Too Old's Indoor Hempy Auto Fem Candy Cane - 2014

[jinn]

I keep my tape measure next to all of my gardening tools (shears, jute twine,pocket microscope, box cutter, alcohol wipes) so I can measure canopy/light distance every morning when I check the girls for deficiencies or pests. Otherwise, I would forget to ever raise the bloody light.
Now to the flowering issue, Ive noticed my pineapple chunk exhibits something very similar. it has plenty of bud sites, and the top colas have some pistils, but overall it looks very sparse. On the other hand, my critical super silver haze, has TONS of bud sites and is sprouting pistils from places I didn't know plants had. The real kicker, is pineapple is supposed to finish a few weeks before CSSH, so I understand how you're feeling! But I have no doubt that with your continued care and support all of your girls will be flawless when harvest comes.

 

[B A R]

Merry Xmas TooOld

 

[too old]

I tried to send a PM to all of you, and was told in no uncertain terms that I'm only allowed one addressee per PM. That sucks! So:

Merry Christmas To All

And To All, A High Time!

 

[PlanetJ]

Nice updates! Merry xmas!

 

[jinn]

Merry Christmas too old!

 

[too old]

Thanks, guys! Even with all the relates over, and way too much noise, I have to actually say I kinda liked it. I think I may have developed a different sense of what is really important in this life.

I hope you all enjoy the day, and have a very Merry Christmas.

 

[too old]

Update - Day 58 from sprout - Day 9 Flowering (may be out on the count) - Finally got the chance to get some new pics for the update. As you will see in the pics, even though these are the same strain and from the same seed pack, there is a lot of difference between the two. Each show a strong leaning to their indica/sativa dominance, which seems strange to me as I would think that they would be identical or at the least, very close, in structure and characteristic.

This pic shows a leaning to the indica side, ie, short, bushy, wide fans, close/dense buds.

And here is the sativa side: tall, lanky, narrow fans.

The rest are just bud shots from both plants.

The "indica" has slowed in it's upward growth considerably, gaining only 1/2" per day, while the "sativa" is getting upwards of 1-1/2" - 2" per day. Both seem to be setting buds nicely, and while yield may not be impressive, I don't think it will be disappointing. No major health problems lately. It's still pretty mild here, and the RH is still hovering in the 60s, so if it doesn't come down within the next week or two, I will be moving the dehumidifier into the room. Stay green and stay healthy, amigos.

 

[Catman12]

Very good, very good! Interesting to see the difference between the two - great to follow along!

You've got one busy Journal too old, it's been fun catching up! I like your Christmas message too...I, myself, get too caught up in these little details of life and lose track of what is fundamentally important way too much...Mom keeps me straight LOL!

 

[jinn]

your garden looks fantastic!
And I love the expression of different phenotypes when growing out seeds from the same pack and breeder. It's like going to the casino, you never know how its gonna come out until it happens =p

Hope all continues to be well in your corner of the world my friend!

 

[too old]

Mini Update - Day 61/Flower 11 - Couldn't wait for weather to improve. RH in grow room was so high, water was condensing on the ceiling. Set up the dehumidifier and set it to 35%.

Does anyone have any pics of what (if any) the symptoms of high humidity are on the foliage? I have a leaf issue that resembles Ca deficiency, but that is highly improbable, and I thought it may be related to the humidity.

 

[Ascended Master Kief]

Wow, that's a lot of humidity, condensing on the ceiling. I'm not sure what too much humidity looks like, but I imagine it's what they look like after a good downpour. Hope the dehumidifier helps.

 

[too old]

Yeah, it has to work or I'm screwed. When it warmed up the RH just skyrocketed and now it won't come down. Everyday I go out, the benchtop has puddled water on it, the floor where the walls meet has standing water, it's really damp in there. I'm not sure if 35% on the dial will work any faster, but that's the lowest setting, and it's just a whirring. When the numbers drop a little, I'll probably bump the setting up to 40 -45%, but for now, MAX is it.

 

[too old]

Big sigh of relief! Dehumidifier worked just like it is supposed to. I went out to the grow room and the RH was down to 38%. I readjusted the setting to 40% and after about ten minutes it shut off. Came on once in the hour that I was there, so it cycles nicely. Crazy sativa pheno just keeps growing: another 1-1/2" today. I only have 4-1/2" of height left to lift the light, after that the scissors come out. It's going to have to stop soon. I had to put a two inch block under the indica pheno to get it up to a respectable height. Autos are crazy.

 

[Ascended Master Kief]

You might consider, in addition to the dehumidifier, a backup dehumidifier, in the form of a big bag of charcoal, slit open with a big hole. You could go fancy, stand it up, cut a hole in each side of the bag, and install a small fan in one side, a screen on the other (keep dust down). Charcoal can absorb a crazy amount of moisture. Definitely keep the whole bag contained in a container of some sort, to keep black messes at bay.

EDIT: Glad you got it sorted, mate. Can you bend the plants about, to avoid snipping them?

 

[too old]

Good thinking on the charcoal, AMK. Unfortunately, I have used my last homemade in the BBQ, so will have to wait for spring to replenish. But I like that idea, so now I have an excuse to make more. As to the bending, I'm not sure. They are autos and I'm not really sure if I can do that. From what I understand, autos don't take kindly to being messed with.

 

[jinn]

Glad the dehumidifier is doing the job!

 

[too old]

Note to samandnoah - welcome, and thanks.

