Diary White Rhino & Friends. Fall 2021 Grow.

[aliceklar]

All perked up following their re-potting and looking better. Noticed that the BSG x Johaar #2 is showing mutated leaves (pic below, from immediately after repotting). The father was a vigorous Johaar female that threw a few late bananas - I tried the pollination as an experiment, and only got a few seeds - 2 of the three I planted sprouted. #1 is showing characteristic narrow sativa leaves from the Johaar parent. Nice. I've just started the final two seeds - lets see what we get. I only had the BSG as a cutting, and it was tragically lost to spider mites, and I'm keen to keep the genetics as it was such a smooth and flavoursome smoke. The 3 BSG x Afghans are thriving and remarkably uniform, and the Green Gelato fem will also be hit with any males out of this batch.

Also started 6 MSNL Blueberry seeds from 2019. Kept in the same conditions as the White Rhino, so am thinking they may also have poor germination, and I'd like to get them backed up.

 

[aliceklar]

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[aliceklar]

5 days since repotting and I'm a little worried they are stalling... gave one feed with v dilute N but otherwise they've just had plain rainwater. Roots growing well (apparent at drain holes) but the tops dont seem to be doing much, and they are now also showing similar lower leaf yellowing that I saw first on my other grow. White Rhino #2 is looking ill.

I was also wondering if the lights were too close (this is my first time vegging under the sf1000s) - they were previously at c55cm but I've now moved them up to 65cm. 20/4 light-cycle.

4/6 Blueberry are up.

 

[aliceklar]

Have realised (thanks zif!) that I've been overwatering, so am letting them dry out for now, and will calibrate watering in future accordingly. Also trying a foliar spray with 1/4 tsp epsom salts per litre, and a few drops of maxicrop. Aiming to repeat twice daily for a few days. Have top-dressed each pot with 1/4 tsp blood fish & bonemeal.

In other news, 6/6 of the MSNL Blueberry are now up, and looking fine. 1/2 of the Bagseed Gelato x Johaar is up, likewise good.

 

[aliceklar]

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[bsgospel]

5 days since repotting and I'm a little worried they are stalling... gave one feed with v dilute N but otherwise they've just had plain rainwater. Roots growing well (apparent at drain holes) but the tops dont seem to be doing much, and they are now also showing similar lower leaf yellowing that I saw first on my other grow. White Rhino #2 is looking ill.

I was also wondering if the lights were too close (this is my first time vegging under the sf1000s) - they were previously at c55cm but I've now moved them up to 65cm. 20/4 light-cycle.

4/6 Blueberry are up.

Does the Sf1000 have a dimmer? Mine does. You can get closer but you gotta turn that thing down. At about 18"-2' from the tops, best observed was keeping the dimmer at 60-70% (but I get some real stretchy gals.) If you want to keep it closer bring the power down to 10-20%

 

[aliceklar]

Does the Sf1000 have a dimmer? Mine does. You can get closer but you gotta turn that thing down. At about 18"-2' from the tops, best observed was keeping the dimmer at 60-70% (but I get some real stretchy gals.) If you want to keep it closer bring the power down to 10-20%

Ah, yes! Had forgotten about that. Have set the dimmer to 70%. Good call.

 

[aliceklar]

Watered with dilute N. Still misting w maxicrop/epsom salts. Added kelpmeal compost tea to the spray. Mmmmm....
Probably watered too soon. Hard not to.... They were drying out, and some pots felt v light - realised I'd previously been watering just about daily - should cut it down to leave a couple of days between watering, and reduce the amount.

 

[zif]

Watered with dilute N. Still misting w maxicrop/epsom salts. Added kelpmeal compost tea to the spray. Mmmmm....
Probably watered too soon. Hard not to.... They were drying out, and some pots felt v light - realised I'd previously been watering just about daily - should cut it down to leave a couple of days between watering, and reduce the amount.

Seems like they’re close to turning the corner, going by #2. Hope they take off again for you!

