Thai in Thailand - my second grow

[shokdee]

Dear Earthlings and lovers of cannabis plants,

A warm welcome to you and the start of my second grow report. You can read about the first grow here: Swazi in Thailand - first grow. This grow will be local "Thai" brickweed, if you've smoked it or grown it out, let me know.

I tried to grow this indoors last year but a bad bad big bike accident put an end to that. Mitigating the bike accident was the realization that I had no idea how to grow cannabis indoors. The plant was a monster and I just could not cope.

Better luck this year, huh!

Now I'm selling the bike (Honda Africa Twin) to buy grow lights.

Yours truly,

Mr. Shokdee


PS. OK, I admit "Shokdee" is not my real name. Since the accident, I can't remember my "real" name.

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Edit: I have now sold the bike and will get new grow lights.

 

[shokdee]

Keywords

Keywords

Keywords for spiders and search engines:

Techniques: Tropical, equator, permaculture, organic, soil, indoor/outdoor, coco hair, rice husk, kelp, bat guano, root restriction, FIM, EM, mineral water, newbie, Thai style.

Lights: Floros, daylight, photoperiod

Genetics: bagseed, brickweed, SE Asia, Thailand, Laos.

 

[shokdee]

Gallery

Gallery

I've set up a small gallery - just seeds and seedlings - and will update it when I have anything worthwhile to show.

Folks, what kind of photos do you like to see?

 

[shokdee]

Stage 1: Germination - indoors.

Stage 1: Germination - indoors.

The seeds are from local brickweed.


They're old at least, in bad condition, due to poor storage. Very dark seeds, quite large. I soaked about 22 in purified water overnight and next day only one had cracked. I took 10, put them into seed trays of Thai potting soil/coco hair mix. Moved the seed tray indoors under some floros. Next days a few emerged, very weird looking, first set of leaves bigger then the cotys. They grew spindly and weak, so I kept only 3 to grow out.

At week 5, FIMed the 3 plants just after the 7th node. Thai plants seem to like FIMing and are responding well.

A few days later and the plants are drooping and the leaves curl. I suspect over watering and go online to confirm. I decided to move all the plants outside to trigger flowering.

Week 6 is today, so you're up to steam, thanks for reading, Shokdee.

UPDATE: It is now week 10 and I'll post updates soon .....

 

[canna woop!]

Hi there, doesn't look too bad actually. The leaf drooping may be a signal for over watering, and it can also signal a lot of other things. at the end of the day their leaves droop some times, so if it was before dark time in your grow room then maybe that's why.

the one thing I would say don't do, besides over watering is leaf cutting. When the leaves are drooping, don't cut them off! This will only make the problem worse.

are you using a drainage material like lava rocks or sand in the dirt?

Also, do you have air circulation? if not, putting a fan in there could help.

Good luck and looking forward to hearing more

C. Woop

 

[shokdee]

Mr Woop, thanks for everything, my connection is soo bad today. I'm on the EDGE, literally. I'll be back ...

 

[shokdee]

Soil and circulation

Soil and circulation

EDGE means my AIRCARD connection is as good as a modem, sorry to hop online and then go away!

Thanks for your comments CW, the problem was mainly overwatering, due to negligence. I was spending too much time online - yes, lurking on the forum - and would just run in, give them water and close the door. I lost a few Swazi clones too.

are you using a drainage material like lava rocks or sand in the dirt?

No! Sir, I think you've hit the nail on the head!
This is my mistake - the soil is 80% local Thai potting soil and 20% worm castings. I just does not seem right. For the first grow I used 1/3 soil, 1/3 coco hair, 1/3 worm castings. I feel I need some sand, but how much? And what kind, fine or coarse? I've a few piles of sand left over from some construction work.

Also, do you have air circulation? if not, putting a fan in there could help.

Another nail! Boy oh boy, do you have the loving touch.

Anyone using rice husks? I visited a local place that makes it, they have a huge, multi-story machine with tons of belts and pulleys and shaking things and what not. It took me about 20 minutes to figure out how it worked. We took about 4 BIG bags home, but the next day there were ANTS all over them. The husks still have specs of rice apparently. I'm scared to use them, but maybe I should?

EDIT: About soil, I've 5 DurbanPoison seedlings - in a seedtray - that I'll transplant into small, plastic grow bags soon. Any advice about the soil mix?

Anyone?

 

[Reg Dixon]

Any advice about the soil mix?

Anyone?

I'd take coco coir which you can get from most local garden centers and also get some coco chips. Make sure you flush them thoroughly then soak in water ph'ed to 5 or so.
Then mix 10-20% of worm casings in with 10-20% of chips. You can use hydroton balls as well if you can find them. Big C sells. I'd get the large kind.

Mix the coir, chips and worm casings. Line the bottom and top with hydroton pellets or coco chips and you are good. Hand water coco grow.

 

[daylighting]

Leave the husks out in the open and let the ants take care of the rice. Somewhere dry. When they're clean, mix them into your mix. Maybe 1/4 worm castings, 1/4 coco and 3/8 potting mix with 1/8 rice husks (more at the bottom and fewer up top, but evenly mixed). Also you may want to start the Thai right on 11/13 since long-flowering sativas will take a while, and the 11/13 should get them moving a little quicker.

