JimmieJ's First Grow - Closet - Soil - Bag Seed - CFLs

[Radogast]

A few cloning thoughts:


I MUCH PREFER clones from topping a plant to clones taken from lower branches.

Although contrary to decades of non-420 horticultural wisdom, the clones of the leader (apical meristem) grow more robust and in a more symetrical pattern than clones from the lower branches.

When I took a few generations of clones from lower branches I had weaker, smaller trunked plants. Top clones from the weak clones were more robust than their mothers.

Larger clones seem to root and grow better than smaller clones. 8-10" tops have rooted directly into soil (with liquid clonex and without) the 3-4 times I tried it. 6-8" clones seem to root faster in the cloner bucket and not need leaf trimming.

Trimming fan leaves seemed required in rockwool cloning. I no longer trim fan leaves in the cloner bucket - although I remove entire fan leaves near the base of the stem.

I usually dip clone stems in liquid cloner solution. I tried powdered rooting compound twice with less success. It might have been the brand/type of rooting compound as it is what I use when transplanting rooted clones into soil.

 

[JimmieJ]

Well that settles it. I'm going to go ahead and try cloning the top of my clone.

Cici is a top clone for sure because I labeled her when I did it. I'm not 100%, but I think the others were tops as well. I just can't recall tossing any tops so they must be.

Thanks guys for your help as always!

 

[Dennise]

Morning Jimmie....

 

[JimmieJ]

Hey Dennise!

I have a question and anyone feel free to jump in. It's getting warmer outside and my temps are getting into the upper 80s in the flower closet. I haven't opened the window in the room where the closet is because I don't know if pests will smell my girls and try to get in. There's a tree outside the window, with branches coming about a foot from the window. It's sure to have all kinds of stuff crawling all over it. Am I doing the right thing by keeping the window shut? I could sure use some fresh air in this room to cool it down. It's only going to get worse as the days get warmer. A window a/c won't work in this window because it's a slider.

 

[JimmieJ]

Happy 420 everyone!

Handy Dandy 1 made an early donation to celebrate the holiday.

Scale only measures in 5g increments so this is just a ballpark I guess. Wet.

 

[JimmieJ]

Happy Saturday! Clone update.

I decided that Handy Dandy 1 clone was probably ready to be transplanted and given a proper name. Sandy will work, it rhymes with the old name.

I wonder if I should have waited a little longer

Here's Sandy in her final home

Cici is really taking off. She started looking sickly shortly after transplant to the intermediate container, but really came around in the final one, and is now thriving

Peggy is an odd clone. She seems to be healthy, but not growing any taller. I'm not sure if this means anything, but I'll embrace it and hope for a nice compact plant. Definitely not ready for transplant yet, I popped it out and didn't see roots.

 

[Radogast]

If Peggy has not grown in 2 weeks, I would slice the root ball and transplant anyway.

 

[JimmieJ]

Ha! There's no root ball to slice yet! I popped it out and they weren't showing yet. You know what? Now that you mention it, I think I know what happened. I didn't slice the root ball before I stuck her in this container and I bet I'm paying for it now. Cici didn't look so hot after transplant, and I thought that I may have screwed up the roots the way that I sliced them, so I did nothing on Peggy. Damn these pesky details!

::

 

[Hozona]

 

[JimmieJ]

Like I said, it's kind of too early to say for sure. Give it a few days and see what they do.

It was nothing. Just another phase of growth I guess.

The girls are just hanging around, getting ready slowly but surely. The pistils are getting a little withered and curled in.

It's going to be cool to see how the clones in living soil do compared to their mothers in potting soil. The clones are supposed to be identical to the mother, so it should be like growing the same plants again under different conditions. Getting a do-over on the same plants will be really valuable stuff to learn.

 

[415friendly]

If Peggy has not grown in 2 weeks, I would slice the root ball and transplant anyway.

What does slicing the root ball mean? I tried to google it with no success.

 

[JimmieJ]

415friendly, I hope this answers your question.

I like to take a pair of scissors and cut 3-4 slices up the sides of the rootball when transplanting. This breaks up the 'mesh' of roots and forces cut roots to regrow to replace the roots cut off from the trunk. When regrowing they tend to grow long roots out into the surrounding soil instead of short new roots to supplement the existing old roots. Sot of like unburrying a snakes den forcessss the sssssnakessss to crawl off in all directions

I don't have a picture of after I sliced the roots, but this is the roots before. I made a few slices at the bottom where the roots are circling around.

 

[Radogast]

What does slicing the root ball mean? I tried to google it with no success.

When transplanting into a larger pot, I remove the soil in one piece (the root ball) and hold it in one hand.
With the other hand, I cut the soil on 2-4 sides with a pair of scissors going about 1/2 inch deep from the bottom to top of soil.
I then sprinkle the root ball and hole with mycorrhizal forming fungus.

I have tried with a sharp knife, but scissors make less of a mess.

If the root ball starts to fall apart, I stop cutting, sprinkle with myco stuff, and get as much of the soil in the hole as possible

 

[JimmieJ]

That's exactly what I didn't do. I made vertical slices and pulled the roots out so they were dangling. I bet what I did is exactly why Cici got stressed. Thanks for clarifying Rad! I'm going to do it right with Peggy.

 

[Christine Green]

Nice update Jimmie!

 

[JimmieJ]

High Pinky!

 

[Christine Green]

High Jimmie!
Blue Dream with a little hash?

 

[JimmieJ]

I'm not there yet Pinky, but soon, soon!

 

[JimmieJ]

Chillin 1 update - getting closer!

I bought four magnifiers. I'm having a hell of a time getting the trichs in focus with any of them. I have no idea if they're clear or cloudy. I know I need to start watching closely because I'm using MG and I believe I need to start flushing it out so I can have some smooth bud. As closely as I watch though, I don't know when the right time is.

Pistils are slowing down and getting withered

Trichs are... visible. I can't get them in focus to know if they're getting cloudy.

 

[JimmieJ]

Handy Dandy 2 update - Time to let it go.

This plant might have potential, but I have plenty of good stuff going on right now, and this isn't one of the good things. Ideally, I want two plants in veg and two in flower at a time. I currently have three girl clones in veg (in beautiful living soil) and three girls in flower. Plus this one unsexed problem child. Good riddance. Lighting is expensive and I don't have enough light to waste on the plant. I put it in the corner of the flower closet just now because I want to at least find out whether it's male or female before its demise.

It has made some serious improvements, but it's just stunted. I don't think it's worth any more time.
I'm going to hold a ceremony. Not to mourn, just to smoke.