Winging It In Winter By The Window: Soil Auto Grow

[Carcass]

@Carcass , or this one even? The review says it holds her granite centerpiece.

I think either one would do a satisfactory job, but the second one looks just a little more substantial than the first one. I'd go with the second choice.
The one I'm using now is masonite, with plastic ball bearings, and it's lasted almost 3 years so far, so they don't need to be super heavy duty.

 

[Carmen Ray]

A significant percentage of the photons being produced by that thing are going through the window, and into the greater volume of space of the room, instead of hitting the leaves.

You will notice a measurable - and probably significant - improvement in that regard if you hang some sort of bright white panels around the light, to "box in" your little indoor garden. They need not be heavy, so you should be able to move the one that covers the window when light is coming in, so as to continue to have the benefit of both the sunlight and the LED device at the same time, when applicable.

The way I see it, you have to pay the same amount on your electricity bill each month to run that light, whether 57% of its light-energy output gets used by your plants... or 90% of it does.

Thanks for thinking of that TS. Any suggestions of what I could use to fashion into panels? I guess I would need to be able to cable tie them onto the rig. It might be a bit tricky to accomplish this now that the plants are kinda in the way. Next time, I think... In the mean time, what could I use? Would cardboard be a fire hazard?

I think either one would do a satisfactory job, but the second one looks just a little more substantial than the first one. I'd go with the second choice.
The one I'm using now is masonite, with plastic ball bearings, and it's lasted almost 3 years so far, so they don't need to be super heavy duty.

Thank you!
I moved the pots around on the table again, so that Lavender Best back where she started, and the other two are on the outskirts now. It's almost certain that one of the plants will have to finish outside because the light is 27 x 25 inches in size. I will probably put the Bruce Banner out because I need the Wedding Cake for meds and would prefer to protect her from the elements.

*** NEWS FLASH***
Three little larfy bits are dry and so I ground some up

It's a bit harsh and that would be chlorophyll, would it not? It's a slow creeping body buzz, very pleasant and it helps with pain that I currently have in my back and one knee. It took as long as that intro to hit me and now I am high. It's my second pipe of the CK today and it was the first smoke I had today. She gets a thumbs up from me and I will definitely be growing this other seed asap. I am forever on a hunt for a potent body stone that will help me sleep. Blueberry, Wedding Cake and now I can add Caramel King to the list.

These are the Bulk Seed Bank specs for Caramel King:

"10% SATIVA – 90% INDICA

THC: 18-23% CBD: N/A CBN: N/A

GENETICS
BlueBlack x Maple and Leaf Indica x White Rhino

FLAVOUR
Caramel King has a sweet intense flavour and aroma, with deep hints of candies and some earthy touches.

EFFECTS
It provides a potent and relaxing effect that seems to be ideal for therapeutic use."

I am not getting the candies yet in flavor profile. That will come.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day

 

[Jon]

You're a honey, thank you Jon. I guess the reason I am hard on myself is that I am comparing my outcomes with the lessons given by the folk who I consider to be masters. The bar is set high I know I can't expect to master this overnight but ya know how it is...

Wednesday 20th July UPDATE

AUTO

Lavender Best 65 Days AG, 42 Days In Flower

I watered her to run-off on 17th July, noticed feeder roots needed a sprinkle on 19th so I gave 2 L which is the usual feeder root amount. It ran-off again, woops. Anyway she is no worse for wear today. I included the following in her water:

Epic 5:2 (fulvic / humic / kelp combo)

Environoc 401 (microbial biostimulant)

Biocult myccohrizal wettable powder

PHOTOS

Bruce Banner 2 44 Days AG

1 L water to feeder roots 18th July

Next feed to include the above “nutes”

So far this plant is contained within the circumference of the 20 L fabric pot. I am training out laterally and using the plant tray to clip the tie downs however it looks to me that at some point I am going to have to give up the lateral training because I don’t have the space for all that width, as you will see in the photos of the Wedding Cake. What will happen if I draw the branches out laterally and then halt that process and allow the branches to grow upwards?

