OldMedMan's First Grow Couchlock 2009

[OldSkoool]

Great info on the roots/light exposure granny, I wasn't aware of that. Just in time too. All 3 of my girls are seriously root bound, and I'll have to make my selection of which one of them to select for transplanting by Saturday at the latest.

Btw OMM, I had quite a few yellow, dying leaves at the base of each plant, I suspect lack of light in my case. The girls are really bushy, and packed together in their 18X22 box, so not much light has been getting to the bottoms, even with the additional lights. Thought I'd mention it, something you might check.

Your thoughts of a modern day Johnny Marijuana Seed, reminded me of a fellow I met on the road in Zion Nat'l Park years ago. He was a classic stoner, had a tupperware container full of seeds. While we shared a doobie, he said he was sprinkling the highways with MJ, tossing a few seeds at a time out the slider window of his old VW bus.

 

[OldMedMan]

Hi Folks
Well here's my crispy critters. Shame on them and me.

Not much to say.

Yuk!

Both boxes have the same Yuk!

Poor Vicky

Not much to say about these stricken girls.
Will flush them and posts with the bandages, slings, and crutches tomorrow.

 

[Setting Sun]

They don't look all that bad.

Maybe they'll perk up after the flush.

 

[OldMedMan]

I wanted one of those "talking" mj plants that tells me what's wrong with it... Now I want one of those worlds with mj seeds and plants everywhere but I don't think I want them all talking!

If yer worried, transplants don't have to be hard on the plant and I bet yer gal will reward you quickly for giving her more root room. If the plant is fairly dry, they can usually be gently removed from their current pot with all roots/soil intact... and they usually show their appreciation within a day or two (or UNappreciation if the transplant was rough!). Be prepared when you transplant so you don't expose the roots to the light for too long. Water thouroughly after getting her in her new pot, give a light spray shower, and sit her in a shady area with a light breeze for at least a few hours while she drys her leaves. I try to do mine in the evening so they have an overnight of cooler temps to recoup before being hit by the light/heat.

I love it that you now have 2 areas growing! Looks like you are doing a wonderful job and will have your rewards sooner than me!! I had some setbacks, but all is good now and I am preparing to go to 12/12 this weekend with the first ones ready. I am SOOO looking forward to it! Until then, I'll just have to watch how yer ladies blossom!!

Hi Ganny,
Glad you stopped by. I didn't want you to miss the talking mj or the world full of mj. Your right a world full of talking mj would be hell. No telling what the would tells. I don't want to know.
Yep, had to go to two boxes. Even though they're sick they still are growing like crazy.
I plan on doing the replant just like you said. You have the experience. The way I'm going you might finish first on 12/12. I know you've been ready long before the plants have been.
You know I'm rooting for you.

 

[OldMedMan]

They don't look all that bad.

Maybe they'll perk up after the flush.

Hi Sun,
That depends on who's looking at them. He He
They will look better tomorrow, even if they aren't
Peace Bro.

 

[OldMedMan]

They @lmost look like fish sc@les!!!

Maybe I should be looking for a scale y plant

like the new Avatar.

 

[AmGrowR]

They don't look all that bad.

Maybe they'll perk up after the flush.

I @Gree!! I've seen w@y s@dder looking pl@nts th@n th@t!! But then @g@in, I know wh@t you me@n @bout who's looking @t them. When they @re your precious b@bies it's h@rd to overlook @ny would-be problems. But I h@ve f@ith th@t everything will turn out ok, @ll the new growth still looks very he@lthy!! C@n't w@it for upd@tes!

 

[AmGrowR]

Maybe I should be looking for a scale y plant

like the new Avatar.

Th@nk you!! It's @ l@rgemouth(bout 6 lbs) I c@ught in Sept out of @ tiny, tiny pond!

 

[OldMedMan]

Great info on the roots/light exposure granny, I wasn't aware of that. Just in time too. All 3 of my girls are seriously root bound, and I'll have to make my selection of which one of them to select for transplanting by Saturday at the latest.

Btw OMM, I had quite a few yellow, dying leaves at the base of each plant, I suspect lack of light in my case. The girls are really bushy, and packed together in their 18X22 box, so not much light has been getting to the bottoms, even with the additional lights. Thought I'd mention it, something you might check.

