If at first you don't succeed. Run 2

[flylowgethigh]

Little SB2 is fighting for dear life. No bug ate him, but I have seen some red colored mites on the top of the soil. I sprinkled some neem meal on top, but I need to get going with an IPM regimin.

SB2 is a real fighter, just won't quit. The 2 Lemon Bubbas, no joy. We need a 4th for the big tent.

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Never underestimate the will to survive. SB2 is a real scrappy little fella.



But at this point it is looking like Lemon bubba is gonna make the 4th in the big tent.

 

[Im'One]

You can get spinosad at the drug store! just ask for bed bug spray

 

[f-e]

You are running a bit on the wet side and perhaps too cold. I suspect the cold as they plateaued for a while like a P problem, then carried on after getting enough roots out in the bigger pots. They shouldn't of needed the bigger pots though. The long roots are a good sign of P def as they hunt it out. You could still be in cups getting a nice wet/dry which wouldn't of led to fungus gnats and perhaps the crinkling.

They are alive, which for how much you have taken on, is a damn good start. Most newbies shouldn't be mixing soil. You can buy stuff mixed by a pro so any expectation to improve that should really be based on something you found wrong with it. Thus you know better than the pro, in your circumstances. Which you can't know going into a grow with little experience.

You are not enough off par to be loosing anything, but a bit of course correction will bring improvements.

 

[flylowgethigh]

I put LB into one of those plastic bottom watering pots like the others. It was starting to get root bound with roots wrapping around on the bottom of the dixie cup. The HOG is looking waterlogged, is probably root bound cause it is a lanky plant, and will get up-bagged into one of the 10 gallon bags soon. I need room in the tent, and in a couple days the buggy misfits are going outside. This is the first time with the larger bags. I have nematodes in the soil-in-waiting down in the shed.

LB and HOG:

AK47 and SB:

I am starting to see why the AK47 is so named. Like it's namesake, it can be totally abused and it still works well. I have tried to treat this one as best as I can, given the situation. The soil is sparking and this plant loves it.

AK47:

This one I need to not kill, SB. It was the stoutest, and also may need more room.

Thanks for the input F-e. I am not measuring water temp. I try to get it cool, not cold or hot. I have erred on the side of wetness in the top watering, getting some run-off, because the first run I dried out the roots twice (plants lived to get in the flower tent). I hate top watering, and need a better process for the veg tent.

Once those 1st run plants that survived got onto the SWICK bed, they hade a chance of having a soil moisture gradient. The soil on top of those bags is dry.

One change this run is more vermeculite in the soil. The added drainage will keep it wetter (I keep forgetting). I was looking for higher CEC, to get sparking going.

The soil in the plastic pots is sparking pretty well. The soil in the SWICK bags is sparking great. Midgets and midfits are not sparking at all. A friend is taking the midgets, which strangely don't have bugs on the sticky cards.

 

[Guest]

Most newbies shouldn't be mixing soil.

good post and I know what you mean. But hell what have we come to. I remember mixing my first LCs ala burnone.

 

[flylowgethigh]

Take it one step further, newbies shouldn't be trying to grow pot either.

Is there an approved way to start growing your own dope? I figured soil, and the way I am doing it with the SWICK, was the easiest. I still think so, but I need to step up the IPM.

The three amigos are gonna expand soon, and I want to bottom water them. Next I am gonna have a pan big enough to SWICK the 10 gallon bags, and make a hand water SIP bed for the bags, to veg in the little tent. Floor space will be the trick.

 

[f-e]

Approved.. probably not. The easiest grow method possible gives the least to think about. So you can concentrate on what you do have to do. Crawl, walk, run. For most a bag of ready mix is the best option. So there are no meters or fancy feeds. It's just the environment. Like the temperature you seem to be struggling with and potting up too soon as they can't find enough P in your home made mix.

I'm not fond of it either, but KISS is always the best place to start. It's hard not to approve that philosophy

 

[Guest]

Take it one step further, newbies shouldn't be trying to grow pot either.

Is there an approved way to start growing your own dope? I figured soil, and the way I am doing it with the SWICK, was the easiest.

Soil-less (peat) and Coco would arguably be the easiest. But no matter which route you go you're only gonna get better and better.

 

[flylowgethigh]

I think the red mites that I suspected of eating the little tailed seeds MAY be beneficial. They are really thick down at the tub of soil I have the worms in. They may be "worm bin mites". Very hard to get a pic of, because they move like little ants

The three amigos are trucking right along. I pinched the 5th set of leaves. The stalks on these are much stouter than the first run. I had drained the bottoms, and let the soil dry a few days. The soil in these little plastic bottom-watering pots is sparking. I bottom watered today and most was soaked up. The soil wicks well with the added vermeculite. I think that will help in the bigger bags.

