Thai Chi

[Stoneroller]

Hi @dubi. Thank´s for helping me. Remember I also mixed in maybe a handfull guano from the start, and then added a small handfull as top dressing around 3 weeks ago. What I am worried about, is if it is signs of a overfertilized plant. And if adding liquid ferts will make the situation worse? The guano is 3-15-4.

Batguano like other organic solid amendments need microbiology (bacteria & fungi) to break it down to plant usable forms. I am no expert, but looking the pics i saw bare soil in the pots, which is not ideal for creating suitable microclimate for microbes to work. Also 7 gal generally is a little small size to pull off water only type of grow.

What you could do now is to add some mulch (hay or similar) to keep the topsoil more moist between waterings to allow the guano to break down, and maybe give them light liquid fertilization in the while. And in next grow i would up the pot volume to at least 15-20 gallons if you are going for topdresses + water only. And definitely add some mulch!

Also check out "Buildasoil" channel in the youtube, i have learned a lot from there.

 

[LHC]

in your waterings and liquid fertilizer mixes

OK. I was under the impression that you cant´t measure EC in organic fertilizers like Biobizz which I use. What do you think about that? If that is possible, I think I will get an EC meter.

 

[LHC]

Batguano like other organic solid amendments need microbiology (bacteria & fungi) to break it down to plant usable forms. I am no expert, but looking the pics i saw bare soil in the pots, which is not ideal for creating suitable microclimate for microbes to work. Also 7 gal generally is a little small size to pull off water only type of grow.

What you could do now is to add some mulch (hay or similar) to keep the topsoil more moist between waterings to allow the guano to break down, and maybe give them light liquid fertilization in the while. And in next grow i would up the pot volume to at least 15-20 gallons if you are going for topdresses + water only. And definitely add some mulch!

Also check out "Buildasoil" channel in the youtube, i have learned a lot from there.

Thank´s for the info. I will add some mulch and next time bigger pot.

 

[LHC]

thanks for the reminder @LHC first make sure ph is correct. If ph is correct and ec is not higher than 1.6 and still yellowing then it's lack of nutrients.

Tested ph. Nutrient solution was 6.86 and runoff 7.25. So this is probably the cause of the yellowing. My plan is to adjust next watering to ph-6.

 

[dubi]

OK. I was under the impression that you cant´t measure EC in organic fertilizers like Biobizz which I use. What do you think about that? If that is possible, I think I will get an EC meter.

Hi @LHC yes, it's a must to measure ph and ec levels also from organic nutrient mixes in order to get the best from the genetics and your grows.

 

[LHC]

Hi @LHC yes, it's a must to measure ph and ec levels also from organic nutrient mixes in order to get the best from the genetics and your grows.

Thank´s a lot for the advice @dubi
The cause of the high ph is probably because I mixed some basalt rock dust in the substrate. I understand now that it will raise the ph in the soil over time.

 

[Common Sense]

Thank´s a lot for the advice @dubi
The cause of the high ph is probably because I mixed some basalt rock dust in the substrate. I understand now that it will raise the ph in the soil over time.

Hello @LHC , did you measure pH in the nutrient solution fresh or letting it sit overnight in an open container?
My tap water comes out at 7.25, if I let it sit a half day with occasional stirring, the CO2 evaporates and the pH is at 8.2.
If I adjust the pH with vinegar to a seemingly stable 6.0, after 12 h it is back at >8. Again, the CO2, generated by the reaction of the acid with the bicarbonate, takes some time to evaporate. I guess that's at least part of the reason for the problems I had with yellowing leafs and premature ripening.

 

[LHC]

Hello @LHC , did you measure pH in the nutrient solution fresh or letting it sit overnight in an open container?
My tap water comes out at 7.25, if I let it sit a half day with occasional stirring, the CO2 evaporates and the pH is at 8.2.
If I adjust the pH with vinegar to a seemingly stable 6.0, after 12 h it is back at >8. Again, the CO2, generated by the reaction of the acid with the bicarbonate, takes some time to evaporate. I guess that's at least part of the reason for the problems I had with yellowing leafs and premature ripening.

Thank´s for the advice @Common Sense
So if I understand you correctly, you let the water sit for a day and then adjust ph and add nutrients?

 

[albertgriffiths]

@dubi , I was wondering something... I initially got interested in the Thai Chi because I heard you say on Heavy Dayze's Pot Cast that it had to be "the hybrid you were most proud of".

That podcast was 3 years ago, and you seem to have done a lot of fresh work since then. Would you still answer Thai Chi if you were asked the same question today?

Another thing I was wondering: I feel a lot of your stuff has a calm, contemplative, introspective effect, that I'm not very used to finding in other strains, especially sativas (and which I like a lot, by the way).
Is that something you are actively selecting for (like your personal taste, maybe?), or is it just pure casuality, because of the particular strains I chose to grow? (Nepal Jam, Orient Express, Kali China, Zamal'china, Thai Chi, Malawi x Panama).
And in that case, what would be the most opposite to Thai Chi in effects?