Your thoughts of a modern day Johnny Marijuana Seed, reminded me of a fellow I met on the road in Zion Nat'l Park years ago. He was a classic stoner, had a tupperware container full of seeds. While we shared a doobie, he said he was sprinkling the highways with MJ, tossing a few seeds at a time out the slider window of his old VW bus.

Hey OldSkoool
That's an idea about the lights. There were two lights hidden behind the big plants. Now I'm tying to remember if they were yellow on that side.

Man,that guy sounds like my kind of guy. Spreading the holy mj. I like your description of him and I think I've seen him around or his twin. I miss people like that.

Good luck with you transpants.

 

[OldSkoool]

Ummm, okay, from the latest photos, especially photos 2, and 4, the yellow limp leaves appear to be light related, at least that's my humble opinion. Making that assumption (there's that nasty word assumption) on the previous photos of your ladies in the grow box, and what looks to be a lot of shade on the lower portions of the plants. If I'm way off base here, please correct me.

What I see of your yellowing leaves is exactly how my girls looked after being so tightly packed together for the past week and a half. I had to remove my LST ties in order to get all three plants in their confined space under the lights, thus creating a lot of bottom shade. Noting your LST ties, it looks like they could have been trained to pull further away from the main stem, but this may have been due to available space in your cab.

One of the drawbacks of CFL grows is getting a sufficient amount of light to the the entire plant since we have to have the lights so much closer to them, and why I believe forming a broad canopy via LST'ing is almost an unwritten requirement unless you surround each plant, top to bottom with lights.

When you transplant, I'd pick a broad based pot, one that will allow you to carefully train the smaller branches further away from the main stalks to allow more light to reach the bottom. Given the size, and density of the main stalks I'd be very careful with them, perhaps not even attempting to train them for fear of damage. Don't over do the training, just use small incremental changes until the branches fan out to the edge of the pot, then you can begin circling them around, following the shape of the pot rim. You won't believe the new growth that will shoot up once these branches are exposed to light. Go back and check out my first grow photos to see what I'm talking about.

It goes without saying, that what I suggest entirely depends on how much room/lights you have, given the fact that you have four plants in progress. Since this isn't your last grow, what you learn now will certainly benefit what you'll be able to do in the future (as with all of us), and I'm certain that no matter what, your girls will still reward you with some great buds despite the issues you've experienced so far. Keep the photos and updates coming!

Jeeezelouize, it's almost 6am! Time to turn on the lights, and check for white hairy thingies.

Have a great.....is it Friday? Man I love retirement. Aloha island dude.

 

[OldMedMan]

Well here we go again. This is after flush and replanting
Here are the girls. Ta Da

This is Rose, Mary, and Vicky.

Here's Joanne

Both Joanne and Tad

Sorry for no more pictures than this, I turn on the lights at 4 A.M.
and it's dark.
My next post will explain what I did and what I found.

 

[OldMedMan]

Hi Gang

I actually tried to re pot three of the girls. Rose and Mary are now in a 10" pot. Vicky is now in a 8" pot. Joanne is now in a 10" pot. Tad is still in her 8" pot. The reason I say I tried is because of what I found when I got them out of the pots they were in. Every one of them were encased by their roots and I mean encased. The roots were a white impenetrable mesh tightly wrapped into the soil and were hard as rocks. I took Joanne out side in the shade and used a garden hose to try to penetrate the soil. After 15 minutes I gave up. It was like concrete. Vicky had a bottom of pearl lite. I did manage to get that broken apart and cleared. I flushed them all three times before I started. So what I really did was put the three into larger pots and added more soil around the existing mass. OldSkoool there wasn't a main root ball that I could get to. All I did to Tad was flush her 6 times.
So I guess I found my problem. All the roots are encased in a very hard cement of soil. That I could not penetrate. I gave them no nutes. Nothing but water. I did trim the yellow leaves, most just fell off. It's my belief when I do water them it goes to the main stem and that's why they are still shooting up.
OldSkoool a you can see by the picture I did have a lower light behind them.

You experts out there think this over please and tell if there is anything I can do. What ever happens I still going to keep on with these girls even if I end up with a very few buds. why not?