That’s a big change in watering - I think you’ll be very happy with the difference.

Getting a feel for how much water is in the pot by weight is great. Really helps when the plants change how much they want to drink, too. These will probably ask for more again not long after they kick it into gear.

Sprouts are lookin’ good!

 

[aliceklar]

Cheers zif! It's been nail-biting... I really wasnt expecting so much trouble from these - I've grown some before (and most of the others are the hybrid offspring of plants I've also grown before - the RQS Green Gelato is the only unknown quantity) and havent seen this kind of leaf necrosis so early. It showed in this grow just *after* the repotting, but I suspect it was already in the post - the delay between a deficiency taking hold and showing itself is so frustrating! Likewise, the delay in showing signs of recovery... so easy to inadvertently react to something that is no longer an issue and make things worse!

Plan now is to continue with the lighter watering regime, with plain rainwater alternating dilute N, and carry on with the kelp/epsom salts/maxicrop tea foliar spray. Once they start to take off, I'll pot up again, with reduced compost in the mix - 10% sand & gravel, 30% perlite, and also mix in some good quality home-made compost with the commercial stuff (which seems to contain a lot of un-decomposed woodchip).

Weighed the pots so that I can get a gauge on watering. Vary between 309-404g the morning after. WR#2 389g

 

[zif]

the delay between a deficiency taking hold and showing itself is so frustrating! Likewise, the delay in showing signs of recovery... so easy to inadvertently react to something that is no longer an issue and make things worse!

This is, like, the most profound lesson in growing!

Good plan going forward. It might make sense to hold off on the foliar until you see active growth again… or fade it out. Its fast acting nature can be double edged.

 

[aliceklar]

Indeed. Am restraining myself from further meddling. Hopefully will have a better idea in 24 hours whether they are gonna make it or not. it looks like the progress of the necrosis has stopped...

In the meantime, the new compact flowering space is getting there Just need to connect the new monster fan to the outlet and filter, and wire it in. Excited about this new setup. Its a much smaller space (1.65m x 70cm x 90cm) but it makes more efficient use of the space and I think it'll be big enough for my needs - I'll just have to flower fewer plants at a time. A single sf1000 should be sufficient for the smaller footprint. Having more space for seedlings & cuttings is a big plus, and having direct access to the seedlings without having to go via the flower space is a win.

 

[aliceklar]

New growth looking better... Will repot soon.

 

[aliceklar]

Watered today (plain rainwater), only the plants that were needing it (<300g). Noticed more run-off than usual - expect as a result of the compost getting drier than I would normally let it. Have reduced frequency of foliar sprays, and diluted the spray by half. New fan is connected and working. Louder than I expected, but quieter than the last one - and a lot more powerful, even on low setting.

 

[aliceklar]

Potted up the 3 BSGxAfghan into 3 litres. The 2 SQxAfghan into 2 litres. Made a lighter compost mix with more perlite & some sand & gravel. kelp & bonemeal.

 

[aliceklar]

Potted up the rest into larger pots - between 2 and 5 litres. Hopefully this will get them past whatever has been making them so unhappy... Feeling a bit disheartened to have so many problems with a grow that I expected to be straightforward, but its a learning experience. Key lessons are: Include plenty of perlite (c30% min) in the mix for drainage/aeration, and make sure to pot seedlings up as soon as their roots are ready.

 

[0j4Udcfr8z]

... Feeling a bit disheartened to have so many problems with a grow that I expected to be straightforward...

May I make a suggestion?

