Cbdhemp808's Comparison Grow - HI-BISCUS SIP Bucket Vs. Nursery Pot

DAY 53 => DAY 1 of flower

The SIP plant has reached 3-1/2 ft tall, so I transferred both plants to the flower house.

DAY 52: HEIGHT... SIP - 41.00", POT - 45.00", Δ -4.00
DAY 53: HEIGHT... SIP - 42.00", POT - 45.50", Δ -3.50

SIP rez was down to 3/4" so I topped it up with 2 quarts of fert water. The POT was also light, so I gave it about 1 gal of fert water which produced a lot of runoff. I am feeding now with both high-N liquid fert and soluble KMAG (K, Mg, S). I will also start adding DTE's seabird guano (P) by adding 2 Tbsp to a gallon of water and letting it steep for a couple days, shaking the container several times. EDIT: Also kelp powder in with the seabird guano.

I am taking two comparable clone cuttings from each plant, but not the main stem.

comparison_grow_DAY1_flower.jpg

comparison_grow_DAY1_flower.jpg

HI-BISCUS comparison grow, DAY 1 of flower. SIP on left, nursery pot on right.
 
You're managing them to be almost the same size! I'm surprised the SIP isn't much bigger! Looking great on both!
 
StoneOtter said:
You're managing them to be almost the same size! I'm surprised the SIP isn't much bigger! Looking great on both!
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that out. There was a hiccup early in the grow, because I should have started fertigating after 2 weeks. By day 26 both plants were obviously hungry. I think the SIP plant got stunted because she fell into a negative feedback loop—nutrient and water uptake go hand in hand, so the SIP plant started to shut down. By day 32 or so, the SIP plant had stopped growing. By day 34 I started feeding and the SIP plant sprung back into action.

I think the reason the POT plant didn't suffer as much is because she was on the wet/dry cycle, whereas the SIP plant's roots were sitting in water she couldn't absorb.

So, had I fed early we would quite possibly be seeing a different situation now. The big question now is, what will happen as these two plants get close to harvest time. We shall see!
 
DAY 3 of flower

The plants are looking good. I fertigated the SIP to runoff. The POT will be ready for feeding in a day or 2. I also sprayed both plants with neem/Bronner's solution, because I saw some evidence of flea hoppers.

Yesterday I pruned the plants a little... removal of small internal branches.
 
cbdhemp808 said:
The big question now is, what will happen as these two plants get close to harvest time. We shall see!
Click to expand...
This healthy going in says a lot about how flower goes usually. Let's see!
 
StoneOtter said:
This healthy going in says a lot about how flower goes usually. Let's see!
Click to expand...
fun stuff! I need to build a couple more SIPs... got clones a waitin'.
 
DAY 5 of flower

The plants are looking good. No sign of buds yet. I fertigated both plants w/ NPK, plus Mg, S, Ca, and kelp.

DAY 1: HEIGHT... SIP - 42.00", POT - 45.50", Δ -3.50
DAY 5: HEIGHT... SIP - 43.50", POT - 47.25", Δ -3.75

I'm starting to see that the SIP plant looks slightly more "full" in terms of branching and leaves. It's a subtle change and not something I can measure. Aside from the POT plant having a taller main stem (by almost 4"), there's not a big difference between the two plants so far. I'm starting to feel that if there's going to be a noticeable difference with the SIP, it's going to be in number and size of colas, not in overall plant size (either height or width).

I'm also noticing a curious side effect, and that is... Running a SIP next to a nursery pot has the effect of the nursery pot always getting fertigated precisely when it needs it. The reason being, the SIP calls out for feeding when its reservoir is low. So when I feed the SIP, the nursery pot is also fed (not every time, but about every other time). In my past grows in nursery pots (5/7/10 gal), I relied more on the super soil to provide nutes, not even fertigating on every watering during flower. Now with this POT that contains about 4 gal of soil, heavy on the coir, I'm focusing more on very regular fertigation.

comparison_grow_DAY5_flower.jpg

comparison_grow_DAY5_flower.jpg

  • Media owner cbdhemp808
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Photo added above.
 
cbdhemp808 said:
DAY 5 of flower

The plants are looking good. No sign of buds yet. I fertigated both plants w/ NPK, plus Mg, S, Ca, and kelp.

