Hello, first post, first seeds. Kali China and Orient Express

[Common Sense]

Check soil surface for gnat activity!Especially now you've overwatered,and provided them with a nice shade from those leaves.They lay eggs, die,wake up and fly again
How does new growth see the light?

Found one single gnat today after extended search. Soil looked mostly dried out today and the pots were light.
I assume it is preferable to do larger waterings in longer intervals instead of keeping the soil at a constant moisture, right?


Also removed some of the large leaves that were blocking the light of branches below as you suggested (if I interpreted your message correctly). Feels kind of odd, thought, to remove perfectly good leaves...


Also today I think I found some first signs of flowering on the Kali China

 

[DNM1]

Found one single gnat today after extended search. Soil looked mostly dried out today and the pots were light.
I assume it is preferable to do larger waterings in longer intervals instead of keeping the soil at a constant moisture, right?


Also removed some of the large leaves that were blocking the light of branches below as you suggested (if I interpreted your message correctly). Feels kind of odd, thought, to remove perfectly good leaves...


Also today I think I found some first signs of flowering on the Kali China

Keep the soil moist,not overwatered.For now, assuming they've been watered, let them recover from defoliating .Keep an eye on them, might gain height at the same time.In three days, update
Thanks for your nice comment C.S

 

[dubi]

Welcome Common Sense

It's really touching you decided to try our genetics for your first grow and that you wanted to share your experience here with all of us, much appreciated.

Kali China and Orient Express are easy to grow strains, very suitable for beginners, just take in consideration that Orient Express will require more nutrients than Kali China in flowering, especially from 3rd-4th week of flowering onwards. Both strains have been bred with the same China Yunnan line, so it's normal seedlings from both strains may share similar look when they are young. Differences between both strains will be more evident in flowering and in the finished product, especially in the terpene profiles.

Both plants look healthy and happy, it's normal that Kali China produces a bit of wrinkled leaves, your Orient Express pheno seems to be very China Yunnan indica dominant so she most probably will be a fast finishing pheno.

I usually don't like to flower seedlings that haven't reached sexual maturity yet, but i think in your case it was a good choice to flower them early to make sure they fit in your growing space and that they finish before mid March.

Hope you feel comfortable here in our little community, and glad to see so many experienced members helping you with their tips (thanks everyone! ). Best wishes for the rest of the flowering!

 

[Common Sense]

Thank you

Thank you

Thank you so much dubi for the warm welcome and comments. Many people here have already been of great help and re-assurance for me as a total beginner, I greatly appreciate and value the wonderful community.


The early flowering was definitely a compromise under the circumstances, but it seems they are coming along nicely.A few pictures from just now:



Orient express after the slight defoliation, all the new growth is in direct light:



Kali China detail.
[Quote my wife: "So this is where the good stuff is?"]








Most of the wrinkled leaves went away with the defoliation, oops

 

[Common Sense]

Sunday beginners questions

Sunday beginners questions

I have two beginner questions for you experienced guys (and girls?), relating to the Kali China, which has stretched quite a bit in the top part despite strong (I feel) lighting.
Please excuse my hesitance, just trying to avoid major mistakes.
I am completely out of bud since June or July my friends, so I might be a little more nervous about my first grow than normal





First question: the pair of leaves at (1) is getting big and shading the new growth from the six or seven side branches (4) where bud sites appear to be forming. I guess it would be advisable to remove them. Do you agree?


Second question: the stem holding the top part (3) is still very flexible. I am inclined to bend it down and tie it to a stake. It could easily be done (already tried it) and result in a roughly 90° angle at (2). If you look closely, there are some burnt leaf tips at (3) from when it grew into the LED three days ago.
This would give the Orient Express next to it some time to catch up in height (I already elevated the pot).
Or is it too late to do this LST at this stage (see pictures in previous post, day 18 of 12/12).


Thank you for your comments!