Praying again

Contained

Wedding Cake 44 Days AG

1.5 L water to feeder roots 17th July

Next feed to include the above “nutes”

This plant is a sensitive monster. She gets all droopy from time to time. She has overshot the boundaries of the 20 L fabric pot quickly and this brings me back to my question about allowing the branches to grow upwards once they are this far over the edge of the pot.

I measured the lux for the photoperiod plants and it is sitting between 8000 and 11000 lux in various different spots. Unfortunately I can’t rotate them because I don’t have the physical strength to lift and move them around.

Also praying again

And a final shot to show how they are taking up the allocated space.

As always I thank you for your interest in the grow and the fabulously useful information shared here. Have a great hump day y'all.

I’d let them grow upward from there as you suggested. That will give you some stem length beneath the colas. More stem length = more side nodes = more bud on each branch. My 2 cents!

 

[Carmen Ray]

I’d let them grow upward from there as you suggested. That will give you some stem length beneath the colas. More stem length = more side nodes = more bud on each branch. My 2 cents!

It's amazing me how little I really understand cannabis anatomy. If I kept training outwards, wouldn't those secondary branches theoretically become part of the canopy and if the auxins are spread evenly, the colas should be pretty similar in size over the canopy? Or, would the taller branches be more productive? I think I may have no choice but to let them grow taller rather than any wider than they are now since they will probably double in width as they grow taller anyway, won't they?... breathing @Carcass and @InTheShed do you think the canopy is ready to be allowed to gain height now if I follow this in principle?

Once the canopy is flat you can let them all grow up at the same rate to keep the auxins evenly distributed. However, if you get a leader (like the one on the right in the Wedding Cake pic, you should pull that one back in line.

If there's nowhere to tie it, then I would supercrop it toward the center if it won't block too much below it.

 

[Carcass]

Or, would the taller branches be more productive?

It depends on the node spacing, but yes, sometimes they're more productive, as @Jon said..

@Carcass and @InTheShed do you think the canopy is ready to be allowed to gain height now if I follow this in principle?

You could do that if you want- if you let them grow upward now, they won't get much wider, so they'll fit under your light better-
Maybe save the "wider" training for when/if you grow a single plant under that light?

 

[InTheShed]

It's a bit harsh and that would be chlorophyll, would it not?

It would. That harshness will go away during the burping and really during the cure.

It took as long as that intro to hit me and now I am high

LOL!

If I kept training outwards, wouldn't those secondary branches theoretically become part of the canopy

Yes, but only if you have the time to let them grow big and strong while keeping the top of the branch that they're on lower than they are. Tough to do without a lot of room and places to tie to (or dangling rocks).

do you think the canopy is ready to be allowed to gain height now if I follow this in principle?

You let the plant grow up once you run out of room and/or time to keep it flat. I'm thinking you've reached that point now!

It depends on the node spacing, but yes, sometimes they're more productive

What this guy said! ↑

 

[Carmen Ray]

It depends on the node spacing, but yes, sometimes they're more productive, as @Jon said..

You could do that if you want- if you let them grow upward now, they won't get much wider, so they'll fit under your light better-
Maybe save the "wider" training for when/if you grow a single plant under that light?

Thank you Carcass. I was hoping you would say something like this I agree that I would feel a lot more comfortable growing wide with a single plant grow, and I also might put the plant in a bigger pot to accommodate more canopy training, and / or definitely go with a pool noodle.

It would. That harshness will go away during the burping and really during the cure.

LOL!

Yes, but only if you have the time to let them grow big and strong while keeping the top of the branch that they're on lower than they are. Tough to do without a lot of room and places to tie to (or dangling rocks).

You let the plant grow up once you run out of room and/or time to keep it flat. I'm thinking you've reached that point now!

What this guy said! ↑

Thank you Shed. I'm thinking I've reached that point now too

You guyyys

 

[Trala]

Hi Carmen

Look at you! Your plants have made a brilliant recovery! No more sad faces.

So I noticed your concerns growing past the pot. I got home from hols last night and made a training Captains Call on Greg my Laughing Buddha. If she looks okay today I’ll share it

 

[Jon]

It would. That harshness will go away during the burping and really during the cure.

