Is this transplant stress or something else?

[Sleepy One]

This is kind of weird. I planted 4 girls. 2-amnesia Haze and 2-Laughing Buddha. Three are fine, but this one seems to be under some kind of stress. I transplanted from a solo cup 3 days ago into 4 gal air pots. Soil is the same on all of them. 50/50 FFHF/FFOF, 20% added Pearlite. No nutes, using PHd RO water, let the water breathe to offgas chlorine and to let the PH come down. There may be some chloramines still in it. Spiderfarmer 1000 LED 18" away. Since it is the only one, I'm guessing it's from transplanting, but just want to make sure it's not from something else like low calcium. Anybody have this experience? I forgot, solo cup had only FFHF, no Ocean Forest.

 

[Sueet]

Looks to me like it was just starting to complain about being in a cup, it should perk up soon.

 

[Emilya Green]

This is kind of weird. I planted 4 girls. 2-amnesia Haze and 2-Laughing Buddha. Three are fine, but this one seems to be under some kind of stress. I transplanted from a solo cup 3 days ago into 4 gal air pots. Soil is the same on all of them. 50/50 FFHF/FFOF, 20% added Pearlite. No nutes, using PHd RO water, let the water breathe to offgas chlorine and to let the PH come down. There may be some chloramines still in it. Spiderfarmer 1000 LED 18" away. Since it is the only one, I'm guessing it's from transplanting, but just want to make sure it's not from something else like low calcium. Anybody have this experience? I forgot, solo cup had only FFHF, no Ocean Forest.

It looks like a combination of overwatering and not supplying any nutes... that soil isn't magic you know. Transplanting shock is mostly a myth, and some farmers actually intentionally cause transplant stress by slicing into the roots, so that they rebound strongly by growing new roots.

You need to start feeding. That soil doesn't have everything they need and I am sure you are going to start seeing starvation symptoms in your other plants soon.

Did you know that chlorine is one of the 19 nutrients that these plants need? There is only a need to get rid of chlorine if you are growing organically, other than that, if your tap water is safe for you and your pets and doesnt kill the outdoor garden or lawn, you are good. Chlorine is not as harmful as some would have you believe. RO is not necessary unless you need to start with clean water, such as in a hydroponic garden. Certainly after going through an RO filter, there should be no chlorine left over, and no magnesium or calcium... lots of good stuff comes from our tap water.

Curious... what nutes are you planning to give?

Also, what pH have you been adjusting to? The only reason we ever need to adjust pH is if you are using synthetic EDTA chelated nutes. You have not even given nutes yet, so there is definitely no need to adjust pH yet, and depending on your nutes, you might not ever need to.

l think mostly though, you are not drying out your soil all the way to the bottom of the container between waterings. Your puffy leaves all hanging down tell me that you are watering way too often and that you are leaving water in the bottom of your container when you water, keeping the lower roots under water most of the time. This will harm the lower roots and soon they are unable to pull up the nutes the plant needs. Your plants definitely are showing a deficiency, probably potassium according to the signs, and the major cause seems to be the way you water. Have you read my thing on how to properly water, where I explain the need for a wet/dry cycle. If not, I invite you to click the link below... it has helped many people and I think it will help you too.

 

[Mayne]

Low humidity. Could of stayd in the solo cup longer, no need for nutes. Keep in solo cup till it needs watered for back to back days. transplanted to early.

 

[Sleepy One]

M, thanks for replying. I thought the FF soil would take me through a week or two without feeding. Also. reading posts about the OF being too strong for newborns. I have watered very little. Mostly just moistened the soil while setting up the pot, then a couple of squirts after transplanting. Do you think I should give them a little squirt of water with nutes or just wait till they are dry? Maybe foliar spraying? Didn't know that about chlorine. I was a little nervous about the chloramine though. I know I can drink it without any obvious problems, but I can drink whiskey too. I don't know what concentration the plants can stand. Nothing else has died so I guess a weed should be able to handle it.

 

[Sleepy One]

Oh, I forgot. I will be using the Fox Farm trio for nutes. I'll just follow their schedule.

 

[Emilya Green]

I am often amused by folks and their feeding recommendations. Yes, you can go a while in a good soil without needing to feed, but is this optimal? What would happen if you actually tried to not just feed for survival, but instead thought of your nutrients as FERTILIZER. You can choose to be a minimalist and simply feed, or you can FERTILIZE in order to make your plants the best they can be. Every nute line has instructions for fertilizing even young seedlings... it up to you whether to follow that advice and garden like a boss, or be a minimalist convincing yourself that you like small plants.

Also, don't believe everything you read. Yes, I have burned up some plants in strong supersoil mixes, but this is a weed, and a new seedling takes a look at what it is born into, and adapts to it. I have started many a plant in ocean forest, but now that I know so much more about this plant than I used to, I have learned that FFOF and FFHF both have their purposes. I prefer to start plants in a cup that the bottom half is a good strong soil like FFOF and the top half is usually Happy frog, which was originally sold as a light starter soil for seedlings. This gives the seedlings a good start and as their roots grow down into the stronger soil, they adapt as they go. This trick of putting the strong soil at the bottom can allow you go even longer being a minimalist, but again, why? Because you read it somewhere?

I think you need to learn about the wet/dry cycle and how it entices new roots to grow. I think you need to wait to water the next time until that soil is as dry as the Sahara Desert and you can feel NO water weight in that container at all. Compare the weight to a similar container of dry soil, and don't water until the plant is almost to the point of wilting. You have to be cruel to be kind to this weed, because a coddled plant becomes a lazy plant. And yes, whatever your nutrient line, figure out how much you should be feeding at this point in the grow, and go for it. Garden like a boss!