DAY 1: HEIGHT... SIP - 42.00", POT - 45.50", Δ -3.50
DAY 5: HEIGHT... SIP - 43.50", POT - 47.25", Δ -3.75

I'm starting to see that the SIP plant looks slightly more "full" in terms of branching and leaves. It's a subtle change and not something I can measure. Aside from the POT plant having a taller main stem (by almost 4"), there's not a big difference between the two plants so far. I'm starting to feel that if there's going to be a noticeable difference with the SIP, it's going to be in number and size of colas, not in overall plant size (either height or width).

I'm also noticing a curious side effect, and that is... Running a SIP next to a nursery pot has the effect of the nursery pot always getting fertigated precisely when it needs it. The reason being, the SIP calls out for feeding when its reservoir is low. So when I feed the SIP, the nursery pot is also fed (not every time, but about every other time). In my past grows in nursery pots (5/7/10 gal), I relied more on the super soil to provide nutes, not even fertigating on every watering during flower. Now with this POT that contains about 4 gal of soil, heavy on the coir, I'm focusing more on very regular fertigation.

comparison_grow_DAY5_flower.jpg

comparison_grow_DAY5_flower.jpg

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  • Date added
Click to expand...
Sweet
 
Hmm, I never posted this in the thread here. Originally posted to the SIP Club thread... the day I figured out the design for the "Triforce" SIP...

cbdhemp808

Post in thread 'SIP Club - Getting Hydro/Coco Results In A Soil Based Medium'

For anyone having trouble sourcing 1 gal buckets or perforated drain pipe for the "dome" of a DIY grow bucket...

I just realized that (3) inverted 1qt plastic yogurt containers could be used for the "dome". Each would have holes in the base, and holes down the sides, for air flow (air contact w/ soil). Best to make with a hot soldering iron, but a drill if you don't have that. Put the drain hole in the 5 gal bucket at the usual 3.5" from bottom of bucket. If you want a drain tube, it can be inserted into one of the 1 qt containers. Cut a hole in the base of one of the containers for...
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DAY 7 of flower

There's not much change in the height difference, and both containers are quite heavy. The SIP has an inch or less in the reservoir. I feel like it's a good idea to let the SIP lighten up some before fertigating again.

I took a close look at the branching on both plants and found a distinct difference: the SIP plant's lowest three branches are more stout than the POT plant's. Branch number 6 (going up) is also interesting, because it's of similar diameter on both, and of similar length, but the SIP plant's branch is more foliated. Both plants have 22 total branches. The POT plant's middle branches are slightly more stout than the SIP plant's.

So, it seems the SIP plant has put its energy more into the major branching, and less into the main stem and smaller branches. This may be a harbinger for what will happen with the bud sites.

SIP_branching.jpg

SIP_branching.jpg

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HI-BISCUS comparison grow, SIP branching

nursery_POT_branching.jpg

nursery_POT_branching.jpg

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HI-BISCUS comparison grow, nursery pot branching

branch_6_detail.jpg

branch_6_detail.jpg

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HI-BISCUS comparison grow, branch 6 detail

branch_6_foliation.jpg

branch_6_foliation.jpg

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HI-BISCUS comparison grow, branch 6 foliation
 
DAY 9 of flower

The plants are looking good, but I feel like they are somewhat stalled out because they're not getting enough sunlight. We've had a lot of rain and clouds, but I also need to trim vegetation around the flower house to let in more light. Today the containers were still heavy, especially the SIP. I'm guessing tomorrow the nursery POT will be ready for more fertigation.
 
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