 

[shokdee]

Maybe 1/4 worm castings, 1/4 coco and 3/8 potting mix with 1/8 rice husks (more at the bottom and fewer up top, but evenly mixed).

What about SAND? Fine or coarse?

Also you may want to start the Thai right on 11/13 since long-flowering sativas will take a while, and the 11/13 should get them moving a little quicker.

They are outside and have the whole year ahead:
Sunrise 06:00
Sunset 18:36
Max 38.3°C
Min 23.4°C
Relative Humidity 91 %

Yes, it's raining!

Nature's blessings.

 

[shokdee]

Thanks Reg,

Then mix 10-20% of worm casings in with 10-20% of chips. You can use hydroton balls as well if you can find them. Big C sells. I'd get the large kind.

Mix the coir, chips and worm casings. Line the bottom and top with hydroton pellets or coco chips and you are good. Hand water coco grow.

How much hydroton balls? Do they replace the function of sand or stone?

 

[daylighting]

If I were going to use sand or hydroton, I would wash it very well before mixing it in. Coarse is better IMO. You can put a layer on top to keep the fungus gnats at bay (a problem for me right now) and stop the mix from being blown away. Hydroton or sand will also keep water from evaporating off the top to some degree. The husks also improve drainage, but more drainage is better through a Southeast Asian summer (speaking from experience)!

 

[shokdee]

Drainage vs water retention

Drainage vs water retention

The husks also improve drainage, but more drainage is better through a Southeast Asian summer (speaking from experience)!

Thanks. I've think I've got good drainage.

I'm worried about water retention. Is it important, and how do I get the balance right between good drainage vs. soil that dries out too quickly/does not retain moisture?

 

[Reg Dixon]

How much hydroton balls? Do they replace the function of sand or stone?

I'm a bit of a noob myself but I'm finding hydroton has a variety of uses. I bottom feed so I use a layer of it at the bottom of my pot to stop it becoming compacted and waterlogged at the bottom of the pot.

I also use a layer on top of the coco too. I use it to stop the coco blowing out of the pot as it dries out on top. The layer on top seem to help it stop drying out too. In theory giving more areas roots can safely grow.

How come you are not using coco coir? It is very cheap and plentiful in the region. Most garden centers seem to use it with good results.
They just use coir and chips instead of hydroton pellets.

 

[Reg Dixon]

If I were going to use sand or hydroton, I would wash it very well before mixing it in. Coarse is better IMO. You can put a layer on top to keep the fungus gnats at bay (a problem for me right now) and stop the mix from being blown away. Hydroton or sand will also keep water from evaporating off the top to some degree. The husks also improve drainage, but more drainage is better through a Southeast Asian summer (speaking from experience)!

I should flush and soak my hydroton too? It seems pretty clean in the small bags I get it in.

 

[daylighting]

Coir can contain salts, so should be washed thoroughly if it's questionable.

Hydroton can be very alkaline; I just washed a 1/2 gallon and it was absolutely covered in dust. After running several gallons through it, lots of little pieces came out and the water was clear. I mixed it with ProMix.

The balance between drainage/aeration/water retention is a tricky one. Since you have the plants nearby, I'd give them more drainage and water more often; this gives the roots more air, which helps majorly with overall plant health.

 

[shokdee]

The balance between drainage/aeration/water retention is a tricky one. Since you have the plants nearby, I'd give them more drainage and water more often; this gives the roots more air, which helps majorly with overall plant health.

Thank you very much, what I needed to know.

NOTE TO SELF: But, be careful of over watering and maintain good air flow.

 

[shokdee]

How come you are not using coco coir? It is very cheap and plentiful in the region. Most garden centers seem to use it with good results. They just use coir and chips instead of hydroton pellets.

First grow, I used 1/3 coco hair, 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 worm castings.

 

[canna woop!]

Hi Shok.

Hydro ton is basically red lava rock, that is processed into small round shape, for hydroponic growing. It is over priced pumice, and you can use any pumice for the same effect, drainage.

The rice husks are a score! well done. They are a premium drainage material, but you need to compost them before use, or carbonize them. Do you compost? you can carbonize them by putting them in the grill or barbeque and wait until they brown/blacken and are smoking but pull them out before they light on fire and begin turning to ash. BTW, I haven't tried this but that's what I hear you need to do with those. I wouldn't worry about the ants i dont think.

As far as the fans and temperature, yes those things can help. if your plants are still drooping you can try adding more drainage holes in the pots, as well as elevating your plants on a steel cage so the air can flow up and down around the pots freely. You get the idea.

Sand, is the largest of particles in soil, so it's OK to add at lowe percentages but not so crucial compared to the smaller soil particles. The smaller one's are silt (100-150 micron) and clay (150-200 micron). Clay is a very important part of the soil, and you can add it at %5, it holds many minerals and provides anchors for microbes found in your compost.

I posted a recipe you might find interesting in the "indoor gardening" section on this forum, if you have a look at it you can see the type of soil I have used and been happy with its results. if you don't find it I can post a link

hope this helps, C woop

 

[shokdee]

hope this helps

It does help - a lot, thank you very much, pulls everything together nicely.

Is this the link to your recipe: List of different Soil Mixes---Soil Directory.