My First Time Growing

[Smokeater]

G' Morning Smokey. I have some reading to do, busy place last night.

I hope you are doing well and got some sleep. Did the wind calm down? I'm very mild this morning.



BTW, I use a really simple trick to test my soil wetness in the pots. A thin wooden skewer pushed down almost to the bottom, let it sit a few minutes, then pull it out. The soil moisture, if it's there, soaks into the stick and you can see it and feel it. If it comes up dry....some water is needed.
Works well for me, just a different simple method. I can't afford anything more than that.

Morning Canna, Yes the wind has stopped and I did have a little problem last night because this week I must have forgotten to water them and ran into some problems. (It starts on PG. 65 I believe. I like your idea of the stick to test for water. Emilya was suggesting I buy a probe that goes down into the soil, She called it a cheap (around $5.99 she said) 3 purpose probe that tests dampness, PH and lighting. I looked this AM on Home Depot's website and couldn't find anything like that for less than $20.00 that test for those things, but I did find a cheap one that is good for the water level in the soil. I still have to wait until I have the money to get it. But I don't think Emilya understands yet how tight my budget really is.

 

[PeeJay]

Smoke, I do what you did last night all the time. I look at a plant and know that it needs water but it's not convenient to give them the full soaking. The full soaking takes time. So, I give ,em a shot of water to tide them over until it's covenient to give them the full monty. That is not the same thing as just watering little bits all the time. Smart move on your part. We'll done!

 

[Smokeater]

Just to reiterate, the plants were subjected to several stressor yesterday. When the tent was raised off the floor they experienced higher temperatures than they are used to. The tent pulls in air from the bottom and blows it out the top. The air going in now is probably ~ 4 degrees warmer than air that was being pulled in at floor level. The temps are not too high, but there was a change for them to get used to. Use the speed controller to boost the exhaust fan a bit and open a little more venting at the bottom if temps remain higher than you'd like. Contemplate keeping the whole room a few degrees cooler if that doesn't do the trick.

LST also stresses the plants but they bounce back quickly. Be patient with them and don't over react if they look a little sad after a session.

Smokey's watering technique is solid as evidenced by the strong growth rates he's seeing. Because the plants experienced stress from the environmental change and LST it doesn't make sense to question a watering program that has been very successful and he has a good feel for.

Stockpiling water near the grow might be a good idea so he doesn't have to make multiple trips back and fourth to the tap when it's time to water. Not urgent. Just something to consider.

The turkey baster is a great idea if he ends up with a bunch of water in the drip tray after soaking the plants that doesn'T get drawn back up into the pot within a half hour to an hour after a good though watering.

I do have all the vents open already because the temp usually sits around 80 degrees. I also turned up the ventilation fan last night to help lower the temp, because over the 1 hour period, it went up to 85 degrees (which is almost exactly what you just said raising the tent up could do. Now that I have a shelf (thanks to your idea about the size of the plywood), I do have all the water right next the tent now.

 

[Emilya Green]

Smokey's watering technique is solid as evidenced by the strong growth rates he's seeing. Because the plants experienced stress from the environmental change and LST it doesn't make sense to question a watering program that has been very successful and he has a good feel for.

Sorry for questioning then... was just trying to help him fine tune and better understand the water cycle. I will sit quietly now and contemplate my nonsensical ways while I experiment with wooden skewer sticks.

 

[Smokeater]

ShiggityFlip said during his watering method post:



Here's a neat tip for sucking out the water runoff Smokey. Check your wife's drawers.....err...Kitchen drawers, for a turkey baster. This sucks out water perfectly, and you can just put it back into your water container for later use.

I am using a 100 cc syringe for that. I let the water sit for awhile (unless sit starts to get close to the rim of the bottom plate). But that's a good idea too. Thanks!

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Ask PeeJay what he came home to last year after being away for a bit. He looked in on his plants and almost fell over. LOL They were much much worse than what you saw Smokey. He showed us pics. Maybe when he gets back he can show ya. They picked right back up without skipping a beat.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

Sorry for questioning then... was just trying to help him fine tune and better understand the water cycle. I will sit quietly now and contemplate my nonsensical ways while I experiment with wooden skewer sticks.

It's a basic method that works pretty good until Smokey can afford something like you suggested. I discovered this while using them to prop up some seedlings that had waaaaaay too much stretch going on during an outdoor grow in pots.

