Winging It In Winter By The Window: Soil Auto Grow

[Carmen Ray]

I hope I have done the right thing. I watered with about 375 ml in circles in each 20 L pot and covered them with plastic. I am hopeful that having wet the soil slightly that will spread out and keep it living. Is that enough? Damn, what a dumb mistake. Also I gave the plant another 40 mls of water today.

Cool!! Bonus Dixie Cup grow!!! Shed took 49 grams dried from a Big Gulp!

Thanks for cheering her on Jon I'm interested to see if she has strength enough to do some growing.

 

[Roy Growin]

I hope I have done the right thing. I watered with about 375 ml in circles in each 20 L pot and covered them with plastic. I am hopeful that having wet the soil slightly that will spread out and keep it living. Is that enough? Damn, what a dumb mistake. Also I gave the plant another 40 mls of water today.


Thanks for cheering her on Jon I'm interested to see if she has strength enough to do some growing.

If you cover seedlings with plastic, you run the risk of damping off, aka stem rot/bot or lank
Moisture belongs below soil level, fresh air/CO2 above ground so the plant can draw up and transpire
Agree it's a good idea to water in a ring around the roots, I also soak the edges of the pot/medium so that if roots do forge their way there, they find some food/water
Looking forward to seeing how your garden grows

 

[Carmen Ray]

If you cover seedlings with plastic, you run the risk of damping off, aka stem rot/bot or lank
Moisture belongs below soil level, fresh air/CO2 above ground so the plant can draw up and transpire
Agree it's a good idea to water in a ring around the roots, I also soak the edges of the pot/medium so that if roots do forge their way there, they find some food/water
Looking forward to seeing how your garden grows

Thank you Growings I didn't cover the seedlings with plastic. It was living soil that was running the risk of drying out and dying. I've gone and added even more water and covered them in black plastic bags. Nothing's going to go into those pots for another few weeks so I am hoping that the water will spread out in the pots and be right when I up-Pot. I shouldn't have taken the soil out of the plastic bags yet. Lesson learnt! Should I introduce some LABS I wonder?

 

[Roy Growin]

Haha - sorry, I grow in coco; only LABS I know are dappy dogs lol

 

[Carmen Ray]

Haha - sorry, I grow in coco; only LABS I know are dappy dogs lol

I love those kinds of Labs

 

[Azimuth]

The soil I am using is bone dry to start and that might be my fault for filling the final pots too early. When I syringe water down a fresh cup the soil resists absorbing it. I had to drench a cup to get it to take the water to prep it for a seed. I dk wtf to do to be frank.

If your soil has gone hydrophobic you can add some fresh aloe or even a few drops of an organic soap like Dr Bonner's to your water and that will help the soil absorb it easier.

 

[Carmen Ray]

Helping hydrophobic soil

If your soil has gone hydrophobic you can add some fresh aloe or even a few drops of an organic soap like Dr Bonner's to your water and that will help the soil absorb it easier.

THIS ^^^ is amazing, thank you Azi!

 

[Azimuth]

Helping hydrophobic soil

THIS ^^^ is amazing, thank you Azi!

Just another reason  everyone should be growing an aloe plant in their home. The gel also makes a good nutrient addition for your plants.

Just make sure the water is nice and foamy if you need it to work with an overly dried soil.

 

[Azimuth]

I had to drench a cup to get it to take the water to prep it for a seed. I dk wtf to do to be frank.

I often do that anyway, meaning overly saturate my mix in preparation for planting a seed.

Once it's fully saturated I take a handful and squeeze as much water out as I can which leaves it as damp as a wrung out sponge, and that's about the perfect moisture content for starting seeds and clones.

 

[HashGirl]

Hey HG, how are you after your surgery? I hope the pain is well managed.

Thanks, Carmen. It hurts a lot but it's already feeling better from Saturday so that's good. I made it all the way to the TV room from the bedroom today. Yesterday, I only got as far as the kitchen.

Thank you so much for coming by. This watering business has me paranoid. I'm so scared of drowning the plant and equally afraid of starving it of water. The soil I am using is bone dry to start and that might be my fault for filling the final pots too early. When I syringe water down a fresh cup the soil resists absorbing it. I had to drench a cup to get it to take the water to prep it for a seed. I dk wtf to do to be frank. The seed hasn't sprouted yet so I am hoping that the moisture is absorbed by the atmosphere. If not I will have to do the paper towel trick and try and dry it a bit that way.

Germinating seeds has to be among the most stressful times of a grower's life. I don't know why it's so hard.

Anyhow, I've been using peat pucks since last fall as I was having issues getting seeds to germinate using the paper towel method. It's been working well for me.