Sacrifice one of your plants. Unpot it, and wash all the potting soil out under the cold tap. This will save as many roots as possible. Repot in pure perlite. This will give your plant a virtually no nutrient substrate. If you don't have enough perlite, you can mix some stones or grit into the perlite. But no sand or garden soil. Get the perlite nice and wet in the first instance. Then water as usual with the other plants every day. Daily watering will be beneficial, and as this is experimental. You may see better growth in the no nutrient substrate after one to two weeks. If this works out, you can do a similar thing in future. Perhaps adding much less potting compost to the perlite. Perhaps 10% potting compost to 90% perlite. Change this recipe until you are satisfied with the results. In short your potting compost and nutrients are breaking down too readily in the warm environment of your home. The decomposition process also generates heat in addition to the heat inside your home, although you might not be able to dectect this. The heat itself may not be enough to damage the plants, but excess nutrients is very damaging, especially to young plants. Even a greenhouse does this. Using much less potting compost reduces the nutrient release although the decomposition process continues. Stop using liquid nutrients for the time being on all your plants, and let them recover. Even liquid fertilizer may be the cause of your plants sickness. The potting compost has plently of nutrients. But you may well be adding too many dry nutrients to the compost as well. The plants are prone to disease if the substrate is too rich. This is a common problem which is easily overcome. You should see new growth in the single perlite potted plant in a week to two weeks. It should then speed up as the canopy develops. In a few weeks this plant might take over the roost with too much canopy. This is why I say to just sacrifice one plant, as you will probably have to discard it when it becomes too big. You can always top it, and use it like that, if and when you get your other plants to recover. Consider hydroponics if potting compost and watering is getting you down. Happy Halloween.

https://www.gardeningchannel.com/perlite-versus-vermiculite/

 

[aliceklar]

May I make a suggestion?

Sacrifice one of your plants. Unpot it, and wash all the potting soil out under the cold tap. This will save as many roots as possible. Repot in pure perlite. This will give your plant a virtually no nutrient substrate. If you don't have enough perlite, you can mix some stones or grit into the perlite. But no sand or garden soil. Get the perlite nice and wet in the first instance. Then water as usual with the other plants every day. Daily watering will be beneficial, and as this is experimental. You may see better growth in the no nutrient substrate after one to two weeks. If this works out, you can do a similar thing in future. Perhaps adding much less potting compost to the perlite. Perhaps 10% potting compost to 90% perlite. Change this recipe until you are satisfied with the results. In short your potting compost and nutrients are breaking down too readily in the warm environment of your home. The decomposition process also generates heat in addition to the heat inside your home, although you might not be able to dectect this. The heat itself may not be enough to damage the plants, but excess nutrients is very damaging, especially to young plants. Even a greenhouse does this. Using much less potting compost reduces the nutrient release although the decomposition process continues. Stop using liquid nutrients for the time being on all your plants, and let them recover. Even liquid fertilizer may be the cause of your plants sickness. The potting compost has plently of nutrients. But you may well be adding too many dry nutrients to the compost as well. The plants are prone to disease if the substrate is too rich. This is a common problem which is easily overcome. You should see new growth in the single perlite potted plant in a week to two weeks. It should then speed up as the canopy develops. In a few weeks this plant might take over the roost with too much canopy. This is why I say to just sacrifice one plant, as you will probably have to discard it when it becomes too big. You can always top it, and use it like that, if and when you get your other plants to recover. Consider hydroponics if potting compost and watering is getting you down. Happy Halloween.

https://www.gardeningchannel.com/perlite-versus-vermiculite/

So I've been making them sick with too-rich compost. Doh! Thanks for explaining that - I'm going to try that experiment.

 

[aliceklar]

More LITFA needed...

 

[PCBuds]

So I've been making them sick with too-rich compost. Doh! Thanks for explaining that - I'm going to try that experiment.

That's why I use a 50/50 mix of Coco Coir and Perlite and chemical nutes.

The plant gets no nutrients until it has two full sets of leaves, then I start with Maxigro at 1/4 strength.

The Maxigro (and Maxibloom later) has everything she needs in the right ratios for Cannibis.

It's cheaper and easier too.

You can reuse the Coco/Perlite mix, and you can't overwater.
(but you can still drown a baby, as I just found out. Lol)

If you get some Benies in the mix then your soil is almost bug proof too.