 

[PeeJay]

I don't do it "all the time." I do it when necessary. You have watering down. Giving them a quart to tide them over was good. Just remember that full soak is the goal. A light watering to tide them over does them no harm. Two or three light waterings over the course of several days is what you want to avoid.

 

[Smokeater]

Also, Smokey...I can't remember if it was this journal or another new grower I mentioned it on, but plants will learn when to sleep and wake up with the light schedules. You will notice that they droop a bit just before lights out, half hour or so maybe a little more. They perk back up just before or just after lights on in the morning. It's pretty cool to watch in time lapse.
So, expect that you will see drooping at close to lights out time.

I believe that the heavier droopy you saw yesterday was because they needed water. Don't get too worried when you see that, just give them what they want. These plants can take a LOT of mistakes and thrive on.

You did tell me about that, but these were doing some serious drooping, much more than they normally do before lights out. You can see a pic on PG. 64 of how they looked last night after just one hour. I had checked the temp inthe tent a little after 7:30 and they looked fine, but at about 9:00 PM they had seriously changed.

 

[PeeJay]

I am using a 100 cc syringe for that. I let the water sit for awhile (unless sit starts to get close to the rim of the bottom plate). But that's a good idea too. Thanks!

 

[Smokeater]

For checking wetness fabric pots have become my absolute favorite. There is no easier test than to place my fingers right under the pots and feel the level of wetness. Sometimes a pot will feel light but when I feel underneath is still fairly wet. When you get to the point that you are saving money they can be an option.

They make transplanting a breeze too because you can just plant the whole pot in the larger one. The roots grow right through. And the amount of air they let through to the roots is amazing.


As far as watering goes Smokey I understand the difficulty in soaking a heavier pot. For me in flower I use 10 gallon fabric pots. To try and lift those is not something I like to do. So I perform a modified soak. I take a small amount of water and slowly pour it all around the top of the pot. Then let that sit a few minutes. It will spread out in the top layer and help prevent the dry cake behavior that makes water run off too fast. After a few minutes I go in again and give a little more. Wait a few minutes and let it soak. Then one more time. Some water comes out the bottom and I let that sit as well for about half an hour. Anything left after that gets sucked out.

So the roots will grow through a plastic pot? I didn't know they could do that. Thanks for the idea. As long as I can afford to replace the old pots, I will do that!

 

[Smokeater]

The fabric pots are perfect, as ShiggityFlip described. I need to make more. Feeling the side works very well.

Smokey, does your wife like to sew?



Rado, give it a try with the skewers. Let me know how it worked for ya.

No, she doesn't sew. In fact because I have ripped so many uniform parts on the job and needed them fixed if possible right away, I have been the one that sews. I can't do it anymore as I am way out of practice with it. But you guys sew your own pots? I didn't know that.

 

[Lady Cannafan]

No, she doesn't sew. In fact because I have ripped so many uniform parts on the job and needed them fixed if possible right away, I have been the one that sews. I can't do it anymore as I am way out of practice with it. But you guys sew your own pots? I didn't know that.

Yeah, I make all of my own from Eco Felt. Check the link in my siggy for DIY fabric pots when you have some spare time.
Fabric pots are quite cheap on the net as well, but I really love to sew and I can make them as big or small as I like.

Good to hear the wind calmed down there. Our warm temps here yesterday cleared up a ton of snow. I can see the yard. YEY!

 

[Smokeater]

Smoke, I do what you did last night all the time. I look at a plant and know that it needs water but it's not convenient to give them the full soaking. The full soaking takes time. So, I give ,em a shot of water to tide them over until it's covenient to give them the full monty. That is not the same thing as just watering little bits all the time. Smart move on your part. We'll done!

Thanks PJ, I thought I had screwed up last night by giving them a little water to hold them until this morning (I watered them a few hours a go) and really thought you'd tell me I should have waited. I feel loads better now hearing that from you.

Thanks a bunch! I appreciate it

 

[Dennise]

I forgot to mention about the watering, I wait for at least 7-8 days and then stick a finger deep into the soil and if it is damp at all, I wait.