I add water to hydrate the puck, push the tip of a pen into the peat puck and drop in seed. Cover with peat and place in humidity dome until it sprouts. After about 2 days, I move it to a Solo cup.

I think that you should just follow the advice of one or two growers for your autoflower or it may get too confusing. @BooWho2 and @Carcass are the Queen and King of autoflowers so I would be inclined to just follow their advice with your first one.

 

[Carmen Ray]

It hurts a lot but it's already feeling better from Saturday so that's good. I made it all the way to the TV room from the bedroom today. Yesterday, I only got as far as the kitchen.

It's good progress HG. Glad to hear it.

humidity dome

Humidity dome now on! Thanks for the reminder!
I am definitely going to try to carhook my plants the way Carcass does. Mel is busy training his plants in that manner and providing a very good explanation which is great to follow. I will follow Boo's up-potting and topping time table as you suggest.

Water wise I think I may be getting the hang of it. I gave my Caramel King another 40 ml today. I don't know if that sounds about right for a two week old auto plant in a solo cup? That's 5,6 fluid ounces per day for 3 days in a row. The plant's measurements are given below.

I have just moved Lavender Best sprout into a prepared puck after the tap root showed in the cd case germination. The tap root was growing straight down as @BubbaKush909 said it would. I did it in soggy paper towel in a cd case standing upright within a plastic bag. I will do this way again. I think it is safer for me to transfer the sprout and start the seedling in a peat puck than in the solo cup.

Day 14 AG - Auto CK
Measures 10cm (4 inches) in height and 16.5 cm (6.5 inches) diameter.

Thanks for looking in.

 

[BooWho2]

That auto CK looks beautiful Carmen. Working on the 4th node after 2 weeks is great progress!

 

[Carmen Ray]

I often do that anyway, meaning overly saturate my mix in preparation for planting a seed.

Once it's fully saturated I take a handful and squeeze as much water out as I can which leaves it as damp as a wrung out sponge, and that's about the perfect moisture content for starting seeds and clones.

Ah awesome Azi. Thank you very much! I really needed this.

That auto CK looks beautiful Carmen. Working on the 4th node after 2 weeks is great progress!

Thank you Boo

 

[InTheShed]

That CKa looks great for 2 weeks! I know that when my solo cups felt light I fed them 200ml of water, which had a little run-off when they were younger and none as they grew more roots. They didn't get watered again until the cup felt almost as light as when they first went in before watering. I didn't let them droop though.

with the new seed!

Temperatures these days are ranging between 10 C (50 F) on the lower end of the scale, and 20 C (68F).

Anything you can do to get that into the 65-80º night/day range will make your plants much happier and more productive.

 

[BooWho2]

Anything you can do to get that into the 65-80º night/day range will make your plants much happier and more productive.

Shed, this is gonna sound weird, but here goes…you know how when you buy basil plants at the store or poinsettias in December and they have that plastic circle around them that goes up the height of the plant (there must be a name for that, a sleeve?)? Anyway, would something like that, maybe even made of fabric or felt, help to keep the plant warmer?

 

[InTheShed]

Shed, this is gonna sound weird, but here goes…you know how when you buy basil plants at the store or poinsettias in December and they have that plastic circle around them that goes up the height of the plant (there must be a name for that, a sleeve?)? Anyway, would something like that, maybe even made of fabric or felt, help to keep the plant warmer?

I'm not sure those would do anything to warm the plant unless there was warmer air inside the plastic like if the leaves or soil generated heat for some reason. I'd think a heat mat would be helpful though.

 

[BooWho2]

I'd think a heat mat would be helpful though.

Doh! Of course it would….lol.

 

[Carmen Ray]

Anything you can do to get that into the 65-80º night/day range will make your plants much happier and more productive.

I knew going into this grow that temperature would potentially be an issue but I feel hopeful that the Ruderalis genes are going to help me out here. As I say, with the windows closed my small apartment warms up quite well.

I'd think a heat mat would be helpful though.

Doh! Of course it would….lol.

Thanks you two I don't have these. How much power do they draw? I'd have to buy 2 wouldn't I? One for each plant? Would this work?

 

[InTheShed]

with the windows closed my small apartment warms up quite well.

That. Do that! Keep the windows closed and the plants happy.

I'd have to buy 2 wouldn't I? One for each plant? Would this work?

You would need two and two thermostats as well (or 1 that will control 2 mats).

 

[Carmen Ray]

You would need two and two thermostats as well (or 1 that will control 2 mats).

Thank you Shed. Doesn't that come built into the mat though? It says in the product description that it keep roots 10 to 20 degrees warmer than ambient temp. I'm assuming it lays flat under the fabric pot? Can it get wet? Does it have a temperature control? I'd have to turn it off during warmer hours wouldn't I. After figuring all of this out, my next issue would be how much power will that setup draw?