Fools Rush In: Newbie's Adventures In Suboptimal Conditions

[Stunger]

@Stunger I ended up drilling 1/2 holes about an inch apart near the bottom of each planter. I'm thinking of adding some smaller 1s a little further up. Just gotta do it soon cause don't want to damage roots. Should be good only week and half old in 5 to 7 gallon planters. Watering more Idc it's rainy now and maybe more work in a month but I want to be able to have dry spells and be able to feed em. If the soils always wet from rain doesn't help. It's easier to add water than take it away outdoors.

Last grow I even drilled out the 2 liter seed starting pots I used as well as well the bigger 30L and 50L final pots, that small size I realized allowed a lot of moisture loss so next time I will water more often. When drilling out the pots I feel you really need to change your watering approach for that reason. The other thing is, I made a simple pot liner by stapling some breathable landscape fabric to allow the air/oxygen to come in and avoid the soil falling out the bigger holes. It must be a little tricky if you are drilling the pots out already filled with soil. I don't imagine that any roots that got chopped or nicked would be any problem as it would only be those on the that reached the sides of the pots.

Here's some pics of what I did.

DSC07082.JPG

• Stunger
• Apr 2, 2019

home made 'air pot'

DSC07083.JPG

• Stunger
• Apr 2, 2019

using landscape fabric as a pot liner

DSC08092.JPG

• Stunger
• Apr 2, 2019

30 liter/7 gallon pot filled approx 1/3 with super soil

DSC08093.JPG

• Stunger
• Apr 2, 2019

root tips showing thru old pot liner

 

[Stunger]

Actually without going to check the actual pots outside, from the pictures they are probably more like 4 liter pots that I used to start the seeds in. I put up to half inch holes in the bigger pots.

 

[FelipeBlu]

Drainage/fresh air in the root zone is key. Cannabis likes a well-drained soil.

Nice design/work!

 

[syenite]

I think the mutant looks cute and it adds charm to it. Try not to stress over shipping delays. I once grew using plain old CFL bulbs any light is good light until you get the 1s you ordered. I don't know if you ordered outta country or not I've only done within mine since pandemic. I waited 2 weeks for hand sanitizer and 4 days for seeds. I was happier when I got the seeds so a delay could happen. Just feed em as much light as possible

Thank you my friend! Appreciate the reminder that if I need to resort to temporary lighting solutions, I can!

I'm ordering internationally, hence my apprehension. New Zealand's mail system has been pretty congested over the lockdown. Further, lots of companies are not shipping to New Zealand at all, due to the lack of incoming international flights to the country.

BUT - I got great news last night. I highlighted my concerns with the company, and they confirmed that their suppliers could not ship to NZ via Amazon. So they've gathered all the parts into one package specially for me and are using Fedex who have their own flights to NZ! Now that's customer service.

Last grow I even drilled out the 2 liter seed starting pots I used as well as well the bigger 30L and 50L final pots, that small size I realized allowed a lot of moisture loss so next time I will water more often. When drilling out the pots I feel you really need to change your watering approach for that reason. The other thing is, I made a simple pot liner by stapling some breathable landscape fabric to allow the air/oxygen to come in and avoid the soil falling out the bigger holes. It must be a little tricky if you are drilling the pots out already filled with soil. I don't imagine that any roots that got chopped or nicked would be any problem as it would only be those on the that reached the sides of the pots.

Is there much of a difference between using fabric pots vs. drilling holes in your hard pots?

 

[Stunger]

Is there much of a difference between using fabric pots vs. drilling holes in your hard pots?

I couldn't get fabric ones when I looked, but now they are available. Because I do a lot of training I find the hard plastic useful to anchor the training wires. If you weren't training then I would say go for the fabric. But as you know there are lots of different things that contribute to a successful grow so I would imagine there isn't too between them. Plus, as I made breathable liner that separates a bit from the shell of the pot when drying occurs so I imagine it functions very similar.

 

[syenite]

I couldn't get fabric ones when I looked, but now they are available. Because I do a lot of training I find the hard plastic useful to anchor the training wires. If you weren't training then I would say go for the fabric. But as you know there are lots of different things that contribute to a successful grow so I would imagine there isn't too between them.

Yes that makes sense! I’ll be using fabric pots as the final pots, so I will be using gardening staples/tent pegs in the soil as anchors for training.

Hey hope you’re feeling better today @Stunger !

 

[syenite]

OK - electronics are in the air, not very far away now. New ETA is next Monday, and I'm watching it move from country to country, edging ever closer...

In the meantime, I'm channelling my restless energy into some due diligence. I followed @Emilya's recipe for some homemade CalMag. Yes, I know I probably should've obtained some CalMag by now! Hopefully I won't need it in the 20-odd days it takes for the mixture to do its thing.

Tomorrow, I'm planning to give poor old Hatty the chop. Pretty sure she's just about all cloudy now and verging on the first few ambers. I will probably post some pictures although it will be a rather embarrassing harvest, so you will all have to try to contain your larfter (see what I did there?)!

Anyone got tips on washing buds? Am planning to have one bucket warm water with baking soda and lemon juice, and another bucket of cold water for rinsing.

