posted that. Hopefully, they'll bounce back pretty quickly. The first inch or so of soil is pretty dry. But if I give the cup a slight squeeze, water still drips out of the drainage holes, so I'll give them a couple more days and see about watering again.

Core, thanks for stoppin' by again! I enjoy your posts and I really appreciate your help. I'd better see your posts cross this thread again! I'm grateful for people like you, Mr GJ, and Anima.

 

[Mr GreenJeans]

Core... Thanks buddy!

tt - let's see how they do. Worst case is they don't make it ( I don't believe that will happen ) and you start over with new seed - major advantage to failing early on is you haven't invested a lot of time / water / feedings into them yet. I'm an advocate for the silver lining view on growing.

In my grow - I plant young plants ( less than 3 weeks old ) in 50% FoxFarm Light Warrior ( or perlite ) and 50% good soil mix ( FF Ocean Forest, Black Gold, SuperSoil... ) I give a heavy watering after the transplant, the pots are very heavy ( my bum wrists are a great gauge - if I can't pick them up they don't need water ) - I usually don't need to water them again for a week or so. Initially watering lasts days and days - when it starts drying out daily it's time to transplant. I don't even think of feeding them until the 2nd-3rd week in the new soil.

 

[twistedtree]

Hey there, Mr GJ. I really hope they bounce back, as I'm putting them outside in about two weeks. They will finish the rest of their lives in my yard. I think I had the lights a little too close, also. So, I moved them back up a bit. If they don't make it, I'll most likely have to wait till next year to grow again, because I don't have a grow cab. I really, really, REALLY hope they make it.