These plants are growing whole branches where the first few leaves started. The distressed plants on the last run didn't, not until I was pinching later on.. This changes the LST picture completely.

HOG

AK47

SB

 

[flylowgethigh]

coming on ! If the fungus gnat problem persists i would suggest taking the straw off the top in order to let the surface dry out more quickly, and maybe stop the auto watering and let the pots dry out a bit inbetween waterings. the gnat life cycle relies on consistently wet soil, and access to the soil for the adults.
One good skill to learn is to 'shuck' (as in pick up ) the pots to see how heavy they are and judge if they need watering or not. a handful of neem meal scattered over the surface would help kill them... some people use a barrier like sand/perlite, dryer sheets or fabric to stop the adults access to the soil. they can also lay eggs through the holes in the bottom of the pot.
VG

That is OK for the smaller pots, but the wet 7 gallon bags are heavy when I have to bend over and reach way back in back of the tent to lift one out. The 10 gallon bags will be a real pain in the back. I am trusting the readings in the SWICK bags to be the happy range, and using that range when top watering the bags that are on spiders and trays. The spark-o-meter verifies that the soil likes to be very moist.

 

[VerdantGreen]

That might work. People seem to have success using a wick, but from my own experience of using wicks for auto watering when i'm away, they keep the my soil far too consistently wet to avoid problems with fungus gnats, and my soil is pretty well drained with 20-30% perlite. (perlite also makes the pots much lighter to lift and move around)
Those 3 plants look to be doing better !

afaik, nematodes are very effective at killing the existiing gnat larvae, but are short lived and won't prevent future problems unless you get more.

 

[flylowgethigh]

I cleaned up the veg tent some by kicking out the misfits from the run before. Little SB2 is really trying, and is out growing the dixie cup. I am not sure what Lemon Bubba's problem is. The three amigos are all about even, with AK47 in the lead (what else? That is a strong strain!).

SB2, wants a bigger pot. This plant is a fighter!

Lemon bubba. Lazy little bitch.

Family shot. SB (top left), HOG (top right), AK47 (bottom right).

 

[flylowgethigh]

All are in the 9" bottom watering pots. All are sparking like crazy. The 3 amigos need the 10 gallon bags.

Little SB2 is the shortest plant I have had yet.

​SB2
Gonna give LB run for the money.

​LB

SB (older sister) is as vigorous as the AK47

​ SB

​ AK47

This HOG is a wierdo IMO.

​​​​​​HOG

That plant looks nothing like any of the indica based plants I have popped so far. That yellow fan leaf is from trauma past, I just haven't cut it off yet.

 

[flylowgethigh]

Last night I up-potted the three amigos to their final 10 gallon bags, using the soil I have had cooking for a while with lotsa added goodness. The were pretty well root bound, which tells me the soil is working great. I inoculated the roots again, fertilized with a little fish oil, yucca, coconut. Sprinkled on some cover crop and 70% humic acid and some craft blend, and scratched it all in. All the bags are on SIP beds now. The two front Amigos were looking weary after all that but this morning all are perky and happy. I mixed up a batch of tweetmint and Purecrop 1 (with a little cal mag), and folair sprayed the plants. No bugs lately, but just to be sure.

HOG, very happy with more soil to draw from
AK47. As usual, just a strong horse. Grows itself.
Strawberry Banana, SB1. I have high hopes for this one, so to speak.

And what about the two make-up plants? That is the Serious Kush midget in the back right location, left over from the previous run. I kicked the other leftover outside to join the misfits (which are doing great under ole Sol). One of the two contenders for the forth spot, or maybe both, are coming up. Only 4 plants can go into the big flower tent. I want BOTH of the little guys, but one is SB2 and SB1 is doing fine. The other is Lemon Bubba, who has been showing unhappy leaf colors for a couple weeks and won't grow through it.

SB2 on the left, Lemon Bubba on the right.

Ah the drama. These two will get up-potted and I will kick the Serious Kush to the outside curb. The tough decision will be in 5-6 weeks when I need to pick 4 for the big tent.


So this is how the veg tent has shaped up for now. The SWICK method is working so well for me. I may automate the beds at some point, but they would need their own reservoir. Dipping a gallon jug in the other reservoir, and using it with a sprayer to fill the pan reservoirs is easy enough.