 

[Common Sense]

...
Second question: the stem holding the top part (3) is still very flexible. I am inclined to bend it down and tie it to a stake. It could easily be done (already tried it) and result in a roughly 90° angle at (2). If you look closely, there are some burnt leaf tips at (3) from when it grew into the LED three days ago.
This would give the Orient Express next to it some time to catch up in height (I already elevated the pot).
Or is it too late to do this LST at this stage (see pictures in previous post, day 18 of 12/12)....

I should add that I have about 45 cm of head room left between the current tip of the Kali China plant and the LEDs if I elevate the lights to maximum height.

 

[DNM1]

I should add that I have about 45 cm of head room left between the current tip of the Kali China plant and the LEDs if I elevate the lights to maximum height.

LST but not such an extreme angle.Slow,over a period of days, doesn't stress the plant.Need to keep her main body "fasten" somehow steady, before bending top down
You need to find,a slow process/observation,the right height for your LEDs,which is not the max. in your grow.The stretching has to be controlled/stopped because of space limitations.Solution,lowering of lights gradually, avoiding any further tip burn, stop the stretch

 

[Common Sense]

LST but not such an extreme angle.Slow,over a period of days, doesn't stress the plant.Need to keep her main body "fasten" somehow steady, before bending top down
You need to find,a slow process/observation,the right height for your LEDs,which is not the max. in your grow.The stretching has to be controlled/stopped because of space limitations.Solution,lowering of lights gradually, avoiding any further tip burn, stop the stretch

Thank you DNM1
She should bend over nicely. The lights are not at max height now of course, the 45 cm are just the theoretical max. I keep them as close to the plants as possible, using my hand to feel warmth, but not heat at the leaf level.

 

[DNM1]

Thank you DNM1
She should bend over nicely. The lights are not at max height now of course, the 45 cm are just the theoretical max. I keep them as close to the plants as possible, using my hand to feel warmth, but not heat at the leaf level.

Eyes not hand if you want you want to show how the "good stuff" works

 

[Common Sense]

Day 25 at 12/12

Day 25 at 12/12

Hi folks,


another week has passed.

Slowly trained the top of Kali China downwards to limit height.
Both plants started to show yellowing of the leaves, especially the lower ones, which happened pretty quickly.
First thing I did was fill up the space in the pots that was generated when the original soil filling had settled down with some fresh soil (about 2-3 cm). Then I started to add a NPK fertilizer, first at 1/5 the recommended dose, then half. Nothing happened.
Re-activated and calibrated my EC meter from my old aquarium equipment. My tap water has a conductivity of 450 microS/cm. I did one watering with the recommended fertilizer dose in tap water, pH adjusted, the EC was 1.3 mS/cm. The following waterings were done with RO water and the fiull dose of the fertilizer (EC about 0.85).

Leafs have improved significantly since, have been given OE a little more. The one large yellow bottom leaf is probably lost, however.


Have also removed a few fan leaves which obstructed light for the bud sites. Jorge Cervantes writes NOT to remove healthy leaves, but I see all you guys doing everything to have the bud sites in full sun, or am I under a wrong impression?


Here is the current overview:

 

[Common Sense]

Here is Kali China at 25 days of flowering after 2 weeks of veg


The heating in the room failed for a couple of days last week, so the temp went down to 18°C at night and not above 22° C during the day. I could see her wanting to put on some purple color already. Now we are back at 22-27 °C and green

 

[Common Sense]

Orient Express at f25d


She is growing very densely, many more bud sites under the visible canopy. Let's see how that turns out.


First cannabis grow, so I am still figuring out how much to water, how high to hang the lights, how to prune. Not to mention the feeding. Interesting experience and quite different from the chillies and tomatoes.

 

[DNM1]

Orient Express at f25d


She is growing very densely, many more bud sites under the visible canopy. Let's see how that turns out.


First cannabis grow, so I am still figuring out how much to water, how high to hang the lights, how to prune. Not to mention the feeding. Interesting experience and quite different from the chillies and tomatoes.

