Sowing/Feeding Technique, which ones the best?

[ogrefugee]

Hey guys, just wanted to let you all know i am experimenting with some different potting techniques.

After a couple of harvests I have notice that seedlings that root faster veg proportinatly faster. And we all know that nitrogen is very important for new growth and root development.

Well keeping these things in mind I am going to try to see if one of the three methods I apply is more effective than the others.

The first method involves strategically placing blood meal in the path of new root growth. The way I did this was first by putting some small lavarocks on the bottom of a tall 1 liter container, covered/mixed with soil. So now the bottom of the container is covered by 3/4" of lavarock/soil mix. On top of this layer I sprinkled some blood meal (nitrogen source) then filled up the rest of the container with potting soil. finally I poked a hole in the center of the pot where the main shoot of the roots will most likely travel (straight down) and filled it with some loose soil mixed 1 part blood meal, 5 parts soil. I just dropped it in, did not compress. Then i sowed my sprouted seed on top of this blood/soil mix

The second Method is just simply using a 1:9 mix of blood meal/soil in the same kind of 1l container.

the third method is my psuedo control just using straight up potting soil.

All three methods will receive the same feeding/watering schedule, and i am using bagseed for now to start the experiment.


Of course the first round of results are going to have too many variables (different genetics in each bean is the biggest one) to be considered useful, but eventually i will be testing with clones so I can see if there are any noticible differences.

feel free to chime in, i will post results as i get them.



Any Ideas

 

[ogrefugee]

JJScorpio: As long you keep a proper water regime this isn't an issue for smaller containers (its only one liter, will be eventually transplanted when it shows sex).

You're right, but I am only really reviewing the first couple weeks of growth and I am more concerned about the food the roots get than the medium that they are in. Maybe once I am done testing using these "rules" of the trial I will add in a more effective medium, but for now I am keeping it simple with relatively uniform medium

Basically I am interested if any of the methods results in "quicker" growth (assuming that root growth w/ proper nutrients=more (faster) vegatative (sp?) growth). I know it is debatable that more roots = more veg but from what I have seen that is true for most accounts (hydro...). This initial trial is just bag seed anyway, no real viable results can come until I have a suitable clone from solid genetics.


Thanks for the read!

 

[Guest]

 

[KaliSilvermist]

 

[ogrefugee]

well well, thanks for pop corn!

No updates for a little bit, seeds should crack today!

 

[ogrefugee]

I have always been going to veg a plant in straight perlite just to see how fast the roots would grow. I am guessing that you could pour nutes through it 20 times in a day. I am betting in a weeks time you would have a very large root system...

I think i read an og thread on this. Ended up locking out N on three of his plants, something to do with the acidity. You need the soil as a buffer for the roots vs the water/nuts. Deposits on the roots can lead to burns and eventually death if not headed off soon enough. Not a big deal if you have mix, but straight perilite isn't the best idea.

Could be wrong though, you should try!