 

[Sleepy One]

When I first started researching how to grow this plant I was all over the web. Lots of contradictory stuff. Feed/don't feed, water little/water a lot,Top,Fim,Lst. Trim/don't trim, etc. I had to calm down and pick one place for my info. I chose this place and actually, M, you are like my mentor. I don't mean to suck up, it's just the truth. You seem to know a lot about this. I have read your watering post more than once.

 

[Sleepy One]

I am often amused by folks and their feeding recommendations. Yes, you can go a while in a good soil without needing to feed, but is this optimal? What would happen if you actually tried to not just feed for survival, but instead thought of your nutrients as FERTILIZER. You can choose to be a minimalist and simply feed, or you can FERTILIZE in order to make your plants the best they can be. Every nute line has instructions for fertilizing even young seedlings... it up to you whether to follow that advice and garden like a boss, or be a minimalist convincing yourself that you like small plants.

Also, don't believe everything you read. Yes, I have burned up some plants in strong supersoil mixes, but this is a weed, and a new seedling takes a look at what it is born into, and adapts to it. I have started many a plant in ocean forest, but now that I know so much more about this plant than I used to, I have learned that FFOF and FFHF both have their purposes. I prefer to start plants in a cup that the bottom half is a good strong soil like FFOF and the top half is usually Happy frog, which was originally sold as a light starter soil for seedlings. This gives the seedlings a good start and as their roots grow down into the stronger soil, they adapt as they go. This trick of putting the strong soil at the bottom can allow you go even longer being a minimalist, but again, why? Because you read it somewhere?

I think you need to learn about the wet/dry cycle and how it entices new roots to grow. I think you need to wait to water the next time until that soil is as dry as the Sahara Desert and you can feel NO water weight in that container at all. Compare the weight to a similar container of dry soil, and don't water until the plant is almost to the point of wilting. You have to be cruel to be kind to this weed, because a coddled plant becomes a lazy plant. And yes, whatever your nutrient line, figure out how much you should be feeding at this point in the grow, and go for it. Garden like a boss!

Emilya, So if I put OF in the bottom half of the Solo cup and HF on top, when it is time to trans plant, should the new medium be all OF or a mixture of OF and HF? What about it's final home?

 

[Emilya Green]

Emilya, So if I put OF in the bottom half of the Solo cup and HF on top, when it is time to trans plant, should the new medium be all OF or a mixture of OF and HF? What about it's final home?

I consider Happy Frog to be a very light starter soil. My only use for it other than eventually mixing it in with the rest of the soil when the grow is over, is to use it in that very first starting phase in the solo cup, at the top of that cup to gently welcome the seedling into the world. From then on, I use a good strong soil, such as Ocean Forest, exclusively in every transplant from then on, especially the final container. The only exception is if I am using a super soil, and then that even stronger and mineralized soil goes in the bottom third of all of my containers, then ocean forest and in the solo cup, the top third is Happy frog. Other than that little bit of happy frog in my solo cup, that eventually returns to the compost bin, I do not mix soils... I use layers.

 

[Sleepy One]

I consider Happy Frog to be a very light starter soil. My only use for it other than eventually mixing it in with the rest of the soil when the grow is over, is to use it in that very first starting phase in the solo cup, at the top of that cup to gently welcome the seedling into the world. From then on, I use a good strong soil, such as Ocean Forest, exclusively in every transplant from then on, especially the final container. The only exception is if I am using a super soil, and then that even stronger and mineralized soil goes in the bottom third of all of my containers, then ocean forest and in the solo cup, the top third is Happy frog. Other than that little bit hggof happy frog in my solo cup, that eventually returns to the compost bin, I do not mix soils... I use layers.

I consider Happy Frog to be a very light starter soil. My only use for it other than eventually mixing it in with the rest of the soil when the grow is over, is to use it in that very first starting phase in the solo cup, at the top of that cup to gently welcome the seedling into the world. From then on, I use a good strong soil, such as Ocean Forest, exclusively in every transplant from then on, especially the final container. The only exception is if I am using a super soil, and then that even stronger and mineralized soil goes in the bottom third of all of my containers, then ocean forest and in the solo cup, the top third is Happy frog. Other than that little bit of happy frog in my solo cup, that eventually returns to the compost bin, I do not mix soils... I use layers.

So, would it make any sense to make a top 1/3 of HF, then maybe about an inch of 50/50 mix, and then OF? Or do you think just a definite layer would be better?

 

[Emilya Green]

Once the plant can handle it, why weaken your soil by mixing it with a bunch of sphagnum moss that is the happy frog? What would be the point of purposely weakening the soil in the top of your container, where the now mature spreader roots reside? What exactly is the purpose of a 50/50 mix in a layer? Once you have an established plant, use the strongest soil you have. Nothing else makes sense to me. If you mix something in or use it in a layer, make sure it is additive to the grow and the strength of the soil.

That being said, whatever you end up doing, your plant will adapt to it and you will do fine. Layers work well, but instead of a weakened soil mix, consider a few thin layers (1/4 inch) of worm castings... or a very thin layer of bloodmeal up at the top of the container, maybe another 1/4" layer of 4-4-4 about midway down. A very thin layer of composted cow manure at the very bottom can give the feeder roots a treat when they get down there. When you build your final container, consider putting 4 or 5 flowering plant food spikes randomly about... spikes work well too.

Blends of these additives in the soil give the roots no choice but to have to deal with these things, whereas with layers the roots can decide whether or not to go into these special layers or spike zones, and if they have to adapt to that purpose, they do. This adaptation, or specialization, does not happen in an evenly mixed hybrid soil.