GratefulBud's Summer 2023 Outside Grow

[GratefulBud]

What if you empty the res and top water, stopping as soon as you hear water hit the reservoir? Are the top few inches of soil moist?

Thanks Shed!
I went back to my July posts to see what I did and yes you are correct - I top watered a few days and that definitely helped the OG recover. I'll start that tomorrow. Hot today - 97˚ - but will be cooler for the next week. That will help.

It just dawned on me - I am stressing this plant to produce more trichomes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[GratefulBud]

Oh and here is a picture of the Gorilla on 8.5.23 after I trimmed her:

Gorilla SIP 8.5.23

• GratefulBud
• Aug 5, 2023

 

[Trala]

She’s a monster!

 

[KeithLemon]

Oh and here is a picture of the Gorilla on 8.5.23 after I trimmed her:

Gorilla SIP 8.5.23

• GratefulBud
• Aug 5, 2023

Nice plant Grateful Looks really good there.

 

[GratefulBud]

She’s a monster!

She was . . .

Nice plant Grateful Looks really good there.

She looked really good a few weeks ago.
Not looking so good any more. I fucked up and let her res go wonky for too long. I'm now top watering but the damage has been done.

This was yesterday -

Gorilla 8.30.23

• GratefulBud
• Aug 30, 2023

I'm totally bummed.

 

[InTheShed]

Don't be bummed because top watering seems to do pretty well to repair sad bottom-watered plants!

 

[GratefulBud]

Don't be bummed because top watering seems to do pretty well to repair sad bottom-watered plants!

Thanks Shed!
I appreciate you keeping me pointed in the right direction. I brain farted on the top watering. Both SIPs slowed their drinking right as the hurriquake came through. It took me too many days to realize the Gorilla res was mucked up. She'll still have some good buds I think, although I had to pull a few more caterpillar damaged buds off her today. Damn moths.

Do you know if bt can go bad? I'm using a bottle from last year; spraying every 2-3 days.

I'll post pics of the other SIP tomorrow - the OG. She is doing much better and still drinking almost two gallons per day from the res. The other girls are looking really good.

 

[InTheShed]

Do you know if bt can go bad? I'm using a bottle from last year; spraying every 2-3 days.

I hope not! Mine's at least 2 or 3 years old.

I should probably replace it for next summer though...

 

[KeithLemon]

She was . . .

She looked really good a few weeks ago.
Not looking so good any more. I fucked up and let her res go wonky for too long. I'm now top watering but the damage has been done.

This was yesterday -

Gorilla 8.30.23

• GratefulBud
• Aug 30, 2023

I'm totally bummed.

Hey Grateful she has a lot of bud, and she does not look dead to me.

 

[Trala]

She’s still green.

I think she has enough to see her through.

 

[GratefulBud]

Hey Grateful she has a lot of bud, and she does not look dead to me.

Thanks Keef!

She’s still green.

I think she has enough to see her through.

Thanks T!
I'm just being a drama queen. I'll get some good buds off her. I hope. Had to pull two more caterpillar nugs off her.

 

[GratefulBud]

Good news / bad news today.
I pulled a bunch of dead leaves off the Gorilla and she does not look that bad - scrawny for sure but still kickin and her buds continue to grow in size.

Gorilla 9.1.23

• GratefulBud
• Sep 1, 2023

The bad news: the Gorilla is still not drinking anything from the res. I top watered this morning until overflow and this evening the res was still full. Her sister drank a gallon this morning and took another gallon this afternoon.

Alright so now I'm thinking she's either root bound or has nutrient lockout. I'll just flush her out. Nuh-uh. Badder news - I top watered with the hose - slowly - to flush but once the soil became saturated it refused to drain. Just puddled on the surface and is draining r e a l l y s l o w l y. Not hydrophobic - soil is drenched. I'm thinking the 3 gallons of dirt in the bucket are chock full of roots.

Gorilla 9.1.23 saturated

• GratefulBud
• Sep 1, 2023

Shit.
Now what do I do?

Was thinking I could pull her out of the bucket and move her to a 7 gallon pot with soil. Don't really want to do that. I'm guessing harvest would be in about 3-4 weeks. She may not like the new container. I could limp her along to the finish by top watering - she'll drink slowly but won't let me flush. Weird for sure.

 

[GratefulBud]

Here are a few pics of the SFV OG in SIP - she is looking great! Just a few yellow lowers.

SFV OG 9.1.23

• GratefulBud
• Sep 1, 2023

SFV OG 9.1.23 2

• GratefulBud
• Sep 1, 2023

SFV OG 9.1.23 top

• GratefulBud
• Sep 1, 2023

SFV OG 9.1.23 top 2

• GratefulBud
• Sep 1, 2023

The two sisters:

Both SIPs 9.1.23

• GratefulBud
• Sep 1, 2023

 

[Azimuth]

Shit.
Now what do I do?

I've never had that issue so just guessing here, but maybe try to poke a bbq skewer down in in a few spots and see if that might help the water drain through?

 

[InTheShed]

I'd siphon out the res from the overflow hole, over and over until there's no more water dripping into the tubes down there. I think you should treat it like a top watered plant for a while: let it get light and don't let the res get water.

 

[KeithLemon]

Thanks Keef!

Thanks T!
I'm just being a drama queen. I'll get some good buds off her. I hope. Had to pull two more caterpillar nugs off her.

You make me laugh.

 

[GratefulBud]

I've never had that issue so just guessing here, but maybe try to poke a bbq skewer down in in a few spots and see if that might help the water drain through?

Hi Azi!
I have several bamboo skewers in the bucket. I tried wiggling them around to see if that would drain the water - nope. I even tried wiggling the main stalk - hard. Water would not drain down into the res. Really weird huh?

I'd siphon out the res from the overflow hole, over and over until there's no more water dripping into the tubes down there. I think you should treat it like a top watered plant for a while: let it get light and don't let the res get water.

Yeah I shot water into the fill pipe and flushed a bunch out the overflow. I'll drain the res tomorrow and try to keep it as dry as possible while feeding from above.
I am perplexed.

You make me laugh.

Hiya Keith!
Life is short. My plan is to enjoy it!

 

[GratefulBud]

Here is the inside of the bucket:

97E8BF8C-E7DF-42CB-960B-8679281DC67A_1_201_a.jpeg

• GratefulBud
• May 28, 2023

I'm thinking the soil and roots have packed the outer edge and the inner hole.
This design may have worked well with tomatoes - do they have different root structure?

 

[InTheShed]

Can you just tip it over and dump the res, as well as the water sitting on top (if it's still there)? You can use some of the netting to hold the dirt in.

 

[GratefulBud]

Can you just tip it over and dump the res, as well as the water sitting on top (if it's still there)? You can use some of the netting to hold the dirt in.

The water on top drains slowly into the res - real slowly. When I went out an hour later it had drained and overflowed into the saucer. I tipped it on its side to remove as much as I could. I should be able to limp into the home stretch - if I can keep the damn caterpillars away.