Since you're an "Old Timer", like me, you may have already seen the post linked in my signature for
The Bonsai Sultan Method: Typological Breeding In Little Space .
Yes, but it's been a while.
I used to keep "mini-mothers" in small containers. Down to 6-oz. Styrofoam coffee cup size (but I like the 18-oz. Solo cups better). The tiny cups... seemed tailor-made for "keeping genetics in stasis." I once decided to see how long I could keep three different strains alive with as little light/water/nutrients/care as possible - on top of my bathroom medicine cabinet, illuminated only by the light fixture on top of it. I...gave up some time after they'd reached their first birthday
. Seemed... Well, a bit risky, lol. If I were to do such a thing again, I'd probably make sure I had two or three examples of each strain to act as insurance against errors/tragedy.
I've also kept plants going in slightly larger containers, and "transplanted back into their original pots" (removed plant, trimmed off an inch or so of soil/roots all the way around and on the bottom, used new soil when returning to the container - and gave the greenery a haircut to match).
I mostly used somewhat larger containers when growing cuts out for breeding purposes, but that was probably more for my piece of mind than any requirement; we've probably all seen the "budcicles" grown in
shot-glass-sized containers, so we know such things are possible.
Skimming back over the thread you linked, seeing the two "military phrases" near the beginning, it reminded me of a couple things a friend once joked about having learned during his time aboard an aircraft carrier: "NAVY stands for Never Again Volunteer Yourself," and something about learning that volunteering in the services meant failing to take one giant step
back when someone shouted, "I need a
volunteer for this..."
Random memory, lol.
I found my son. He's living in S.Korea, apparently with a new wife and stepdaughter, and they have a child together that looks to be a year old. I've seen pictures - lots and lots of beautiful pictures - of the entire family - new wife and all five daughters - and I can see he's happy, and they're all happy with him.
Sure, I'd like to hear from him, but it's enough that I was able to message him my new address, tell him of the impending move, and leave my phone number should he decide he wants to explore reconciliation. My desire was to know where he was and to learn he was loved. It only took my cosmic team about two weeks, start to finish, to make this desire manifest.
What I found, better stated what came into my sphere of awareness because I wasn't out looking for him, was a step beyond my deepest desires. My son found love and created another child that I may someday meet. It's enough to have found him, to have seen the delighted faces of my missing granddaughters. My, how they've grown.
I hope you can reopen lines of communication with him, and open them with your grandchildren. Regardless of the circumstances (whatever they may be) between you and him... the kids will one day grow up, and it seems natural that they would wish to know - or at least be able to meet and/or communicate with - their grandmother. If not now, soon, or shortly... by the time they are my age and looking back... yeah.
None of us lives forever, and many of us learn after it's too late that we regret all the time we could have spent with family members...
but didn't.
South Korea, huh? I'm guessing he isn't a cannabis aficionado, then? I read an article a year or so ago that stated this to be one of those countries where the police can simply stop you and test you for drug use (hair follicle testing was said to be most popular) - and that the mere presence of THC indicators (metabolites) was enough to get one arrested. I also read something about how, if a singer/entertainer gets caught in a drugs-related offense, the average "recovery time" (time to return to the stage afterwards) was something like 40 months... While musicians here seem to add to their reputation with every new scandal
. Kind of like two extreme ends of the scale, I guess, IDK.
In 2010, a South Korean rapper (yes, that country is afflicted with them, too
) was in the US recording an album, and (of course) smoking cannabis. Upon his return to South Korea... he was arrested at the airport
for having smoked a joint in another country. He received a big fine, two years probation - and eight months in prison.
I started with my flowering girls too, and I gave them 2 grams per gallon of water the first drench, 4 g per the next drench, and then took them up to 5 g. I kept them there for another watering and went straight to 6 grams per gallon.
I ramped it up pretty fast, and they seemed ok. I did most of the damage to them by neglecting the CaliMagic, but they never burned from nutrient over feeding. The instructions are to start at 2 g per and slowly increase to 4 per in veg, then increase to the 6 in flower. It's meant to be adjustable to each plant, so you watch the color to learn their sweet spots. I like that feature. Not that I've made any adjustments, just that I like the way they explain how to adjust: too green, add less. Too yellow, add more.
I can still remember (for the most part) things that happened years ago like they happened yesterday - but what
actually happened yesterday might as well have occurred decades ago, lol. So please forgive the question, but: Are you using that nutrient in your soil plants, the hempies, or both? I'm wondering how complete it is in terms of micronutrients (et cetera), and how it would perform in hydroponics.
My short-term memory is just...
gone, lol. IDK how many times I had to go
back into Mom's basement yesterday because I forgot something that she'd requested I retrieve for her. And when she dropped me off after my weekly obligation was over, I stopped her from leaving so I could get my keys from her car, hopped back in, adjusted her air conditioner and switched her stereo back to her USB flash drive of dead country music bands... and then had to yell for her to stop after I got back out of the car because I forgot that quickly that I was trying to grab my keys.
I'm not fond of pH adjusting, but once you're in the rhythm that's not a concern, and next run I'll do one without checking.
As long as your water supply is stable, you tend to get to the point where you kind of know about where your mix is going to end up. Not perfectly (every whole-number change in pH is like a 10x difference, IIRC, so even a small numerical change is significant), but...
I've gotten lazy before (ya think?
) and ran without monitoring - even in DWC hydroponics. However, I do think that it's still a good idea to at least spot-check pH from time to time. This is a good tool! It can show the grower that there's an issue, potentially doing so
before there is any real visual indication. Unwanted microbial life in one's reservoir can cause a rather extreme pH shift, and you can quickly do something like spiking it with H₂O₂. If your pH is a little out of range and causing a minor lockout situation, your plant
might still look healthy, but be smaller than it should (could) be. It can show you feeding trends, as you learn that the plant consuming more of one thing than something else causes the pH to shift. Especially when used in conjunction with an EC meter (whatever name it's sold as being). This kind of thing is one of the reasons that I have encouraged "newbie cannabis growers" to begin with a small DWC grow (in a large reservoir
) , because it removes the "buffering" ability of soil from the equation; changes are noticed quicker, with less distractions(?) . In many ways, this kind of setup is much simpler. Yeah, hempy qualifies (with reservations about oxygenation, which a true newbie might not immediately recognize, in terms of determining the specific reason why their plant isn't thriving), lol.
Just another way to help our plants communicate with us (so to speak).
I’m dropping by to leave you some joy from my own garden.
Aww, they're so cute when they're small - like kids
.
I was in line, at the store today, between a guy that had his little (three or four years old) girl with him. I noticed her looking, so I said hello and asked, "What's your name?" (after smiling and making eye contact with the parent - one doesn't want to give the wrong impression these days). The little one ran behind her dad, clutched at his legs, and looked like she was about to try climbing up into his arms. He said, "She's a little bashful." I replied, "The good news is that they won't be shy forever. The bad news is that they won't be shy forever," and he laughed.
I'm chill...........
Jim'll be bursting with pride. 