Ahhh Smoke... Where did you get the 7/8 day wait thing between waterings.... I think we just figured out why your girls looked like that last night.... Unless something is happening I missed and you are doing something besides top watering... there is no way you should go that long without watering... By now you should be able to pick up that pot and tell if it needs watering... If you can't the next time you water pick up that pot beefore you add water and remember how light it feels then water her and pick that pot back up and see how much difference there is in the weight of the pot.... So now if you stick your finger in the top fo the soil and it is dry about an inch in and then you pick up that pot and it feels light... you kknow you need to water... I grow in 5 gallon pots and I water until I have runoff... During different phases of growth they will require different amounts of water but I can't think of a time other than when they are tiny and up potted that they would ever go that long without water.... I'm pretty sure PJ will agree and if I am mistaken PJ please correct me but I'm right sure the problem last night was due to they were thirsty.....

 

[Dennise]

I think the appearance of your plants is the LST, although what you did is more like medium stress training. If you were training by simply pulling a stem partway towards the place you want the stem to go, there would be very little plant reaction. When you rub and warm the stems and pull multiple times, the stress is a bit higher and you will see the leaves complain more. If you go at the stems a little harder, to where there is a noticeable bulge or kink in the stem, you are supercropping and may see the response I see in your photo. A supercropped stem can look as wilted as a broken stem - for several hours.

I don't think you did any lasting harm - tomorrow the wilting of this plant should be gone.

And I think it would be safe to say when you are doing this to your girls... they need to have been recently watered to make the stems more pliable and it causes less damage... Anytime you are doing a type of LST you should make sure they have been watered first and have time to get their limbs easier to manipulate....

 

[Smokeater]

Ahhh Smoke... Where did you get the 7/8 day wait thing between waterings.... I think we just figured out why your girls looked like that last night.... Unless something is happening I missed and you are doing something besides top watering... there is no way you should go that long without watering... By now you should be able to pick up that pot and tell if it needs watering... If you can't the next time you water pick up that pot beefore you add water and remember how light it feels then water her and pick that pot back up and see how much difference there is in the weight of the pot.... So now if you stick your finger in the top fo the soil and it is dry about an inch in and then you pick up that pot and it feels light... you kknow you need to water... I grow in 5 gallon pots and I water until I have runoff... During different phases of growth they will require different amounts of water but I can't think of a time other than when they are tiny and up potted that they would ever go that long without water.... I'm pretty sure PJ will agree and if I am mistaken PJ please correct me but I'm right sure the problem last night was due to they were thirsty.....

The problem with that is I am unable to lift the pots without hurting myself (with the exception of seedlings and the middle ones). If I were to lift one of the big pots, I would have to take a ride in the ambulance. But thanks for the thought. Also, The waiting so long was PJ's training, It is to get the soil; almost completely dry to make the roots grow stronger and have to search for water. 7-8 days is how long it takes for my pots to get dry enough.

 

[Dennise]

you know those cheapo $6 3-way meters that you can get in the garden section of any hardware store? They typically measure moisture, ph and light intensity. The moisture meter on these things is actually quite handy and a solution to your problem. The moisture meter function is very inaccurate, and it basically has 2 readings.... wet or moist. If you slowly lower the probes into your container (much deeper than your finger could go), when you reach the water table, the meter will peg all the way to the right, indicating wet. Measure where this line is and come back 24 hours later and measure it again. Presto... you now have eyes inside of the container and can track the wet/dry line as it falls. You will know, and will be able to predict with a fair degree of accuracy, when that line will reach the last inch of container.

Smoke I use one of these meters too and they are really quite accurate and sincce you ave a hard time lifting the pots this could work for you.... I have times that I too have trouble lifting things and even when I do I use it to double check my thinking.... You can get them really inexpensively and it can save you bunches....

 

[Smokeater]

Smoke I use one of these meters too and they are really quite accurate and sincce you ave a hard time lifting the pots this could work for you.... I have times that I too have trouble lifting things and even when I do I use it to double check my thinking.... You can get them really inexpensively and it can save you bunches....

Right now, "inexpensive" is a relative term. I get very little money on my disability and it will take some time to save up to get one. We used our emergency credit card to get the stuff recently, but I'm not putting anything else on that card so if we do need money unexpectedly I can still use the card. It will just take a month or so to save up to buy one. But thank you for the thought. I just never told you about my expenses, but somewhere towards the beginning of the journal, I explain how little money I have. We have to feed a family of 4 for as little as possible even.

 

[Dennise]

I understand the no money part too I assure you.... Here's what I am talking about though and maybe when you get a few extra dollars you can check it out.... Amazon: Neewer 3in1 Plant Flowers Soil Tester Moisture Light PH Meter ...