AsbestosToast
Member
Hi everone,
I'm hoping someone can help me make sure I'm on the right path with these clones. I got them as decent sized clones/teens about a week ago, and promptly abused them. I've done a ton of googling, and I'm hoping I fixed the issue, but I have some questions on moving forward from here. First, bulk info:
PICS: https://imgur.com/a/eBhU1
Strains
Gorilla Glue and Girl Scout Cookies. (unverified source) From a clone collective apparently.
Medium They were cloned in to rockwool cubes, and are in coco/perlite red cups.
Temp
Temps are between 75 and 85, I'm working on keeping the lights-on temps down, and adding more dark time has helped. Average is 80-83 typically. I have a ice chest A/C pointed at the box intake that is controlled by a thermostat, which helps a lot.
Humidity 45-65%, depending on the day and if the ghetto evaporative A/C is running.
Light
I had them on 24/7 for a day or two while getting lights situated, they were on 20/4 for a few days, and are now switching to 18/6
Watering
I was watering every other day to every 2 days, depending on when they got light and started to droop a tiny bit. More on watering below. Hand-watered just until water came out the bottom, excess allowed to drain out.
Nutrients
I watered with plain filtered water for the first couple times, then because they are in coco, I decided to add some nutrients. Not pH adjusted, pen broke, more on that later...
For two watering in a row, per gallon they got:
1/4 tsp. Botanicare silica blast
5 mL Liquid Karma
5 mL pure blend pro Grow
2 drops Superthrive
Story Time
So this is my first experience with coco, I've grown in soil a couple times, so that's the experience I'm coming from. These looked great when I received them, and continued looking great watering with plain water, but looked a tiny bit light green. I had read that there is no nutrients in coco, so you want to water with nutes every time. I started off with plain water to let them get acclimated to their new box, then after two watering I decided to add "some" nutrients. I mixed up the list above, keeping everything on the lowest end of the instructions, to ease in the added nutes. They got one watering with this, then I left town for the weekend.
I had someone water them a couple of days after I left, and they were very droopy (it was a hot weekend) but I assumed they would perk right back up. Two days later, the GSC perked up as expected, but the GG was still very sad. Droopy, curling lower leaves, weak stems on new growth.
Once I got home, the pH pen I ordered to replace the one that just broke was in the mail, so I went about diagnosing the issue. First thing I did is check my nutrient solution. 4.4!!! I immediately mixed up some fresh water, and added 5mL of liquid karma (the amount recommended for seedlings and clones) and pH corrected to about 6.8 with new pen, and flushed both plants thoroughly. The GSC that was looking pretty good still, with worsending signs was ready for a watering at the time of flushing, but the GG was still damp, I flushed anyway to get that toxic water out of there. It's been about 12 hours since they were flushed, and there seems to be positive changes happening, but I have some questions and want to make sure I'm on the right track.
I want to transplant these to soil, and bonsai mother them for clones. I'm going to be gone this weekend again (I know... absent plant parent...) and would love to get them in the soil today or tomorrow morn. I know the watering time in between will be much longer in soil, which is why I'd like to get them in sooner so I don't have to worry about having them watered every other day or every day in coco. The GSC has roots visible on the top, and showing roots through the drainage hole, so I know it's ready, the GG is obviously experiencing shock, and I'm not sure if it's as ready space-wise. After flush some of the newer growth looks much better, some of the more droopy new growth looks to be improving, but slowly. Would it be a terrible idea to transplant these two right now, or would it alleviate some of these problems? I know soil is naturally pH buffering, and I have dolomite lime to add to further buffer. The soil would be FF Ocean Forest, heavily cut with perlite, I would water with regular filtered water, no nutrients, as I know from the past this soil runs hot.
Second question: I'm thinking that the symptoms are from a multitude of nutrient lockout from the horribly acidic pH. After flushing, IF I don't transplant to soil, should they get any nutrients at all? I don't want to bounce from one deficiency to another by not feeding them in a soilless medium, but I don't want to compound the problem by over-feeding them something.
Thanks for any advice, I'm happy to take more pics or provide any more info that will help.