 

[Common Sense]

Thank´s for the advice @Common Sense
So if I understand you correctly, you let the water sit for a day and then adjust ph and add nutrients?

No, I am in the process of evaluating whether my water and the practice with vinegar is going to be the right strategy for my next grow. So it was less of an advice, more a question.
My question to the experts would be: if you have very alkaline water, is it "good enough" if the pH is in the correct range at the time of watering, even if it has not stabilized yet after adding the nutrients and acid, or does it have to be in the correct range after complete stabilization? I would assume the later.
If I have found out the needed ammount of acid to get the correct pH after stabilization, do I have to wait for the CO2 to evaporate before watering, or is it ok to water with the very acidic pH? i would assume: wait.

Your high pH in the runoff may be a result of that effect. That is why I wanted to know whether the pH of your nutrient solution was measured right after preparation, or after letting it stabilize for many hours.

 

[Stoneroller]

I let my water sit in a bucket for ~24 hours to get rid of the chorine in the tap water (ph 8.2). Yesterday i pH:ed down the water with biobizz down (citric acid i would think) and put in the biobizz nutrients. Today the pH was 6.2, which is nice since i am aiming at 6-6.5 range. Sadly didnt measure the pH after adding nutrients (i have learned how much is usually needed), but atleast it worked good enough.

Best practice would probably to pH down after adding nutes, and then letting the water sit a day as the possibleb chemical reactions take place, and see if there is a need to pH again next day. You could also see if pH changes after that, indicating poor buffering, but i have never done that with no major problems so far in my setup.

If there is large amounts of carbonates in the water or whatever that buffer pH upwards, i guess removing them somehow (filtering?) would only really do the trick to stabilize pH to lower levels.

 

[Common Sense]

That's absolutely correct @Stoneroller . A RO filter or mixing with deionized water may be the only feasible way if the carbonates are to high. Sure, you can always add more acid to destroy all the buffering capacity, but then either EC might be too high or too much citrate or acetate or whatever anion comes with the acid you are using.
I am currently figuring out how much vinegar I would need, but now my pH meter died and I have a new one ordered.
Unfortunately I have neither enough water pressure nor space for a RO unit (would need one with a booster pump).

 

[LHC]

@Common Sense @Stoneroller
I will prepare some ph 6 water today and se if it changes till tomorrow

 

[Nannymouse]

My water pH sure does bounce. Sometimes it takes a couple of days of adjusting. Alkalinity is high here. The water tests to have zero hardness, but the alkalinity was @180, and that was from the RO water. Tap is also zero hardness. New RO filter on its way.
My idea is that a large water res would be easier to maintain a more 'even' pH, than trying to keep gallon jugs going. I also use vinegar, i dunno if another type of acid would work better. Now that the weather is colder and the heat is going in the house, seems the peppers and spiderplants are starting to require more attention with the water.

 

[LHC]

@Common Sense @Stoneroller
I will prepare some ph 6 water today and se if it changes till tomorrow

Prepared a bucket yesterday with ph 6. Now it´s ph 6.1
Tap water is 7.8
Adjusted with Ph down from Biobizz (citric acid)

 

[LHC]

Third watering with ph 6 today. Runoff is slowly creeping down, and landed on today ph 7.15

 

[albertgriffiths]

I threw a revegging cut of my indoor thai chi outdoors in the woods, guerilla style, in mid July. It started flowering mid-september, and then I forgot about it...
And then this morning, after two weeks of non-stop raining, I decided to go check if by chance there was anything left to harvest. To my great surprise, I got to harvest two nice leafy, purple, and smelly one-buds without ANY sign of mold!
I'm really amazed, after 10 years of outdoor guerilla growing, it's the first time I get to harvest an unprotected plant with no mold at all, and that's mid-november, under the rain!

The smell is very reminiscent of Kali China, the purple as well, but I guess the thin leaves and flexible stems are coming from the Thai.
It seems to be smelling louder than what I recall from my indoor run, and it hardly got purple indoors either.
I think the cold and hard outdoor conditions benefited her!

 

[Common Sense]

that's really lovely, @albertgriffiths .
Really curious about a smoke/vape report. What is your latitude?

 

[albertgriffiths]

Really curious about a smoke/vape report.

Well its the same one I made a report for a few posts ago, but grown outdoors.

Very joyful effect, yet overall quite calm and peaceful - I'm loving it, my favorite at the moment for when I'm on my self.

The aroma is fruity, berry, sweet, with a lot of that Kali China smell in it (hard to describe... blackcurrant lemony leather?). The smell of my outdoor zamaldelica x kali china was very close (although much much louder... so loud it got stolen!)

I never checked my latitude, but I'd say the climate here is usually warm and humid in summer, sunny in September and it starts raining a lot mid-October.
But with the climate being so unstable, I thought "why not trying something a bit longer".

Last year it didn't seriously rain until december, I spent the whole Fall thinking "I wish I had planted a Haze"! Hence the Thai Chi

 

[dubi]

Congrats on your guerrilla outdoor harvest taste and effects must be special! Impressive mold resistance.
Glad she is your favorite at the moment, Thai Chi is also one of my all time favorites enjoy!