 

[DonkeyDick]

Yes that makes sense! I’ll be using fabric pots as the final pots, so I will be using gardening staples/tent pegs in the soil as anchors for training.

Hey hope you’re feeling better today @Stunger !

My first grow was in shopping bags. It went pretty well but I’m not recommending it.

I will probably post some pictures although it will be a rather embarrassing harvest, so you will all have to try to contain your larfter (see what I did there?)!

Kiwis! It’s only embarrassing if your electric puha really is puha, haha. I got a chuckle from your witty pun - and you know what they say. Larfter is the best medicine. Any meds are good meds mate

 

[McRib]

Nice job on the homemade calmag! I read Emilya's guide and intended on making some myself but in the end I was lazy and just bought a bottle...

 

[DonkeyDick]

Anyone got tips on washing buds? Am planning to have one bucket warm water with baking soda and lemon juice, and another bucket of cold water for rinsing

Sorry. One of those days. Meant to say hey yay on the hooray for home made nutes!

Nice job on the homemade calmag! I read Emilya's guide and intended on making some myself but in the end I was lazy and just bought a bottle...

Like that.
On washing (see what I mean? All over the place today) I used hydrogen peroxide when I did it and two rinse buckets of ro water. You might have to hang it longer than you want before chopping it into bags for the fridge if that’s the way you are going. Just that it’s gotten so damn cold.

 

[syenite]

Sorry. One of those days. Meant to say hey yay on the hooray for home made nutes!

Like that.
On washing (see what I mean? All over the place today) I used hydrogen peroxide when I did it and two rinse buckets of ro water. You might have to hang it longer than you want before chopping it into bags for the fridge if that’s the way you are going. Just that it’s gotten so damn cold.

Thank you thank you! "Bags" you say, pluralised... I reckon I could fit her entirety into a single ziploc sandwich bag.

As for method of drying/curing I'm open to suggestions too. I was gonna do the cardboard box thing for drying and then into a jar with one of those Boveda packs.

Would you mind telling me about the fridge method?

 

[syenite]

Something else I'm wondering about: when the lights arrive, do I need to gradually "harden" the seedlings under the LEDs?

Should I, for example, leave the seedlings under the LEDs for an hour or two one day, then three the next, etc. etc.?

 

[DonkeyDick]

This is one of the jewels in the 420 crown. It’s the hive mind in action.
DrZiggy’sLowAndSlow
It’s one you read and you can’t help looking around to see who’s going to be the first one to crack up “Ppppffft!! We got another one” style of thing.
Shit’s for real, homie.

On the hardening to the light, yep sounds like you know how to keep ‘em happy.

 

[syenite]

This is one of the jewels in the 420 crown. It’s the hive mind in action.
DrZiggy’sLowAndSlow
It’s one you read and you can’t help looking around to see who’s going to be the first one to crack up “Ppppffft!! We got another one” style of thing.
Shit’s for real, homie.

... I need some time to process this information

 

[FelipeBlu]

Something else I'm wondering about: when the lights arrive, do I need to gradually "harden" the seedlings under the LEDs?

Should I, for example, leave the seedlings under the LEDs for an hour or two one day, then three the next, etc. etc.?

It’s a good idea to introduce plants to new light gradually. You might start at 28-32”, and see how it goes.

 

[syenite]

Big day today for me today. It's technically my first harvest, although I hope this isn't representative of the harvests to come

A reminder of the poor stunted soul I'm dealing with, here's a pic of one of her "colas". You can infer just about everything she's been through from this photo: the winter cold, the lack of light, the re-vegging, the spent soil she was in...

By the time I knew the difference between right and wrong in growing, it was way too late for me to be able to intervene in any effective way for her. And today the curtain falls on her stage for the last time.

It was over in a flash of secateurs.

RIP Hatty - the one with nothing but the one that was also responsible for all of this, my newfound infatuation with growing!

An autopsy would confirm my diagnoses.

She was in a 5 gallon pot and this was the extent of her root system. This is what happens when you try to grow a plant in soil that's already been leeched by a tomato plant! And she even had to deal with the tomato plant's dead roots. I'd done this without thinking, knowing nothing at the time and thinking nothing of it. I assume this is a big reason her root system never got any bigger. That, and probably some poor watering habits on my part.

So I've given her buds a wash using the basic baking soda and lemon method, and they are currently hanging to dry. I'll follow the cardboard-box-to-mason-jar method for now, and will continue to read about the low-and-slow method in preparation for next time.

But, as we all know, the end of one thing is the beginning of another. Hatty is dead. Long live Hatty!

I've learnt so much already since Hatty appeared without explanation in our herb garden. I'm so pumped for what's to come!

And so the horizon of the future is laid out before me - the next generation!

According to the tracker, my LEDs have already arrived at the local depot, which is only a few hundred metres away from my house. It's taking considerable willpower to stop myself from running down there and being one of those awful entitled customers, banging on the walls of the depot, howling at the door, demanding my package be handed over to me!

 

[FelipeBlu]

Here ya go

 

[syenite]

Here ya go

Cheers my friend, need this one!

 

[syenite]

I know those cruel FedEx people are gonna make me wait till Monday, too!

 

[McRib]

here's a pic of one of her colas

You called it a cola

I see big colas in your future my kiwi friend