I'm hoping someone can help me make sure I'm on the right path with these clones. I got them as decent sized clones/teens about a week ago, and promptly abused them. I've done a ton of googling, and I'm hoping I fixed the issue, but I have some questions on moving forward from here. First, bulk info:
PICS: https://imgur.com/a/eBhU1
Strains
Gorilla Glue and Girl Scout Cookies. (unverified source) From a clone collective apparently.
Medium They were cloned in to rockwool cubes, and are in coco/perlite red cups.
Temp
Temps are between 75 and 85, I'm working on keeping the lights-on temps down, and adding more dark time has helped. Average is 80-83 typically. I have a ice chest A/C pointed at the box intake that is controlled by a thermostat, which helps a lot.
Humidity 45-65%, depending on the day and if the ghetto evaporative A/C is running.
Light
I had them on 24/7 for a day or two while getting lights situated, they were on 20/4 for a few days, and are now switching to 18/6
Watering
I was watering every other day to every 2 days, depending on when they got light and started to droop a tiny bit. More on watering below. Hand-watered just until water came out the bottom, excess allowed to drain out.
Nutrients
I watered with plain filtered water for the first couple times, then because they are in coco, I decided to add some nutrients. Not pH adjusted, pen broke, more on that later...
For two watering in a row, per gallon they got:
1/4 tsp. Botanicare silica blast
5 mL Liquid Karma
5 mL pure blend pro Grow
2 drops Superthrive
Story Time
So this is my first experience with coco, I've grown in soil a couple times, so that's the experience I'm coming from. These looked great when I received them, and continued looking great watering with plain water, but looked a tiny bit light green. I had read that there is no nutrients in coco, so you want to water with nutes every time. I started off with plain water to let them get acclimated to their new box, then after two watering I decided to add "some" nutrients. I mixed up the list above, keeping everything on the lowest end of the instructions, to ease in the added nutes. They got one watering with this, then I left town for the weekend.
I had someone water them a couple of days after I left, and they were very droopy (it was a hot weekend) but I assumed they would perk right back up. Two days later, the GSC perked up as expected, but the GG was still very sad. Droopy, curling lower leaves, weak stems on new growth.
Once I got home, the pH pen I ordered to replace the one that just broke was in the mail, so I went about diagnosing the issue. First thing I did is check my nutrient solution. 4.4!!! I immediately mixed up some fresh water, and added 5mL of liquid karma (the amount recommended for seedlings and clones) and pH corrected to about 6.8 with new pen, and flushed both plants thoroughly. The GSC that was looking pretty good still, with worsending signs was ready for a watering at the time of flushing, but the GG was still damp, I flushed anyway to get that toxic water out of there. It's been about 12 hours since they were flushed, and there seems to be positive changes happening, but I have some questions and want to make sure I'm on the right track.
I want to transplant these to soil, and bonsai mother them for clones. I'm going to be gone this weekend again (I know... absent plant parent...) and would love to get them in the soil today or tomorrow morn. I know the watering time in between will be much longer in soil, which is why I'd like to get them in sooner so I don't have to worry about having them watered every other day or every day in coco. The GSC has roots visible on the top, and showing roots through the drainage hole, so I know it's ready, the GG is obviously experiencing shock, and I'm not sure if it's as ready space-wise. After flush some of the newer growth looks much better, some of the more droopy new growth looks to be improving, but slowly. Would it be a terrible idea to transplant these two right now, or would it alleviate some of these problems? I know soil is naturally pH buffering, and I have dolomite lime to add to further buffer. The soil would be FF Ocean Forest, heavily cut with perlite, I would water with regular filtered water, no nutrients, as I know from the past this soil runs hot.
Second question: I'm thinking that the symptoms are from a multitude of nutrient lockout from the horribly acidic pH. After flushing, IF I don't transplant to soil, should they get any nutrients at all? I don't want to bounce from one deficiency to another by not feeding them in a soilless medium, but I don't want to compound the problem by over-feeding them something.
Thanks for any advice, I'm happy to take more pics or provide any more info that will help.