LOL!

Yes, but only if you have the time to let them grow big and strong while keeping the top of the branch that they're on lower than they are. Tough to do without a lot of room and places to tie to (or dangling rocks).

You let the plant grow up once you run out of room and/or time to keep it flat. I'm thinking you've reached that point now!

What this guy said! ↑

Well as usual @InTheShed is right on point and succinct as always. Thanks Shed. CR, sounds like we are all saying the same thing. No harm in going up now. I go wider before going up only when I am growing photos and control veg time or growing an auto in certain will give me X number of days. All relative to the space at hand of course.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Thanks for thinking of that TS. Any suggestions of what I could use to fashion into panels? I guess I would need to be able to cable tie them onto the rig. It might be a bit tricky to accomplish this now that the plants are kinda in the way. Next time, I think... In the mean time, what could I use? Would cardboard be a fire hazard?

Fire hazard = if this thing falls on that thing, it'll eventually ignite (or at least smolder).

If "that thing" is something that you can touch without making noises, lol, it's not going to set something on fire. Stay well below 451°F. One exception (sort of) to that is if you've got a heat source inside of a well-insulated space, because heat builds up. But I don't think that applies here. And light-energy turns to heat when absorbed by something, but that isn't likely to be an issue in your setup. (For others reading this in the future, don't run a 1,000-watt HID in a cardboard box!)

Assuming that your light source gets no hotter than 150°F or thereabouts, you could stack tissues on it without any real worry. Hot to the touch and "my skin just stuck to that!" are two very different temperatures.

Cardboard would be fine. It's brown, though. You can paint it, but you'll want to go light on the paint. Same as anything, multiple light coats instead of pouring it on. It's suboptimal, but life's like that. It's better than some plastics (which soften when hot). Poster"board" is too thin; some light will penetrate through it, and it's not rigid.

Plywood works, lol, but is probably more weight and expense than you want to deal with. People used to buy mylar in sheets or rolls, buy eight PVC (etc.) "90° side-outlet elbows" and a few lengths of plastic pipe... use the pipe/elbows to make a plastic box frame, then tape the mylar to it. Instant garden space. There are also materials that are white on one side and black on the other, and a white sheet material called Orca Film that is the best such material, in terms of light reflectivity (but it's not exactly cheap).

I hesitate to use the words "any old thing," but...

 

[Carcass]

Hi, Carmen-
If you have access to a dollar store, they sell these flat white 20"x30"x 3/16" foamboard sheets that would work pretty well- they're not "bendy" like poster board...You might also find them at a crafts store, if there's one in your area..

 

[Carmen Ray]

Hi Carmen

Look at you! Your plants have made a brilliant recovery! No more sad faces.

So I noticed your concerns growing past the pot. I got home from hols last night and made a training Captains Call on Greg my Laughing Buddha. If she looks okay today I’ll share it

Tra you have a magic touch I saw what you are doing with Greg and she is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. I am nervous to supercrop but having seen your tutorial it makes it seem less traumatic.

Fire hazard = if this thing falls on that thing, it'll eventually ignite (or at least smolder).

If "that thing" is something that you can touch without making noises, lol, it's not going to set something on fire. Stay well below 451°F. One exception (sort of) to that is if you've got a heat source inside of a well-insulated space, because heat builds up. But I don't think that applies here. And light-energy turns to heat when absorbed by something, but that isn't likely to be an issue in your setup. (For others reading this in the future, don't run a 1,000-watt HID in a cardboard box!)

Assuming that your light source gets no hotter than 150°F or thereabouts, you could stack tissues on it without any real worry. Hot to the touch and "my skin just stuck to that!" are two very different temperatures.

Cardboard would be fine. It's brown, though. You can paint it, but you'll want to go light on the paint. Same as anything, multiple light coats instead of pouring it on. It's suboptimal, but life's like that. It's better than some plastics (which soften when hot). Poster"board" is too thin; some light will penetrate through it, and it's not rigid.