Are you happy with their progress?
Jorge who?Do theories apply to what you so nicely have grow,achieved so far?
Defoliate when you feel light doesn't penetrate as it should
They are stretching slightly(tops, leaves pointing upwards).Means lights can come down a bit
Otherwise,excellent progress C.S my friend

 

[Range]

Orient Express at f25d


She is growing very densely, many more bud sites under the visible canopy. Let's see how that turns out.


First cannabis grow, so I am still figuring out how much to water, how high to hang the lights, how to prune. Not to mention the feeding. Interesting experience and quite different from the chillies and tomatoes.

You are doing well. Just a matter of sticking with it, the more you do the better you'll get.

Makes me think back to my first few indoor grows. They mostly ended in complete failure. So much frustration. I think I made just about every mistake there is, especially overwatering!

 

[Common Sense]

Are you happy with their progress?
Jorge who?Do theories apply to what you so nicely have grow,achieved so far?
Defoliate when you feel light doesn't penetrate as it should
They are stretching slightly(tops, leaves pointing upwards).Means lights can come down a bit
Otherwise,excellent progress C.S my friend

Thank you for you input DNM1
Things are looking good I feel. Jorge Cervantes wrote the Cannabis encyclopedia, a book with an overwhelming ammount of information. Don't have the expertise to judge the content.

"Common sense" told me to remove the very large leaves that clearly shaded the best bud sites, but also to leave most of the green bio mass alone and let the plant do what she wants. More leaves = more photosynthesis, more power and energy to produce flowers.

 

[Common Sense]

You are doing well. Just a matter of sticking with it, the more you do the better you'll get.

Makes me think back to my first few indoor grows. They mostly ended in complete failure. So much frustration. I think I made just about every mistake there is, especially overwatering!

Thank you range for your comments.


I have been pretty much just watching, watering and adjusting the lights here and there. The plant does the rest. Patience is what is needed.

 

[DNM1]

Thank you for you input DNM1
Things are looking good I feel. Jorge Cervantes wrote the Cannabis encyclopedia, a book with an overwhelming ammount of information. Don't have the expertise to judge the content.

"Common sense" told me to remove the very large leaves that clearly shaded the best bud sites, but also to leave most of the green bio mass alone and let the plant do what she wants. More leaves = more photosynthesis, more power and energy to produce flowers.

I know, but he's not there with your plant, and,it looks as if you don't need him if bud sites are seeing the light

 

[Common Sense]

weekly report at f32 days

weekly report at f32 days

Dear friends,


the last week (about 4th in 12/12) taught me a bunch of new lessons. Both plants started to severely yellow lower fan leaves with some brown spots, too. From comparing pictures it mostly looked like typical nitrogen and potassium deficiency. Top growth was ok, but brighter green than could be as I know now. This was more severe in the Orient Express than in the Kali China. In line with OE's known larger hunger.
The leaves were dying pretty quickly, within 2-3 days and I was way too late and slow in carefully increasing the N-P-K fertilizer (using RO water). I had to cut and get rid of a couple handful of leaves. I think the situation was aggravated when I went a little low on the watering one day and some leaves became slightly droopy.

Now the situation seems reversed and Kali China is seemingly maxed out with her nutrient uptake. I am seeing some burning on the very tips of a few leaves and most sugar leaves are a very dark green now. I have also, in addition to increasing the fertilizer, started to mix in pH adjusted tap water to provide more calcium and magnesium. For the OE I have gone up to a EC of slightly above 1 mS/cm, looks like she still wants more.
I feed both plants about 1/2 liter each per day. This means no water leaking through the bottom.


Current overview:

some burnt leaf tips are from weeks ago when she grew into the LED fire



Kali China side:




Orient Express side:

 

[Common Sense]

Kali China at f32

Kali China at f32

Here is more of her:


top bud





some lower buds

 

[Common Sense]

Kali China f32

Kali China f32

I have some more pictures