My buddy is wimping out cause he doesn't want to spend the $275 for a light to power his 2 x 4 tent. He had a very poor yield when he tried a run with a blurple light a couple years ago (he cheaped out), and is weary of spending any money now. The old saving money for a house BS. I was going to supply him with plants from the ones I didn't put in the big tent. I hope I still do. In a week I will have to up-pot the two little plants, and 2 plants are going outside. Gonna be decision time then. Which two get the boot??

The plants I kicked outside love the sun, and are stretching. I am half tempted to make a couple weeks outside this time of year a step between the veg and flower tents. I wonder how that would work. There are two really nice plants out there in bags, ready to go into flower. One stinks to high heaven already, something the plants in my flower tent aren't doing yet.

I have the light in this tent 24" above, running at 60% power. It will be 5-6 weeks before these plants get to flip, so I want them to kinda take it easy.

 

[flylowgethigh]

The soil in the 10 gallon pots hasn't started sparking yet. I top watered in some more goodness to wet the soil and hopefully start the sparking! This shows my high pH soil, that I water with low pH solution. Colloids in the soil, and lotsa acid and ions in the water. I top dressed the amigos with Humic when I up-potted.

Soil reading in one of the Amigos.


Here is what the soil in the little pots is doing. The Amigos were the same before up-potting. These two could use up-potting also, but I don't have the room yet:

This is one of the little make-up plants. Same soil, just sparking!! The needle goes straight down, and a reading under 4 means the sparks are flying!

This is the leftover Serious Kush. Just never really started up a good spark. The other midget I kicked out finally had a full spark going when it went out into the cruel world. This SK is destined to join them I am afraid.

Edit 4/20: Still no sparking. I hope that Humic acid isn't screwing up the colloid exchange, instead of helping it.

 

[flylowgethigh]

So the five contenders are all in 10 gallon fabric pots now. They have 5 weeks or so to veg in there before the big tent has a vacancy when run #1 ends.


Nah, I like this better>>

AK47 top left, Strawberry Banana (SB) top right, Humbolt OG (bottom left - now center). The make-up plants are 2nweks behind. SB2 in the center (now lower left) and Lemon Bubba (LB) bottom right. They are on SIP beds, and the digital blumats are reading in the 30's. I think they need more roots before the soil starts sparking. The light is over 2' above, and turned down under 500 watts. Like I said, they have 5 weeks. I will start LST on the 3 amigos soon. SB and HOG have had their final pinches. Lesson learned from the 1st run - don't over pinch and make too many tops.

I think if all goes well the AK47 is getting the boot to outside. I have 2 running in flower now. That would be 4 plants outside in bags. I am tempted to bring them back in and flower them. The stretch under the sun has been impressive. They won't make it through the hot July/August summer where they are now, but in 5 weeks may be ready to stuff a tent. That would mean I have 2 tents at 12/12 at the same time, starting the flip together.

 

[flylowgethigh]

The two make-up plants (SB2 and LB) are neck and neck. No roots coming through the bag so they are still growing those. But what did I do to poor Lemon Bubba? I suppose this is a bonifide FIM. Two nice branches, but in the middle is a palm tree - thick stem and a 360 degree around leaf. Weird stuff happens here at whacko world. I am glad to say the little red mites of death are still on patrol. Here is one I found on the Blumat cover...

The little red-orange spot is my buddy. Hard to shoot cause they really scoot.

Lemon Bubba on the left, Strawberry Banana on the right. 10 gallon pots.

Strawberry Banana. This is that pathetic SB2 plant that wouldn't quit.

What is this 360* leaf palm tree doing between the two branches?

What should I do? These are your beans VG, what say ye on structure otherwise? Does my stuff grow way compact (ie short)?

 

[flylowgethigh]

I cut off Lemon Bubba's palm tree. Result of a FIM I suppose.

 

[VerdantGreen]

Hi there, its the LTDC Bubba ? there are more narrow leaf phenos but that looks like a bubba or DC dominant one. They will be short and stocky. With afghan type plants like that it is often better to lst (bend the tops over) to make them bush out rather than topping or fimming. (having said that ive never fimmed in my life - sounds too 'hit and miss' to me)
Leds tend to make plants grow quite short as well.
Looking good in there! 5 weeks more veg might be a bit much ... depending on the size of the tent. if it was the tent they were in i would say another week or so would be enough.
VG

 

[flylowgethigh]

It's one of these:

LB has had funky leafs the whole time also. Get's the same stuff as the others, so I let it go. Those two little make-up plants are 2 weeks behind the 3 amigos. I think I am gonna put the 5 of them outside and bring in the misfits to flower them in my veg tent. In a month when run #1 is done, I will bring the 4 best of the 5 inside and flower them. Gonna be a lot of flower grown this summer.