 

[colorfuldayze]

Hiya old friend and Happy New Year's day! Finally getting caught up while spending a needed day resting. Awesome updates and pictures too old - and from the looks of which your garden and plants are doing fantastik! Wow. Ditto what jinn said re: the pheno-casino when it comes to seed. Also awesome idea from AMK! never would have thunk that!

Were you able to discern whether or not what appeared to be a Ca deficiency was indeed that or something else? I also found it interesting that your RH actually increased with increased temperature since in most instances from my experiences I have observed the opposite in that lights out the RH goes from 38% to 60-70% and lights on quickly back down to 40+/-%. Glad for you that you got the dehumidifier setup and working adequately.

Thinking about it some more, I'm wondering if the increase in your RH w/ lights on is a result of SERIOUS transpiration going on since the plants are essentially acting as a humidifier...but to increase the RH w/ the lights on - that is some serious traspiration which means only one thing my friend - your plants are SERIOUSLY healthy and that the osmosis potential at your root/water interface is basically unlimited - which further would translate to me as you're 'root/container/watering' conditions being ideal - if not perfect. One word "Wow"

Your plants are going to get humongoginormous too old - I hope you have some stakes and other support stuff Also, in regards to bending, topping/microtopping autos, from my experiences (and especially after my most recent grow which reminded me of things I observed but had forgotten from my last grow of 5 years ago) is that some auto strains stall if messed with at all, whereas other autos can really thrive - and that some of them may actually need some messing with to coax out their true potential. My sativa pheno N from the last grow is an example. In previous grows I recall topping some of my plants several times early in the vegetative stage which resulted in a big bushy christmas tree of 30 some fat buds - each the size of a closed fist. This grow around I only topped the indica-dominant looking phenos and they pretty much responded with 'that's all folks' and then just sat there for the next 6-8 weeks and didn't hardly do anything more.

Sorry to pontificate such a long post my friend but your journal and garden are just too darn interesting and awesome and I couldn't stop myself lmao. You have already given me so much to ponder and consider in my own grows moving forward. All the best to you old friend and thank you for sharing your journey for us to watch over your shoulder! Cheers!

 

[too old]

Hey jinn, thanks. It was touch and go there for awhile, but all is good now.

Colorful - Best of the NY to you and the Mrs. as well. As to the Ca problem, it seems to be getting worse. I am going to flush tonight and check the nute solution with my ppm meter (finally got it sorted). Two scenarios are possible: the first is that because I am religious about the pH at 5.8, the plants may require an adjustment up or down as per their pheno. The second is that I might just be not feeding them enough. I am going to post some pics and see what my learned colleagues at 420 think.

Strange that your RH would decrease with higher temps, as warmer air has the capability of holding more moisture. I think you are on the right track in regards to the RH increasing through transpiration, but as well, I think I am partly responsible by making the grow room almost air tight. So with all the above factors, I think I was destined to have a water problem. This is what happens when an old dog gets hold of a bone, won't let go, and can't see past his nose.

As of last night, the stretch on the sativa pheno seems to have slowed. It only gained 3/4" in height, but she has fooled me before by just taking a breather. I'll find out tonight (actually in about 10 minutes).

I really like AMK's charcoal idea, as I think it could serve a dual purpose. Both humidity control and odour control. The only draw back may be when it is exhausted and I use it on the BBQ, the neighbours may get a whiff of something besides grilled moose meat. Oh, well, that's their problem.

Enjoy the sun, my friend. You're only there for a month.

 

[too old]

Update Day 65 - Flower 15 - This update is to show what is happening in my garden at present. What I think it looks like does not make sense to me, so I need help with this one, please.

What it looks like to me is a Calcium deficiency, but to my way of thinking, that's not realistic. I'll start with room conditions: avg temp at lights on = 78*F; average RH (now) = 40% - 45%. Well water measures 270ppm @ pH 7.4 . Nutes are General Hydroponic Flora Gro @ 1.25ml/litre; Flora Micro @ 2.75ml/litre; Flora Bloom @ 4.0ml/litre; CaliMagic @ 1.0ml/l. Nutes are adjusted to ph 5.8; ppm = 1690 - 1750.

Pics 1 - 3 are from the "indica" pheno

Pics 4 - 6 are from the "sativa" pheno

These leaves are a good example of what they look like in the advanced stages, just before the affected area gets dark and crispy. The worst leaves seem to be the larger fans, but some mid-sized are affected as well. This occurs at random heights around the plants, not the really old or the new growth, most in the middle, some at the bottom. It is slowly moving its way up the plant. It seems that the "indica" is affected moreso than the "sativa", but it's a more compact plant so it may be that it just looks that way.

Why I don't think it's a Ca deficiency: first, my water already has a TA of 270 (analysis showed Ca and Mn prevalent, with Fe and Mg as trace); GH products contain Ca in their recipe, and I add CaMg as per their recommendations. At ph 5.8, Ca is still available, although it is at the high end. I would think, if anything, it would be a Ca overdose, but there are no signs of Mg or Fe deficiency.

So that's my take on it. Please jump in and correct me where you see fit.

As a side note, I flushed and gave the girls a minor feed tonight, just so they would have something besides water. When I started the flush, I took samples of the run-off: sativa started at 1480ppm and after 20l of pH'd water ended up at 480ppm; indica started at 1910ppm and after 20l of water ended up at 390ppm.

The following pics are just bud porn.

Thanks for any input. Stay green, my friends.