Plywood works, lol, but is probably more weight and expense than you want to deal with. People used to buy mylar in sheets or rolls, buy eight PVC (etc.) "90° side-outlet elbows" and a few lengths of plastic pipe... use the pipe/elbows to make a plastic box frame, then tape the mylar to it. Instant garden space. There are also materials that are white on one side and black on the other, and a white sheet material called Orca Film that is the best such material, in terms of light reflectivity (but it's not exactly cheap).

I hesitate to use the words "any old thing," but...

Thanks for giving that so much thought TS. I think I might try @Carcass idea of the white foamboard.

Hi, Carmen-
If you have access to a dollar store, they sell these flat white 20"x30"x 3/16" foamboard sheets that would work pretty well- they're not "bendy" like poster board...You might also find them at a crafts store, if there's one in your area..

Thanks Carcass!

Well as usual @InTheShed is right on point and succinct as always. Thanks Shed. CR, sounds like we are all saying the same thing. No harm in going up now. I go wider before going up only when I am growing photos and control veg time or growing an auto in certain will give me X number of days. All relative to the space at hand of course.

Thank you

 

[Trala]

Tra you have a magic touch I saw what you are doing with Greg and she is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. I am nervous to supercrop but having seen your tutorial it makes it seem less traumatic.

I hate the thought of supercropping, but Maya taught me my plants like it a bit rough sometimes. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree lollling!

The 4 branches I snapped had superior buds, 100%.

It’s all about the shape you want your plant to be. My eyes appreciate all plant shapes, but it’s this shape that makes me big smile:-

Not only coz she looks hot as fuck, but that shape really suits my grow space and they are easier for me to manage carrying in and out of my grow space.

I don’t have a magic touch at all. Everything I know was learned here.

 

[Carmen Ray]

Greetings, it's time for my weekend update. I am without a computer again so I am updating on my phone.

Saturday 23 UPDATE
All three plants are feeding every 3 to 4 days, alternating between dechlorinated water and nutes. Nutes consist of calmag, 401,Epic and mycco. In the case of Lavender Best, includes molasses.
Lavender Best Auto is 68 days and 45 in flower

BBruce Banner 2 is 47 days old

Wedding Cake is also 47 days old

I am preparing to flip on 1st August, so they have another week of veg to grow up a bit more. Before you suggest a longer veg, you may recall that I have to flower these during early spring as I don't have a dark room for them. They must flip at the end of the month.

Thank you for stopping by. Have the best weekend.

 

[Azimuth]

Once the plants get sexually mature, veg time is completely grower's choice, and dependent on space availability, finishing time requirements, desired yield, etc.

I grow perpetually so my veg time is largely governed by a space opening up in the flower room, so that depends more on the flowering time of another plant.

So, it's totally up to you how long they go and how big you want to let them get first. Your finishing time requirement is a totally legit factor.

 

[InTheShed]

The veggers look great and I can't wait to see the flowering thing happen!

 

[Carcass]

Before you suggest a longer veg

Hey, you're going 4 days longer than I usually do...

 

[Trala]

Omg they look great Carmen!

Well done girlfriend!

 

[Carmen Ray]

Once the plants get sexually mature, veg time is completely grower's choice, and dependent on space availability, finishing time requirements, desired yield, etc.

I grow perpetually so my veg time is largely governed by a space opening up in the flower room, so that depends more on the flowering time of another plant.

So, it's totally up to you how long they go and how big you want to let them get first. Your finishing time requirement is a totally legit factor.

Thanks for the insight Azi. There's a lot of logistics involved in the perpetual grow, and it takes a high level of skill to do properly. You folk who pull it off have my respect.

The veggers look great and I can't wait to see the flowering thing happen!

Thanks Shed. They are all perky in their efforts to get there, although Wedding Cake is showing temporary displeasure at having received water over her feeder roots. A week to go!

Hey, you're going 4 days longer than I usually do...

Really, Carcass? It feels a bit rushed, but it doesn't hurt your plants in the least

Omg they look great Carmen!

Well done girlfriend!

Thanks girlfriend I am excited to see where they go!

 

[Carmen Ray]

Hi canopy kings and queens. I have questions and I thought a video would help. Also the stills. I really hope that this is the right video. It's been a challenge to get it up.