 

[Doc Bud]

Hi Gang

I actually tried to re pot three of the girls. Rose and Mary are now in a 10" pot. Vicky is now in a 8" pot. Joanne is now in a 10" pot. Tad is still in her 8" pot. The reason I say I tried is because of what I found when I got them out of the pots they were in. Every one of them were encased by their roots and I mean encased. The roots were a white impenetrable mesh tightly wrapped into the soil and were hard as rocks. I took Joanne out side in the shade and used a garden hose to try to penetrate the soil. After 15 minutes I gave up. It was like concrete. Vicky had a bottom of pearl lite. I did manage to get that broken apart and cleared. I flushed them all three times before I started. So what I really did was put the three into larger pots and added more soil around the existing mass. OldSkoool there wasn't a main root ball that I could get to. All I did to Tad was flush her 6 times.
So I guess I found my problem. All the roots are encased in a very hard cement of soil. That I could not penetrate. I gave them no nutes. Nothing but water. I did trim the yellow leaves, most just fell off. It's my belief when I do water them it goes to the main stem and that's why they are still shooting up.
OldSkoool a you can see by the picture I did have a lower light behind them.

You experts out there think this over please and tell if there is anything I can do. What ever happens I still going to keep on with these girls even if I end up with a very few buds. why not?

Mind you, I haven't done this with MJ....but I know a thing or two about gardening in general.

For a rootbound plant, you want to get a razor knife with the blade all the way out.....holding the plant firmly, with root ball out of the pot, slice into the rootball from top to bottom, in about 5 places around the circumference of the rootball.

Do NOT cut horizontally!
Make your cuts vertically!!!!

Then, transplant into the larger pot, use some root feed or superthrive, and you'll be just fine.

 

[OldMedMan]

Mind you, I haven't done this with MJ....but I know a thing or two about gardening in general.

For a rootbound plant, you want to get a razor knife with the blade all the way out.....holding the plant firmly, with root ball out of the pot, slice into the rootball from top to bottom, in about 5 places around the circumference of the rootball.

Do NOT cut horizontally!
Make your cuts vertically!!!!

Then, transplant into the larger pot, use some root feed or superthrive, and you'll be just fine.

Wow! DocBud it can't be that easy. I will be careful and try one before I do the others. I thank you very much.

 

[OldSkoool]

So much for my light idea. I wouldn't discount your plants, from what I see, you'll be curing big buds by Christmas. Straight water was a good idea, KISS rules.

BIG thank you DocBud from myself for the cutting tip. I put that advice to good use today OMM.

Very long day.

My wife reminded me we had plans for tomorrow when I took her to work, meaning I had to transplant to today. Came back home, picked out 8/22, noticed ball like growth's on 8/21, and didn't even check 8/19. Took a pic of 8/21, plastered it in the Bud section asking for opinions, all said it was a boy. Trash. Set everything up to transplant 8/22, took pics of the process just for shits and giggles, sat back and admired my transplant work, grabbed 8/19 and set her in the window before her execution, what's this? white hairs? Yup. Tiny white pistols showing all over. Re checked 8/22 which I'd just finished admiring. See any white hairs I ask myself? No. She looks like a female plant. Heard someone say in the back of my head something about a bird in the hand. Yank. Fill hole vacated by 8/22 in large pot with 8/21.

All three were ugly root bound like yours, although not as hard. Gave her DocBud's slice and dice trick. Hope she lives. She better after 7 loving weeks of tender care.

Frustrating, almost as bad as golf sometimes...but I'm still laughing.

 

[OldSkoool]

Been a day since your girls were transplanted, curious if they still look ok. Any white hairs peeking yet?

 

[OldMedMan]

Been a day since your girls were transplanted, curious if they still look ok. Any white hairs peeking yet?

Hi Friend,
Sorry about 8/22. I just looked in on the girls and the yellow is starting back on the bottom of Tad and she has some really foul brown burns on some of the top leaves. She can wait. I am not doing anything today. I am going to be medicating hard today. Yesterday was hard on me. Everything hurts.
No hairs yet. I still feel they will be there soon.
Have a good day out with the Mrs.

 

[OldMedMan]

Well, checked on the girls right before their bedtime and low and behold Tad and Joanne grew right into the lights. I had raised the lights this morning just in case. Not far enough! Were talking 2 inches growth. I am wondering can I even kill these things if I tried. Amazing plants.

 

[Setting Sun]

excellent news!

Doesn't sound like they're too transplant-shocked if they grew 2"!

good job!

 

[BubbaKush]

hell yeah they look good. keep up the good work uncle